| 2008
Pre-Draft Positional Rankings
Updated 4-8-08
Well, we're through the first three legs of player evaluations, and the
rankings are becoming a little more clear. Every personnel man in the
league has studied tape, seen the all-star games, and gawked at the
combine. The only thing left to help them make those final April 26th
and 27th decisions are the pro days that each individual school holds
for their draft-eligible players.
For some, the pro days become a little more pressure-packed because of
not working out at the combine, whether by choice or because of injury.
For instance, Matt Ryan, the top-ranked quarterback out of Boston
College, chose not to work out at the combine because he wanted to
perform in a more "familiar" setting. Now, if all goes well, he'll still
be one of the top three picks in this year's draft. But, if there's bad
weather, he hurts himself while preparing, or he has a bad day, he's
pretty much painted himself into a corner. Personally, I don't think
there's a good reason, outside of injury, for a player to not work out
in Indianapolis. Last year, the top players who chose to perform,
certainly didn't hurt their status. Guys like Joe Thomas, LaRon Landry,
Adrian Peterson, and Amobi Okoye, simply cemented their positions as top
picks. On the other hand, Brady Quinn's decision to not work out at the
combine definitely backfired on him as his pro day workout was
unimpressive.
I realize that many of these young men make their choices based on the
advice of their agents, but I would highly recommend that they
reconsider. If I were a general manager, and was about to sink millions
of dollars and the future of my franchise into a player, and he "shrank
from the challenge of working out in front of everyone, I would question
his confidence and/or attitude. Is he always going to expect that
everyone cater to his needs? Is there a weakness in his game that he's
trying to hide? If he doesn't feel as though he can work out in an
"uncomfortable" situation, how's he going to perform at Green Bay, in
the middle of January? Let me know how you feel about players not
working out at the combine.
Here are the positional rankings going
into the pro days:
Quarterbacks:
1. Matt Ryan, Boston College
2. Chad Henne, Michigan
3. Joe Flacco, Delaware
4. Brian Brohm, Louisville
5. Andre Woodson, Kentucky
Running Backs:
1. Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
2. Darren McFadden, Arkansas
3. Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
4. Felix Jones, Arkansas
5. Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech
Fullbacks:
1. Jacob Hester, LSU
2. Peyton Hillis, Arkansas
3. Owen Schmitt, West Virginia
4. Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State
5. Jerome Felton, Furman
Wide Receiver:
1. Limas Sweed, Texas
2. Devin Thomas, Michigan State
3. Mario Manningham, Michigan
4. James Hardy, Indiana
5. Andre Caldwell, Florida
Tight Ends:
1. Fred Davis, USC
2. Dustin Keller, Purdue
3. Kellen Davis, Michigan State
4. John Carlson, Notre Dame
5. Martellus Bennett, Texas A&M
Offensive Tackles:
1. Jake Long, Michigan
2. Ryan Clady, Boise State
3. Chris Williams, Vanderbilt
4. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
5. Sam Baker, USC
Guards:
1. Brendan Albert, Virginia
2. Roy Schuening, Oregon State
3. Chilo Rachal, USC
4. Jeremy Zuttah, Rutgers
5. Kirk Barton, Ohio State
Centers:
1. John Sullivan, Notre Dame
2. Mike Pollack, Arizona State
3. Matt Spanos, USC
4. Steve Justice, Wake Forest
5. Andrew Crummey, Maryland
Defensive Tackles:
1. Glenn Dorsey, LSU
2. Sedrick Ellis, USC
3. Trevor Laws, Notre Dame
4. Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina
5. Ahtyba Rubin, Iowa State
Defensive Ends:
1. Chris Long, Virginia
2. Vernon Gholston, Ohio State
3. Derrick Harvey, Florida
4. Phillip Merling, Clemson
5. Lawrence Jackson, USC
Outside Linbackers:
1. Keith Rivers, USC
2. Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky
3. Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech
4. Ali Highsmith, LSU
5. Taveres Gooden, Miami
Inside Linebackers:
1. Jerod Mayo, Tennessee
2. Dan Connor, Penn State
3. Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma
4. Gary Guyton, Georgia Tech
5. Vince Hall, Virginia Tech
Cornerbacks:
1. Leodis McKelvin, Troy
2. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
3. Mike Jenkins, South Florida
4. Aqib Talib, Kansas
5. Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech
Safeties:
1. Kenny Phillips, Miami
2. Joshua Barrett, Arizona State
3. Thomas DeCoud, California
4. Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State
5. Jamie Silva, Boston College |
