2015 NFL Draft: Matt Miller's Pre-Combine Big Board

The NFL Scouting Combine is just over one week away, and with it, the draft will see a major shakeup. It's time for one last look at my Top 300 big board before Indianapolis.

NFL teams have a system that I've followed in my work, and it goes as follows: In the fall, I watch three games of any player in my database and either flag him as "undraftable" or assign a talent grade. I'll then revisit these players in the winter (after the NFL season ends) and update my notes and grades on the players while also including any juniors who declared for the draft. The next step in the process is to update players after the NFL Scouting Combine.

With the first big update of the year out of the way, here's a look at the Top 300 by position.

Top 50 Overall

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

You won't see anyone comparing this class to 2011 or 2014 in terms of overall talent, but the 2015 draft class is very strong at some positions. Running back, wide receiver, offensive tackle, defensive tackle and edge-rusher are all quality positions with top-end talent and depth.

The 2015 class is the "Year of the Pass-Rusher," though, and my top 10 is anchored by four defensive linemen. Of my top 15 overall, only five play on offense. It's a surprisingly great year for defenders, which is good news for fans in Dallas and Chicago.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Pos. Rank	School	Class	Ht.	Wt.
1	Jameis Winston	QB	1	FSU	rSo	6'4"	232
2	Leonard Williams	DT	1	USC	Jr	6'5"	298
3	Randy Gregory	DE	1	Nebraska	rJr	6'6"	245
4	Marcus Mariota	QB	2	Oregon	rJr	6'4"	215
5	Kevin White	WR	1	West Virginia	Sr	6'3"	209
6	Brandon Scherff	OT	1	Iowa	rSr	6'5"	320
7	Amari Cooper	WR	2	Alabama	Jr	6'1"	202
8	Shane Ray	DE	2	Missouri	rJr	6'3"	245
9	DeVante Parker	WR	3	Louisville	Sr	6'3"	209
10	Danny Shelton	DT	2	Washington	Sr	6'2"	332
11	Dante Fowler	DE	3	Florida	Jr	6'2"	261
12	Landon Collins	SS	1	Alabama	Jr	6'0"	215
13	Shaq Thompson	OLB	1	Washington	Jr	6'2"	231
14	Alvin Dupree	DE	4	Kentucky	rSr	6'4"	267
15	Benardrick McKinney	ILB	1	Mississippi State	rJr	6'4"	249
16	La'el Collins	OT	2	LSU	Sr	6'5"	321
17	Devin Funchess	WR	4	Michigan	Jr	6'5"	230
18	Todd Gurley	RB	1	Georgia	Jr	6'1"	232
19	Marcus Peters	CB	1	Washington	rJr	6'0"	198
20	Trae Waynes	CB	2	Michigan State	rJr	6'1"	183
21	Malcom Brown	DT	3	Texas	Jr	6'4"	320
22	Eli Harold	DE	5	Virginia	Jr	6'4"	250
23	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	3	Texas A&M	rSr	6'5"	300
24	Andrus Peat	OT	4	Stanford	Jr	6'7"	312
25	T.J. Clemmings	OT	5	Pittsburgh	rSr	6'5"	305
26	Arik Armstead	DE	6	Oregon	Jr	6'7"	296
27	Maxx Williams	TE	1	Minnesota	rSo	6'4"	254
28	Gerod Holliman	FS	1	Louisville	rSo	6'2"	213
29	Jaelen Strong	WR	5	Arizona State	rJr	6'4"	212
30	Eddie Goldman	DT	4	Florida State	Jr	6'3"	320
31	Ereck Flowers	OT	6	Miami (Fla.)	Jr	6'5"	324
32	P.J. Williams	CB	3	Florida State	Jr	6'0"	196
33	Jalen Collins	CB	4	LSU	rJr	6'2"	194
34	Alex Carter	CB	5	Stanford	rJr	6'0"	202
35	Carl Davis	DT	5	Iowa	rSr	6'5"	315
36	Vic Beasley	OLB	2	Clemson	rSr	6'2"	235
37	Nate Orchard	DE	7	Utah	Sr	6'4"	255
38	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	DE	8	UCLA	rSr	6'4"	255
39	Kevin Johnson	CB	6	Wake Forest	rSr	6'0"	175
40	Devin Smith	WR	6	Ohio State	Sr	6'1"	197
41	Paul Dawson	OLB	3	TCU	Sr	6'2"	230
42	Nelson Agholor	WR	7	USC	rJr	6'1"	190
43	Tevin Coleman	RB	2	Indiana	Jr	6'0"	210
44	Michael Bennett	DT	6	Ohio State	Sr	6'2"	288
45	Danielle Hunter	DE	9	LSU	Jr	6'6"	240
46	Duke Johnson	RB	3	Miami (Fla.)	Jr	5'9"	206
47	Eric Kendricks	ILB	2	UCLA	rSr	6'0"	230
48	Denzel Perryman	ILB	3	Miami (Fla.)	Sr	5'11"	242
49	Melvin Gordon	RB	4	Wisconsin	rJr	6'1"	207
50	T.J. Yeldon	RB	5	Alabama	Jr	6'2"	221

Quarterbacks

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

If your favorite team needs a quarterback and is picking outside the top six in the draft, you might want to start looking at Christian Hackenberg highlights on YouTube.

After Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the 2015 draft class is the worst one I've ever seen. There is no other player who has starting-caliber tools. UCLA's Brett Hundley has some talent and athleticism, but his quarterback tools are all over the place. The rest of the class is very disappointing in terms of actual QB play.

It's Winston, Mariota or wait until next year.

Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Jameis Winston	Florida State	6'4"	232	rSo	1
2	Marcus Mariota	Oregon	6'4"	215	rJr	4
3	Brett Hundley	UCLA	6'3"	227	rJr	60
4	Bryce Petty	Baylor	6'3"	230	rSr	129
5	Garrett Grayson	Colorado State	6'2"	220	rSr	137
6	Brandon Bridge	South Alabama	6'5"	235	rSr	187
7	Sean Mannion	Oregon State	6'5"	220	rSr	208
8	Cody Fajardo	Nevada	6'2"	215	rSr	215
9	Shane Carden	East Carolina	6'2"	221	Sr	232
10	Connor Halliday	Washington St.	6'4"	201	Sr	242
11	Blake Sims	Alabama	6'0"	208	rSr	249
12	Bryan Bennett	SE Louisiana	6'2"	215	rSr	254
13	Jerry Lovelocke	Prairie View A&M	6'5"	200	Sr	276

Running Backs

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

The running back is back.

An early look at the 2015 draft class shows multiple running backs graded higher than last year's top-drafted back, Bishop Sankey. That starts with Todd Gurley, a legit Heisman Trophy candidate and top-15 player before tearing his ACL in mid-November. The former Bulldog could still be a first-round pick if his rehab looks good by late April.

You can pick your flavor between Tevin Coleman (Mr. Compete), Duke Johnson (Mr. Speed), Melvin Gordon (Mr. Production) and T.J. Yeldon (Mr. Power) and have a good No. 2 back in this class. These four runners should all be off the board by the mid-second round. 

The depth here is good, too. David Cobb, Ameer Abdullah, Mike Davis and Jay Ajayi all project as future starters.

Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Todd Gurley	Georgia	6'1"	232	Jr	18
2	Tevin Coleman	Indiana	6'0"	210	Jr	43
3	Duke Johnson	Miami (FL)	5'9"	206	Jr	46
4	Melvin Gordon	Wisconsin	6'1"	207	rJr	49
5	T.J. Yeldon	Alabama	6'2"	221	Jr	50
6	David Cobb	Minnesota	5'11"	229	Sr	67
7	Ameer Abdullah	Nebraska	5'9"	195	Sr	71
8	Mike Davis	South Carolina	5'9"	216	Jr	89
9	Jay Ajayi	Boise State	6'0"	216	rJr	109
10	David Johnson	Northern Iowa	6'2"	229	rSr	118
11	Javorius Allen	USC	6'1"	220	rJr	122
12	Josh Robinson	Miss. State	5'9"	225	Jr	153
13	Cameron Artis-Payne	Auburn	5'10"	210	Sr	159
14	Jeremy Langford	Michigan St.	6'0"	205	rSr	166
15	Malcolm Brown	Texas	6'0"	228	Sr	170
16	Matt Jones	Florida	6'1"	235	Jr	186
17	Dominique Brown	Louisville	6'2"	216	rSr	207
18	Dee Hart	Colorado St.	5'9"	187	Jr	226
19	Karlos Williams	Florida State	6'1"	225	Sr	228
20	Trey Williams	Texas A&M	5'8"	195	Jr	239
21	Terrence Magee	LSU	5'9"	218	Sr	243
22	Jahwan Edwards	Ball State	5'10"	219	Sr	244
23	Kenny Hilliard	LSU	6'0"	235	Sr	255
24	Marcus Murphy	Missouri	5'9"	195	rSr	270
25	John Crockett	North Dakota St.	6'0"	217	Sr	280
26	Michael Dyer	Louisville	5'9"	215	rSr	299

Fullbacks

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The fullback position isn't as widely used in the NFL as it was 20 years ago, but teams that rely on one will be surprised by the talent available in this class.

Alabama's Jalston Fowler might be my favorite player to watch on film in the entire class. He's big, powerful, mean and can both run with the ball and block. Connor Neighbors is a wrecking ball at fullback despite not having exceptional size. 

The guy to watch here might be South Dakota State's Zach Zenner. He didn't get a combine invite, but I do like his upside.

Fullback Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Jalston Fowler	Alabama	6'0"	248	rSr	181
2	Connor Neighbors	LSU	5'11"	230	rSr	220
3	Michael Burton	Rutgers	6'0"	230	rSr	246
4	Joey Iosefa	Hawaii	6'0"	245	Sr	263

Wide Receivers

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The 2014 draft brought us Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham Jr. atop the class (and the same order for my pre-draft rankings). The 2015 class doesn't have any one player ready to compete with last year's top three, but there is a solid group of three studs with Day 1 talent.

Kevin White, Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker are all vying for the top spot right now, and it's a close race. White and Parker have size, length and the ability to beat defenders with their bodies, but Cooper is a silky smooth route-runner with speed. All three figure to be selected in the top 12 picks.

The depth in this class is very good, with the wild card being former Missouri and Oklahoma wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. He has a checkered past, though, and how early teams will want to invest in a first-round talent with seventh-round red flags remains to be seen.    

Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Kevin White	West Virginia	6'3"	209	Sr	5
2	Amari Cooper	Alabama	6'1"	202	Jr	7
3	DeVante Parker	Louisville	6'3"	209	Sr	9
4	Devin Funchess	Michigan	6'5"	230	Jr	17
5	Jaelen Strong	Arizona State	6'4"	212	rJr	29
6	Devin Smith	Ohio State	6'1"	197	Sr	40
7	Nelson Agholor	USC	6'1"	190	Jr	42
8	Dorial Green-Beckham	Oklahoma	6'6"	225	Jr	52
9	Phillip Dorsett	Miami (Fla.)	5'10"	195	Sr	56
10	Sammie Coates	Auburn	6'2"	201	rJr	59
11	Jamison Crowder	Duke	5'9"	175	Sr	93
12	Breshad Perriman	Central Florida	6'3"	214	rJr	94
13	Rashad Greene	Florida State	6'0"	180	Sr	97
14	Josh Harper	Fresno State	6'1"	185	rSr	100
15	Justin Hardy	East Carolina	6'0"	188	Sr	105
16	Tyler Lockett	Kansas State	5'11"	175	Sr	110
17	Ty Montgomery	Stanford	6'2"	215	Sr	116
18	Tre McBride	William & Mary	6'2"	205	rSr	130
19	Antwan Goodley	Baylor	5'10"	225	rSr	133
20	Tony Lippett	Michigan State	6'3"	190	rSr	135
21	Dres Anderson	Utah	6'2"	190	Sr	144
22	Davaris Daniels	Notre Dame	6'2"	203	rJr	155
23	Devante Davis	UNLV	6'3"	210	Sr	166
24	Vince Mayle	Washington St.	6'3"	219	rSr	167
25	Stefon Diggs	Maryland	6'0"	195	Jr	169
26	Kenny Bell	Nebraska	6'1"	185	rSr	179
27	Dezmin Lewis	Central Arkansas	6'4"	212	rSr	180
28	Titus Davis	Central Michigan	6'2"	190	Sr	190
29	Rannell Hall	UCF	6'1"	200	Sr	193
30	Cam Worthy	East Carolina	6'2"	220	rSr	200
31	Deon Long	Maryland	6'0"	195	rSr	201
32	Chris Conley	Georgia	6'3"	205	rSr	214
33	Christion Jones	Alabama	5'11"	185	Sr	233
34	Da'Ron Brown	Northern Illinois	6'0"	196	Sr	248
35	Chris Harper	California	5'11"	175	Jr	250
36	George Farmer	USC	6'1"	220	rJr	251
37	Darren Waller	Georgia Tech	6'5"	241	Sr	252
38	Deontay Greenberry	Houston	6'3"	200	Jr	253
39	DeAndre Smelter	Georgia Tech	6'3"	222	Sr	259
40	Austin Hill	Arizona	6'2"	210	rSr	260
41	Mario Alford	West Virginia	5'9"	177	rSr	279
42	Keith Mumphery	Michigan State	6'0"	207	Sr	285
43	DeAndrew White	Alabama	6'0"	190	Sr	287
44	Donatella Luckett	Harding	6'0"	206	rSr	298

Tight Ends

John Raoux/Associated Press

The 2015 tight end class doesn't have that one top-10 star, but this is a very good class in terms of depth and value. 

Maxx Williams is a classic late first-rounder who could be a stud in the right scheme. He's a baby Travis Kelce but is super athletic and has unlimited upside. And the class as a whole has a lot of raw talent. Blake Bell (a former quarterback) and Clive Walford (a former basketball player) have high ceilings and could easily outplay their draft stock.

Tight End Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Maxx Williams	Minnesota	6'4"	254	rSo	27
2	Clive Walford	Miami (FL)	6'4"	258	rSr	83
3	Blake Bell	Oklahoma	6'6"	259	rSr	98
4	Jeff Heuerman	Ohio State	6'5"	255	Sr	101
5	Tyler Kroft	Rutgers	6'5"	240	rJr	120
6	Ben Koyack	Notre Dame	6'4"	261	Sr	132
7	E.J. Bibbs	Iowa State	6'3"	261	Sr	151
8	Randall Telfer	USC	6'4"	260	rSr	156
9	Nick O'Leary	Florida State	6'3"	247	Sr	172
10	Jesse James	Penn State	6'7"	254	Jr	174
11	Gerald Christian	Louisville	6'3"	242	rSr	176
12	Nick Boyle	Delaware	6'5"	270	Sr	192
13	Jean Sifrin	UMass	6'7"	250	Jr	194
14	Wes Saxton	South Alabama	6'4"	235	Sr	213
15	MyCole Pruitt	Southern Illinois	6'3"	255	rSr	217
16	C.J. Uzomah	Auburn	6'4"	264	Sr	218
17	Rory Anderson	South Carolina	6'5"	227	Sr	275
18	Eric Tomlinson	UTEP	6'7"	265	rSr	284
19	Cameron Clear	Texas A&M	6'6"	269	Sr	295

Offensive Tackles

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Over the last five years, an average of 4.5 tackles have gone in the first round. That trend should continue in 2015, as the tackle class looks very solid yet again.

Seniors Brandon Scherff, La'el Collins, Cedric Ogbuehi (even with a torn ACL) and T.J. Clemmings carry Round 1 grades. Add in juniors Andrus Peat and Ereck Flowers and there are six tackles with legitimate claim to a first-round grade.

The depth here is very good, and that's anchored by juniors D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith and Jeremiah Poutasi. Keep an eye on each as a potential riser as evaluators have more access to tape.

Offensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Brandon Scherff	Iowa	6'5"	320	rSr	6
2	La'el Collins	LSU	6'5"	321	Sr	16
3	Cedric Ogbuehi	Texas A&M	6'5"	300	rSr	23
4	Andrus Peat	Stanford	6'7	312	Jr	24
5	T.J. Clemmings	Pittsburgh	6'5"	305	rSr	25
6	Ereck Flowers	Miami (FL)	6'5"	324	Jr	31
7	D.J. Humphries	Florida	6'5"	290	Jr	53
8	Donovan Smith	Penn State	6'5"	335	Jr	61
9	Jake Fisher	Oregon	6'6"	299	Sr	77
10	Jeremiah Poutasi	Utah	6'5"	344	Jr	78
11	Tyrus Thompson	Oklahoma	6'5"	336	rSr	82
12	Rob Havenstein	Wisconsin	6'8"	327	rSr	95
13	Daryl Williams	Oklahoma	6'6"	329	rSr	99
14	Ty Sambrailo	Colorado State	6'5"	315	rSr	107
15	Corey Robinson	South Carolina	6'7"	344	rSr	124
16	Sean Hickey	Syracuse	6'5"	300	rSr	149
17	Robert Myers	Tennessee St.	6'5"	310	rSr	185
18	Andrew Donnal	Iowa	6'6"	310	rSr	222
19	Austin Shepherd	Alabama	6'5"	315	Sr	230
20	Mitch Morse	Missouri	6'6"	305	rSr	241
21	Jamon Brown	Louisville	6'5"	350	Sr	265
22	Brett Boyko	UNLV	6'7"	310	Sr	277
23	Trenton Brown	Florida	6'8"	350	Sr	292
24	Tayo Fabuluje	TCU	6'7"	358	Sr	293

Offensive Guards

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Don't get your hopes up for a quick fix at offensive guard in Round 1 this year. Or Round 2. There's no Zack Martin or Joel Bitonio in this class, but remember that Brandon Linder was drafted in Round 3 and became a top starter in his rookie season.

A.J. Cann is a good run-blocker with the athleticism to improve in the pass game to get to that high level. He's talented enough to start as a rookie. The same could be said for Senior Bowl standout Laken Tomlinson, Josue Matias, Arie Kouandjio and Tre' Jackson—all are experienced, talented guards with starter upside.

Small-school star Ali Marpet—a player I hadn't heard of until December—is a legit starter inside too.

Offensive Guard Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	A.J. Cann	South Carolina	6'3"	318	rSr	85
2	Laken Tomlinson	Duke	6'3"	320	rSr	92
3	Josue Matias	Florida State	6'6"	325	Sr	114
4	Ali Marpet	Hobart	6'4"	310	Sr	119
5	Jamil Douglas	Arizona State	6'4"	300	rSr	136
6	Arie Kouandjio	Alabama	6'5"	315	rSr	143
7	Tre' Jackson	Florida State	6'4"	330	Sr	145
8	Jarvis Harrison	Texas A&M	6'3"	325	rSr	148
9	John Miller	Louisville	6'2"	321	Sr	165
10	Adam Shead	Oklahoma	6'4"	339	Sr	195
11	Shaq Mason	Georgia Tech	6'1"	300	Sr	196
12	Miles Dieffenbach	Penn State	6'3"	303	rSr	205
13	Christian Lombard	Notre Dame	6'5"	315	rSr	206
14	Aundrey Walker	USC	6'6"	318	Sr	216
15	Ben Beckwith	Mississippi St.	6'3"	308	rSr	266
16	Jon Feliciano	Miami (FL)	6'4"	316	rSr	271
17	Leon Brown	Alabama	6'6"	320	Sr	274
18	Mark Glowinski	West Virginia	6'5"	324	rSr	297

Centers

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Making the transition from college center to pro center isn't easy, but it can be done well. Look at Travis Frederick or Corey Linsley as recent examples of rookies who have had a major impact on their new teams. 

There are three players in the 2015 class who qualify as potential impact centers. Cam Erving, a former tackle, Reese Dismukes and Hroniss Grasu. Each has the athleticism and intelligence to make the jump from college to the NFL without slowing down.

A sleeper prospect here is Greg Mancz. He's been impressive on film but is flying under the radar a bit currently. 

Center Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Cameron Erving	Florida State	6'5"	308	rSr	87
2	Reese Dismukes	Auburn	6'3"	296	Sr	108
3	Hroniss Grasu	Oregon	6'3"	297	rSr	112
4	Andy Gallik	Boston College	6'2"	299	rSr	140
5	Greg Mancz	Toledo	6'5"	300	rSr	204
6	B.J. Finney	Kansas State	6'4"	301	rSr	238
7	Max Garcia	Florida	6'5"	294	Sr	273

Defensive Ends

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

I've taken the liberty of naming the 2015 NFL draft the "Year of the Pass-Rusher," and if you see how many players are ranked below, you'll understand why.

An adjustment post-Senior Bowl has the class down to 25 players in my top 300 (from 32), but the overall talent is very impressive. With six players in the first round and another three (Orchard, Odighizuwa and Hunter) capable of pushing into that area, we could see nine defensive ends off the board very fast in the 2015 draft.

Two players I like a lot who may rise with more time—Preston Smith and Trey Flowers.

Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Randy Gregory	Nebraska	6'6"	245	rJr	3
2	Shane Ray	Missouri	6'3"	245	rJr	8
3	Dante Fowler Jr.	Florida	6'2"	261	Jr	11
4	Alvin Dupree	Kentucky	6'4"	267	rSr	14
5	Eli Harold	Virginia	6'4"	250	Jr	22
6	Arik Armstead	Oregon	6'7"	296	Jr	26
7	Nate Orchard	Utah	6'4"	255	Sr	37
8	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	UCLA	6'3"	270	rSr	38
9	Danielle Hunter	LSU	6'6"	240	Jr	45
10	Mario Edwards	Florida State	6'3"	294	Jr	55
11	Lorenzo Mauldin	Louisville	6'4"	243	Sr	62
12	Preston Smith	Mississippi St.	6'5"	270	Sr	65
13	Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	6'3"	250	rSr	66
14	Trey Flowers	Arkansas	6'4"	267	Sr	68
15	Markus Golden	Missouri	6'3"	260	rSr	75
16	Henry Anderson	Stanford	6'6"	295	rSr	81
17	Za'Darius Smith	Kentucky	6'5"	264	Sr	134
18	Cedric Reed	Texas	6'6"	271	Sr	150
19	Corey Crawford	Clemson	6'5"	270	rSr	173
20	B.J. Dubose	Louisville	6'4"	266	Sr	219
21	Frank Clark	Michigan	6'2"	270	Sr	221
22	Kyle Emanuel	North Dakota St.	6'3"	250	rSr	231
23	Anthony Chickillo	Miami (Fla.)	6'4"	282	Sr	234
24	Shaquille Riddick	West Virginia	6'5"	242	Sr	247
25	Martin Ifedi	Memphis	6'3"	265	rSr	256

Defensive Tackles

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

If I could rank players "1a" and "1b" at the top of my rankings, I'd put Leonard Williams up there with Jameis Winston. But I can't—or rather, I think that's cheating—so Williams comes in at No. 2 overall. For now. That may change.

Williams is the star of the group, but nose tackle Danny Shelton is a damn good player in his own right. Shelton's lack of "wow" plays on the highlight reels is misleading, as he does the dirty work so the rest of the defense can make plays. Add in Malcom Brown, Eddie Goldman and Carl Davis, and this defensive tackle class is five deep in Round 1.

Defensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Leonard Williams	USC	6'5"	298	Jr	2
2	Danny Shelton	Washington	6'2"	332	Sr	10
3	Malcom Brown	Texas	6'4"	320	Jr	21
4	Eddie Goldman	Florida State	6'3"	320	Jr	30
5	Carl Davis	Iowa	6'5"	315	rSr	35
6	Michael Bennett	Ohio State	6'2"	288	Sr	44
7	Jordan Phillips	Oklahoma	6'6"	334	rSo	54
8	Darius Philon	Arkansas	6'2"	272	rSo	64
9	Ellis McCarthy	UCLA	6'4"	331	Jr	70
10	Gabe Wright	Auburn	6'2"	284	Sr	91
11	Rakeem Nunez-Roches	Southern Miss	6'2"	305	rJr	103
12	Xavier Cooper	Washington St.	6'4"	299	Jr	111
13	Christian Covington	Rice	6'3"	295	rJr	113
14	Grady Jarrett	Clemson	6'1"	295	Sr	128
15	Tyeler Davison	Fresno State	6'2"	309	rSr	147
16	Louis Trinca-Pasat	Iowa	6'2"	290	rSr	154
17	Leon Orr	Florida	6'5"	319	rSr	160
18	Joey Mbu	Houston	6'3"	312	Sr	163
19	Travis Raciti	San Jose State	6'5"	290	rSr	178
20	Bobby Richardson	Indiana	6'3"	286	Sr	197
21	Derrick Lott	Tenn-Chattanooga	6'4"	299	rSr	199
22	J.T. Surratt	South Carolina	6'1"	297	rSr	202
23	Kaleb Eulls	Mississippi St.	6'3"	295	rSr	226
24	Angelo Blackson	Auburn	6'5"	319	Sr	258
25	David Parry	Stanford	6'1"	308	rSr	261
26	Deon Simon	Northwestern St.	6'4"	332	Sr	278
27	Leterrius Walton	Central Michigan	6'5"	321	rSr	281

Outside Linebackers

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

With just one player ranked in the first round, the outside linebacker rankings look light, but consider that many of the defensive ends would be linebackers in a 3-4 defense and this class fills out a lot.

Shaq Thompson could have his position listed as "Athlete," as he's played running back, safety and linebacker, but sees his pro position on the outside. He's definitely talented enough but will have to adjust to the speed of the NFL, which will stress his instincts. 

Vic Beasley is a nice edge-rusher, but it will be a shock if he actually weighed 235 pounds in-season. Kwon Alexander and Paul Dawson are both starting-quality linebackers who have just one or two holes in their games that keep them out of the first round.

Outside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Shaq Thompson	Washington	6'2"	231	Jr	13
2	Vic Beasley	Clemson	6'2"	235	rSr	36
3	Paul Dawson	TCU	6'2"	230	Sr	41
4	Kwon Alexander	LSU	6'2"	227	Jr	57
5	Max Valles	Virginia	6'5"	240	Jr	86
6	Jordan Hicks	Texas	6'2"	244	rSr	88
7	Zach Hodges	Harvard	6'3"	235	Sr	106
8	Martrell Spaight	Arkansas	6'1"	231	Sr	125
9	Lynden Trail	Norfolk St.	6'6"	260	rSr	139
10	Geneo Grissom	Oklahoma	6'4"	252	rSr	146
11	Tony Washington	Oregon	6'3"	250	rSr	175
12	Xzavier Dickson	Alabama	6'3"	268	Sr	189
13	J.R. Tavai	USC	6'2"	250	Sr	198
14	Jake Ryan	Michigan	6'3"	238	rSr	210
15	Aaron Davis	Colorado State	6'0"	220	Sr	212
16	Davis Tull	Chattanooga	6'2"	242	rSr	240
17	Alani Fua	BYU	6'5"	228	rSr	257
18	Edmond Robinson	Newberry	6'4"	230	Sr	288
19	Mark Nzeocha	Wyoming	6'3"	239	Sr	290

Inside Linebackers

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Every NFL fan wants the next Luke Kuechly or C.J. Mosley, but unfortunately, there's no one of that level available in the 2015 class. But don't be too discouraged, as the top three linebackers here are all rookie-starter material.

Benardrick McKinney could play any linebacker spot in a 4-3 defense and offers unreal athleticism combined with instincts and production at the "Mike" spot. Eric Kendricks and Denzel Perryman won't meet ideal height metrics, but they both can fly to the ball and have taken over games during their careers. Perryman might be the hardest hitter in the entire draft too.

My sleeper here? Hayes Pullard. And yes, it's weird that a sleeper could come from USC, but he's being overlooked right now. 

Inside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Benardrick McKinney	Mississippi St.	6'4"	249	rJr	15
2	Eric Kendricks	UCLA	6'0"	230	rSr	47
3	Denzel Perryman	Miami (FL)	5'11"	242	Sr	48
4	Stephone Anthony	Clemson	6'2"	245	Sr	80
5	Mike Hull	Penn St.	6'0"	232	rSr	131
6	Hayes Pullard	USC	6'1"	235	rSr	138
7	Ramik Wilson	Georgia	6'2"	237	Sr	158
8	Ben Heeney	Kansas	6'0"	230	Sr	183
9	A.J. Johnson	Tennessee	6'2"	242	Sr	188
10	Bryce Hager	Baylor	6'1"	235	rSr	209
11	Trey DePriest	Alabama	6'1"	250	Sr	227
12	Damien Wilson	Minnesota	6'2"	240	Sr	235
13	Amarlo Herrera	Georgia	6'1"	232	Sr	283
14	Taiwan Jones	Michigan St.	6'3"	252	Sr	302

Cornerbacks

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

It can't be said lightly, so here it is: There isn't a top-10 or top-15 cornerback in the 2015 draft class. Not yet, at least. 

The draft's best cornerback—Marcus Peters—was dismissed from the Washington Huskies and will have to answer questions about his character to keep his Round 1 status. After Peters, take your pick between Trae Waynes, Jalen Collins, Kevin Johnson, Alex Carter and P.J. Williams as the top corner. Each could lay claim to that ranking depending on what you (and what NFL teams) want from the position.

A few sleepers to track: JaCorey Shepherd, Jacoby Glenn and Imoan Claiborne.

Cornerback Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Marcus Peters	Washington	6'0"	198	rJr	19
2	Trae Waynes	Michigan State	6'1"	183	rJr	20
3	P.J. Williams	Florida State	6'0"	196	Jr	32
4	Jalen Collins	LSU	6'2"	194	rJr	33
5	Alex Carter	Stanford	6'0"	202	rJr	34
6	Kevin Johnson	Wake Forest	6'0"	175	rSr	39
7	Quinten Rollins	Miami (OH)	6'0"	203	rSr	58
8	Ronald Darby	Florida State	5'11"	195	Jr	63
9	Jacoby Glenn	Central Florida	6'1"	186	rSo	69
10	Charles Gaines	Louisville	5'11"	175	rJr	72
11	Lorenzo Doss	Tulane	5'11"	187	Jr	74
12	Quandre Diggs	Texas	5'10"	204	Sr	79
13	Steven Nelson	Oregon State	5'11"	195	Sr	84
14	Senquez Golson	Ole Miss	5'9"	176	Sr	96
15	D'Joun Smith	Florida Atlantic	5'11"	190	Sr	104
16	Kevin White	TCU	5'10"	175	rSr	117
17	Ladarius Gunter	Miami (FL)	6'2"	198	rSr	123
18	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	Oregon	5'9"	195	Sr	126
19	JaCorey Shepherd	Kansas	5'11"	195	Sr	142
20	Eric Rowe	Utah	6'1"	201	Sr	152
21	Doran Grant	Ohio State	5'11"	193	Sr	157
22	Imoan Claiborne	Northwestern St	5'10"	187	rSr	168
23	A.J. Jefferson	UCLA	6'1"	192	rSr	177
24	Byron Jones	Connecticut	6'1"	196	rSr	182
25	Cody Riggs	Notre Dame	5'9"	190	rSr	191
26	Damian Swann	Georgia	5'11"	180	Sr	223
27	Justin Coleman	Tennessee	5'10"	190	Sr	229
28	Nick Marshall	Auburn	6'1"	210	Sr	237
29	Julian Wilson	Oklahoma	6'2"	201	rSr	245
30	Craig Mager	Texas State	6'0"	191	rSr	262
31	Bobby McCain	Memphis	5'10"	192	Sr	267
32	Tye Smith	Towson	6'0"	170	Sr	268
33	D.C. Celiscar	Western Michigan	5'11"	197	Sr	272
34	Garry Peters	Clemson	6'0"	185	rSr	294
35	Cam Thomas	Western Kentucky	6'1"	190	rSr	296

Free Safeties

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

The best free safety in college football pulled down 14 interceptions in 2014, tying the NCAA record for single-season interceptions. Now he's headed to the NFL. 

Gerod Holliman won't be a player everyone likes, but his ability to play in coverage and attack the football in the air makes him a Round 1 talent to me. He's not a big hitter, but he'll make his money by getting the ball into his hands. 

The rest of the safety class is good, but not overwhelmingly so. Derron Smith, Durell Eskridge, Cody Prewitt and Kurtis Drummond could all be Day 2 guys and play early in their careers, but each also has a hole in his game that makes him less than a Round 1 talent. Josh Shaw, a cornerback at USC, projects best to free safety in these rankings, so keep an eye on him. 

Free Safety Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Gerod Holliman	Louisville	6'2"	213	rSo	28
2	Derron Smith	Fresno State	5'11"	197	rSr	73
3	Durell Eskridge	Syracuse	6'3"	203	rJr	76
4	Cody Prewitt	Ole Miss	6'2"	217	Sr	90
5	Josh Shaw	USC	6'1"	200	rSr	102
6	Kurtis Drummond	Michigan State	6'1"	200	rSr	115
7	Damarious Randall	Arizona State	5'11"	190	rSr	141
8	Jermaine Whitehead	Auburn	5'11"	193	Sr	224
9	Justin Cox	Mississippi St.	6'2"	190	Sr	264
10	Dean Marlowe	James Madison	6'2"	205	Sr	289
11	Detrick Bonner	Virginia Tech	6'0"	194	rSr	312

Strong Safeties

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

When scouting strong safeties, I'm looking for the next Sean Taylor. In the last decade, there hasn't been a player of that caliber, but he's the gold standard all others are compared to. 

Landon Collins may get that comparison from some. He's freaky athletic, wears No. 26 and could be a top-10 pick. But he's not as insanely large as Taylor was, nor is he as good when the ball is up for grabs. Collins is a very good player, but not on the iconic level. He should still go in the top 10 picks of this draft.

After Collins, this class is fortunate that Chris Hackett entered the draft. He's a solid hitter, can play both in the box or single-high and has shown very good range. 

Strong Safety Rankings

Rank	Player	School	HT	WT	Class	OVR Rank
1	Landon Collins	Alabama	6'0"	215	Jr	12
2	Chris Hackett	TCU	6'2"	195	Jr	51
3	Jaquiski Tartt	Samford	6'1"	218	rSr	121
4	Anthony Harris	Virginia	6'1"	190	Sr	127
5	Jordan Richards	Stanford	5'11"	208	Sr	161
6	Ibraheim Campbell	Northwestern	5'11"	205	rSr	162
7	James Sample	Louisville	6'2"	191	Sr	171
8	Adrian Amos	Penn State	6'0"	209	rSr	184
9	Kyshoen Jarrett	Virginia Tech	5'11"	192	Sr	203
10	Clayton Geathers	UCF	6'2"	208	rSr	236
11	Tevin McDonald	Eastern Wash.	5'11"	190	rSr	269
12	Ronald Martin	LSU	6'1"	220	Sr	291