Top 5 Players at Each of their Position
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Quarterbacks
1) Josh Rosen QB UCLA
2) Baker Mayfield QB Oklahoma
3) Lamar Jackson QB Louisville
4) Sam Darnold QB USC
5) Mason Rudolph QB Oklahoma State
Josh Rosen is easily the cleanest out of all these players. I think his intangibles will be easy to groom and he loves asking questions which is an awesome thing for a quarterback. Baker Mayfield has the best anticipation out of any quarterback in this draft and he's also the most competitive player. I love how much he hates losing and I think his drive is what will get him drafted early. Lamar Jackson's tape was arguably the best tape I'd seen out of any quarterback in this class. He is electric and has a cannon of an arm. I'm a little worried about his accuracy and that he has been "hard to get a hold of". I love what he brings to the table and with a great head coach I think he can be the best quarterback in this draft class. Sam Darnold is really good outside the pocket but he struggled making progressions in the pocket. Mason Rudolph is the best deep passer in this class, he has prototypical size and is a fantastic leader.
Class Grade: B
Runningbacks
1) Saquon Barkley RB Penn State
2) Derrius Guice RB LSU
T-3) Ronald Jones RB USC
T-3) Sony Michel RB Georgia
5) Rashaad Penny RB San Diego State
Saquon Barkley is the best player I have ever seen out of college and is a dynamic runner on the outside and between the tackles. His athleticism is freakish and displays out of this world balance. He is no doubt the best player in this draft. Derrius Guice is an old-school back that will run you over and smile at the same time. Guice's personality is infectious and I think he is a 3-down back. Ronald Jones has insane game speed and is dynamic with the ball in his hands. It's almost impossible to take him down in the open field and I have him graded as a first round prospect. Michel is a fantastic down hill runner and it almost seems like players slip off of him when he runs. Michel can also catch the ball and be a goon for what ever team he gets drafted to. Rashaad Penny is a great between the tackles runner and had insane production at San Diego State. His speed is subpar but that's not where he'll earn his money.
Sleepers
Mark Walton RB Miami
Walton has arguably the best vision out of any back in this draft and it seems like he always finds a hole. He also has a deadly jump cut. I think he would have been more highly-sought after if he didn't get injured but he has ton of talent,
Royce Freeman RB Oregon
Royce Freeman is a typical bowling ball back. I think he'll be utilized on third down but I think he has top-3 patience out of any running back entering this year. Freeman is a perfect combination of Le'Veon Bell and CJ Anderson. Freeman will get drafted early on day 3.
Class Grade: A+
Wide Receivers
1) DJ Moore WR Maryland
2) Anthony Miller WR Memphis
T-3) Courtland Sutton WR SMU
T-3) Christian Kirk WR Texas A&M
T-5) Michael Gallup WR Colorado State
T-5) Calvin Ridley WR Alabama
While many people don't like this receiver class I actually think it's very underrated. DJ Moore has a great combination of speed and physicality. Moore is best after the catch and is very explosive. Expect him to be the first receiver off the board on draft night. Anthony Miller is the most underrated player in this draft. He has so much heart and plays with similar anger to Doug Baldwin and Jarvis Landry. I think Miller will be a gem in this draft class. Courtland Sutton is the best big body receiver in this draft class and is a huge threat in the redzone. Sutton's yards after the catch is also extremely impressive for his size. Speaking of YAC, Christian Kirk is a beast! He can take a 3 yard slant 80 yards to the house and he has one of a kind speed. Michael Gallup is a sleeper receiver who I think can make it in the league as an X receiver. Gallup is extremely physical and it seems like he is always open despite not being that fast. At first I had Ridley off of my top 5 list but after I watched a video on how hard he works it's hard not to have him up there. Ridley is a super hard worker and is precise with every thing he does. He is a technician, his routes are crisp and the best in this class. I hope Ridley proves me wrong and is the best receiver in this draft class.
Sleepers
Class Grade: B+
Tight Ends
1) Dallas Goedert TE South Dakota State
2) Mike Gesicki TE Penn State
3) Mark Andrews TE Oklahoma
4) Hayden Hurst TE South Carolina
5) Chris Herndon TE Miami
Dallas Goedert brought this tight end class' grade up. Goedert is dynamic and is basically a receiver in a tight end's body. He is one of my favorite tight ends to come out of college in years and reminds me a little bit of Gronk. Gesicki is extremely athletic and has a basketball background. He makes a ton of tight window catches and reminds me of Jimmy Graham. Andrews is an old-school tight end and will be used a lot in the blocking game and will be a really good player in the redzone. Hurst will most likely be either the first or second tight end off the board, but I think he's overrated. He has a good story but will be 25 years old before he takes a snap in the NFL. Herndon is a really good blocking tight end and I can envision him making some really clutch 3rd and shorts in the pro's.
Class Grade: C+
Offensive Tackles
1) Mike McGlinchey OT Notre Dame
2) Connor Williams OL Texas
3) Orlando Brown OT Oklahoma
4) Kolton Miller OT UCLA
5) Martinas Rankins OT Mississippi St.
Class Grade: C
Interior Lineman
1) Quenton Nelson OG Notre Dame
2) Will Hernandez OG UTEP
3) Isaiah Wynn G Georgia
4) James Daniels C Iowa
T-5) Billy Price C OSU
T-5) Austin Corbett G Nevada
Class Grade: A
Defensive Tackle
1) Vita Vea DT Washington
2) Harrison Phillips DT Stanford
3) Taven Bryan DT Florida
T-4) Da'Ron Payne DT Alabama
T-4) Nathan Shepherd DT Forthayes St.
Vita Vea is freakishly athletic and a tremendous Run-Stopper. He is super powerful and is a force in the middle Harrison Phillips might be the most productive interior defensive tackle in PAC-12 history. He is the best pass rusher out of any of these defensive tackles but needs to get stronger in the run game. Taven Bryan is an explosive DT and he can either be an all-pro or a bust depending on what team he ends up with. Da'Ron Payne played very well at the highest level in college football. He wasn't very productive in the pass game but is a big time run-stopper. Nathan Shepherd has been super impressive this off-season. He is extremely light on his feet and showed up at the combine and was a beast at the senior bowl.
Class Grade: B
Defensive End/ Edge Rusher
1) Bradley Chubb DE NC State
T-2) Harold Landry EDGE Boston College
T-2) Marcus Davenport EDGE UTSA
4) Sam Hubbard DE OSU
5) Lorenzo Carter EDGE Georgia
Bradley Chubb is the consensus best pass-rusher in this draft. He has a ton of energy and brings both speed and power to the table. Landry is the best speed rusher in this draft. He was a beast in his Junior year have more than 15 sacks but production dropped his senior year due to injury. Harold Landry is very similar to Vic Beasley and I think he'll make a very similar impact as Beasley. Marcus Davenport is the best power rusher in the draft. He's amazing on the run and a fantastic pass rusher. His build is like no others, he is a taller Myles Garrett. Davenport has one of the highest ceilings out of any player in this draft. Sam Hubbard is a prototypical Defensive End. He balled at the highest level in college football and it seemed like the better his opponent the better he played. I love Hubbard and I think he can be a pro-bowl Defensive End. Lorenzo Carter has freakish speed. He is a perfect LEO linebacker and I think he can be very good in this league.
Sleepers
Dorance Armstrong EDGE Kansas
Armstrong is built like a menace and can be a beast in the pro's. His body is constructed similar to Shawn Oakman from a couple years previous. He can be really good at the next level.
Chad Thomas DE Miami
Potential describes Thomas, he has the bend and athleticism just not the technique. With the right coach he can be developed into the right way.
Class Grade: A
Linebackers
1) Roquan Smith LB Georgia
2) Uchenna Nwosu LB USC
3) Tremaine Edmunds LB Viriginia Tech
4) Rashaan Evans LB Alabama
T-5) Leighton Vander Esch LB Boise State
T-5) Darrius Leonard LB SC State
Roquan Smith is easily the best linebacker in the draft for me. He is tremendous instincts, he is a great tackler, and is a natural born leader. Smith is a top 5 player in this draft. Tremaine Edmunds has a ton of potential but I'm worried about his tackling. He gets off blocks well but tends to arm-tackle. Edmunds will be a developmental type of player, but we'll see how it ends up. Rashaan Evans is a very mature linebacker and looks like a Steeler. I think he is a great quarterback spy so I would expect a team with a running quarterback in their division to draft him. Leighton Vander Esch is a very good tackler but it sounds like he is in store for a draft day slide due to neck injuries. I like how Esch trusts his eyes and he is a very humble young man. Uchenna Nwosu is a versatile linebacker and can play every where. He had a great 2017 season and was the best linebacker in the Pac-12. He had over 9 sacks and more than 10 pass break ups. He is my second favorite linebacker to watch this year. Darrius Leonard is a Telvin Smith clone, he is super athletic and made big noise at a small school in South Carolina State.
Sleepers
Christian Sam LB ASU
Sam is a great weak-side linebacker and will fit very well in a base 4-3 system. He was super productive and I think he should go in the third round but realistically he'll end up going in the 5th or 6th round.
Josey Jewell LB Iowa
I didn't watch too many Iowa games last season but when I did, Jewell popped out on the screen. He is a prototypical Inside Linebacker and has really good instincts.
Class Grade: B
Cornerback
1) Denzel Ward CB Ohio State
T-2) Isaiah Oliver CB Colorado
T-2) Joshua Jackson CB Iowa
T-2) Jaire Alexander CB Louisville
5) Mike Hughes CB UCF
Denzel Ward is a lockdown player similar to Marshon Lattimore. He is fast and great with man-to-man coverage. A lot of people project him to go to the 49ers but that's a poor fit. Ward will be at his best in a man system and I think he can be a beast in the NFL. Isaiah Oliver is a rangy corner that can player in zone and man. Oliver is a really good player that trusts his eyes. Joshua Jackson is the best ball hawk in this draft and steps up in the biggest moment. Jackson is a really good zone corner and I think he would be best in a cover 3. Jaire Alexander might be the most well-rounded corner in this draft. He was phenomonal in 2016 but was hit with the injury-bug. Alexander is physical at the line and has a nose for the ball. Mike Hughes isn't far behind these guys, he had a great year last year and is great on Special Teams. Hughes will be a very good player for what ever team he ends up with.
Christian Campbell CB Penn State
Campbell is a workout guru and has a bigger body. I think he'll fit very well in a cover 3 or cover 2. A team will draft him on day three and I think he'll be used similar to how Akhello Witherspoon was used with the 49ers last year.
Quenton Meeks CB Stanford
Meeks is a very intelligent player, he's a fan of the game and will learn from whatever veteran corner he sits behind.
Sleepers
Class Grade: B+
Safety
T-1) Minkah Fitzpatrick DB Alabama
T-1) Derwin James DB FSU
3) Deshon Elliot S Texas
4) Jessie Bates S Wake Forest
T-5) Marcus Allen S Penn State
T-5) Justin Reid S Stanford
The reason I have a tie for the top safety is because they are two totally different players. Minkah can be used in different packages and you can use him on the outside at corner. Minkah can also play Free and Strong Safety. Derwin is just an athletic freak that brings energy into the game. Derwin can fly all over the field and he can lay you out. Moving on, Jessie Bates is a ball hawk and it seems like he's always near the ball. He reminds me of Malik Hooker coming out last year. Bates needs to improve with finishing his tackles but I think he can make an impact for whatever team drafts him. Justin Reid is one of my favorite players in this draft. He is very intellectual and a hard worker, just like his brother. Reid is a good tackler and a play maker. Reid will go either in the late first round or early second. Marcus Allen is a junky in the weight room and isn't afraid to tackle you. He is super athletic and he has a very bright personality. Deshon Elliot is a fantastic tackler and has a nose for the football. He will hit the s**t out of you and make sure you're not holding on to the ball. Elliot is an awesome safety.