The Best Prospects of this year’s 2014 NFL Draft that begins May 8, 2014 Quarter Back The 2014 quarterback class doesnt have a sure bet at the position, but features a pair of intriguing franchise quarterback possibilities. 1. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville HT: 63, WT: 214 lbs 2. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M HT: 60, WT: 207 lbs 3. Blake Bortles, QB, UCF HT: 65, WT: 232 lbs 4. Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State HT: 62, WT: 215 lbs 5. Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU HT: 65, WT: 230 lbs 6. Keith Wenning, QB, Ball State HT: 62, WT: 220 lbs 7. Keith Price, QB, Washington HT: 61, WT: 195 lbs Running Back The running back position is devalued in the draft, but a look at the teams seriously competing for the Super Bowl title suggests the position remains vital. 1. KaDeem Carey, RB, Arizona HT: 59, WT: 207 lbs 2. Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU HT: 6’0”, WT: 233 lbs 3. Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State HT: 511”, WT: 230 lbs 4. Tre Mason, RB, Auburn HT: 58”, WT: 207 lbs 5. Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington HT: 59”, WT: 209 lbs 6. Kapri Bibbs, RB, Colorado State HT: 59”, WT: 212 lbs 7. Terrance West, RB, Towson HT: 59”, WT: 225 lbs Wide Receiver The league rules banishing excessive contact on the perimeter have encouraged more NFL offensive coordinators to put the ball in the air to take advantage of speedsters and big-bodied playmakers. 1. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson HT: 61, WT: 200 lbs 2. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU HT: 60, WT: 187 3. Marqise Lee, WR, USC HT: 60, WT: 190 lbs 4. Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State HT: 510, WT: 186 lbs 5. Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M HT: 65, WT: 225 lbs 6. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State HT: 65, WT: 234 lbs 7. Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt HT: 63, WT: 205 lbs 8. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU HT: 61, WT: 195 lbs Tight End The tight-end position has become the focal point of the passing game for several NFL teams. Part of that is because of the superior athleticism of former basketball players manning the position at the high school and collegiate levels. 1. Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina HT: 64, WT: 250 lbs 2. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington HT: 66, WT: 266 lbs 3. Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech HT: 65, WT: 265 lbs 4. C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa HT: 65, WT: 265 lbs 5. Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame HT: 66, WT: 270 lbs 6. Joe Don Duncan, TE, Dixie State HT: 63, WT: 268 lbs 7. Trey Burton, FB/WR/TE, Florida HT: 63, WT: 229 lbs Offensive Tackle The collection of offensive tackles in the 2014 class might be the deepest and most talented group NFL scouts have seen in about a decade. There are as many offensive tackles worthy of first-round grades; the players at the top of the board are franchise players capable of making an immediate impact on the fortunes of their prospective teams. 1. Greg Robinson, OT Auburn HT: 65, WT: 332 lbs 2. Jake Matthews, OT Texas A&M HT: 65, WT: 308 lbs 3. Taylor Lewan, OT Michigan HT: 67, WT: 309 lbs 4. Antonio Tiny Richardson, OT Tennessee HT: 66, WT: 336 lbs 5. Cyrus Kouandjio, OT Alabama HT: 66, WT: 322 lbs 6. Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame HT: 64, WT: 308 lbs 7. Billy Turner, OT, North Dakota State HT: 65, WT: 316 lbs Offensive Guard 1. Cyril Richardson, G, OT, Baylor HT: 65, WT: 329 lbs 2. Xavier Sua-Filo, G, UCLA HT: 64, WT: 307 lbs 3. Brandon Thomas, OT/G, Clemson HT: 63, WT: 316 lbs 4. Dakota Dozier, G, Furman HT: 64, WT: 313 lbs 5. Zach Fulton, G, Tennessee HT: 65, WT: 323 lbs 6. David Yankey, G, OT, Stanford HT: 65, WT: 311 lbs Offensive Center 1. Travis Swanson, C, Arkansas HT: 65, WT: 312 lbs 2. Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State HT: 63, WT: 300 lbs 3. Tyler Larsen, C, Utah State HT: 63, WT: 317 lbs 4. Marcus Martin, C, USC HT: 63, WT: 320 lbs 5. Russell Bodine, C, North Carolina HT: 63, WT: 310 lbs Defensive Tackle The top defenses in football traditionally feature standouts at the defensive tackle spot. Coaches search for big-bodied studs with strength, power and quickness to occupy the spot opposite the center/offensive guard to create havoc in one- or two-gap schemes. 1. Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame HT: 62, WT: 331 lbs 2. Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State HT: 62, WT: 299 lbs 3. RaShede Hageman, DT, Minnesota HT: 66, WT: 310 lbs 4. Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh HT: 61, WT: 285 lbs 5. Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State HT: 60, WT: 303 lbs 6. Justin Ellis, DT, Louisiana Tech HT: 61, WT: 334 lbs 7. Caraun Reid, DT, Princeton HT: 62, WT: 302 lbs Defensive End NFL coaches and executives place a premium on acquiring elite pass rushers to offset the brilliant quarterback play dominating the league today. 1. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina HT: 65, WT: 266 lbs 2. Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame HT: 65, WT: 304 lbs 3. Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford HT: 65, WT: 250 lbs 4. Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri HT: 64, WT: 273 lbs 5. Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State HT: 63, WT: 273 lbs 6. Jeremiah Attaochu, DE/OLB, Georgia Tech HT: 63, WT: 252 lbs 7. Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville HT: 63, WT: 251 lbs Outside Linebacker The increased utilization of hybrid 3-4 defenses has made outside linebacker a marquee position in the draft. Coaches and scouts love hybrid players capable of rushing or dropping from the edge. 1. Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA HT: 65, WT: 255 lbs 2. Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State HT: 61, WT: 237 lbs 3. Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo HT: 63, WT: 251 lbs 4. Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU HT: 63, WT: 244 lbs 5. Adrian Hubbard, OLB, Alabama HT: 66, WT: 257 lbs 6. Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn HT: 62, WT: 243 lbs 7. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE/OLB, Texas HT: 63, WT: 247 lbs Inside Linebacker Its hard to find linebackers of hybrid 4-3 defenses capable of playing against the run and pass in the box. The 2014 class, however, features a number of playmakers with disruptive potential between the hashes. 1. C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama HT: 62, WT: 234 lbs 2. Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin HT: 511, WT: 248 lbs 3. Shayne Skov, ILB, Stanford HT: 62, WT: 245 lbs 4. Christian Jones, ILB, Florida State HT: 63, WT: 240 lbs 5. Yawin Smallwood, ILB, Connecticut HT: 62, WT: 246 lbs 6. Lamin Barrow, ILB/OLB, LSU HT: 61, WT: 237 lbs 7. Jordan Zumwalt, ILB/OLB, UCLA HT: 64, WT: 230 lbs Cornerback The transformation of the NFL into a passing league makes it imperative for defenses to feature long, rangy athletes on the perimeter. The 2014 class of cornerbacks has several intriguing prospects with the skills to shine as ballhawks in man- or zone-heavy schemes. 1. Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State HT: 60, WT: 202 lbs 2. Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State HT: 511, WT: 181 lbs 3. Jason Verrett, CB, TCU HT: 59, WT: 189 lbs 4. Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State HT: 511, WT: 194 lbs 5. Lamarcus Joyner, CB, Florida State HT: 58, WT: 184 lbs 6. Keith McGill, CB, Utah HT: 63, WT: 211 lbs 7. Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska HT: 63, WT: 218 lbs Safety Its hard to find a safety capable of thumping against the run, while displaying the range, instincts and awareness to thrive as a centerfielder against the pass. 1. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama HT: 61, WT: 208 lbs 2. Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville HT: 5’11, WT: 207 lbs 3. Dion Bailey, S, USC HT: 60, WT: 201 lbs 4. Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State HT: 61, WT: 211 lbs 5. Ahmad Dixon, S, Baylor HT: 60, WT: 212 lbs 6. Craig Loston, S, LSU HT: 511, WT: 217 lbs 7. Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois HT: 511, WT: 193 lbs
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 22:55:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015