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.Wide Receivers1) Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&MAbsolute physical freak. I’m talking Megatron type physique here. Size, runs good routes, has good hands, fights for yards after contact. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s nowhere near Calvin’s level of course, but just coming from a purely physical stand point, they could mirror each other. Evans doesn’t have elite speed but no receiver at his size does. His other abilities and freakish size make up for any slight lack of speed he may have.
2) Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida StateBenjamin is built a lot like Evans, only he’s faster. He may not be as well rounded in other areas of the game, but he has a ton of potential. The only reason he’s not my #1 is because Evans is ready to be a #1 option right now, Benjamin is ready to produce right away but he’d benefit greatly from having a solid veteran to teach him a few trick (hey Lions, I see you sitting at that #10 pick.
With his size and speed, Benjamin has all the makings of something special. He could use a bit of work on his hands as drops are a slight concern but nothing that can’t be corrected.
3) Sammy Watkins, WR, ClemsonVery fast vertical threat. That’s my biased opinion towards Watkins. He has improved on his route running, hands and overall skill set as a receiver but I see Mike Wallace 2.0 here. I know I’m in the minority when it comes to my opinion on Watkins and I’m probably going to be wrong here but my gut just says to approach with caution here.
4) Marqise Lee, WR, USCMarqise Lee has reclaimed his spot as a top receiver in this draft. He was the hands down #1 coming into the season and he fell off due to some nagging injuries but his QB play was garbage too so it wasn’t entirely his fault. He was still able to put together some very strong performances but he didn’t do it consistently enough. Usually here is where I’ll say he needs to have a good pro day/combine to really solidify himself, but I’m going to go with he WILL have a good pro day/combine and will solidify himself among the top WR talent in this draft.
5) Allen Robinson, WR, Penn StateRobinson quietly held his own as one of the best receivers in the nation this year. He’s right up there with all of these guys but for whatever reason, he didn’t get as much attention. He’s got the physical tools, the speed, hands, ability to separate and toughness to fight for extra yards. If Robinson was the first WR taken, I’d be a little surprised but I would not hate on the team that made that decision….well, not too much, it’d be hard to pass on Evans or Benjamin for him but after that, he can go anywhere.
6) Paul Richardson, WR, ColoradoThere is one big reason as to why I like Paul Richardson so much, he is consistent. If you can get the ball in his area, he’s going to bring it in. He may not make the spectacular catches or break tackles and take off for a 60 yard beast mode run but he’s going to make catches, get yards and hang onto the ball. He has a small frame which scares me though so I’d really like to see him in a supporting role rather than being the feature in the passing game. He’d be a tremendous weapon on the Saints where he can be the top receiver but not the #1 option in the passing game.
7) Davante Adams, WR, Fresno StateThe upside to Adams is that he has reliable hands, runs solid routes and has breakaway speed that can leave corners in their stance at the LOS. All sounds good, right? Well there’s always a catch, Adams has played no one of significance. He played weak competition all year and blew them up. I fully believe his game will translate well against better competition but it is something to keep in mind.
8) Jordan Matthews, WR, VanderbiltMatthews is becoming my favorite receiver in this draft more and more every day. He has the ability to make catches everywhere on the field. Short passes for the first down, mid-level catches across the field, the deep ball, he can do it all. He can take those short passes and break them for the TD in the blink of an eye. He doesn’t have blazing speed but he is very quick. He could help himself by packing on a little muscle so he can bang with some of the more physical defenders in the NFL but he has a bright future.
9) Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSUBeckham Jr. has blazing speed and good hands. His route running needs to develop some but overall, where he stands now, he’s ready to come in and make an impact for any offense needing a speedster (Cardinals could possibly be looking here.
) and then spend a few years developing and becoming a well-rounded option. He is one of the safer receiver options in this draft.
10) Jared Abbrederis, WR, WisconsinDat white boy with speed. He’s very Jordy Nelson-esque. No he is not on the same level as Nelson, do not pretend like I’m saying that (although Nelson is only an average to slightly above average WR without Rodgers) but Abbrederis has skill. He’s got size, a bit thin for his size (curious how his body can handle some of the harder hits he’ll take in the NFL, I feel like one hard hit on a crossing route and he’s done for) but his combination of speed and ability to create separation will land him a significant role in someone’s offense.
11) Devin Street, WR, PittsburghStreet is another tall, thin receiver with slightly above average speed. He somehow manages to create separation in every coverage and has a knack for creating yards after he catches the ball when there don’t seem to be any left. He’s a boom or bust pick. I personally see an Anquan Boldin type player. He probably won’t ever reach the level of greatness Q has but Street can definitely become that reliable go to guy. Again, before you jump on my case, he’s not that bear trap for hands, made of steel receiver Q is, I can just see him fitting in the same way Q does in an offense.
12) Jarvis Landry, WR, LSULandry comes down to three things, good hands, good speed and toughness. He can run by you or knock you on your ass. He might not be able to go and get the ball anywhere you put it but if you get it in the right spot, he’s not dropping it.
13) Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole MissMoncrief is a large receiver with very deceptive speed. He can stretch the field vertically and really stretch out a defense. Moncrief could be a massive sleeper this year.
14) Brandon Coleman, WR, RutgersColeman is probably too slow to be a receiver in the NFL. He might want to consider bulking up some and switching to tight end. Either way, he has some quality skills and massive size (6’6’’, 220). How he does at the combine and what kind of speed he can show in his 40 will determine what he does going forward. Either way, some team will definitely take him for his size alone. Worst case, he’s a massive target for the redzone.
15) Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon StateCooks is a smaller receiver who will likely only be a slot option but there have been a lot of sure handed, smaller receivers without elite speed just like Cooks who have had some long, productive careers. I think Cooks can be a very deadly weapon in the right offense.
16) Josh Huff, WR, OregonHuff is a lot like Cooks except he’s more physical. I’m probably underselling Huff here a bit but something about him just makes me hesitate. Maybe because he’s from Oregon and when someone produces huge in that system it sets off some red flags for me, I don’t know but I do know that I do like Huff a lot, but not enough to spend anything higher than a third rounder on him.
17) Cody Hoffman, WR, BYUGreat size, great hands, runes great routes, but he’s slower. He’s big and physical, uses his size in great ways to help make up for his lack of speed. Much like Coleman, he’ll be drafted for his size for sure but unlike Coleman, Hoffman should definitely stick to receiver and not try to make a run at tight end haha.
18) Kasen Williams, WR, WashingtonWilliams is one of my major sleepers this year. He has a good combination of size, speed and overall receiving ability. He can jump out of the stadium, run all the routes and has good hands. His one knock is his ability to create separation. He has solid speed but not elite speed for his size. It could hurt him but I think a team taking him either late on Day 2 or early on Day 3 will land themselves a steal.
19) Martavius Bryant, WR, ClemsonBryant has a good combination of size and speed. I’m curious to see what he stands at and runs at the combine. His one knock is he has had a few issues with drops. If he can show some sureness in his hands at the combine, run the 40 he’s projected to and measure at the stats he’s listed at (6’5’’, 203) then he will certainly climb his way up draft boards and be a potential Day 2 selection.
20) Shaq Evans, WR, UCLAEvans is probably #1 on my sleeper list this year. He’s got the perfect combination of size, speed, quickness, physicality and toughness. He’ll bang with any corner and then run past them. He can work on his route running and basic receiving skills some (route running, hands, making sure he fucking catches the ball then runs [saw him try to go before he got it a few times] etc) but other than that, he’s going to be a nice mid-late round pick up.
21) Rashad Greene, WR, Florida StateGreene looked a lot better with Winston throwing him the ball so I’m in approach with caution mode with him but he runs his routes to perfection and he does not drop balls. If he bulks up some, I can see him being a studly possession receiver. If he doesn’t do that, he really needs to run fast, faster than he’s shown thus far, otherwise he’s going to be an average at best option.
22) Dri Archer, WR/RB, Kent StateArcher is 5’8’’, 175lbs. For comparisons sake, Sproles is 5’6’’, 190. Woodhead is 5’8’’, 200. Ellington is 5’9’’, 200. Do you see the pattern here? That’s what I expect from Archer. Here’s a thought, with as many weapons as Denver already has, imagine this kind of player lining up next to Peyton in the backfield. Just a thought for round 4 or 5.
23) Mike Davis, WR, TexasWe’re in the area of receivers now where everyone has some skill but not elite talent. They all have either have above average size or speed but not both or just average both. It’s all of these mid-tier guys who can break out, be average or bust. Davis is just that haha. Some size, some speed, solid hands, nothing too great but can be a solid option on the depth chart.
24) Tevin Reese, WR, BaylorReese is on the opposite side of the fence when compared to Davis. Smaller receiver with speed. Not great in any area and if it weren’t for his speed, he wouldn’t have a spot in the NFL. But, he does have speed and hands so he can be a productive slot guy.
25) Robert Herron, WR, WyomingI have a boner for Herron for some reason. He’s smaller with speed but he’s a tough, blue collar guy. I feel like everything I saw from him was fight. Take that for whatever it is haha.
26) Matt Miller, WR, Boise StateMiller has good size at 6’3’’, 220, but just average speed. He’s going to be a nice big threat for someone but probably will only be brought in when in the redzone.
There are shit tons of other receivers but I had to stop here. All I was doing the last few guys was listing their height and weight and the one thing that could give them an NFL career, what’s the point of that? Anyone can look that stuff up haha.
Tomorrow will be ILB as requested in the HB thread.
Other Position Rankings
QB:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69847793&f=204HB:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=69861320&f=204Previous 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