bah007 Updated Position Rankings - Offense

[bah007]

I'm up to date on most of the offensive prospects in this class. There are a few guys that weren't at the combine that I want to get pro day info for, and there are a few guys that I need to watch more of before I feel totally comfortable with their grade. But here is where we are for now. If you don't see a player listed then I don't have a draftable grade on them right now.

QB
1. Jared Goff, California
2. Carson Wentz, North Dakota St
3. Connor Cook, Michigan St
4. Paxton Lynch, Memphis
5. Dak Prescott, Mississippi St
6. Christian Hackenberg, Penn St
7. Vernon Adams, Oregon
8. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
9. Jake Coker, Alabama
10. Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina St
11. Brandon Allen, Arkansas
12. Nate Sudfeld, Indiana

RB
1. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio St
2. Alex Collins, Arkansas
3. Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech
4. C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame
5. Devontae Booker, Utah
6. Jordan Howard, Indiana
7. Paul Perkins, UCLA
8. Derrick Henry, Alabama
9. Wendell Smallwood, West Virginia
10. Keith Marshall, Georgia
11. DeAndre Washington, Texas Tech
12. Tyler Ervin, San Jose St
13. Kenyan Drake, Alabama
14. Daniel Lasco, California
15. Josh Ferguson, Illinois
16. Marshaun Coprich, Illinois St
17. Jonathan Williams, Arkansas
18. Peyton Barber, Auburn

FB
1. Dan Vitale, Northwestern
2. Sione Houma, Michigan
3. Soma Vainuku, USC
4. Quayvon Hicks, Georgia

WR
1. Laquon Treadwell, Mississippi
2. Josh Doctson, TCU
3. Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh
4. Michael Thomas, Ohio St
5. Charone Peake, Clemson
6. Keyarris Garrett, Tulsa
7. Tajae Sharpe, Massachusetts
8. Braxton Miller, Ohio St
9. Chris Moore, Cincinnati
10. Ricardo Louis, Auburn
11. Jordan Payton, UCLA
12. De'Runnya Wilson, Mississippi St
13. Geronimo Allison, Illinois
14. Mekale McKay, Cincinnati
15. Cayleb Jones, Arizona
16. Cody Core, Mississippi
17. Chris Brown, Notre Dame
18. Marquez North, Tennessee
19. Rashawn Scott, Miami
20. Paul McRoberts, Southeast Missouri St

WR S
1. Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma
2. Will Fuller, Notre Dame
3. Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
4. Corey Coleman, Baylor
5. Aaron Burbridge, Michigan St
6. Trevor Davis, California
7. Leonte Caroo, Rutgers
8. Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
9. Rashard Higgins, Colorado St
10. Roger Lewis, Bowling Green
11. Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan
12. Jalin Marshall, Ohio St
13. Kolby Listenbee, TCU
14. Bralon Addison, Oregon
15. Byron Marshall, Oregon
16. Johnny Holton, Cincinnati

TE Y
1. Hunter Henry, Arkansas
2. Austin Hooper, Stanford
3. Jerrell Adams, South Carolina
4. Tyler Higbee, Western Kentucky
5. Beau Sandland, Montana St
6. David Morgan, UTSA
7. Nick Vannett, Ohio St
8. Jake McGee, Florida
9. Ryan Malleck, Virginia Tech
10. Bryce Williams, ECU

TE F
1. Devon Cajuste, Stanford
2. Glenn Gronkowski, Kansas St
3. Thomas Duarte, UCLA
4. Ben Braunecker, Harvard
5. Henry Krieger Coble, Iowa
6. Sean Price, South Florida
7. Stephen Anderson, California

OT
1. Laremy Tunsil, Mississippi
2. Jason Spriggs, Indiana
3. Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
4. Jack Conklin, Michigan St
5. Willie Beavers, Western Michigan
6. Jerald Hawkins, LSU
7. Shon Coleman, Auburn
8. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, TCU
9. Joe Haeg, North Dakota St
10. Taylor Decker, Ohio St
11. Germain Ifedi, Texas A&M
12. Kyle Murphy, Stanford
13. Stephane Nembot, Colorado
14. Le'Raven Clark, Texas Tech
15. Spencer Drango, Baylor
16. Caleb Benenoch, UCLA
17. Brandon Shell, South Carolina
18. Tyler Johnstone, Oregon
19. John Theus, Georgia
20. Alex Lewis, Nebraska
21. Parker Ehringer, Cincinnati
22. Tyler Marz, Wisconsin

OG
1. Josh Garnett, Stanford
2. Nick Martin, Notre Dame
3. Cody Whitehair, Kansas St
4. Vadal Alexander, LSU
5. Denver Kirkland, Arkansas
6. Landon Turner, North Carolina
7. Rees Odhiambo, Boise St
8. Christian Westerman, Arizona St
9. Sebastian Tretola, Arkansas
10. Fahn Cooper, Mississippi
11. Avery Young, Auburn
12. Matt Skura, Duke
13. Darrell Greene, San Diego St
14. Connor McGovern, Missouri
15. Dominique Robertson, West Georgia

C
1. Ryan Kelly, Alabama
2. Graham Glasgow, Michigan
3. Isaac Seumalo, Oregon St
4. Max Tuerk, USC
5. Austin Blythe, Iowa
6. Joe Thuney, North Carolina St
7. Jack Allen, Michigan St
8. Jake Brendel, UCLA


Still working on the defense. There were some guys that looked great at the combine that I haven't watched enough of yet to have an opinion on and I'm trying to track them down.

 

[JB]

Thanks for the rankings. Will you edit as we get closer to the draft? Maybe a mod could sticky?

 

[bah007]

Thanks for the rankings. Will you edit as we get closer to the draft? Maybe a mod could sticky?

Yes, if it is going to stick at the top then I will just make all edits in this thread instead of making new ones.

I wouldn't expect a ton of change moving forward. Maybe after some pro days or if I get to watch more of a specific player that I hadn't seen enough of previously. But my offensive rankings are probably pretty set.

 

[powda]

Surprised you have Derrick Henry so low....and considering our past conversations I thought you'd have Coker higher. All in all good stuff.

 

[TexansSeminole]

Is Stanley a good option at 22, assuming Tunsil and Spriggs are both gone? If we don't go QB with 22 and don't trade it, I would like for us to get an insurance tackle for Brown and potential Newton upgrade.

 

[Mr teX]

I think I like Wentz a skosh more than Goff simply b/c he checks all the boxes from a measureables standpoint..that's really it. and as far as I'm concerned the trio of Cook, Lynch and hackenberg are all on the same level. All 3 guys have pretty glaring weaknesses and depending on who you read or talk to, they can or cannot be fixed. but other than that good list as always.

 

[bah007]

Surprised you have Derrick Henry so low....and considering our past conversations I thought you'd have Coker higher. All in all good stuff.

I'm not a big fan of Henry at the next level. He is explosive in the open field and he has great speed when he's in top gear. But he runs too high and gets taken down far too easily if he's hit before he can reach top speed. He also doesn't move well in short areas and is slow to hit the hole. I see him having big time problems creating enough burst to get through the hole and fight through contact to reach the next level of the defense. He didn't have to do that in college hardly at all because his OL was so good, and the times he did have to do it he didn't do it well at all. I value versatility in the backfield and he doesn't provide it.

I see Coker as the benefactor of an incredible cast of talent. I was never high on him, but started to reconsider after the way he closed the season in his final three games. But his performance in the Senior Bowl and his exclusion from the combine only reaffirmed my original beliefs. I think he has the physical tools to be worth a shot late, but I think he will be a huge mental project.

 

[bah007]

Is Stanley a good option at 22, assuming Tunsil and Spriggs are both gone? If we don't go QB with 22 and don't trade it, I would like for us to get an insurance tackle for Brown and potential Newton upgrade.

Unfortunately, I think the top three OTs will all be off the board before #22. They all have franchise LT potential.

If he is somehow available at #22 he would be a fantastic option and I would be very enthusiastic about getting him. I see him as a guy that can immediately upgrade RT in the short term and eventually flip to the left side when Brown can't do it anymore.

 

[WolverineFan]

I see Coker as the benefactor of an incredible cast of talent. I was never high on him, but started to reconsider after the way he closed the season in his final three games. But his performance in the Senior Bowl and his exclusion from the combine only reaffirmed my original beliefs. I think he has the physical tools to be worth a shot late, but I think he will be a huge mental project.

Same. Didn't like Coker at all during the regular season then got caught up with the hype during his stellar playoff run. Senior Bowl brought me back down to my original evaluation on him though. Physical tools are there but mentally he is just far behind. Definitely a project. Not a whole lot different from Cardale Jones from a physical standpoint.

 

[bah007]

I think I like Wentz a skosh more than Goff simply b/c he checks all the boxes from a measureables standpoint..that's really it. and as far as I'm concerned the trio of Cook, Lynch and hackenberg are all on the same level. All 3 guys have pretty glaring weaknesses and depending on who you read or talk to, they can or cannot be fixed. but other than that good list as always.

I understand the Wentz love and just happen to prefer Goff.

I think Hackenberg has all the physical tools but is very unlikely to break through all the bad habits he has created in college. He would need lots of time and great coaching. Sitting behind Palmer with Arians in his ear would be best case scenario.

Lynch is a measurable dynamo that doesn't put as much substance on the field as you would like. But he is very raw and should have a lot of room to grow. I don't see him as having any unfixable flaws but he will definitely take a lot of time to groom.

I think Cook has a severe accuracy problem but I love everything else about him. I can't speak to the off-field stuff because I don't know. I also think his ceiling is limited. But besides the top two he is the only guy that can come in and contribute early.

 

[Shishkabob]

I understand the Wentz love and just happen to prefer Goff.

I think Hackenberg has all the physical tools but is very unlikely to break through all the bad habits he has created in college. He would need lots of time and great coaching. Sitting behind Palmer with Arians in his ear would be best case scenario.

Lynch is a measurable dynamo that doesn't put as much substance on the field as you would like. But he is very raw and should have a lot of room to grow. I don't see him as having any unfixable flaws but he will definitely take a lot of time to groom.

I think Cook has a severe accuracy problem but I love everything else about him. I can't speak to the off-field stuff because I don't know. I also think his ceiling is limited. But besides the top two he is the only guy that can come in and contribute early.

do you think Prescott can be a real player in this league?

 

[badboy]

Mississippi State WR De’Runnya Wilson— “That was just rough,” the scouting director said of Wilson’s workout, even while noting the wideout's impressive stature at nearly 6-foot-5. With 40-yard dashes of 4.90 and 4.85, Wilson was painfully slow, and his jumping drills were not good either. “His quarterback [Prescott] is faster than he is,” the director said. “He shouldn’t have come out [early].”

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...-the-2016-nfl-scouting-combine-160909533.html

One of Wilson's strengths is winning jump ball situations. So it was curious when he registered just a 28-inch vertical leap. Then it became concerning when he ran just a 4.85 40-yard dash. Those two numbers could cause Wilson's draft stock to plummet.

Florida WR Demarcus Robinson — Two different teams dinged the receiver for bad interviews. “He was horrible, the worst we had this year” a college director texted. Another added: “We pushed him a little on the suspensions [four over the course of three years under two head coaches], and he pushed right back. Not what you wanted to hear.” Robinson turned in good times in the three-cone drill and the 60-yard shuttle but middle-of-the-pack numbers elsewhere. It’s not the most exciting receiver class in recent draft history, but there’s a solid middle class, and Robinson’s character red flags could get him lost in the shuffle.

Tight ends — “It’s a bad group,” the college director said. Although Arkansas’ Hunter Henry might be the best of the group, he opted not to work out. It might actually have helped in that the rest of the group looked so blah. But overall, this is not the year to need a young, developmental tight end, it appears.

Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State: The Spartans' star quarterback had an opportunity to make a move up the charts with a strong showing on Saturday but blew his chances for a surge up the board when he struggled with ball placement and accuracy in drills. Cook repeatedly missed receivers on routes with high and outside throws that landed well outside of the strike zone. While teams will certainly take Cook's injury into account, the fact that he continued to struggle with his ball placement confirms the questions about his accuracy based on his low completion percentage.

Some info to use

 

[bah007]

do you think Prescott can be a real player in this league?

My gut says no. I only have four QBs in this class graded as guys that can eventually be starters. Prescott is the top guy in that next group. He is intelligent and he will play his ass off for you. The physical skills appear to be there. He has impressed at every level of the process. The mental stuff is and will remain a huge question mark up until even after he is drafted. It's a guess, and if you take him early it's a risky guess. But out of the risky guys, he is the one that I think has the best shot to break through.

 

[bah007]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...-the-2016-nfl-scouting-combine-160909533.html








Some info to use

Wilson hurt himself a lot but I wasn't super high on him to begin with. I'm thinking around 5th round and he is likely never more than a red zone weapon.

I have Robinson graded as undrafted. His physical skills aren't nearly impressive enough to offset his red flags.

The TE class this year is brutal. You're looking at two, maybe three guys that can step in and play significant snaps immediately.

That pretty much highlights my feelings on Cook and it just illustrates how weak this QB class is after the top two. Cook is a guy that has every physical tool you could ask for plus productive experience in a pro style system. But the accuracy is a big deal to me.

 

[beerlover]

So basically, last two drafts, if you include this one has two pretty good studs to go with if you need a QB. How is it when Texans had the top pick three drafts ago there was none?

Pure coincidence?

Or​

Voodoo curse

 

[bah007]

Defense is updated for now. I order and rank differently than most. I find it harder to put defensive players into specific positional categories because there is so much variation in defensive styles so I try to organize players by specific skill sets instead. I project these players where I see them as the best fit at the next level, which is not always the same position that they played in college.

INTERIOR DL
1. Sheldon Rankins, Louisville
2. Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech
3. Andrew Billings, Baylor
4. A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama
5. Kenny Clark, UCLA
6. Jarran Reed, Alabama
7. Austin Johnson, Penn St
8. Adolphus Washington, Ohio St
9. D.J. Reader, Clemson
10. Maliek Collins, Nebraska
11. Willie Henry, Michigan
12. Hassan Ridgeway, Texas
13. Darius Latham, Indiana
14. Javon Hargrave, South Carolina St
15. Chris Mayes, Georgia
16. Sheldon Day, Notre Dame
17. Nile Lawrence-Stample, Florida St

VERSATILE DL
1. DeForest Buckner, Oregon
2. Jonathan Bullard, Florida
3. Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi
4. Chris Jones, Mississippi St
5. Bronson Kaufusi, BYU
6. Jihad Ward, Illinois
7. Anthony Zettel, Penn St
8. Ronald Blair, Appalachian St
9. Matt Ioannidis, Temple
10. Dean Lowry, Northwestern
11. Shawn Oakman, Baylor
12. Quinton Jefferson, Maryland
13. Connor Wujciak, Boston College
14. Adam Gotsis, Georgia Tech
15. Aziz Shittu, Stanford
16. Ufomba Kamalu, Miami
17. Sterling Bailey, Georgia
18. Joel Heath, Michigan St

EDGE
1. Joey Bosa, Ohio St
2. Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma St
3. Shaq Lawson, Clemson
4. Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland
5. Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
6. Kevin Dodd, Clemson
7. Leonard Floyd, Georgia
8. Kamalei Correa, Boise St
9. Carl Nassib, Penn St
10. Shilique Calhoun, Michigan St
11. Charles Tapper, Oklahoma
12. Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
13. Matt Judon, Grand Valley St
14. Joshua Perry, Ohio St
15. James Cowser, Southern Utah
16. Alex McCalister, Florida
17. Kyler Fackrell, Utah St
18. Drew Ott, Iowa
19. Stephen Weatherly, Vanderbilt
20. Ron Thompson, Syracuse
21. D.J. Pettway, Alabama
22. Romeo Okwara, Notre Dame
23. Victor Ochi, Stony Brook

INTERIOR LB
1. Myles Jack, UCLA
2. Reggie Ragland, Alabama
3. Joe Schobert, Wisconsin
4. B.J. Goodson, Clemson
5. Nick Kwiatkoski, West Virginia
6. Cassanova McKinzy, Auburn
7. Steven Daniels, Boston College
8. Kentrell Brothers, Missouri
9. Scooby Wright, Arizona
10. Steve Longa, Rutgers
11. Josh Forrest, Kentucky

VERSATILE LB
1. Darron Lee, Ohio St
2. Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame (this is obviously dependent on his medicals, which is something I'll never have access to)
3. Travis Feeney, Washington
4. Tyler Matakevich, Temple
5. Blake Martinez, Stanford
6. Nick Vigil, Utah St
7. Dominique Alexander, Oklahoma
8. Beniquez Brown, Mississippi St
9. Terrance Smith, Florida St
10. De'Vondre Campbell, Minnesota
11. C.J. Johnson, Mississippi
12. Devante Bond, Oklahoma

NICKEL LB
1. Su'a Cravens, USC
2. Deion Jones, LSU
3. Miles Killebrew, Southern Utah
4. Jayron Kearse, Clemson
5. Jatavis Brown, Akron
6. Montese Overton, ECU
7. Kavon Frazier, Central Michigan
8. Eric Striker, Oklahoma
9. Zeek Bigger, ECU
10. Tevin Carter, Utah

CB
1. Mackensie Alexander, Clemson
2. Vernon Hargreaves, Florida
3. William Jackson, Houston
4. Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
5. Eli Apple, Ohio St
6. Deiondre Hall, Northern Iowa
7. Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma
8. Cyrus Jones, Alabama
9. Sean Davis, Maryland
10. Will Redmond, Mississippi St
11. Rashard Robinson, LSU
12. Xavien Howard, Baylor
13. Cleveland Wallace, San Jose St
14. D.J. White, Georgia Tech
15. DeAndre Elliott, Colorado St
16. Kevon Seymour, USC
17. Jalen Mills, LSU
18. Artie Burns, Miami
19. Jimmy Pruitt, San Jose St
20. Daryl Worley, West Virginia
21. Jonathan Jones, Auburn
22. Keivarae Russell, Notre Dame
23. Tavon Young, Temple
24. Anthony Brown, Purdue
25. Ken Crawley, Colorado

SAFETY
1. Jalen Ramsey, Florida St
2. Karl Joseph, West Virginia
3. Vonn Bell, Ohio St
4. Jeremy Cash, Duke
5. Justin Simmons, Boston College
6. Keanu Neal, Florida
7. Darian Thompson, Boise St
8. K.J. Dillon, West Virginia
9. Tyvis Powell, Ohio St
10. T.J. Green, Clemson
11. Juston Burris, North Carolina St
12. Derrick Kindred, TCU
13. James Bradberry, Samford
14. Eric Murray, Minnesota
15. DeAndre Houston-Carson, William & Mary
16. Leshaun Sims, Southern Utah
17. Jordan Lucas, Penn St

 

[bah007]

I'm still waiting on pro days for a few guys so I might be making occasional edits through the end of the month. But things shouldn't change too much from here unless something drastic happens with a certain guy or I'm somehow able to find video that I haven't previously seen and it changes my mind. Obviously, I don't have access to certain materials and it's not like I've seen every game these guys have ever played. But I've watched as much as I could find on most of these guys and researched them on my own as well.

 

[WolverineFan]

You seem pretty down on Sheldon Day.

 

[TexansSeminole]

Alexander in front of Hargreaves, that's a unique take. Is it based on play, size, or both?

 

[bah007]

You seem pretty down on Sheldon Day.

I think he definitely has talent. He's a high effort guy and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him become successful.

I just prefer a more diverse skill set. He's limited in what he'll be able to do. I think he's a guy that will have to play in the middle and I'm worried he may get pushed around. I like his quickness but I don't think he'll be able to penetrate against NFL linemen the way he did in college this year.

I think he could carve out a nice career as a sub-package interior rusher. I would just prefer he were more well-rounded.

 

[bah007]

Alexander in front of Hargreaves, that's a unique take. Is it based on play, size, or both?

Play. I wish Hargreaves had more length but that's not something that Alexander has a real pronounced advantage on him anyway.

Hargreaves is a little bit more physical and definitely makes more plays on the ball but he gets beat deep way more often than you would like for a first round CB. Alexander is just flat out better in man coverage to me. He also plays with a certain swagger that reminds me of guys like Josh Norman and Richard Sherman. I'm not saying he is those guys, but he carries himself that way and backs it up. He also always makes the smart move on the ball when it's up for grabs. He never risks his position going for the pick. Some people might want a guy that creates more turnovers but I'm perfectly fine with a #1 CB that will shut people down, won't commit penalties, and won't give up big plays.

Hargreaves has great feet and appears more polished. He's no slouch and I think he's more likely to help out early in year one. But I think Alexander has the coverage skills to be the better player down the road.

 

[TexansSeminole]

Play. I wish Hargreaves had more length but that's not something that Alexander has a real pronounced advantage on him anyway.

Hargreaves is a little bit more physical and definitely makes more plays on the ball but he gets beat deep way more often than you would like for a first round CB. Alexander is just flat out better in man coverage to me. He also plays with a certain swagger that reminds me of guys like Josh Norman and Richard Sherman. I'm not saying he is those guys, but he carries himself that way and backs it up. He also always makes the smart move on the ball when it's up for grabs. He never risks his position going for the pick. Some people might want a guy that creates more turnovers but I'm perfectly fine with a #1 CB that will shut people down, won't commit penalties, and won't give up big plays.

Hargreaves has great feet and appears more polished. He's no slouch and I think he's more likely to help out early in year one. But I think Alexander has the coverage skills to be the better player down the road.

Interesting.

I'm interested in your round grades for your top 5 CBs and safeties. There seems to be some variation among many people.

 

[bah007]

Interesting.

I'm interested in your round grades for your top 5 CBs and safeties. There seems to be some variation among many people.

I have 1st round grades on Alexander, Hargreaves, and Jackson at CB and Ramsey and Joseph at S.

2nd round grades on Fuller, Apple, and Hall at CB and Bell, Cash, and Simmons at S.

 

[TexansSeminole]

I have 1st round grades on Alexander, Hargreaves, and Jackson at CB and Ramsey and Joseph at S.

2nd round grades on Fuller, Apple, and Hall at CB and Bell, Cash, and Simmons at S.

10-4. I like Cash a lot for what we need but don't think we need to spend a 2nd on him.

 

[CretorFrigg]

So with the signing of Osweiller and Lamar Miller, anyone see us drafting Josh Doctson first round?

 

[bah007]

So with the signing of Osweiller and Lamar Miller, anyone see us drafting Josh Doctson first round?

I would love it. The more I study him though the more I get the feeling that he won't be there.

I actually like him more than Treadwell. The next time I update my rankings he will be my #1 WR.

 

[bah007]

I think the way this draft falls will leave us with some real options at OT and NT at #22.

 

[bah007]

I appreciate the feedback I received from you guys. I've gone back and done some additional homework on a few guys and will be updating my rankings.

I guess I can't go back and edit the OP? So I'll just drop the updated rankings in the bottom of the thread.

 

[bah007]

QB
1. Jared Goff, California
2. Carson Wentz, North Dakota St
3. Paxton Lynch, Memphis
4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi St
5. Connor Cook, Michigan St
6. Christian Hackenberg, Penn St
7. Vernon Adams, Oregon
8. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
9. Jake Coker, Alabama
10. Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina St
11. Brandon Allen, Arkansas

RB
1. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio St
2. Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech
3. Alex Collins, Arkansas
4. C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame
5. Devontae Booker, Utah
6. Jordan Howard, Indiana
7. Paul Perkins, UCLA
8. Derrick Henry, Alabama
9. Wendell Smallwood, West Virginia
10. Keith Marshall, Georgia
11. DeAndre Washington, Texas Tech
12. Tyler Ervin, San Jose St
13. Kenyan Drake, Alabama
14. Daniel Lasco, California
15. Josh Ferguson, Illinois
16. Peyton Barber, Auburn
17. Marshaun Coprich, Illinois St
18. Jonathan Williams, Arkansas

FB
1. Dan Vitale, Northwestern
2. Sione Houma, Michigan
3. Soma Vainuku, USC

WR
1. Josh Doctson, TCU
2. Laquon Treadwell, Mississippi
3. Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh
4. Michael Thomas, Ohio St
5. Keyarris Garrett, Tulsa
6. Charone Peake, Clemson
7. Tajae Sharpe, Massachusetts
8. Braxton Miller, Ohio St
9. Ricardo Louis, Auburn
10. Chris Moore, Cincinnati
11. Jordan Payton, UCLA
12. Marquez North, Tennessee
13. Geronimo Allison, Illinois
14. Cody Core, Mississippi
15. Cayleb Jones, Arizona
16. Chris Brown, Notre Dame
17. Mekale McKay, Cincinnati
18. Rashawn Scott, Miami
19. De'Runnya Wilson, Mississippi St
20. Paul McRoberts, Southeast Missouri St

WR S
1. Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma
2. Will Fuller, Notre Dame
3. Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
4. Corey Coleman, Baylor
5. Trevor Davis, California
6. Leonte Caroo, Rutgers
7. Aaron Burbridge, Michigan St
8. Jalin Marshall, Ohio St
9. Bralon Addison, Oregon
10.Kolby Listenbee, TCU
11. Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
12. Rashard Higgins, Colorado St
13. Roger Lewis, Bowling Green
14. Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan
15. Byron Marshall, Oregon
16. Hunter Sharp, Utah St

TE Y
1. Austin Hooper, Stanford
2. Hunter Henry, Arkansas
3. Jerrell Adams, South Carolina
4. Tyler Higbee, Western Kentucky
5. Beau Sandland, Montana St
6. David Morgan, UTSA
7. Nick Vannett, Ohio St
8. Jake McGee, Florida
9. Ryan Malleck, Virginia Tech
10. Steven Scheu, Vanderbilt

TE F
1. Devon Cajuste, Stanford
2. Glenn Gronkowski, Kansas St
3. Ben Braunecker, Harvard
4. Thomas Duarte, UCLA
5. Henry Krieger Coble, Iowa
6. Stephen Anderson, California
7. Sean Price, South Florida

OT
1. Laremy Tunsil, Mississippi
2. Jason Spriggs, Indiana
3. Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
4. Jack Conklin, Michigan St
5. Willie Beavers, Western Michigan
6. Shon Coleman, Auburn
7. Germain Ifedi, Texas A&M
8. Taylor Decker, Ohio St
9. Joe Haeg, North Dakota St
10. Le'Raven Clark, Texas Tech
11. Kyle Murphy, Stanford
12. Stephane Nembot, Colorado
13. Caleb Benenoch, UCLA
14. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, TCU
15. Brandon Shell, South Carolina
16. Spencer Drango, Baylor
17. John Theus, Georgia
18. Tyler Johnstone, Oregon
19. Jerald Hawkins, LSU
20. Alex Lewis, Nebraska
21. Parker Ehringer, Cincinnati
22. Tyler Marz, Wisconsin

OG
1. Cody Whitehair, Kansas St
2. Josh Garnett, Stanford
3. Nick Martin, Notre Dame
4. Christian Westerman, Arizona St
5. Vadal Alexander, LSU
6. Denver Kirkland, Arkansas
7. Landon Turner, North Carolina
8. Avery Young, Auburn
9. Fahn Cooper, Mississippi
10. Rees Odhiambo, Boise St
11. Sebastian Tretola, Arkansas
12. Connor McGovern, Missouri
13. Matt Skura, Duke
14. Dominique Robertson, West Georgia
15. Darrell Greene, San Diego St

C
1. Ryan Kelly, Alabama
2. Isaac Seumalo, Oregon St
3. Graham Glasgow, Michigan
4. Austin Blythe, Iowa
5. Joe Thuney, North Carolina St
6. Max Tuerk, USC
7. Jack Allen, Michigan St
8. Jake Brendel, UCLA
9. Evan Boehm, Missouri

 

[bah007]

INTERIOR DL
1. Sheldon Rankins, Louisville
2. Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech
3. Andrew Billings, Baylor
4. A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama
5. Kenny Clark, UCLA
6. Jarran Reed, Alabama
7. Austin Johnson, Penn St
8. Adolphus Washington, Ohio St
9. Sheldon Day, Notre Dame
10. D.J. Reader, Clemson
11. Maliek Collins, Nebraska
12. Willie Henry, Michigan
13. Hassan Ridgeway, Texas
14. Javon Hargrave, South Carolina St
15. Darius Latham, Indiana
16. Vincent Valentine, Nebraska
17. Chris Mayes, Georgia

VERSATILE DL
1. DeForest Buckner, Oregon
2. Jonathan Bullard, Florida
3. Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi
4. Chris Jones, Mississippi St
5. Bronson Kaufusi, BYU
6. Jihad Ward, Illinois
7. Anthony Zettel, Penn St
8. Ronald Blair, Appalachian St
9. Dean Lowry, Northwestern
10. Connor Wujciak, Boston College
11. Matt Ioannidis, Temple
12. Shawn Oakman, Baylor
13. Quinton Jefferson, Maryland
14. Aziz Shittu, Stanford
15. Adam Gotsis, Georgia Tech
16. Joel Heath, Michigan St
17. Ufomba Kamalu, Miami
18. Lawrence Thomas, Michigan St

EDGE
1. Joey Bosa, Ohio St
2. Shaq Lawson, Clemson
3. Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma St
4. Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland
5. Leonard Floyd, Georgia
6. Kevin Dodd, Clemson
7. Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
8. Kamalei Correa, Boise St
9. Shilique Calhoun, Michigan St
10. Carl Nassib, Penn St
11. Charles Tapper, Oklahoma
12. Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
13. Matt Judon, Grand Valley St
14. James Cowser, Southern Utah
15. Stephen Weatherly, Vanderbilt
16. Joshua Perry, Ohio St
17. Kyler Fackrell, Utah St
18. Alex McCalister, Florida
19. Drew Ott, Iowa
20. Ron Thompson, Syracuse
21. D.J. Pettway, Alabama
22. Victor Ochi, Stony Brook
23. Romeo Okwara, Notre Dame

INTERIOR LB
1. Myles Jack, UCLA
2. Reggie Ragland, Alabama
3. Joe Schobert, Wisconsin
4. B.J. Goodson, Clemson
5. Nick Kwiatkoski, West Virginia
6. Cassanova McKinzy, Auburn
7. Steven Daniels, Boston College
8. Kentrell Brothers, Missouri
9. Josh Forrest, Kentucky
10. Scooby Wright, Arizona
11. Steve Longa, Rutgers

VERSATILE LB
1. Darron Lee, Ohio St
2. Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
3. Travis Feeney, Washington
4. Tyler Matakevich, Temple
5. Blake Martinez, Stanford
6. Nick Vigil, Utah St
7. Dominique Alexander, Oklahoma
8. Beniquez Brown, Mississippi St
9. De'Vondre Campbell, Minnesota
10. Terrance Smith, Florida St
11. C.J. Johnson, Mississippi

NICKEL LB
1. Su'a Cravens, USC
2. Deion Jones, LSU
3. Miles Killebrew, Southern Utah
4. Jayron Kearse, Clemson
5. Jatavis Brown, Akron
6. Montese Overton, ECU
7. Kavon Frazier, Central Michigan
8. Eric Striker, Oklahoma
9. Zeek Bigger, ECU
10. Tevin Carter, Utah

CB
1. Mackensie Alexander, Clemson
2. Vernon Hargreaves, Florida
3. William Jackson, Houston
4. Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
5. Eli Apple, Ohio St
6. Deiondre Hall, Northern Iowa
7. Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma
8. Cyrus Jones, Alabama
9. Sean Davis, Maryland
10. Artie Burns, Miami
11. Will Redmond, Mississippi St
12. Rashard Robinson, LSU
13. Cleveland Wallace, San Jose St
14. DeAndre Elliott, Colorado St
15. Xavien Howard, Baylor
16. D.J. White, Georgia Tech
17. Kevon Seymour, USC
18. Jalen Mills, LSU
19. Jimmy Pruitt, San Jose St
20. Jonathan Jones, Auburn
21. Tavon Young, Temple
22. Daryl Worley, West Virginia
23. Anthony Brown, Purdue
24. Keivarae Russell, Notre Dame
25. Ken Crawley, Colorado

SAFETY
1. Jalen Ramsey, Florida St
2. Karl Joseph, West Virginia
3. Vonn Bell, Ohio St
4. Justin Simmons, Boston College
5. Jeremy Cash, Duke
6. Keanu Neal, Florida
7. K.J. Dillon, West Virginia
8. Darian Thompson, Boise St
9. Tyvis Powell, Ohio St
10. James Bradberry, Samford
11. T.J. Green, Clemson
12. Brian Poole, Florida
13. Juston Burris, North Carolina St
14. Derrick Kindred, TCU
15. Eric Murray, Minnesota
16. DeAndre Houston-Carson, William & Mary
17. Leshaun Sims, Southern Utah
18. Jordan Lucas, Penn St

KICKER
1. Roberto Aguayo, Florida St
2. Ka'imi Fairbairn, UCLA

PUNTER
1. Drew Kaser, Texas A&M
2. Will Monday, Duke

 

[Shishkabob]

I think the way this draft falls will leave us with some real options at OT and NT at #22.

I really wanted Butler at 22 before FA, but I knew we would probably go a different route knowing how empty of talent our O had, but now I can see him as a real possibility.

 

[bah007]

I really wanted Butler at 22 before FA, but I knew we would probably go a different route knowing how empty of talent our O had, but now I can see him as a real possibility.

I could too. He's on my very short watch list at #22. Unfortunately, I think he may be a top 20 player in this class. So somebody could snatch him up before we can. But this draft is loaded with DL talent.

I'm going over my grades right now and I have 30 tentative first round grades in this class. Only nine offensive players with 21 defensive players, including 10 DL. This draft is loaded at the top with DL that could help us. Even if Butler is gone we could still have a shot at Billings or Robinson.

 

[Brandon420tx]

I liked that you moved Austin Hooper up to #1 at the TE Y spot. He's my wishlist TE out of all the draft prospects, I really don't like any of the other options as a receiving TE. I do like Nick Vannett as a potential blocking TE who gets an occasional target but he has drop issues.

Despite peoples complaints I doubt they draft NT early as long as Wilfork is here. I think they like the combo of McKinney and Cushing inside. Hopefully they stick Merc at the Will and stop trying to force him to the strong side so they can put their Clowney pick there instead, that will be my main frustration if it shapes up like that again. I love our CB depth, and Hal flashed big time at safety and can hopefully keep it up. I wouldn't mind a day 2 or early 3 selection opposite him though.

Based on that, I expect us to go WR or OLine in the first. I personally hope it's Oline.

 

[infantrycak]

Despite peoples complaints I doubt they draft NT early as long as Wilfork is here.

This is the last year of Wilfork's contract. Always smart to draft with a year of overlap.

 

[Brandon420tx]

This is the last year of Wilfork's contract. Always smart to draft with a year of overlap.

Good point, didn't know it was his last year. Currently watching Ohio State games from the last 3 seasons and starting to fall in love with Nick Vannett's blocking on a creepy level. I thought he we just a fairly good run blocker but I'm actually liking his pass blocking alot.

 

[TexansSeminole]

This is the last year of Wilfork's contract. Always smart to draft with a year of overlap.

I really think we should take this approach with receiver in the draft now that we have a young QB and RB. Taking two, assuming we don't sign anyone at receiver in FA, would be smart considering that they usually take atleast a year to develop into real contributors. Although, the last two or three classes of receivers have had alot of guys that have produced right away. I wonder if that is more of a trend with the style of offense and the rule book now or simply talent level.

 

[bah007]

I like Vannett but I see him as a less talented version of Fiedo.

Very similar coming out of college except Fiedo was a better route runner and more natural receiver.

There's definitely a place for Vannett in the league, especially with his blocking ability. But I don't really see a fit on the Texans. I'm not fond of using a pick on what's likely to be a third string Y TE. If he offered a different skill set maybe.

 

[PapaL]

By chance, have you looked into the slot WR Sterling Shepard?

 

[bah007]

By chance, have you looked into the slot WR Sterling Shepard?

I think Shepard is the best pure slot in the entire draft. I think he is solidly in the 2nd round.

 

[steelbtexan]

I liked that you moved Austin Hooper up to #1 at the TE Y spot. He's my wishlist TE out of all the draft prospects, I really don't like any of the other options as a receiving TE. I do like Nick Vannett as a potential blocking TE who gets an occasional target but he has drop issues.

Despite peoples complaints I doubt they draft NT early as long as Wilfork is here. I think they like the combo of McKinney and Cushing inside. Hopefully they stick Merc at the Will and stop trying to force him to the strong side so they can put their Clowney pick there instead, that will be my main frustration if it shapes up like that again. I love our CB depth, and Hal flashed big time at safety and can hopefully keep it up. I wouldn't mind a day 2 or early 3 selection opposite him though.

Based on that, I expect us to go WR or OLine in the first. I personally hope it's Oline.

I like using Devin Cajuste as a Hernandez/Reed type TE.

 

[76Texan]

Derrick Henry as the #8 RB???

I don't even take into consideration that he won the Heisman, nor that he had a great combine.

The guy looks at least as good as Blount was in college to me.

 

[bah007]

Derrick Henry as the #8 RB???

I don't even take into consideration that he won the Heisman, nor that he had a great combine.

The guy looks at least as good as Blount was in college to me.

While Henry had greater college success, Blount did far more on his own than Henry did. Blount made his own yards consistently whereas Henry gets a five yard head start on most plays.

Henry as a college back in the Alabama system impresses the hell out of me. Henry as a pro back in a NFL system does not.

I see minimal return in the passing game. I see minimal return outside the tackles. I see a guy that is an absolute stud if his OL provides him with a long runway to take off in. He's just not impressive to me unless he's at full speed. He looks like a two down back with value in jumbo packages. But the lack of versatility is not appealing to me.

 

[mussop]

While Henry had greater college success, Blount did far more on his own than Henry did. Blount made his own yards consistently whereas Henry gets a five yard head start on most plays.

Henry as a college back in the Alabama system impresses the hell out of me. Henry as a pro back in a NFL system does not.

I see minimal return in the passing game. I see minimal return outside the tackles. I see a guy that is an absolute stud if his OL provides him with a long runway to take off in. He's just not impressive to me unless he's at full speed. He looks like a two down back with value in jumbo packages. But the lack of versatility is not appealing to me.

Blount was a beast that routinely ran over People.

Im leaning towards agreeing with your evaluation of Henry although they didn't use him in the passing game much he looked very comfortable doing it at the combine.

Qurious why you don't hold elliot to that same standard. He had a great run blocking line and played with a really good running qb in a system that threw a lot of quick screens and ran a lot of misdirection. On most of his runs he was past the LOS before anyone ever got a hand on him.

Not saying he isn't good just that it's weird no one ever seems to take that into consideration when evaluating him.

 

[Mollywhopper]

I've seen people have that take on Elliot. And then an equal number of people have responded with Elliot's cutback ability, his running behind his pads on contact, and his vision to actually create deeper lanes for himself well beyond the talent blocking in front of him.

OTOH Henry seems to have cement feet when not in third gear, runs upright, and doesn't seem to see beyond what's happening right in front of him.

I'll never penalize a guy simply for playing with other talented guys, as long as that guy shows on his own to have translatable skills. Elliot does.

 

[76Texan]

While Henry had greater college success, Blount did far more on his own than Henry did. Blount made his own yards consistently whereas Henry gets a five yard head start on most plays.

Henry as a college back in the Alabama system impresses the hell out of me. Henry as a pro back in a NFL system does not.

. I see minimal return outside the tackles. I see a guy that is an absolute stud if his OL provides him with a long runway to take off in. He's just not impressive to me unless he's at full speed. He looks like a two down back with value in jumbo packages.

I liked Blount as a prospect; I like Henry at least as much.

I disagree with these to certain extent.

For Henry to be the #8 RB to get drafted ( without baggage like Blount had), that has got to be in the late 3rd or somewhere in the 4th, and I sincerely doubt that's gonna happen.

Any guy who can gain tough yards and has a nose for daylight to score is at least an early 3rd rounder.

I think you overestimated the Tide front line a little bit.
Besides, Alabama played against a composite of defensive fronts that can negate a lot of strength of that O-line.

I don't look at what Henry did against the weaklings.

I like what I saw from him against the bigger boys.

He gét at least a late second round grade from me.

I see value if the Texans can get him in the second, but I highly doubt he lasts that long.

 

[bah007]

I liked Blount as a prospect; I like Henry at least as much.

I disagree with these to certain extent.

For Henry to be the #8 RB to get drafted ( without baggage like Blount had), that has got to be in the late 3rd or somewhere in the 4th, and I sincerely doubt that's gonna happen.

Any guy who can gain tough yards and has a nose for daylight to score is at least an early 3rd rounder.

I think you overestimated the Tide front line a little bit.
Besides, Alabama played against a composite of defensive fronts that can negate a lot of strength of that O-line.

I don't look at what Henry did against the weaklings.

I like what I saw from him against the bigger boys.

He gét at least a late second round grade from me.

I see value if the Texans can get him in the second, but I highly doubt he lasts that long.

I'm not saying that I predict Henry to be available in the 4th round. I'm just saying that I personally wouldn't draft him before that. I'm perfectly content to let someone else use a high pick on him.

I've watched Henry a ton and I just find his skill set to be easily replaceable at the next level. It's not that hard to find a big guy that can gain tough yards in the middle, especially if he doesn't provide you with much else. Henry is a tremendous athlete at full speed but his build up is slow and I'm not impressed by his feet or tackle-breaking ability at the line of scrimmage.

I just prefer a more versatile player at that position. Henry doesn't do it for me.

I'm assuming you have a high grade on Devon Johnson from Marshall as well? He's another big guy that gains tough yards and has a nose for daylight to score.

 

[76Texan]

I don't have much time to watch tapes this year, so I know very little about DJ.

All I can compare Henry with are Blount and Jackie Battle.

I had a draftable grade on Battle (late round, but he went undrafted).
His NFL production reflects your definition.

Even though Battle's number at his pro day were really good, I didn't see the same qualities that I see in Henry with pads on.

The thing I like the most about Henry is his ability to make the right cut.

Go back to the days of Kubiak, for example, I remember getting frustrated sometimes when one of our RBs made a poor decision (even Foster at the beginning of his career.)
I see Henry as a perfect fit for such a system.
He can also do well in a mix with the power scheme with some trap plays sprinkled in.

Note that I liked Foster more than Hardesty when they were teammates at Tennessee.
I thought Foster can be at least a contributing guy in the NFL with a chance to become a starter.
I liked Foster better than Slaton whom the Texans picked in the third at #89.
Hardesty was picked at #59, which I thought was a bit too high.
I figured Foster's value somewhere at #74 ( would have been higher if not for ball security concern.)
Obviously, Foster exceeded even my expectations (which were among the highest at the time he joined the Texans.)

I think Henry pick his hole really well.
I agree with the grade that the NFL Advisory Board gave him, which is the second round.
I would peg him somewhere in the middle.

If I'm in need of a workhorse, like the Texans do, I wouldn't mind move up a few spots to get him.

Nowadays, you can afford to pound a guy ( when necessary) through his first contract since the financial obligation isn't that much.

Besides, I think you underestimate him on the edge.
If you look at Alabama schedule, the defenses he played against definitely will have the most players drafted into the NFL this year and the next couple of years.
The run support he saw from the opponents' secondary is nothing like what Dixon had seen in his life.

On that end, I don't agree with your assessment of Dixon either. I think you like his versatility quite a bit more than I do.

 

[Bubbajwp]

I'm not a big fan of Henry at the next level. He is explosive in the open field and he has great speed when he's in top gear. But he runs too high and gets taken down far too easily if he's hit before he can reach top speed. He also doesn't move well in short areas and is slow to hit the hole. I see him having big time problems creating enough burst to get through the hole and fight through contact to reach the next level of the defense. He didn't have to do that in college hardly at all because his OL was so good, and the times he did have to do it he didn't do it well at all. I value versatility in the backfield and he doesn't provide it.

I see Coker as the benefactor of an incredible cast of talent. I was never high on him, but started to reconsider after the way he closed the season in his final three games. But his performance in the Senior Bowl and his exclusion from the combine only reaffirmed my original beliefs. I think he has the physical tools to be worth a shot late, but I think he will be a huge mental project.

It made me so happy to find out I wasnt the only one that thinks this about Henry.

 

[JB]

If I'm in need of a workhorse, like the Texans do, I wouldn't mind move up a few spots to get him.

I believe the biggest reason Miller signed with us was because he was told he would be the workhorse back... j/s

 

[76Texan]

I believe the biggest reason Miller signed with us was because he was told he would be the workhorse back... j/s

Oh, I like Miller just fine.

I wouldn't have minded if the Texans had drafted him back then at #97 where he was drafted.
I thought he could be a better weapon out of the backfield than what he was used at UM for.
But he never averaged 19 carries a game, and that's really not a definition of a workhorse.

The good thing is that he's still young and has very little wear and tear.
But it's unknown whether he can handle the workload Foster once carried.

Actually, I'd like nothing more than a combination of Miller and Henry.
Not sure if the Texans want to commit that much cap space on the RB position though.