Initial Rankings Part 2

This years Wide Receiver class has a chance to be really special. In 2 of the last 3 years drafts, there hasn't been a WR taken in the top 20. That will change in 2011. There are 4 potential superstars at WR, all with different attributes and a different style. It's going to be really exciting to follow this class. Despite this, there is one small problem... none of the elite talents are seniors. If these guys don't declare, then the class will be awful, but most people (including me) think that most of the underclassmen are coming out in 2011.

Senior WR's
1) Terrance Toliver, LSU
2) Greg Little, North Carolina
3) Austin Pettis, Boise State
4) Armon Binns, Cincinnati
5) Ryan Whalen, Stanford

Notable Underclassmen
1) AJ Green, Georgia
2) Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
3) Jonathon Baldwin, Pittsburgh
4) Julio Jones, Alabama

While none of the seniors have a realistic shot at round 1, the 4 underclassmen I mentioned all have a ceiling in the top 10. Green is a big and athletic playmaker. He's one of the best deep threats in recent memory. His size/speed ratio, and dynamic playmaking ability make him the best of the best in this potentially loaded class.
Floyd, is another big time threat. In just 7 games last year, Floyd managed to pick up 9 TD's and nearly 800 yards... that's very impressive. Combine that with his 6'3 220 lb frame, sure hands, superb route running, and possible 4.4 speed, and you have a top 10 talent. There is an issue here though... injuries. Floyd is exceptional when healthy, but he's proven to be extremely fragile. If he stays healthy this season and tests out medically, he could be one of the top talents available. Another injury though could derail his status as elite talent.
Baldwin is the least publicized of the 'big 4'. He's even bigger then Michael Floyd, and just as athletic. He has elite leaping ability, sure hands, and underrated route running. Baldwin could be a top 10 pick this April.
Julio Jones is likely the most talked about of the 4, but in my opinion, he's the worst of the bunch. He's a first round talent no doubt, but he hasn't performed up to his abilities so far in his career. A true athletic freak, Jones stands at 6'4 215 lbs, runs a 4.4, and is set to blow up the vertical (among other drills) at the combine. A player this talented, playing on a loaded team that often demands 8 men in the box, Jones should have a field day against opponent's secondaries. But he doesn't usually. His stats are pedestrian at best, party due to his habit of dropping the ball way too much. His motivation and focus have come into question because of his drops, and that combined with sub-par route running make him the 4th best of the group. If he plays up to his abilities this year though, Jones could realistically leap all the other receivers and become the best of the best.

Now onto the Tight End's. This position doesn't offer the same excitement as the receivers but there are some intriguing names to watch.
Senior TE's
1) Weslye Saunders, South Carolina
2) Charlie Gantt, MSU
3) Luke Stocker, Tennessee
4) Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin
5) Schuylar Oordt, Northern Iowa

Notable Underclassmen
1) Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame

Rudolph could be a first rounder if he declares. He's big, fast, experienced, and serviceable in both the passing game and in terms of blocking. He's the prototypical tight end. He has some nagging injuries, and it'll be interesting to see if he's as productive with Dayne Crist under center, but right now he's the cream of the crop. Another interesting guy to watch is Saunders out of South Carolina. He could be the most gifted tight end athletically in 2011, but he has character concerns. He's been suspended in the past and reports of his immaturity and nonchalant attitude have surfaced repeatedly. If he can turn himself around, he could be a force in the NFL. Very similar to Jermichael Finley, Saunders is big, fast, and a threat in the middle of the field. He's a boom or bust player for sure, but in my opinion he's worth the risk anywhere past round 1. Keep your eye on Oordt from Northern Iowa this year too. Admittedly, I don't get to see much Northern Iowa football but, Oordt has an intriguing blend of triangle numbers. He's 6'6, 250, and runs a reported 4.6. He's been fairly productive in his career so far, so he's an intriguing name to watch.

Next up the OLinemen.

Initial Rankings

It's still really, really, really early in the process, so I've decided to (for the time being) leave out underclassmen in my initial rankings. At the end of each rankings, or big board, I will note the underclassmen who if come out, would be ranked among the top of each group.
Let's start with the top QB's and RB's.

Senior QB's
1) Jake Locker, Washington
2) Christian Ponder, FSU
3) Pat Devlin, Delaware
4) Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M
5) Ricky Stanzi, Iowa

Notable Underclassmen
1) Ryan Mallet, Arkansas
2) Andrew Luck, Stanford

You probable already know the basics behind Locker, Mallet, Luck, and Ponder. You probably do not know much about the Delaware product, Pat Devlin.
Devlin is an extremely intriguing prospect. He's big, strong, and has a cannon arm. Hmmm, a huge, rocket-armed, Delaware prospect... sound familiar? (Joe Flacco in case you're new to the draftnik scene).
Well, Devlin is a very hard prospect to get a read on. Why? 1- He plays at Delaware. It's near impossible to see this guy play a lot, and 2- One of the main sources of video on this guy is highlight videos. What's wrong with that? Well highlight videos tend to showcase the goods, and only the good parts of a players game. It isn't a very accurate way of scouting. Therefore many may believe he's better then he is.
Despite this, Devlin is a big time prospect. He has great accuracy, surprising movement, good ball placement, and we've already touched on his size and arm. He has good stats, but to be honest, for playing at Delaware they could be better. He has an upside of a first rounder, or he could slide all the way to the later rounds. This season is make or break for him.
Though I warned about the problems with highlight videos, I felt I should post one anyway, since most have never seen him play.

Pat Devlin Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4SBu8S3IFI

Senior RB's
1) DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
2) Evan Royster, PSU
3) Noel Devine, West Virginia
4) Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech
5) Daniel Thomas, Kansas State

Notable Underclassmen
1) Mark Ingram, Alabama
2) Ryan Williams, Virgina Tech

This is a pretty bad senior group at first glance. It's unlikely that any of these guys make it into the first round. However, when looked at again, you'll see some intriguing prospects. Murray is a dynamic threat. He's fast, he has decent size, he's elusive, and he's a good pass catcher. As a pure runner, he doesn't offer that much, but he could be an intriguing second round option. Noel Devine is also a very interesting guy to keep an eye on. He's tiny, but he's very dynamic with the ball. As we saw with Dexter McCluster last year, even an undersized weapon can make it into the high second round. Devine could do the same in 2011 with a good season under his belt.
The underclassmen though will make or break this class. Ingram is a legit top 15 talent. A natural runner, this workhorse has prototype size, speed and style. He doesn't go down easy, his legs are always pumping, he hits the hole hard, and he's fantastic in open space. He projects to be an everydown guy in the NFL. Ryan Williams is only a redshirt sophomore, but keep your eye out for him. He's a likely first rounder is he comes out early.

Next up, WR's and TE's.

2011 Mock #1

1) Buffalo- Jake Locker, QB, Washington
2) St. Louis- AJ Green, WR, Georgia
3) Jacksonville- Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
4) Cleveland- Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
5) Denver- Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
6) Cincinnati- Marcel Dareus, DE, Alabama
7) Philadelphia- Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
8) Chicago- Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
9) Kansas City- Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
10) Detroit- Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
11) Seattle- Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
12) Arizona- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
13) Tampa Bay- Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh
14) New York Giants- Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
15) Washington- Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
16) Tennessee- Travis Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma
17) Pittsburgh- Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
18) Houston- Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
19) New England (from Oakland)- Cameron Heyward, DE, OSU
20) Carolina- Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
21) San Francisco- DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson
22) Miami- Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech
23) Atlanta- Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
24) Indianapolis- Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
25) New York Jets- Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (FL)
26) New Orleans- Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina
27) New England- Joseph Barksdale, OT, LSU
28) Dallas- Marvin Austin, DE/DT, North Carolina
29) Minnesota- Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
30) San Diego- Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida
31) Baltimore- Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia
32) Green Bay- Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

2011, here we come!

Alright, after a brief hiatus to digest the draft and finish up my exams and schooling, Im ready to go for another year of draft chat.

2011 is a very intriguing class. While this year looks to be a tad weak on the OLine, at running back, and in the linebacking core it also happens to be loaded with QB, WR, and DL talent.
We have many story lines to look forward to.

There's already a race developing for the top QB of the draft. The highly touted Jake Locker has the coaching, the experience, the speed, and the athleticism. Ryan Mallet has the JaMarcus Russell arm without the JaMarcus Russell lethargy and Andrew Luck has the upside and intangibles. Oh, and Christian Ponder is in the discussion as well. The underrated signal caller from Florida State compares to Jimmy Clausen (who I thought was the best QB of 2010) and could sneak up draft boards with another fantastic season.

Then there's the WR discussion. After some relatively weak wide out classes, 2011 promises to be star studded. 4 receivers are legitimate top 15 talents. AJ Green, Michael Floyd, Jonathon Baldwin, and Julio Jones could all be top 10 picks any given year. It'll be an interesting race to see who steps up and becomes the cream of the crop.

We also have the comeback of Mark Herzlich. Herzlich, a potential first rounder in 2010, had to cancel his season after being diagnoses with Ewing's sarcoma. This rare form of cancer could be life threatening, but Herzlich won his battle with the disease, is cancer free, and ready to play football this year. Everyone will be cheering for him to regain top form, and become the top pick he was once projected to be.

There's more interesting plots to follow on the defensive side. If Patrick Peterson improves on his sophomore season and works out like everyone expects, he could be the top corner to come out in the past decade or so. Can Jared Crick, the productive DT from Nebraska, step out of Ndamukong Suh's shadow and become a top pick in his own right? Is Robert Quinn the best DE to come out since Mario Williams?

So, all in all, there's lots of intrigue this year. I'll be posting my first mock draft of the year momentarily, and in the next day or so the first big board will debut. Enjoy!