It’s time for the first look at the rankings for the upcoming NFL draft season. These are initial impressions more than hard rankings and will change as I watch more players and see more of the guys here.
Underclassmen are listed here without regard for their declaration status. In order to be listed, I need to have at least three exposures to a player. Thus, a lot of smaller college players who might bubble up later do not make this list.
This is not an indication of what order I believe players will be drafted. That’s what mock drafts are for…
1. Leonard Williams, DT, USC--versatile, impact athlete against both the run and pass. Has the complete physical package to be in line with Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy as disruptive forces on the DL.
2. Landon Collins, S, Alabama--big-time tackler with size and speed to cover a lot of ground. Fits the mold of what the NFL is looking for at safety. Should be instant quality starter.
3. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon--mobile, smart, accurate precision passer with outstanding intangibles. Would have been the top QB last year, too.
4. La’el Collins, T, LSU--big, physical grinder with effective feet and a devastating punch. Rare functional strength that explodes from his long arms.
5. Dante Fowler Jr, Edge, Florida--his improvement against the run has elevated his stock, but he’s still a premier pass rusher. Fits best as a 3-4 OLB.
6. Vic Beasley, Edge, Clemson--one of the keys to successful edge rushers is the ability to transfer speed into power. Beasley does that very well even though he lack ideal size.
7. Brandon Scherff, T, Iowa--mauling, technically sound wall. He looks like a good left tackle, a great right tackle, but an elite left guard.
8. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State--on the field he’s no worse than the second-best player in this draft. Off the field, well…hard to ignore both sides of his galvanizing coin.
9. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon--his lack of size limits his ability outside, but he can be the best slot corner in the league very quickly. Real value in that in an NFL where nickel is often a base defense.
10. Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Edge, Kentucky--strong, speedy closer with good eyes and football IQ. Plays with great urgency and attention to detail and finishes his plays with gusto.
11. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
12. Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
13. Shane Ray, Edge, Missouri
14. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
15. Danny Shelton, DT, Washington--physical behemoth with functional quickness and excellent leverage, ideal 0- or 1-technique for any defensive front
16. Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
17. Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
18. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
19. T.J. Clemmings, T, Pittsburgh
20. Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan--he’s most certainly not a TE anymore, but that’s for the better. Continues to improve his leggy route running every week.
21. Eric Rowe, CB, Utah
22. Ty Sambrailo, T, Colorado State
23. P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
24. Cedric Ogbuehi, T, Texas A&M
25. Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State--assertive bull who ideally projects as a heavy shaded 1-technique a la Nick Fairley. Looks quicker than in the past.
26. Randy Gregory, Edge, Nebraska
27. Markus Golden, DE, Missouri
28. Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
29. Devante Parker, WR, Louisville
30. Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington--is he an outside linebacker, a supersized safety or a running back? No matter where he lines up, Thompson is the epicenter of the action.
31. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
32. Danzel McDaniel, CB, Kansas State
33. Spencer Drango, T, Baylor
34. Quinton Spain, G, West Virginia
35. Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State--impressive arm talent and solid athlete, can be great when he’s seeing the field well and making good decisions.
36. Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
37. Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
38. A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina
39. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
40. Duke Johnson, RB, Miami FL--lightning burst and acceleration, and he can cut sharply to make tacklers look silly in space.
41. Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
42. Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State
43. Lorenzo Maudlin, Edge, Louisville
44. Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami FL
45. Hau’oli Kikaha, Edge, Washington--proven he’s recovered from injury and a speedy flash around the edge. Production is inflated but hard to argue with as well.
46. Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville
47. Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame
48. Eric Striker, LB, Oklahoma
49. Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
50. Reese Dismukes, C, Auburn--the top center can play top-heavy, but he’s smart and quick and rarely gets beat.
51. Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas
52. Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss
53. Nate Orchard, Edge, Utah
54. Christian Covington, DE/DT, Rice
55. Ty Montgomery, WR/RS, Stanford--He’s inconsistent as a receiver but a consistent dynamo as a return man. He’s an ideal field-stretching threat who can also contribute on sweeps and screens.
56. Jalen Mills, S, LSU
57. Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
58. Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State
59. Anthony Harris, S, Virginia
60. Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn--he’s got a great first step, but he can also follow it with a second and third too. Best fit at the next level is as a 5-technique
61. Jeff Heuerman, TE, Ohio State
62. Austin Hill, WR, Arizona
63. Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA
64. Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
65. Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson--lightweight attack dog of a defensive tackle with nonstop hands and energy. Meager production obscures a player who could blossom with 5-10 more pounds.
66. Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon
67. Tyrus Thompson, T, Oklahoma
68. Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
69. Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
70. Daryl Williams, T, Oklahoma--he and Tyrus Thompson make a great bookend tandem. Williams tries to rip the arms off his man, and his technique improves weekly.
71. Derron Smith, S, Fresno State
72. Jake Fisher, T, Oregon
73. Taiwan Jones, LB, Michigan State
74. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
75. D’Haquille (Duke) Williams, WR, Auburn--the big JUCO transfer has awesome size and physical tools with great potential. He’s a longer-term project than the WRs above him.
76. Corey Robinson, T, South Carolina
77. Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia
78. Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina
79. Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
80. Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss--aggressive ballhawk lacks length but has great instincts, feet and confidence. Compares to Brent Grimes.
81. Antwan Goodley, WR, Baylor
82. Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
83. Trey Flowers, Edge, Arkansas
84. Nick O’Leary, TE, Florida State
85. Kurtis Drummond, S, Michigan State--smart, downhill strong safety with an opportunistic vein who gets points for leadership. Frame and top-end speed limit his ceiling.
86. Andrus Peat, T, Stanford
87. Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State
88. Ben Koyack, TE, Notre Dame
89. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
90. Preston Smith, DE, Mississippi State--strong improvement in 2014 has elevated both the Bulldogs D and his own draft stock. Upwardly mobile from this point.
91. Mario Edwards, Edge, Florida State
92. Tony Washington, LB, Oregon
93. Andy Gallik, C, Boston College
94. Chucky Hunter, DT, TCU
95. Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina--has superglue for hands and is effective on quick hits and curls, great out of slot and in traffic.
96. Tony Lippett, WR, Michigan State
97. Tre Jackson, G, Florida State
98. Josh Shaw, DB, USC
99. Laken Tomlinson, G, Duke
100. Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State--a bit streaky and in need of development, but has a lot of arm talent and moxie. Will rise on many boards in postseason AS games.
101. James Vaughters, LB, Stanford
102. Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas
103. James Castleman, DT, Oklahoma State
Jeff Risdon is RealGM's senior football writer.
Follow @JeffRisdon on Twitter.