Very Early Top 100 Board

[mayoclinic]

This is very rough, just to give an idea of who's out there to keep an eye on. I've avoided strict rankings, and grouped prospects into tiers.

Juniors are noted with an *; draft-eligible sophomores with a **.

Top 8:

Andrew Luck**, QB, Stanford - 6'4" 235#
Jack Locker, QB, Washington - 6'3" 220#
Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU - 6'1" 210# - best CB prospect since Champ Bailey
Robert Quinn*, DE/OLB, North Carolina - 6'5# 265# - better 3-4 OLB prospect than DeMarcus Ware
Marcell Dareus*, DE/DT, Alabama - 6'4" 301# - could be as good as Suh
Cameron Heyward, DE/DT, Ohio St. - 6'6" 288# - a young Seymour
AJ Green*, WR, Georgia - 6'4" 205# - athletic playmaker with great hands
Julio Jones*, WR, Alabama - 6'4" 212# - I like Baldwin better, but Jones ahs the best size/speed of any WR

9-21:

Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa - 6'3" 282#
Dont'a Hightower*, LB, Alabama - 6'4" 250# - top 10 talent if he recovers fully from his ACL tear
Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh - 6'6" 270#
Gabe Carimi, OT Wisconsin - 6'8" 325# - mauler who may be best at RT
Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College - 6'7" 300#
Jonathan Baldwin*, WR, Pittsburgh - 6'5" 225#
Michael Floyd*, WR, Notre Dame - 6'3" 220#
Mark Ingram*, RB, Alabama - 5'10" 215#
Ryan Williams**, RB, Virginia Tech - 5'10" 210#
Travis Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma - 6'2" 230# - better WILL than Sean Weatherspoon
Aaron Williams*, CB, Texas - 6'1" 190#
Allen Bailey, DE/DT, Miami - 6'4" 288# - will blow away the 2011 Combine
Ryan Mallett*, QB Arkansas - 6'7" 240#

22-33:

Kyle Rudolph*, TE, Notre Dame - 6'6" 260#
Nate Potter*, OT, Boise St. - 6'6" 300#
Matt Reynolds*, OT, BYU - 6'6" 325# - probably best at RT
Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina - 6'3" 230# - 4-3 WILL with great playmaking ability
Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska - 6'1" 204# - another big CB
Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina - 6'3" 305#
Jurrell Casey*, DT, USC - 6'1" 295# - in the Sedrick Ellis mold
Deunta Williams, S, North Carolina - 6'2" 205#
DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson - 6'1" 210#
Akeem Ayers*, OLB, UCLA - 6'4" 252# - great sideline to sideline range for his size
Jared Crick*, DE/DT, Nebraska - 6'6" 285# - need to see how he does without Suh this year
Aldon Smith**, DE/OLB, Missouri - 6'5" 250# - probably won't declare; raw but great potential

34-45:

Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M - 6'3" 240# - 1 gap downhill pass rusher
Jack Crawford*, DE/OLB, Penn St. - 6'5" 255#
Jeremy Beal, DE/OLB, Oklahoma - 6'3" 260# - a versatile player in the Jermaine Cunningham mold
DaQuan Bowers*, DE, Clemson - 6'4" 284#
Derek Wolfe, DE, Cincinnati - 6'5" 300# - great size and athleticism, I expect him to be a big name by next Spring
Jerrell Powe, DT, Mississippi - 6'2" 330#
Christian Ponder, QB, Florida St. - 6'3" 220#
DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma - 6'1" 215#
Ryan Broyles*, WR, Oklahoma - 5'11" 180# - great playmaker and KR/PR
Joseph Barksdale, OT, LSU - 6'5" 315#
Brandon Harris*, CB, Miami - 5'11" 195#
Rahim Moore*, S, UCLA - 6'1" 200#

46-58:

Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh - 6'4" 305#
Clint Boling, OT, Georgia - 6'5" 305#
Mike Pouncey, OG/C, Florida - 6'5" 320#
Cliff Matthews, DE/OLB, South Carolina - hard working, versatile player
Jacquizz Rodgers*, RB, Oregon St. - 5'7" 193# - in the Ray Rice/MJD mold
Kris O'Dowd, C, USC - 6'5" 300#
Stefan Wisniewski, C, Penn St. - 6'3" 300#
Lawrence Guy*, DE, Arizona St. - 6'5" 290#
Quan Sturdivant, ILB, North Carolina - 6'2" 232#
Carter Brown, CB, Texas - 6' 185#
Mark Barron*, S, Alabama - 6'2" 215#
Pat Devlin, QB, Delaware - 6'4" 220#
Nick Foles*, QB, Arizona St. - 6'5" 235#

59-70:

Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas St. - 6'2" 228# - great hands as a receiver
Ryan Winterswyk, DE/OLB, Boise St. - 6'4" 260# - very underrated right now
Sam Acho, DE/OLB, Texas - 6'3" 260#
Evan Royster, RB, Penn St. - 6'1" 215#
Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia - 5'7" 175# - can move his body in 2 dimensions at once
Wesley Saunders, TE, South Carolina - 6'5" 280#
Jonathan Moffitt, OG/C Wisconsin - 6'5" 323# - 15 starts at C, 14 at LG
Nate Solder, OT, Colorado - 6'9" 305# - athletic freak who supposedly runs a 4.85 40
Rodney Hudson, OG, Florida St. - 6'2" 295#
Ras-I Dowling, CB Virginia - 6'2" 200# - may have to move to FS
Chris Galippo*, ILB, USC - 6'2" 252#
Nigel Bradham*, OLB, Florida St. - 6'3" 238#

71-80:

Greg Little, WR, North Carolina - 6'3" 212#
Austin Pettis, WR, Boise St. - 6'3" 200#
Lee Ziemba, OT, Auburb - 6'8" 310#
Justin Borel, OG, Ohio St. - 6'3" 315#
Kendrick Ellis, DT, Hampton - 6'5" 335#
Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon - 6'1" 300#
Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal - 6'4" 290# - son of former Minnesota TE Steve Jordan
Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College - 6'4" 238# - could go much higher if he comes back completely from his sarcoma
Greg Jones, ILB, Michigan St. - 6'1" 230# - instinctive 4-3 MLB, lacks top speed
Michael Morgan, OLB, USC - 6'4" 225#

81-100:

Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue - 6'4" 265#
Jonathan Freeny, DE/OLB, Rutgers - 6'3" 250#
Adrian Robinson*, DE/OLB, Temple - 6'2" 248#
Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M - 6'5" 230#
Lance Kendricks, TE, Wisconsin - 6'4" 240#
Marcus Cannon, OT, TCU - 6'5" 348#
Blake DeChristopher*, OT, Virgina Tech - 6'5" 310#
Blake Gideon*, S, Texas - 6'1" 200#
Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi St. - 6'6" 305#
Pierre Allen, DE/OLB, Nebraska - 6'3" 260#
Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor - 6'4" 350#
Lawrence Marsh, DE/DT, Florida - 6'5" 305#
Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh - 6'4" 260#
Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Clemson - 6'4" 310#
Alex Wujciak, ILB, Maryland - 6'3" 255#
Mike Mohammed, ILB, Cal - 6'3" 238#
Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa - 6'4" 225#
Quinton Carter, FS, Oklahoma - 6'1" 195#
Stanley Havili, FB, USC - 6'1" 235#
Casey Matthews, ILB, Oregon - 6'2" 235#

Again, this is a very rough list, and is intended only to give some names to follow during the next 7 months. I've underscored some players of particular interest. All considered, I think 2011 will be a very good draft class - not as deep as 2010 but better at the top. With 5-6 picks in the top 100, the Pats are in good shape to really finish off the rebuilding of a long-term SB contender.

 

[chevss454]

Great work, Mayo. Very appreciative.

Mods...can you sticky this or even better, give us a separate draft forum so we can follow the upcoming draft for the next 11 months without having to go searching for these threads? Please.

 

[SamtheBam]

Very good list.


BTW, Patrick Peterson CB will be a Junior next year, I didn't see an * by his name.

 

[mayoclinic]

Very good list.


BTW, Patrick Peterson CB will be a Junior next year, I didn't see an * by his name.

My bad. Thanks for catching that.

 

[AllWorldTE]

Nice base line Mayo. Appreciate the work.

Wisniewski is worth keeping an eye on. He's was moved back to guard in the spring. He's a nice looking C/G combo guy with NFL bloodlines playing in a system running power, zone and straight man schemes. He's a versatile guy with starting potential who could be had in the second round.

As intriguing as Peterson/Baldwin would be at the top of the draft, I think that some combination of DE/OLB with the top two picks makes the most sense (at this early juncture) for finishing the bulk of the defensive rebuilding.

 

[ac0608]

I have 2 questions for the people who are more familiar with the upcoming draft class than myself:

1. Who are some possible candidates to fill the void from Richard Seymour?

2. How do the top four receivers compare to Dez Bryant talent-wise?

 

[mayoclinic]

As intriguing as Peterson/Baldwin would be at the top of the draft, I think that some combination of DE/OLB with the top two picks makes the most sense (at this early juncture) for finishing the bulk of the defensive rebuilding.

Up to this past draft Peterson/Baldwin would have been my #1 combo for 2011, but right now I agree with you about wanting some combinatin of DE/OLB with the top 2 picks to finish the defensive rebuilding, and then focus on the offense with the rest of the draft - OL, RB and WR.

My my reasons for this are:

- I like the values at DE/OLB at the top of the draft better than the values at OL and RB.
- I'm not sure it's worth spending a top pick on a RB or WR.
- With the McCourty pick I can't see us going after Peterson any more, exceptional though he may be
- As you point out, we're probably only 2 players away from completing the defensive rebuilding

Who do you like at this early juncture?

 

[mayoclinic]

1. Who are some possible candidates to fill the void from Richard Seymour?

2. How do the top four receivers compare to Dez Bryant talent-wise?

Right now my top 9 prospects for 3-4 DE are (juniors with an *):

1. Marcell Dareus*, Alabama. 6'4" 301#. Built like a bowling ball but with amazing quickness and strength, very disruptive. Saban even dropped him into coverage against RBs and TEs at times. Had 6 sacks as a part time sophomore and totally dominanted in the NCG. I think he could be better than Suh as a 3-4 DE prospect. Top 10 pick.

2. Cameron Heyward, Ohio St. 6'6" 287#. Son of form Pittsburgh RB Ironhead Heyward. Has great length for the position. Needs to bulk up a bit, but his upside is another Seymour. Had 10 TFL and 7.5 sacks in 2009. Top 15 pick.

3. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa. 6'3" 282#. Needs to add 15-20 lbs. to play 3-4 DE, but tremendous functional strength. Very disruptive. Top 20 pick.

4. Allen Bailey, Miami. 6'4" 288#. Great size/speed ratio, will be one of the stars of the 2011 combine. Had 11 TFL and 7 sacks in 2009. Top 20 pick.

5. Jared Crick*, Nebraska. 6'6" 285#. Needs to add another 15 lbs. Played in the shadow of Suh in 2009, and had a phenomenal year with 12.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks. Now needs to show that he can do it without Suh. 1st round pick.

6. Derek Wolfe*, Cincinnati. 6'5" 302#. Phenomenal athlete who is flying under the radar but who will be a household name by next spring. Had 8 TFL and 5 sacks in 2009. Late 1st/early 2nd round pick.

7. Lawrence Guy*, Arizona St. 6'5" 290#. Another dark horse who is a very good 3-4 DE prospect. 2nd round pick.

8. Cameron Jordan, Cal. 6'4" 290#. Son of former Minnesota TE Steve Jordan. Had 9.5 TFL and 8 sacks in 2009. 2nd round pick.

9. Lawrence Marsh, Florida. 6'5" 305#. Was injured much of 2009 and struggled, but showed great athleticism and upside his first 2 years at Florida. If he recovers his previous form, he will be in the mix. Late 2nd round pick if he recovers well; mid-late round pick otherwise.

There are few other possibilities, who I consider less likely - Greg Romeus from Pitt (6'6" 270) if he bulks up to the 290 lb. range, which I don't think will happen; Marvin Austin from North Carolina (6'3" 305#) who seems more like a 4-3 DE and who hasn't played up to his ability; and Jurrell Casey from USC (6'1" 295#) who seems like a 4-3 UT in the Sedrick Ellis mold.

Hope that helps.

 

[mayoclinic]

2. How do the top four receivers compare to Dez Bryant talent-wise?

I think they stack up very well:

- Michael Floyd, Notre Dame. 6'3" 220#. Big, physical WR without top speed but with great hands and body control. Similar to Bryant in style, but without the issues. Was an unstoppable playmaker in 2009 before getting injured.

- Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh. 6'5" 225#. A long strider with deceptive speed and great leaping ability and hands. Reminiscent of Randy Moss without quite as much speed. Takes over the middle of the field. A big play waiting to happen.

- Julio Jones, Alabama. 6'4" 212#. Best size/speed/athleticism of the group. Appears to have some mental lapses and not the best hands of the group, and doesn't play in a system that caters to his skills. Good blocker.

- AJ Green, Georgia. 6'4" 205#. Needs to get bigger and stronger, but tremendous body control and hands, reminiscent of Larry Fitzgerald.

I'd rank all 4 of those guys at least on a par with Bryant as a prospect, and with less issues.

 

[AllWorldTE]

Up to this past draft Peterson/Baldwin would have been my #1 combo for 2011, but right now I agree with you about wanting some combinatin of DE/OLB with the top 2 picks to finish the defensive rebuilding, and then focus on the offense with the rest of the draft - OL, RB and WR.

My my reasons for this are:

- I like the values at DE/OLB at the top of the draft better than the values at OL and RB.
- I'm not sure it's worth spending a top pick on a RB or WR.
- With the McCourty pick I can't see us going after Peterson any more, exceptional though he may be
- As you point out, we're probably only 2 players away from completing the defensive rebuilding

Who do you like at this early juncture?

As sexy as a top ten WR or RB would be, I have to agree that the value is better at DE/OLB if all are top ten talents. Much less bust rate at the later spots makes DE/OLB a safer route and those positions are the building blocks.

If Heyward or Darius grade out for the Pats, I think you go DE first and try to hit on a second tier OLB later. It may mean leaving the position unfinished if no one BB likes has the value at the second pick but DE is more important if the guy is there. If he isn't, grab Quinn. Now you have a unit of Quinn, Cunningham, TBC, & (Crable/Niko/Woods). All guys who can line up at 34 OLB & put their hand down at DE in the 40 Nickle & Dime Packages. I'd suspect that if Crable finally performs and Cunningham proves himself, adding Quinn to the mix would finish the immediate building in that area.

Of course the best result for the Pats would be for either Heyward or Darius to grade out and be available for them without having to trade up. Grab one of them and a guy like Romeus later thereby still completing the front 7 rebuild while causing game plan issues with a stud DE on one side and a stud pass rusher on the other and quality, versatility and depth throughout the first two levels.

If things work out like this, 2011 could be the start of a special defense as the youth gains experience.

 

[mayoclinic]

As sexy as a top ten WR or RB would be, I have to agree that the value is better at DE/OLB if all are top ten talents. Much less bust rate at the later spots makes DE/OLB a safer route and those positions are the building blocks.

If Heyward or Darius grade out for the Pats, I think you go DE first and try to hit on a second tier OLB later. It may mean leaving the position unfinished if no one BB likes has the value at the second pick but DE is more important if the guy is there. If he isn't, grab Quinn. Now you have a unit of Quinn, Cunningham, TBC, & (Crable/Niko/Woods). All guys who can line up at 34 OLB & put their hand down at DE in the 40 Nickle & Dime Packages. I'd suspect that if Crable finally performs and Cunningham proves himself, adding Quinn to the mix would finish the immediate building in that area.

Of course the best result for the Pats would be for either Heyward or Darius to grade out and be available for them without having to trade up. Grab one of them and a guy like Romeus later thereby still completing the front 7 rebuild while causing game plan issues with a stud DE on one side and a stud pass rusher on the other and quality, versatility and depth throughout the first two levels.

If things work out like this, 2011 could be the start of a special defense as the youth gains experience.

I completely agree. Right now I rate Peterson, Quinn and Dareus pretty much even, Heyward a little bit behind. CB isn't a need. If either Quinn or Dareus is on the board I take him. I doubt both will be available, but DE is probably the more important position, and there are good pass rushers who should be available later - Greg Romeus, Don'ta Hightower, Akeem Ayers, Jack Crawford, Jeremy Beal, Cliff Matthews, possibly Aldon Smith, Ryan Winterswyk, etc. Someone should be available.

Fill those 2 needs and we could have a 2003 caliber defense starting in 2011, with youth at most areas.

 

[ac0608]

Right now my top 9 prospects for 3-4 DE are (juniors with an *):

1. Marcell Dareus*, Alabama. 6'4" 301#. Built like a bowling ball but with amazing quickness and strength, very disruptive. Saban even dropped him into coverage against RBs and TEs at times. Had 6 sacks as a part time sophomore and totally dominanted in the NCG. I think he could be better than Suh as a 3-4 DE prospect. Top 10 pick.

2. Cameron Heyward, Ohio St. 6'6" 287#. Son of form Pittsburgh RB Ironhead Heyward. Has great length for the position. Needs to bulk up a bit, but his upside is another Seymour. Had 10 TFL and 7.5 sacks in 2009. Top 15 pick.

3. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa. 6'3" 282#. Needs to add 15-20 lbs. to play 3-4 DE, but tremendous functional strength. Very disruptive. Top 20 pick.

4. Allen Bailey, Miami. 6'4" 288#. Great size/speed ratio, will be one of the stars of the 2011 combine. Had 11 TFL and 7 sacks in 2009. Top 20 pick.

5. Jared Crick*, Nebraska. 6'6" 285#. Needs to add another 15 lbs. Played in the shadow of Suh in 2009, and had a phenomenal year with 12.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks. Now needs to show that he can do it without Suh. 1st round pick.

6. Derek Wolfe*, Cincinnati. 6'5" 302#. Phenomenal athlete who is flying under the radar but who will be a household name by next spring. Had 8 TFL and 5 sacks in 2009. Late 1st/early 2nd round pick.

7. Lawrence Guy*, Arizona St. 6'5" 290#. Another dark horse who is a very good 3-4 DE prospect. 2nd round pick.

8. Cameron Jordan, Cal. 6'4" 290#. Son of former Minnesota TE Steve Jordan. Had 9.5 TFL and 8 sacks in 2009. 2nd round pick.

9. Lawrence Marsh, Florida. 6'5" 305#. Was injured much of 2009 and struggled, but showed great athleticism and upside his first 2 years at Florida. If he recovers his previous form, he will be in the mix. Late 2nd round pick if he recovers well; mid-late round pick otherwise.

There are few other possibilities, who I consider less likely - Greg Romeus from Pitt (6'6" 270) if he bulks up to the 290 lb. range, which I don't think will happen; Marvin Austin from North Carolina (6'3" 305#) who seems more like a 4-3 DE and who hasn't played up to his ability; and Jurrell Casey from USC (6'1" 295#) who seems like a 4-3 UT in the Sedrick Ellis mold.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the help, you are like an encyclopedia on legs.

Glad to see that there are many options to take another step in completing the defensive rebuilding.

 

[mayoclinic]

Guys who I left off the top 100 who deserve consideration:

- Terrell Pryor*, QB, Ohio St. - 6'5" 235#
- Case Keenum, QB, Houston - 6' 210#
- Brandon Saine, RB, Ohio St. - 6' 220#
- John Clay, RB, Wisconsin - 6'2" 247#
- Jeff Demps, WR, Florida - 5'8" 180#
- DeAndre Brown*, WR, Mississippi St. - 6'5" 230#
- Terrance Tolliver, WR, LSU - 6'4" 200#
- DeView Posey*, WR, Ohio St. - 6'2" 205#
- Ronald Johnson, WR, USC - 6' 190#
- Titus Young, WR, Boise St. - 5'10# 170#
- Vincent Brown, San Diego St. - 6' 195#
- Jarriel King, OT, South Carolina - 6'5" 315#
- Orlando Franklin, OT/OG, Miami - 6'6" 320#
- Andrew Jackson, OG, Fresno St. - 6'4" 305#
- Lawrence Wilson, OLB, Connecticut - 6'1" 220#
- Colin McCarthy, OLB, Miami - 6'2" 245#
- Obi Ezeh, ILB, Michigan - 6'2" 245#
- Rashard Hall**, S, Clemson - 6'2" 195#
- Tyler Sash*, S, Iowa - 6'1" 210#
- Robert Sands*, S, West Virginia - 6'4" 215#
- Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma - 6'1" 195#
- Rashad Carmichael, CB, Virginia Tech - 5'11" 185#
- Cameron Chism*, CB, Maryland - 6' 185#
- Chykie Brown, CB, Texas - 6' 190#
- Davoe House, CB, New Mexico St. - 5'11" 180#
- Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia - 5'10" 185#