Daniel's 2023 Draft Thread Combine Edition

[Daniel]

I do this every year, but I've been watching more college games this season, so it's easier to keep the notes and rankings together in one place if I go ahead and start this.

Same disclaimer, I don't watch every game, that's insane.  I do try to watch entire games for every prospect, but that takes so much time it isn't realistic, so that's the built in margin of error.  The unbuilt in one is me not knowing what I'm doing.

QB: What started as a strong class got weaker and weaker as guys kept returning to school.  Stroud is a very solid, if unexciting QB, while Young is way smaller than I feel comfortable with, but amazing otherwise.  Richardson has elite traits, and has looked like the real deal at times, and is barely worth a first.  After that, dropoffs get big.  Hooker is good, but older and injured.  Hall looks like a stellar backup or a weak starter.  Levis will go down as the least accomplished first rounder in memory, but hey, he can throw a ball far.  DTR, McKee, and Bennett are easily draftable, but only as backups.

1. CJ Stroud, Ohio St: Stroud has been on it, and done everything he's needed to do to stay first.  He's not a super exciting first overall, but he's way better than anything 2021 had to offer.  Stroud is a polished pocket passer who looks NFL ready, which is a rarity in this class.
2. Bryce Young, Alabama: He's too small, so he's gonna have to change how he plays, but his ability to escape pressure and extend plays is next level, and he's an excellent passer.  I'd be hesitant to hitch my franchise to him, but he's a bonafide first rounder.
3. Anthony Richardson, Florida: Highest ceiling of any QB in this class, but needs to stay another year.  He's like Malik Willis in that he's beyond raw, but ultra talented.  Good performances in the last couple of games will make him much more appealing this year.  He's still young, but the NFL has not shown a willingness to spend too much draft capital on guys who won't be ready for a year at least, and that's where Richardson is.
4. Henden Hooker, Tennessee: With a torn ACL for the second time, Hooker is now a career backup.  He's still a good player, but the upside is no longer there, and the floor just dropped out from under him.  Still, Hooker has great deep accuracy, with problems on intermediate outside throws.  He's a difference maker with his legs, though they probably aren't what they used to be anymore, and has great intangibles.  He'll now be taken somewhere where he's a worthwhile pick instead of an overreach.
5. Jarren Hall, BYU: Hall has electric legs, but is a little raw as a passer, especially when it comes to his vision.  He has a big arm, and good accuracy most of the time.  He's younger than Hooker, but still not young, and a little less athletically gifted than the other guys.  He has problems seeing defenders sometimes, especially when there's pressure in his face.  Still, he's got some tools.
6. Will Levis, Kentucky: I'll get the most hate for this ranking, but Levis has just not looked like a pro QB.  He's got a strong arm, and is built like a tank, but he's also missed time for injury and plays in an offense that's a run first unit with a good defense.  Bad decision maker with mediocre accuracy and an absolutely awful pocket presence, and who never ran, even when he should have been able to.  I will die on the hill that, if drafted in the first, he will be the least accomplished first round QB that I can ever remember seeing.
7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA: Elite athleticism, and a productive season, but he's very raw, even after a good bit of time as a starter.  Could be a gadget type or a backup to a very mobile QB.
8. Tanner McKee, Stanford: The accuracy is there, but I'm not sure about everything else.  He had very little help from his OL, and he can really squeeze balls into tight windows, but I don't think his vision is great, his pocket awareness is awful, his footwork needs a lot of work, and he doesn't bring anything as a runner.  Really a shame he didn't have a better supporting cast though, because there is talent there.
9. Stetson Bennett, Georgia: He's worth drafting, but not because of how good Georgia has been.  Bennett has a ridiculous supporting cast, and I think he's at his peak.  He brings athleticism though, and is a great backup prospect because he seems like a guy that won't lose the game for you.

To watch: Jake Haener, Cam Ward

RB: There are a loooot of good running backs this year, and I've only started to scratch the surface.  Rodriguez and Robinson are a cut above the others I've looked at so far, but RB rankings are largely a bulk deal, so these will change a lot.  Honestly, there are probably a few more I could have thrown in here, but I'm trying to keep it limited to the really good.

1. Bijan Robinson, Texas: I finally watched more tape, and while I now have Robinson here, I think he's drastically overhyped.  Robinson has excellent field vision, and is great at bouncing off of tacklers, however, I don't think he has top end speed or power.  He's good in both categories, but not elite.  First round pick, but I'd stay away in the top 20.
2. Zach Charbonnet, UCLA: He certainly gets some help from his QB, but Charbonnet is a playmaker.  He's also great as a passing option.  He's a dynamic player to watch, and plays faster than he tested.
3. Jamyr Gibbs, Alabama: I think it's time for me to admit that I was too low on Gibbs.  He put on a speed show at the combine, and I think, as dangerous as he'll be as a passer, his limitations as a runner are pretty forgivable.
4. Chase Brown, Illinois: A fast, fluid runner, who runs with enough power to make some guys miss, but not a pile pusher.  Tested way better than I would have expected.
5. Kendre Miller, TCU: Against Texas, Miller was incredibly shifty, and with his size, he ought to be a well rounded back.  TCU missed him badly against Georgia.
6. Kenny McIntosh, Georgia: Man, he came on in the playoffs.  Great size, looks like a well rounded guy physically for the position, and he can really add another layer as a pass catcher.
7. Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky: I still think that CR is crazy underrated, but upon further film study, and in light of off the field red flags, I think he deserves to be here a little lower.  Still should be a bell cow pure runner at the next level, but brings nothing to the passing game.
8. Travis Dye, USC: A dynamic pass catcher with three good years of great rushing production, Dye should be a great contributor in all aspects in the NFL.
9. Evan Hull, Northwester: Surprisingly shifty for a RB of his build, and really finds open lanes well.  Turned out to be a legit target in the passing game too.  Possibly the steal of the draft at the position, since it looks like he's not getting a lot of hype.
10. Eric Gray, Oklahoma: The former Vol is having a great season on an awful (comparatively) Oklahoma team.  He's a great runner, and pretty good receiver.
11. Deuce Vaughn, Kansas St: Small, but really quick, and runs hard for someone his size.  Also looks fast, and can catch, so he can be a piece to an offense.

To watch: Zach Evans, Tank Bigsby, Mohamed Ibrahim, Roschon Johnson, Devon Achane, Tyjae Spears, Deneric Prince, Keaton Mitchell

WR: This WR class is very pick your poison at the top.  Addison is the most dynamic, but he's undersized, and may have real problems at the next level.  Hyatt has the best deep ball skills, but he has been shut down a couple of times when Tennessee's scheme wasn't clicking.  Tillman might be the sneaky best, but he missed most of the season.  JSN looked like the best in the class at the end of 2021, but missed the whole season.  Johnston doesn't have the production his talent dictates, and that's a problem too.

1. Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Ohio St: Proved he needs to be the top receiver at the combine, with one of the better overall workouts, and good tape to back it up.
1. Jordan Addison, USC: Addison is insane to watch, and hits another gear of speed all over the field.  He didn't test as well as you'd like, and he's small, but he brings everything else you want.
3. Cedric Tillman, Tennessee: He'll be a little under the radar since he missed most of the season with an injury, but he's a big, powerful receiver who can do a lot with the ball in his hands.  Made a fool of Cam Smith when they were one on one.  Drop issues are his biggest problem, but otherwise, he's everything you want.
4. Zay Flowers, BoCo: Love his shiftiness, body control, and the way he snatches the ball out of the air, but perhaps the most impressive part of his tape was the 15 yard cushions Garrett Williams was giving him in their matchup.
5. Rashee Rice, SMU: One of the best combinations of height/weight/speed/production in the class, Rice can blaze, but he can also win on 50/50 balls.  But, he's been shut down by smaller shifty corners, and seems to rely on athletic mismatches a lot.  Still, he's intriguing, and could be a riser.
6. Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee: Hyatt has spent his season getting behind defenses and catching deep balls, but he's actually a capable receiver in other areas too.  With his likely blistering 40 time, and with how that kind of receiver is going high, he'll be a high first rounder at the rate he's on.
7. Quentin Johnston, TCU: I initially ranked Johnston lower than some other receivers, but talked myself into putting him at No. 1.  He's continued to fall since then, as other receivers impress like he just failed to.  Has all the traits though, so he should be a high pick.
8. Josh Downs, UNC: Good hands, hits second gear very quickly, and covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but he's a sloppy route runner who needs a little polishing to be reliable in the NFL.  Discount Jalin Hyatt.
10. Rakim Jarrett, Maryland: A 6 ft receiver who plays like one of those shifty 5'9" guys, he'd have better numbers in a better offense.
10. Kayshon Boutte, LSU: A disappointing season from a WR who was supposed to be big this year.  Clearly has talent, just hasn't done much with it yet.
11. Jalen McMillan, Washington: McMillan could not be stopped against a pretty good group of Oregon DBs, doing most of his damage in the slot, but I don't think that's all he can do.
12. Jordan Whittington, Texas: The only effective receiver against TCU, he was a big play machine with the ball in his hands.

To watch: Jonathan Mingo, Marvin Mims, Nathaniel Dell, Trey Palmer, Xavier Hutchinson, AT Perry

TE: The top three are stellar.  Mayer does it all, Washington is huge, and is a future YAC monster, while Kincaid is a dynamic pass catcher.  Musgrave might be higher if he'd played a full season, but we'll have to wait and see.  LaPorta is solid as well, and Strange is also a solid pass catcher that may have produced more if he didn't split reps.  JAGs after that.

1A. Michael Mayer, Notre Dame: A dynamic passing threat, and a big bodied capable blocker, Mayer looks like the complete package.  Not as flashy as Pitts, but probably better in the trenches, and almost as big a mismatch.
1B. Darnell Washington, Georgia: He's just an offensive tackle who lost some weight and has decent hands.  And I don't know how you stop such a thing.  Also happens to be a physical freak.
3. Dalton Kincaid, Utah: So far, the most dynamic pass catcher of the TE class.  He's smaller than the top two, but not nearly small enough to be a concern.
4. Luke Musgrave, Oregon St: Huge TE that resembles Kelce a lot, in that he likes to throw a block to get the guy covering him in pass coverage to bite.  I like him as a Titan more than Kincaid, but Kincaid is such a dynamic pass catcher he stays ahead for now.
5. Sam LaPorta, Iowa: Discount Michael Mayer, you'll see him split time lining at H-back, on the line, and wide out.  He's not as good with his hands as those above him (except Washington), but is a better blocker than Kincaid.
6. Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion: Huge, and insanely athletic, with a good season under his belt before transferring to Old Dominion, he might be a steal.
8. Tucker Kraft, South Dakota St: hard to place for now, but he was physically dominant against FCS defenders trying to bring him down.  Route running is awful, but he can catch, and a big combine could see him move up.
9. Brendan Strange, Penn St: The yin to Jackson's yang, Strange spends more time in the H back role, and is a better route runner, but doesn't have the blocking ability of his teammate.
10. Will Mallory, Miami: A bright spot for a bad Miami team, Mallory looked great at the combine, and could be a solid addition as a pass catcher.
11. Cameron Latu, Alabama: A very good blocker, he's still a notch below the best in this class, but he has pretty solid hands as well.  Not a particularly well developed route tree.
12. Brayden Willis, Oklahoma: Willis is slow, and not a great pass catcher, but he's definitely a plus blocker.  If you're looking for a blocking TE, he's your guy.
13. Princeton Fant, Tennessee: He won't blow you away with his numbers this season, but he's been coming on late, and it's hard to get numbers in UT's offense.  He should get drafted due to his versatility as an HB type TE.
14. Cade Stover, Ohio St: Passable as a blocker, and a pretty good passing option who's tough to bring down for smaller corners.  Still, he doesn't have the best hands, nor is he a great blocker.

To watch: Davis Allen

OT: It looks like an outstanding class.  Johnson has everything you want in an OT, and late into the season, Jones and Wright had surrendered no sacks.  Anton Harrison is a mauler with technical skills, and Wright is hard to scout, but for what you can see, looks the part.  Jones and Freeland are developmental projects with upside, Skoronski has T-rex arms that limit him, and is the most overrated OL prospect in this class, but should be a very good guard.  Hayes, Bergeron, and Morris could be solid starters with a little seasoning.  Steen and Duncan are late rounders.

1. Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio St: Ohio State has one of the more effective units, and Paris Johnson looked fantastic when I saw him and was also a powerful run blocker earlier in his career. He's not a blue chip, but he is great in every aspect of the game.
2. Broderick Jones, Georgia: He's a little short, and a little stiff, but his play (against the absolute best, by the way) has been stellar, and as long as there are no huge measurement red flags at the combine, he should easily be OT2.  Zero sacks surrendered as a tackle in the SEC is nothing to sneeze at.  However, size may be an issue.
3. Anton Harrison, Oklahoma: Perhaps the safest OT in the class, Harrison doesn't seem to have any glaring weaknesses.  He gets beaten by speed sometimes, but usually recovers well enough to stay on his block, and pancakes his defender more often than anyone you'll see in this class.
4. Darnell Wright, Tennessee: Wright is a better fit for right tackle, but has been well conditioned in Tennessee's fast offense.  Huge player, and capable as both a pass blocker and run blocker, he played at over 340 lbs, giving him the ability to get a lot quicker if he loses a little weight.
5. Blake Freeland, BYU: He is long, and he threatens a very wide area, but he gets support an awful lot from other blockers, which is concerning, and is really awkward when he has to move in space.  Also struggles finishing blocks, especially run blocking, but has a prototype build, and if he gets into a good S&C program in the NFL, could be a beast.
6. Dawand Jones, Ohio St: Powerful run blocker, but gets beat with speed sometimes, and has a tendency to reach out too far.  Still, a mountain of a man, and a great right tackle.  I resisted putting him higher for being big, but Skoronski and Hayes have too many weaknesses to be above a huge, all upside monster like Jones.  He completely stonewalled draftnik favorite Lukas Van Ness every rep they had.
7. Peter Skoronski, Northwestern: So, I'm gonna have to be contrarian here: Skoronski isn't a first round player.  You heard me, not OT, player.  He struggled against Ohio St, but I wrote it off as his arm length against two long DLs.  But then I watched Penn St, and this guy makes mental mistakes, gets beat inside and out, lets DLs disengage all the time, and just fails to wow me in between.  I'm sure he has better tape, but a guy that gets beaten that often, in that many ways, just isn't worth that level of investment.  Still, excellent footwork.
8. Ryan Hayes, Michigan: Does a lot of things well, but, he struggles with Edge rushers that can bend around the outside.  His footwork isn't good enough to stay with them all the way around.  But he's a powerful blocker, engages well, and stays on his guy.  Lack of footwork is an awful weakness to have, but it looks like his only one to me.
9. Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse: A pretty good overall blocker, especially run blocking, but he gives up too much ground as a pass blocker, struggling against bull rushes from powerful defenders.
10. Wanya Morris, Oklahoma: Outshined by his teammate, Morris is still a solid tackle.  A top recruit who was very good at Tennessee, Morris has a powerful lower half and a good build.  He doesn't have as much power as you'd like for a RT, and needs to work on that first step.
12. Tyler Steen, Alabama: Looked very good against Texas, pretty good against Arkansas, but then looked lost against Tennessee, losing every way you can lose.  On that tape, he's completely undraftable.  He may have had an injury midseason or something, but I need an explanation for how that's the same player.
13. Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland: Watching Duncan against Penn St was a big disappointment, guilty of missed blocks and uncalled holds the whole night.  He doesn't seem to have a good anchor.  Day 3 prospect.

To watch: Zion Nelson

OG: This is a fantastic OL class, though it's dominated by centers.  Patterson is a better center prospect than Linderbaum at this point, and OO is knocking on that door.  JMS isn't too far behind them, and any could sneak into the first round.  Wypler is the best of the rest, but needs a bit more polish than the top three, as he gets sloppy.  Forsyth and Vorhees are great, and Stromberg is good.  Among guards, Kirkland and Avila are the top of the crop.  Kirkland can play most of the OL, and Avila can play all three interior spots, and both have excellent tape.  Torrance has too many bad reps to be a first rounder, though he should go comfortably soon after that, and be an excellent right guard.  Daniels and Broeker are tackles that need to slide inside, but should also be good.

1. Steve Avila, TCU: He plays left guard for the Horned Frogs now, and does an excellent job, but could play other positions.  Outstanding tape against Texas and good looking in the combine, he's the other top level interior player.
2. Cody Mauch, NDSU: Plays long, and great at getting hands on guys, but has a bad tendency to get turned around, especially at the second level.  He had a great Senior Bowl and combine, and looks the part of a top level left guard.
3. O'Cyrus Torrance, Florida: Torrance holds up well in pass protection and is a powerful run blocker, but he's not asked to do that much as a right guard, and gets beat sometimes by less than elite talent.  Still, very good testing shows what he does bring to the table is great.  He is what he appears to be.
4. Braden Daniels, Utah: Occasionally elite tape mixed with occasionally mediocre tape, Daniels is a trim athletic player.  He needs to add weight and play left guard, so there will be a learning curve there, but I think he projects to be an outstanding player at that position.
5. Jackson Kirkland, Washington: The occasional bad snap, but I don't think I've seen him miss a block.  Great length, and an effective puller to the next level.  Versatility puts him high among the IOLs.
6. Jon Gaines III, UCLA: Gaines played RG, but his strength is pass blocking.  He was the smoothest mover at the combine, so that's not a big surprise.  Top level athleticism as well, but he had to hold some of the stronger DLs a lot on tape.
7. Nick Broeker, Ole Miss: Some good 2021 tape as a tackle, but he's got short arms, and may be a better fit inside.  Good feet, good pass blocker, but needs to add some weight to move inside.
8. Anthony Bradford, LSU: LSU moves their offensive linemen around too much to make watching tape feasible, so he's here for being good at the combine.
9. Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan: Eastern Michigan tape watch incoming.
10. McClendon Curtis, Tennessee Chattanooga: Looks the part and tested well, but the tape against Illinois isn't inspiring.
11. Mark Evans, Arkansas Pine Bluff: Not particularly athletic, but one of the smoother guys in the drills.

To watch: Emil Ekiyor, Joe Tippman

C; An outstanding center class, there isn't a huge separation in my mind between the first and fourth center in this class.

1. John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota: Schmitz absolutely demolishes second level guys, and he's maybe got the best awareness of what's going on on the DL in this class, but he got abused in a few reps against the big Illinois DLs.  A stellar offseason moves him up to first.
2. Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan: OO, as I'm gonna call him now, is underrated as hell.  Four year starter who has been leading the way for Blake Corum up the middle, and had his way with the Iliini DLs for most of the game.  Moves from defender to defender fluidly.  Got a big bump after I saw how much JMS struggled against the Illini.
3. Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame: ND has consistently produced top level OL talent, and Patterson is more of the same.  His Clemson tape is excellent, and he didn't surrender a sack in an absurd number of snaps against some top level talent.  I don't know what more you want.
4. Luke Wypler, Ohio State: Wypler has had a great season, but he's had his mulligans.  Against Michigan, he let Mazi Smith get the better of him too many times, but was able to stonewall Benton against Wisconsin.
5. Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas: Great at dealing with multiple blitzers and strong in pass pro, he seemed a little lacking in power as a run blocker and struggled sometimes to square up to his block assignments, especially at the second level, which makes him overextend and lose footing.
6. Alex Forsyth, Oregon: Forsyth moves around finding unblocked guys like nobody's business.  Then he blocks them really well.  Battled through injury against Utah and still finished pretty strong.
7. Andrew Vorhees, USC: Vorhees blocks his man, then looks for guys to block, just like you want.  He also gets to the second level effectively.

Edge: A deep and varied class, with studs at the top and a diverse set of traits after.  Anderson is the number one, but Tyree Wilson is right behind him, and drips upside.  Murphy came out of a 4-3 end factory, and Nolan Smith is a speedy, but undersized Edge with a lot of great tape.  Byron Young and FAU both bring good size, and look like blue collar players with lots of good traits to boot and round out the first rounders.  After that are a lot of guys that I think deserve second and third round grades.

1. Will Anderson, Alabama: Easiest first spot ever.
2. Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech: This man will annihilate the combine.  Wins with speed, power, and natural bend, but mostly the first two.  It's both his best and worst attribute, because from what I've seen, he doesn't have a lot of moves.  Still, his upside is tremendous.
3. Nolan Smith, Georgia: Smith was great in 2021, and the picture of consistency before his injury this season.  A little small, but that wasn't an issue on tape, and he's insanely athletic.  Should be a great Edge, but he isn't scheme versatile at that size.
4. Myles Murphy, Clemson: A classical 4-3 defensive end who plays against the run just as well as he applies pressure.  Does disappear for some stretches.
5. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas St: One of the better built prospects, FAU converts speed to power better than any prospect not named Wilson.  He has a little bend and a few pass rushing moves in his arsenal, but he's got plenty of potential left to unlock.  Got completely shut down by Anton Harrison though.
6. Byron Young, Tennessee: Young is a work-hard player who probably won't measure super well, but will be a solid rotational Edge for years for whoever drafts him.
7. Will McDonald, Iowa St: McDonald didn't make the impact you'd have thought this year.  He can get bullied at the line of scrimmage, and he's not the biggest guy, so he can have trouble with powerful RBs, but he brings bend, a plethora of pass rush moves, and speed.  His TCU tape (excellent OL and very good RB) has him almost making a dozen plays, and absorbing just as many double teams.
8. Dylan Horton, TCU: A tweener who can probably play inside a little, he's come on late, but he's got a great bull rush and fantastic play strength.
9. Tuli Tuipolotu, USC: He dropped like a ton of bricks when he weighed in the 250s.  Moving like he does at that size is way less impressive and really changes everything about him as a prospect.  He goes here for now since I don't know what else to do with him.
10. Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame: I've watched a couple of ND games and Foskey just does not jump off the tape.  There are traits there, but I think he's just the most visible player on a great unit than a great player.  He has a lot of power as an Edge defender, but I don't see great bend, a good set of moves, or much else.  I think if a team drafts him in the first, they're likely to be disappointed, but he should be a very solid run defender.
11. Lukas Van Ness, Iowa: The best bull rush in the class, but that's really all he's got on tape.  He was a smooth mover in the combine drills though, so he ekes out ahead of the other guy.
12. Keion White, Georgia Tech: Was brought to my attention lately, but he looks kind of like a height/weight/speed guy who just charges at the line and not much else.
13. Zach Harrison, Ohio State: Another guy who's better as a 4-3 end, Harrison makes the occasional splash play, but has been disappointing this year.  Great length allows him to get leverage against OLs and get his hands up to bat passes.
14. BJ Ojulari, LSU: Ojulari has a diverse skillset, with a set of pass rushing moves, the ability to cover, and some bend.  He's not particularly powerful at the point of attack though, and is an average tackler.
15. Derick Hall, Auburn: Plays like an ILB, and likes to hang back more often than he should, but a plus in pass coverage.  Seems a little weak, since OLs that get hands on him tend to be able to control him.
16. Andre Carter, Army: Fantastic bend, and whistle to whistle player, but I don't know if he has high end physical traits.  Also, I haven't seen him against really great competition yet, so his spot is tenuous.
 

To watch: Brenton Cox, Robert Beal, YaYa Diaby, Caleb Murphy, Jose Ramirez

DL: A weak class with a blue chip in Carter, a great tweener in Tuli, and a solid 4-3 DT in Davis.  Pickens, Morris, Bresee, Mazi Smith, and LVN are all very close in where I have them placed, but they're very different prospects.  Kancey is a tough projection from his size, and Benton looks a little slow to me without being a monster pocket collapser.  Ika, Roy, and Sweat are just nose tackles that will need big combines to look like anything special.

1. Jalen Carter, Georgia: Tennessee has a very good OL, and Carter ate their lunch up and down the field.  He's a monster, and just now playing his best football.
2. Bryan Bresee, Clemson: I've seen a lot of Richard Seymour comparisons, and I get it.  But Notre Dame's OL ate his lunch, and while he contributes in every game, he never takes a game over.  However, he had a very good excuse this season and is very athletic, so he's second in a really weak class.
3. Zacch Pickens, South Carolina: One to watch on the bench press.  He has a few pass rush/penetration moves, but his first instinct is to literally just shove the OL off of him or to the side, and it works surprisingly often.  Uses his length and strength effectively and keeps his eyes up.  Athletic enough.  Should be an immediate starter, and a big piece of an interior DL rotation.
4. Mazi Smith, Michigan: Smith is a guy I watch and just don't understand how he doesn't show up in the box score.  He does such a good job of moving through the interior OL, but only has a measly half sack on the season.  Very athletic though, so he may be better in the NFL.
5. Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin: More an immovable object than a pocket collapsing NT, Benton is too slow to be great in the NFL, but as a run stuffing interior 4-3 DL, you could do worse.  He will eat gaps and make running hard.
6. Calijah Kancey, Pitt: If he was bigger, he'd potentially be a first rounder.  He has a good number of pass rush moves, and is powerful for his size, but when strong OLs square up on him, he can't do much.  Still, great production, and could be a very nice rotational 3 technique.
7. Siaki Ika, Baylor: Ika is a guy who didn't do much, statistically, this season, but he eats up double teams and moves bodies.  He'll be better in the NFL, but I don't think he's a special nose tackle, and I don't think he's gonna be out there for that many plays.
8. Mike Morris, Michigan: On tape, it's strange, Smith looks like the better player, but Morris makes the impact.  Morris is out of position as an Edge, and projects better as a 3-4 DE in the NFL.
9. Jaquelin Roy, LSU: Often in the backfield pushing the pocket, but usually too slow to make an impact in the play, he still goes hard every play.
10. T'Vondre Sweat, Texas: A classic nose, Sweat has stretches of great play, but then disappears and misses tackles for stretches as well.
11. Gervon Dexter, Florida: Great length, some good pass rushing ability, but he plays high and he takes a whole lot of plays off.
12. Omari Thomas, Tennessee: A DL whose biggest plays come in big games, Thomas is a rotational DL, but a good one.
13. Byron Thomas, Alabama: Just a guy.  Has some moves, but isn't fast enough to do anything in the backfield against mobile QBs, and missed more tackles than I can count, even in a game against Ole Miss, where he had a good day statistically.

To add: Ade Ade, Jalen Redmond, Tyler Lacy

LB: This is a pretty average LB class to me.  There's a lot of second tier depth, and guys like Overshown and Simpson have huge upside, but there's not a really complete LB, short of Campbell.  And even he isn't the modern off the ball LB.  The rest of 2-6 are pretty developed and ready to start, though none of them look like they'd be difference makers to me.  7-9 could become good starters eventually, while the rest are depth players or lottery tickets.

1. Jack Campbell, Iowa: It's funny, watching Campbell is like watching Drew Sanders if he was better at being a LB.  Neither are rangey, but Campbell looks faster, is better in coverage, and a much cleaner tackler.
2. Trenton Simpson, Clemson: I see what people like in Simpson.  D used him all over the field, he's got great physical traits, and he can really cover.  But I think he's very raw, especially as a dedicated off the ball LB, and it's gonna take a DC who can utilize him in multiple spots to get the bang for your buck.
3. Henry To'oto'o, Alabama: To'oto'o does everything you want a linebacker to do, but without any elite traits.  He's super vanilla, but also very reliable and the safest LB in this class.
4. DeMarvion Overshown, Texas: The modern small, speedy linebacker, he's got the aggression you need to see in that kind of linebacker, and looks to have sideline to sideline speed.
5. Ivan Pace Jr, Cincinnati: Pace is a guy I like for a long time, then he does a few boneheaded things.  He's a little small, and he bites way too often before he has a play fully read.  But he has great aggression, excellent reaction speed, and brings plus ability as a blitzer and tackler.  It's all there, it just isn't there consistently.  With his size, he'll need a good combine to climb at all.
6. Drew Sanders, Arkansas: I like his aggression and he has great size and good power, but he doesn't move quickly enough to be a great pass defender at the next level and lacks the speed to be sideline to sideline.  He also isn't the cleanest tackler, but could work in the hybrid ILB/Edge type role.
7. Ventrell Miller, Florida: Great tape against Tennessee's fast offense, Miller can diagnose plays well, and quickly, and has fantastic closing speed once he sees the play develop.  But, he takes quite a few plays off, and too often just blitzes into free OLs when he could be much more effective dropping into coverage.
8. Jeremy Banks, Tennessee: Off the field concerns, but a recent RB conversion that is super athletic gives you a discounted version of what Trenton Simpson brings.
9. Noah Sewell, Oregon: A monster tackler in 2021, Sewell looks a lot worse this season.  He's a good college player, but he doesn't have the speed to be anything other than a run down defender in the NFL, and he lacks elite technical ability to make up for it.  Looked OK at the combine, but not enough to climb very far.
10. Aaron Beasley, Tennessee: Not great in coverage, but a solid tackler, brings some pass rush ability, and is capable of covering, at least.  Played his best ball at the end of the season, so possibly an ascending player.
12. Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State: Eichenberg does everything pretty well, he can read an offense, reacts fairly quickly, is a sure tackler, and can cover passes, but he looks like he lacks the athletic ability to cover the field quickly enough once he sees the play developing.  And he doesn't have the elite read and react ability he would need to make up for it.

To watch: Dee Winters, Owen Pappoe, Daiyan Henley, Dorian Williams, Yasir Abdullah

CB: This is probably the class I'm least happy with my rankings on.  Several of the top corners emerged after I'd done a lot of tape watching, so I didn't really have a chance to check them out.  As a result, Porter is my top corner.  Built for the position, high athleticism, everything you want.  Gonzalez is close behind, then there's a good gap before Cam Smith, who is a plug and play guy, but will never be a top level corner, and Ringo, who was my top guy on potential, but he didn't test as well as I thought.

1. Joey Porter Jr., Penn State: Stroud just plain stayed away from him.  Moves like a pro, and diagnoses plays with lightning speed.  Looks like a potential shutdown corner, and one that, IMO, is already ready to start.
2. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon: Initially left him off because he's a sophomore, but turns out he's eligible.  Plays a lot like a safety on a lot of snaps, sitting centerfield, but he's more than good enough in coverage to play corner.  I'm lower on him than a lot of others, but I still think he's an easy first rounder.
3. Cam Smith, South Carolina: Matching up against Tennessee, Smith was beaten quite a few times by both Hyatt and Tillman, but he also held his own on most of the snaps, with sticky coverage and solid tackling.
4. Kelee Ringo, Georgia: Ringo matched up with Tennessee's receivers and gave up little while securing a pick, and Tennessee has two high level receivers.  He got exposed a little against Marvin Harrison Jr., but recovered well later in the game, and matched up very well with Quentin Johnston.  Not a finished product, but closer than people give credit for, and the upside is tremendous.
5. Clark Phillips III, Utah: A sticky cover corner, Phillips can get pushed around by bigger WRs, but he's still excellent.  Covered Addison well in the PAC12 Championship.
6. Mekhi Blackmon, USC: A little thin, Blackmon still has excellent length with the ability to change direction quickly and make plays on the ball.
7. Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU: Short, but he had a field day against Texas.  One of those DBs that has that dog in em.  Elite NFL bloodlines certainly don't hurt.
8. Devon Witherspoon, Illinois: I meant to return to his tape a while back since his stock blew up, but I never got the chance and now never will.  Not that athletic, and I wasn't impressed on first watch.
9. Ryan Watts, Texas: Long, talented corner, who limited Quentin Johnston to a meager 66 yards.
10. Marcellas Dial, South Carolina: The other good SC corner, Dyal is a playmaker, but he's gotten bodied by quality receivers.
11. Asa Jackson, Washington: Very tall, and he makes a lot of tackles in the secondary, but he's not great at preventing catches or making tackles in space.

S:

1. Antonio Johnson, TAMU: The new safety/linebacker hybrid type player that's become so popular in the NFL, Johnson hits hard and does a pretty good job diagnosing the play.  But, he's not fantastic in coverage deep, and sometimes focuses too hard on hitting hard and not enough on sure tackling.  Good safety, but more of a Day 2 guy.
2. Jay Ward, LSU: You can't avoid seeing Ward a dozen times whenever you watch and LSU game.  They use him blitzing, in coverage, and in the box, and he's always near the ball or the ball carrier at the play's end.
3. Jahdae Brown, Texas: Not a lot of pass breakups or defended passes, but made tackles all over the place.  He plays CB, but is likely a better fit as a safety.
4. Brian Branch, Bama: Possibly the most overrated prospect in this class IMO.  Plays soft, and lets a lot get past him, which are two things you do NOT want a safety to do.  That said, box score scouting says he played stronger at the season's end.
5. RJ Hubert, Utah: A tackling strong safety, Hubert is too slow to react to play a centerfielder, but he's a sure tackler, and will be a decent box safety.

To watch (DBs in general): Jaylon Jones, Eli Ricks, Emmanuel Forbes, Deonte Banks, Tyrique Stevenson, Garrett Williams

For future reference, how I would have drafted with the Titans picks in the moment the pick was made:

1.11: Broderick Jones
2.33: Michael Mayer
3.81: Ade Adebawore
5.147: Olu Oluwatimi
6.186: Rakim Jarrett
7.228: Kenny McIntosh

Edited June 12, 2023 by Daniel

[Scoundrel]

Bijan?

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Scoundrel said:

Bijan?

Haven’t watched Texas. There’s a lot of guys missing right now. Only the QB one is even semi-complete.

[MOSteelers56]

Have you formed an opinion on the OT class?

[MSURacerDT55]

On 11/7/2022 at 3:58 PM, Daniel said:

2. Darnell Washington, Georgia: He's just an offensive tackle who lost some weight and has decent hands

- Have you seen the athlete Washington is? "Just an offensive tackle who lost some weight with decent hands" accurately describes how good of an athlete and the potential he has 

-Bijan Robinson has to be #1 on the RB list then everyone else

-You should check out Chase Brown 

[Daniel]

2 hours ago, MOSteelers56 said:

Have you formed an opinion on the OT class?

On like one. Imo, the only way to evaluate an OL with tape is to watch a lot if it, i.e. multiple games. By definition, a good OL won’t jump off the tape like DLs and Edges will. I can tell you I like Ohio State’s OT and Darnell Wright a good bit.

I usually watch tape on them in the offseason so I can look at their matchups against the best DLs they went against. That’s as close as I can get without having to watch an absurd amount of tape.

I also think the Combine is way, way more useful in evaluating OLs than it is for a lot of other positions.

[Daniel]

42 minutes ago, MSURacerDT55 said:

- Have you seen the athlete Washington is? "Just an offensive tackle who lost some weight with decent hands" accurately describes how good of an athlete and the potential he has 

-Bijan Robinson has to be #1 on the RB list then everyone else

-You should check out Chase Brown 

-Oh yeah. He’s great, and I very much want him on the Titans.

-He very well might be once I watch some Texas games.

-What’s he play and where?

[MSURacerDT55]

On 11/9/2022 at 2:30 PM, Daniel said:

-What’s he play and where?

RB, Illinois 

[Daniel]

Lots of stuff updated.  Many rankings are still in beta mode, especially RB and WR, but I'm starting to feel pretty happy with my QB and OT rankings.

[Daniel]

Mock updated, and working on reviewing more prospects.  Starting to look more into the LB and S classes, along with DLs and some receivers I haven't gotten to.

[Jeezla]

On 11/7/2022 at 12:58 PM, Daniel said:

3. Jordan Addison, USC: Addison is reportedly 175 lbs.  And while he's insane to watch, and hits another gear of speed all over the field, I just don't know if he's big enough to stay on the field consistently in the NFL, especially since he's already missed some time.

He's like 5 pounds heavier than DeVonta was coming out. I wouldn't worry about him staying on the field. I think DeVonta was actually closer to 165.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Jeezla

[Daniel]

37 minutes ago, Jeezla said:

He's like 5 pounds heavier than DeVonta was coming out. I wouldn't worry about him staying on the field. I think DeVonta was actually closer to 165.

I was worried about DeVonta too.  And it's not like it's so big a concern that he's not a first rounder, just that he's not my top overall WR.  I have pretty similar grades on Johnston, NSJ, and Addison, but I am very iffy on exactly how to sort them.

And Addison did miss some time this year with injury, did he not?

[jebrick]

I rate the Tenn WR lower mainly because of that system they play in.  Hyatt has speed but must be schemed for a free release.  The speed will get him drafted but I am not sure if 3rd round is better grade for him.

 

no Trenton Simpson in the LBs?

[Daniel]

13 minutes ago, jebrick said:

I rate the Tenn WR lower mainly because of that system they play in.  Hyatt has speed but must be schemed for a free release.  The speed will get him drafted but I am not sure if 3rd round is better grade for him.

 

no Trenton Simpson in the LBs?

I haven't done a deep dive into the LB class, but he's one outlier I have noted, because he has not impressed me when I've watched Clemson games looking at other defensive players.  Like at all.  And that seems to be such a drastic deviation from the consensus on him that I didn't even list him in the rankings yet.

Same thing with Sewell, but I watched him closely enough to where I felt comfortable saying I just don't see a good player there.  Then there's a lot of other guys like the Iowa and Arkansas LBs that I haven't even glanced at yet.  And they're really the only ones on my radar.  And the Florida guys.

I kind of agree with you on Hyatt and Tillman.  They're tough to grade out, but I do think Hyatt is gonna go very high, since he'll run a fast 40 and the draft seems to really value those kinds of WRs.  I think Tillman is probably, in actuality, a better overall receiver than Hyatt, but there's less to go on with Tillman, it's mostly gut and the South Carolina game.  But yeah, that's why a second ago, I was describing the top three WRs as Johnston, Addison, and NSJ in some order.  I think Tillman and Hyatt are still top level, but I think they're just like maybe a tier below those three as prospects.

Tillman will absolutely join that group if he destroys the combine though.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Daniel

[Jeezla]

34 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I was worried about DeVonta too.  And it's not like it's so big a concern that he's not a first rounder, just that he's not my top overall WR.  I have pretty similar grades on Johnston, NSJ, and Addison, but I am very iffy on exactly how to sort them.

And Addison did miss some time this year with injury, did he not?

Addison planted his foot all wierd after getting tackled and twisted his ankle. It wasn't the kind of injury that would have been prevented if he weighed more.