Kiper - Top 10 by position 1/28/15....

[Risen Star]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...nking-prospects-every-position-nfl-draft-2015

This is the first look at my positional rankings since the draft class has been officially set. With all underclassmen now either in or out, you can view the rankings below with the full knowledge that all players will be drafted, or will be fighting to make an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent.

Remember: Prospects are listed under my projected NFL position, and that can be a little tough with some of the more versatile players, even before you get into schemes. A college tackle could be listed at guard, a college defensive end listed at linebacker, and so on.

* Denotes junior
** Denotes third-year sophomore


Offense

Quarterbacks

1. Jameis Winston, Florida St.
2. *Marcus Mariota, Oregon
3. *Brett Hundley, UCLA
4. Bryce Petty, Baylor
5. Garrett Grayson, Colorado St.
6. Sean Mannion, Oregon St.
7. Shane Carden, East Carolina
8. Bryan Bennett, Southeastern Louisiana
9. Cody Fajardo, Nevada
10. Rakeem Cato, Marshall

Several notable changes here from the last time you saw this ranking. For one, both Connor Cook (Michigan State) and Cody Kessler (USC) are staying in school, which opens a pair of slots. I moved Winston back ahead of Mariota (more on that on the Big Board). Lastly, Fajardo and Cato are back in the rankings. As for an overall impression: This isn't a very good class. No way around it.

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Running backs

1. *Melvin Gordon III, Wisconsin
2. *Todd Gurley, Georgia
3. *Tevin Coleman, Indiana
4. *Duke Johnson, Miami (Fla.)
5. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
6. *T.J. Yeldon, Alabama
7. Jeremy Langford, Michigan St.
8. David Cobb, Minnesota
9. *Javorius "Buck" Allen, USC
10. *Matt Jones, Florida

The only change in the top five is I now have Johnson ahead of Abdullah. While Abdullah performed well enough at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, I think ball security issues are going to dog him into the draft. The addition to this group who wasn't here before is Cobb, who also had a good Senior Bowl week. A crucial question is whether Gurley will have a chance to work out for teams as he works his way back from the ACL tear.

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Fullbacks

1. Jalston Fowler, Alabama
2. Tyler Varga, Yale
3. Zach Zenner, South Dakota St.
4. Mark Weisman, Iowa
5. Lee Ward, Stanford
6. Hunter Joyer, Florida
7. D.J. Warren, Kentucky
8. Connor Neighbors, LSU
9. Zach Laskey, Georgia Tech
10. Nicholas Parker, Mississippi

There are some major changes here, just not at the top, where Fowler is likely to go wire-to-wire in my rankings for the season. Varga had a nice Senior Bowl week and lands here as he can handle several roles for an NFL team. He can block, but the quickness is there to handle carries. Zenner moves up, as does Ward.

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Wide receivers

1. *Amari Cooper, Alabama
2. DeVante Parker, Louisville
3. Kevin White, West Virginia
4. Phillip Dorsett, Miami (Fla.)
5. *Breshad Perriman, Central Florida
6. *Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma
7. *Jaelen Strong, Arizona St.
8. *Sammie Coates, Auburn
9. Devin Smith, Ohio St.
10. Jamison Crowder, Duke

The big mover here is Dorsett, who was arguably the best player at the Senior Bowl. His explosiveness turned heads. Perriman also moves up. Overall this is shaping up to be another deep class. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Strong or Coates land in Round 1, which tells you plenty. One thing that could surprise people is I don't think it's a lock that Cooper is the first WR taken, because Parker has a chance to challenge him.

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Tight ends

1. **Maxx Williams, Minnesota
2. Clive Walford, Miami (Fla.)
2. *Devin Funchess, Michigan
4. Nick O'Leary, Florida St.
5. Nick Boyle, Delaware
6. Jeff Heuerman, Ohio St.
7. *Jesse James, Penn St.
8. *Tyler Kroft, Rutgers
9. E.J. Bibbs, Iowa St.
10. Wes Saxton, So. Alabama

This isn't such an easy group to categorize anymore, given there's a wide range in what people call a tight end. The big riser here is Williams, now that he's officially in the draft. He has good size, doesn't shy from contact and creates yardage after the catch -- he can really motor with the ball in his hands even at 6-foot-4 and 250-plus pounds. Walford was great in Mobile, and Funchess is a known commodity. The combine in Indy will be important for this group.

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Offensive tackles

1. Brandon Scherff, Iowa
2. T.J. Clemmings, Pitt
3. *Ereck Flowers, Miami (Fla.)
4. La'el Collins, LSU
5. *Andrus Peat, Stanford
6. Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M
7. Daryl Williams, Oklahoma
8. Tyrus Thompson, Oklahoma
9. Ty Sambrailo, Colorado St.
10. *Donovan Smith, Penn St.

There's some movement here. The pair from Oklahoma has moved up, with Williams making the bigger jump. Smith had a fantastic Senior Bowl, and the unfortunate injury to Ogbuehi has hurt him a bit. That's just a really unfortunate situation. Clemmings and Flowers are the big movers. Clemmings has so much natural physical talent but struggles against seasoned pass-rushers. Scherff is one of the better run-blockers in recent memory, but I think he starts his NFL career at right tackle, and potentially stays there.

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Guards

1. A.J. Cann, South Carolina
2. Tre' Jackson, Florida St.
3. Laken Tomlinson, Duke
4. Josue Matias, Florida St.
5. John Miller, Louisville
6. Shaq Mason, Georgia Tech
7. Robert Myers, Tennessee St.
8. Ali Marpet, Hobart
9. Trenton Brown, Florida
10. Jarvis Harrison, Texas A&M

The biggest change here is Jackson moving from No. 4 to No. 2. Tomlinson was as expected at the Senior Bowl, with a solid week that establishes him as a solid second-day pick. The new name is Marpet, who performed well in Mobile and showed the ability to keep some really good defensive linemen at bay, with a good anchor and strong upper body. Mason is another riser and, like any player coming out of Georgia Tech, will just need to continue to show he can be an effective pass-blocker.

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Centers

1. Cameron Erving, Florida St.
2. Hroniss Grasu, Oregon
3. Reese Dismukes, Auburn
4. Andy Gallik, Boston College
5. BJ Finney, Kansas St.
6. Jake Smith, Louisville
7. Greg Mancz, Toledo
8. Shane McDermott, Miami (Fla.)
9. Max Garcia, Florida
10. David Andrews, Georgia

No major changes here at the top, though I have Grasu ahead of Dismukes now. Erving just transitioned to center so exceptionally well, and also offers versatility to play virtually anywhere on the line, it's hard not to keep him there. I do think he has a shot at Round 1, though I wouldn't expect it were the draft held tomorrow.

 

[Risen Star]

Defense

Defensive ends

1. Leonard Williams, USC
2. *Randy Gregory, Nebraska
3. *Shane Ray, Missouri
4. *Dante Fowler, Florida
5. *Arik Armstead, Oregon
6. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA
7. *Mario Edwards, Florida St.
8. *Danielle Hunter, LSU
9. Henry Anderson, Stanford
10. Trey Flowers, Arkansas

It always needs to be said with this group: There are players who fit in multiple categories here (DE, DT, OLB) depending on what scheme they land in. There are a couple of players who would be here if they had opted to stay in the 2015 draft class. Shilique Calhoun (Michigan State) and Shawn Oakman (Baylor) both stayed in school for another season and that opened up a couple of spots here. The biggest riser is Odighizuwa, who wasn't among my top 10 in the last ranking.

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Defensive tackles

1. Danny Shelton, Washington
2. *Eddie Goldman, Florida St.
3. *Malcom Brown, Texas
4. **Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma
5. Carl Davis, Iowa
6. Michael Bennett, Ohio St.
7. Gabe Wright, Auburn
8. **Darius Philon, Arkansas
9. Grady Jarrett, Clemson
10. Tyeler Davison, Fresno St.

Despite some good performances in Mobile, this group remains pretty much in place at the top since the last ranking. Davis had a great week at the Senior Bowl, and I don't think Shelton hurt himself. In terms of shifts, Wright is the biggest riser, and Philon is a new name here. In the previous ranking, Adolphus Washington (Ohio State) and Jarran Reed (Alabama) were here, but both will be back in college football for another year.

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Inside linebackers

1. Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi St.
2. Stephone Anthony, Clemson
3. Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.)
4. Eric Kendricks, UCLA
5. Jake Ryan, Michigan
6. Ben Heeney, Kansas
7. Hayes Pullard, USC
8. Ramik Wilson, Georgia
9. Bryce Hager, Baylor
10. A.J. Johnson, Tennessee

When I put out the previous rankings, No. 2 in this group was Reggie Ragland of Alabama -- he'll be back in Tuscaloosa next season. McKinney is a really good player, and his stock could be affected by where teams project him, as he offers versatility and could work on the edge, though he's quite good inside. Perryman did well in Mobile, and Ryan is a player I previously had with outside linebackers.

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Outside linebackers

1. Vic Beasley, Clemson
2. *Shaq Thompson, Washington
3. Alvin "Bud" Dupree, Kentucky
4. Nate Orchard, Utah
5. Paul Dawson, TCU
6. *Eli Harold, Virginia
7. Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville
8. Zack Hodges, Harvard
9. Hau'oli Kikaha, Washington
10. Lynden Trail, Norfolk St.

It's hard to find a more consistent football player in the college game over the past two seasons than Beasley, who remains at the top of this list. The draft process is going to be fascinating for Thompson, because teams are going to project him in different roles. I thought Orchard had a good week in Mobile, and looks like a guy who is ready to help a team right away. Mauldin is probably the biggest riser on this list and also showed well in Mobile.

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Cornerbacks

1. *Trae Waynes, Michigan St.
2. *Marcus Peters, Washington
3. *Jalen Collins, LSU
3. Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest
5. *P.J. Williams, Florida St.
6. **Jacoby Glenn, Central Florida
7. Kevin White, TCU
8. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
9. Ladarius Gunter, Miami (Fla.)
10. Quinten Rollins, Miami (Ohio)

One player you no longer see here is Will Redmond, who will be returning to Mississippi State. He was certainly among the top five corners in this draft going into the draft process. The biggest riser is Collins, who has a ton of talent. Most now know that Peters was booted from the team at Washington, and that will obviously be something he'll have to address during the interview phase. As for the seniors, Kevin White had a great week in Mobile and boosted his profile.

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Safeties

1. Landon Collins, Alabama
2. Derron Smith, Fresno St.
3. Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern
4. Cody Prewitt, Mississippi
5. Damarious Randall, Arizona St.
6. *Chris Hackett, TCU
7. Anthony Harris, Virginia
8. Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
9. *Durell Eskridge, Syracuse
10. Kurtis Drummond, Michigan St.

As he was when the year started, Collins is leading the pack here. The biggest jump from my last look at this group was made by Campbell, with Prewitt right behind him. I'll be spending a lot of time on these guys this spring, as it remains to be seen if anybody other than Collins will seem like a lock for Round 1 come April.


Special teams

Place-kickers & punters

1. Kyle Loomis, P, Portland St.
2. Tom Obarski, PK, Concordia (Minn.)
3. Wil Baumann, P, NC State
4. Spencer Roth, P, Baylor
5. Justin Manton, PK&P, Louisiana-Monroe
6. Trevor Pardula, P, Kansas
7. Darragh O'Neill, P, Colorado
8. Kyle Christy, P, Florida
9. Will Johnson, P, Texas St.
10. Mike Sadler, P, Michigan St.

In previous years I would split the kickers and punters, but I think putting them together is a little more reflective of their chance to stick on a roster. It's hard to say right now there's certain to be a kicker who gets drafted. Obarski has a great leg, and went 18-21 on field goals this season, but he struggled as a junior.

 

[NeonDeion21]

No Jay Ajari at RB for Kiper? You can talk me into him as the best RB after Gordon and Gurley.

 

[NeonDeion21]

And no Gerold Holliman at safety.