With bowl season finally upon us, I figured it’s time for the initial top 125 prospects for the 2017 NFL Draft. These are based on game film review and are not draft slot projections. For more detailed positional breakdowns, check out the offense and defensive positional rankings. Note those orders might differ a little from these, as I’ve watched about 25 more college games and seen more of a number of prospects.
I spared writing commentary about every player because the evaluations are far from finished. Those spotlighted are current evaluations I feel most confident with going forward.
1. Myles Garrett, Edge, Texas A&M--do it all edge rusher with outstanding athleticism but also a high football IQ. Polished pass rush moves with explosive burst, great length and closing speed, plus functional power. Number one with a bullet despite playing through an injury in 2016.
2. Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama--often unblockable with his combination of quickness and rare agility for a 290-pound man, Allen lives in opposing backfields. He can play anywhere from the 3 to 7 technique along the front and bears some comparison to Ndamukong Suh.
3. Jamal Adams, S, LSU--the rangy, hard-hitting safety has hinted he is returning to school, but he’s too important to exclude here. Adams is the cream of a very strong and diverse safety crop. Note that if Ohio State’s Malik Hooker declares (he’s stated he’s returning to school) he would also be in the top 10 overall.
4. Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina--high-end potential franchise QB with desirable size, arm talent, athleticism and confidence. He lacks big-game experience but showed outstanding accuracy and decision making. I grade him significantly higher than any QB in the class of 2016.
5. Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama--an optimal 3-4 speed rush OLB with quick hands and good eyes. The more I’ve watched of Alabama (notably the Tennessee and Mississippi State games) the more I really like how his skills translate to the NFL level.
6. Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
7. Vita Vea, DT, Washington
8. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
9. Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
10. Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin--handily the best left tackle prospect in this class, there are no real holes to his game other than experience. Not as high of a ceiling as other recent tackles but his floor is being an average NFL starter, which is great insurance.
11. Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
12. Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
13. Derek Barnett, Edge, Tennessee
14. Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
15. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
16. Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
17. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State--strictly on the field, Cook belongs higher than this. Unfortunately his lengthy and repeated injury history is a real issue. His ability to maximize poorly blocked runs stands out.
18. Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
19. Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
20. John Ross, WR, Washington
21. Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss--favorably but quite similarly compares to Eric Ebron as a flex TE with special athleticism and just enough blocking chops to stay on the field in all situations.
22. Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
23. Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
24. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
25. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
26. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
27. Budda Baker, S, Washington--smaller than ideal but he understands how to use what he’s got very well. A glaring and egregious omission from the defensive positional breakdowns.
28. Marquis Haynes, OLB, Ole Miss
29. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
30. Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
31. Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
32. Malik McDowell, DT/DE, Michigan State--has the physical potential to dramatically outplay this ranking, but it seldom showed in a down 2016 for both McDowell and his team. Ending the year on the sideline doesn’t help him, right or wrong.
33. Desmond King, CB, Iowa
34. Lowell Lotulelei, DT, Utah
35. Forrest Lamp, OT/OG, Western Kentucky
36. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
37. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
38. Corn Elder, CB, Miami FL--another player who looks better the more I watch him. Has a chance to be a lockdown slot corner, a valuable asset.
39. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado
40. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
41. Joe Mathis, DE/OLB, Washington
42. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
43. Marcus Williams, S, Utah
44. Luke Falk, QB, Washington State--he has some scary fundamental and visionary lapses, but he can--and will--make throws many QBs won’t even try. Boom/bust guy.
45. Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
46. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
47. Tyler Orlovsky, OC, West Virginia
48. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
49. Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
50. Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State
51. Charles Harris, OLB/DE, Missouri
52. Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple
53. Taylor Moton, OG, Western Michigan--played RT for the Broncos in ’16 but thrived at guard in past years and has the size to kick inside in NFL.
54. Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
55. Pat Elflein, OC/OG, Ohio State
56. Teez Tabor, CB, Florida--riverboat gambler of a corner who won’t work for everyone, but teams who covet ball skills, press coverage and irrational confidence in their CBs will love him.
57. Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan
58. Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson
59. Tedric Thompson, S, Colorado--he doesn’t always see or choose the best angles, but his closing speed and ability to get his hands on the ball is outstanding. Improved as a tackler as 2016 progressed too.
60. Ryan Anderson, OLB, Alabama
61. Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson
62. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn
63. Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU
64. Elijah Qualls, DT, Washington
65. Ryan Switzer, WR/RS, North Carolina--born to play the slot in a 3 or 4 WR package, outstanding hands with instant acceleration and agility. Also an elite return specialist prospect.
66. Ethan Pocic, OC/OG, LSU
67. Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan
68. Vince Biegel, OLB, Wisconsin
69. Justin Evans, S, Texas A&M
70. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech
71. Michael Roberts, TE, Toledo--huge frame (6’5”/270) who can move well and has an amazing catch radius with sticky hands. Not as polished as other TE in this very deep class but his ceiling is way above this range.
72. Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida
73. Montae Nicholson, S, Michigan State
74. Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
75. Anthony Walker, ILB, Northwestern
76. Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple
77. Jake Butt, TE, Michigan
78. Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo
79. Ryan Glasgow, DT, Michigan
80. Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
81. Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State---played RB at Ohio State but was much more effective operating as a receiver. The fact he actually ran routes instead of just releasing to get open should make his transition smooth.
82. Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
83. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma
84. Cam Sutton, CB, Tennessee--missed 2016 with an injury but stood out as a smart, physical corner in ‘15
85. Braden Smith, OG, Auburn
86. David Njoku, TE, Miami FL
87. Demarcus Walker, DT, Florida State
88. Kevin King, CB, Washington--long (legit 6’2”) and lithe mover with solid coverage instincts and good tackling for a taller DB.
89. Keionta Davis, LB, Chattanooga
90. Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State
91. Harold Landry, OLB, Boston College
92. Kendell Beckwith, ILB, LSU
93. Derek Rivers, DE/OLB, Youngstown State--flashy edge rusher who can contribute right away in designated rush role. Bends the edge and flattens extremely well.
94. Quin Blanding, S, Virginia
95. Jeremy Sprinkle, TE, Arkansas
96. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia
97. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
98. Brendan Langley, CB, Lamar
99. Marcus Maye, S, Florida
100. Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky
101. Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh--powerful run blocker and edge anchor with decent feet, but he winds up standing straight up and not blocking anyone at the end of the play too often
102. Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming
103. Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State
104. Blake Jarwin, TE, Oklahoma State
105. Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M
106. Derek Nnadi, DT, Florida State
107. Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah--raises eyebrows for both positives and negatives. He’ll be 25 and has serious off-field flags in past, but has overcome and has a lot of athletic tools on the edge.
108. Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson
109. Jordan Sterns, S, Oklahoma State
110. Jon Toth, OC, Kentucky
111. Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
112. Steven Taylor, LB, Houston
113. Nico Siragusa, OG, San Diego State--power pig interior drive blocker who can seek and destroy in space, but struggles with initial quickness. Reminds of Larry Warford.
114. Levon Myers, OT, Northern Illinois
115. Micah Kiser, ILB, Virginia
116. Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado
117. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
118. Jadar Johnson, S, Clemson--underrated playmaker with great vision and quick reactions. Plays well as a last-resort tackler too.
119. Amba Etta-Tawo, WR, Syracuse
120. Tanzel Smart, DT, Tulane
121. Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh
122. Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
123. Tarell Basham, DE/OLB, Ohio
124. Erik Magnuson, OT, Michigan
125. Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh