I'm going to rank and give a quick analysis of some of the top talents per position in this year's draft. I am going to make a new thread for each position and will keep old threads listed in each new thread.
Keep in mind, this is purely my opinions. I am not saying this will be the order, this will be how players turn out or anything along those lines, it's just simply my own personal thoughts.
If you'd like a specific position to be done next, feel free to post, I don't mind jumping around. If not, I'll go in order (QB, WR, RB, TE, OT, etc...)
Anyway, as always, rate, hate and critique your hearts out.Inside Linebacker1) C.J. Mosley, ILB, AlabamaMosley has size, speed, athleticism, ball skills, coverage skills, pass rushing ability, run stuffing skills, he has it all. He plays physical and fast. He’s a dominate tackler and is overall one of the best players in this draft. Last year he was a top 10-15 player before he went back to school. This year I have him ranked in the top 5, most have him in the top 10 so he only got better overall.
2) Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio StateShazier is probably going to be best suited to play on the outside (weakside most likely) in a 4-3. But the guy is definitely talented enough to make the transition into the inside in a 3-4. The size, incredible burst, speed and instincts make Shazier a first round talent who’s being overlooked right now in my opinion.
3) Denzel Perryman, ILB, MiamiPerryman might not be the fastest guy on the field but he’s strong, physical, quick and covers a lot of ground. Not fast but quick? Yes that’s possible if you were unaware.
He’s shown better coverage skills than most expected to see out of him and as I said, he may not be the fastest guy out there but for his size, he’s very quick and athletic.
4) Christian Jones, ILB, Florida StateChristian Jones is very versatile. He can play all 3 LB spots in a 4-3 and all 4 spots in a 3-4 lol. He’ll be best suited inside in a 3-4 or anywhere in a 4-3. He’s the prototypical LB that a lot of teams are looking for now. Big, fast, athletic, sure tackler, good in coverage, pass rush and run defense. I am very high on Christian Jones this year.
5) Shayne Skov, ILB, StanfordSkov is a guy you want on your team for what he does off the field. He’s a natural leader and can be the anchor of your defense for years and years and years. He’s not just a leader though; he brings a fast and physical style of play each and every week. He’s very instinctive and is a perfect fit for inside in a 3-4.
6) Yawin Smallwood, ILB, ConnecticutSmallwood is a force to be reckoned with. He’s a very sure tackler (being one of the leaders in the nation the past few years in that stat), has good size, decent coverage abilities, can rush the passer from the inside and stuff up the run game. He’d be great inside in a 4-3 or 3-4 but the best fit will be a 4-3 imo.
7) Jake Ryan, LB, MichiganRyan wasn’t able to perform to his fullest all season due to recovering from an ACL tear last spring. He still put on a few nice performances though. He’s a physical player with good instincts and decision making skills. He could definitely be the “quarterback” for the defense that a lot of teams lack. He can play all 3 spots in a 4-3 and inside in a 3-4 (maybe even outside in the 3-4, wouldn’t surprise me).
8) Andrew Jackson, ILB, Western KentuckyJackson is an incredibly physical player. He hits hard and fast, you definitely know when he was the one who tackled you. He’s very consistent and makes plays all over the field. He’s not the fastest linebacker in the world but he has very good instincts and is quick for his size. He lacks in coverage skills though. If he can show increased skill in that aspect of the game at the combine/work outs, he has all the potential in the world to be a 3 down linebacker in the NFL.
9) Max Bullough, ILB, Michigan StateBig, physical linebacker who can blow up the run but has a difficult time in coverage. Without showing improved coverage skills he’ll be a situational guy in the NFL but with his leadership skills on and off the field, he’s well worth a day 2 selection.
10) Chris Borland, ILB, WisconsinBorland will be a solid ILB in a 3-4 defense. He doesn’t have the coverage skills and is too short to be a major threat in a 4-3 defense. But in a 3-4 he can thrive, blowing up the run and rushing from the interior. He’ll also be a very great special team contributor. He’s the type of guy you want to have on your football team.
11) Khairi Fortt, ILB, CaliforniaFortt is another ILB with a good combination of size and speed. He didn’t really wow anyone this past year but that was primarily because Cal was a fucking mess. Anyway, he really needs to shine at the combine and workouts to make it into Day 2 otherwise, he’ll be a Day 3 selection. He has all the skills to do so though so we’ll see.
12) Jabari Hunt-Days, ILB, Georgia TechI’ve been trying to leave out undecided players but I believe Hunt-Days will declare so I’m tossing him in here anyway. Good size, decent speed, good athlete and an all-around force. Sure tackler, solid in coverage and a decent pass rusher. He’s been on my radar for a while now. I can really see him climbing up draft boards fast if/when he declares and shows off at the combine.
13) Lamin Barrow, LB, LSUI’m not sure where Barrow fits in the NFL. He’s not the best in coverage so he might be a liability in a 4-3 but then he’s a little small for the inside too. He might be best suited showing off some improved pass rushing skills and showing off as an OLB and special teamer (I know LB is just a big umbrella they all get lumped into at the combine but they know how they’ll play out and all that fun stuff, etc etc blah blah)
14) Jordan Zumwalt, LB, UCLAZumwalt is a tweener LB right now. Not quite the right fit for the inside but not really fast enough to rush the edge. He’ll go one way or another and end up being a rotational, situational, special teamer.
15) Caleb Lavey, ILB, OklahomaLavey wasn’t great but he was far from bad. He has tons of potential and a good combination of size and speed. He could turn out to be a great later round selection for someone.
16) A.J. Tarpley, LB, StanfordTarpley is another one of those tweener guys. He’s a good developmental prospect though. He’s not great in any particular aspect of the game but he’s consistent and a hard worker. Like I said, good project pick that could pay off.
17) Andrew Wilson, LB, MissouriAnd finally, once again, another tweener who could go either way. Wilson is most likely to be a good fit on the edge of a 3-4 but we’ll see what comes from him at the combine. He’ll most likely be an UDFA in the end though.
Other Position Rankings
QB:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69847793&f=204HB:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69861320&f=204FB:
WR:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69871600&f=204TE:
OT:
OG:
C:
4-3 DE:
3-4 DE:
DT:
4-3 OLB:
3-4 OLB:
ILB:
CB:
S:
K/P:
Previous mocks:
2014 v1.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=68890136&f=2042014 v2.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=68924563&f=2042014 v3.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=68967249&f=2042014 v4.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69010879&f=2042014 v5.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69056177&f=2042014 v6.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69101987&f=2042014 v7.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69165845&f=2042014 v8.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69235121&f=2042014 v9.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69285391&f=2042014 v10.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69468393&f=2042014 v11.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69541086&f=2042014 v12.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69649564&f=2042014 v13.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69715922&f=2042014 v14.0:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69804282&f=2042014 Mid-Season Big Board:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69198359&f=2042013 Final Mock:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=67113792&f=2042013 Draft Analysis:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=67228920&f=2042012 Draft Analysis:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=62247355&f=204