NFL Draft Big Board
Updated 04/12/2015
By Tyler Lurkins
These are power rankings molded from my personal scouting opinions. As a reader, you may not agree
with them. If you look at these rankings from the perspective of New England, Denver, Seattle, or teams
with few needs, they make perfect sense. Obviously if my team had no QB’s like Tampa, Winston and
Mariota are my top prospects.
1. Leonard Williams, DT, USC-Williams isn’t getting much press due to the QB arms race, but is the
most explosive, and safest, player in this draft. NFL COMPARISON: Sheldon Richardson.
2. Dante Fowler, Jr., DE, Florida-Extremely versatile and NFL ready prospect. He will rack up the
sacks, and is the best, true, 43 DE in the draft. NFL COMPARISON: Cameron Wake.
3. Vic Beasley, LB, Clemson-He lacks a bit of size that one would want out of a 43 end, but gets
around the corner quicker than anyone in this draft. NFL COMPARISON: Von Miller.
4. Kevin White, WR, W. Virginia-White is a powerful receiver with top notch speed and sure hands.
He, like any collegiate receiver, needs to work on his route running. NFL COMPARISON: Terrell
Owens.
5. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama-Cooper is the most polished receiver in the draft. I’m hesitant on
Cooper because he hasn’t lined up against an overly physical corner. NFL COMPARISON: Jordy
Nelson.
6. Danny Shelton, DT, Washington-A massive brick in the middle, Shelton overpowers any lineman
that gets in his way. To be more balanced in the NFL, he’ll need to develop a better pass rush
technique. NFL COMPARISON: Haloti Ngata.
7. La’el Collins, T, LSU-An aggressive lineman who excels in run blocking, Collins displays great
footwork to deflect pass rushers. NFL COMPARISON: Jason Peters.
8. Bud Dupree, DE, Kentucky-Dupree isn’t making any waves, but he’s the prototype 43 end, who
can play upright as a LB. NFL COMPARISON: Greg Hardy.
9. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.-Waynes is coming from a great system and is NFL ready. He
plays up to his large frame and has the speed to burn. NFL COMPARISON: Aqib Talib.
10. Brandon Scherff, T, Iowa-Scherff’s had major surgery on his leg, and comes from a very
unaggressive system. As a guard, he may be a future pro bowler, but will need some work at LT,
UNLESS he finds himself in a zone system. NFL COMPARISON: Duane Brown.
11. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida St.-Where would Jameis land if the top 5 teams weren’t so QB
needy? I like him as an athlete, as a leader, and he has the arm to make the throws. He too
often stares down receivers, and he’s too immature to put on my team. NFL COMPARISON:
Vince Young.
12. Marcus Peters, CB, Washington-Peters is a very solid corner with a balanced combination of size,
speed, and strength. His character has never been questioned, only his fiery attitude. NFL
COMPARISON: Brent Grimes.
13. Malcom Brown, DT, Texas-Brown is a tough prospect to put a finger on. Using his 320 lb frame,
mixed with NFL ready strength, and decent speed, Brown should have taken over more games.
NFL COMPARISON: Marcel Dareus.
14. Shane Ray, LB, Missouri-Ray is a uses his speed and ferocity to succeed in the pass rush. His size
is lacking, and his footwork is a bit sluggish, but can be fixed. NFL COMPARISON: Elvis Dumervil.
15. DeVante Parker, WR, Lousville-It’s hard to pass on a lanky, smooth, receiver with speed. Parker
needs to show more aggression when playing the ball, and polish up on his routes. NFL
COMPARISON: Michael Crabtree.
16. Landon Collins, SS, Alabama-If your team needs a feared hitter in the secondary, this is your
selection. Yet Collins is not a cover safety, and let’s not forget he’s had shoulder issues. NFL
COMPARISON: Donte Whitner.
17. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon-Mariota has an amazing arm and great athleticism. With zero
comprehension on reading defenses, little experience under center, and zero experience with
an NFL scheme, Mariota is too much of a development to be a high draft pick for my team. NFL
COMPARISON: Robert Griffin.
18. Ereck Flowers, T, Miami-A mountain of a man, Flowers displays smooth footwork. He’s little
young, and a bit raw, but can be a stellar lineman one day. NFL COMPARISON: Andrew
Whitworth.
19. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia-Gurley needs to have NFL doctors check out his knee. A solid and
shifty running back, he may be the best we’ve seen at RB since Adrian Peterson. NFL
COMPARISON: Adrian Peterson.
20. Andrus Peat, T, Stanford-Peat is a physical, aggressive, and large presence at the end of the line.
A plug and play RT, Peat may not have the slide to face a dominant pass rusher on the left side.
NFL COMPARISON: Bryan Bulaga.
21. Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon-Armstead is too long, and plays too upright. His only position will be
in the 5 technique on in a 34 scheme. On third downs, a team can be confident that Armstead
will disrupt the quarterback. NFL COMPARISON: Calais Campbell.
22. Cameron Erving, C, Florida St.-In the 2014 draft, Erving would have been a top 10 selection. He
can start immediately at C, RG, or RT. This kind of versatility is hard to come by. NFL
COMPARISON: Maurkice Pouncey.
23. Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska-Even without his positive drug test, which shows complete
ignorance, Gregory is severely undersized. A year or two in an NFL weight room will fill out
Gregory’s frame. NFL COMPARISON: Barkevious Mingo.
24. T.J. Clemmings, T, Pittsburgh-It seems the draftniks on the Clemmings bandwagon are backing
off. He needs to be in a zone scheme that embraces his athleticism. A smart coaching staff will
put him at G, where he can really grow and mature. NFL COMPARISON: Justin Pugh.
25. Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest-Johnson is a smooth defender against the pass. Not a physical
corner at all, but he gets the job done. NFL COMPARISON: Rashean Mathis.
26. Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona St.-A gifted receiver, Strong is very physical and isn’t afraid to make
plays in traffic. NFL COMPARISON: Anquan Boldin.
27. Shaq Thompson, LB, Washington-Thompson is an all around playmaker. If you run a 43 scheme,
he will be stellar manning the weakside. If you run a 34 scheme, can Thompson be the safety
that will frighten receivers over the middle? NFL COMPARISON: Wesley Woodyard.
28. D.J. Humphries, T, Florida-Humphries is tenacious and powerful. Showing exceptional footwork
and speed, he’s best suited in a zone scheme. NFL COMPARISON: David Bakhtiari
29. Nelson Agholor, WR, USC-Agholor is the most pro ready receiver in this draft. A stellar playmaker, who
runs flawless routes, Agholor is simply too undersized to draw top considerations. NFL
COMPARISON: Golden Tate.
30. Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF-Perriman is as raw as they come. However, he has superb size, safe
hands, and is an absolute speedster. NFL COMPARISON: Martavis Bryant.
31. Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida St.-Appreciate Goldman for his production and fire in the middle.
He simply lacks the athleticism of a big producer in the NFL and may be confined to the nose
tackle position. NFL COMPARISON: Vince Wilfork.
32. Eric Rowe, CB, Utah-After watching film, Rowe really stands out as a menacing defender. He has
all the size and strength a cover 3 team wants at corner. NFL COMPARISON: Brandon Browner.
Best of the rest.
1. Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
3. Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
4. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
5. Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
6. Eli Harold, LB, Virginia
7. Byron Jones, CB, UCONN
8. Jake Fisher, T, Oregon
9. Dorial Green Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
10. Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson
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