2014 NFL Draft: Updated Offensive Positional Rankings

As we approach the two-month mark of the college football season, it's time to take another look at the 2014 NFL draft. Who the best players are at their respective positions is starting to take shape, so let's update the offense—with a twist.

For these rankings, there are two categories. First is a basic top five. These are my top five draft-eligible prospects in the nation. That doesn't automatically assume that these five players are first-round locks, but they have the highest individual grades at this point.

The second group contains five to watch. To be clear, these are not my 5-10 prospects in the rankings. There are many other players mingled in among my rankings beyond the top five, and these are five within that group to keep an eye on. 

So with that, have a look at this latest NFL draft positional rankings update.

Quarterbacks

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Oregon QB Marcus Mariota

This group is led by Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, but Marcus Mariota from Oregon and Tajh Boyd from Clemson are both tremendous prospects in their own right.

Top Five Quarterbacks

1. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
3. Tajh Boyd, Clemson
4. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
5. Brett Hundley, UCLA

Five to Watch

• Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• Blake Bortles, UCF
• Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
• Jeff Matthews, Cornell
• Keith Wenning, Ball State

Running Backs

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Washington RB Bishop Sankey

Who your favorite back is in this group likely depends on what style of running back you want or your team needs. No real elite talent here.

Top Five Running Backs

1. Ka’Deem Carey, Arizona
2. Bishop Sankey, Washington
3. De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon
4. Lache Seastrunk, Baylor
5. Charles Sims, West Virginia

Five to Watch

• Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
• Isaiah Crowell, Alabama State
• James Wilder Jr. Florida State
• Rajion Neal, Tennessee
• Marion Grice, Arizona State

Wide Receivers

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

USC WR Marqise Lee

If your team is in need of a wide receiver early, this is the draft class to need one. This class has some really impressive physical specimens, and this group goes very deep. 

Top Five Wide Receivers

1. Sammy Watkins, Clemson
2. Mike Evans, Texas A&M
3. Marqise Lee, USC
4. Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
5. Odell Beckham, LSU

Five to Watch

• Paul Robinson, Colorado
• Kasen Williams, Washington
• Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin
• Robert Herron, Wyoming
• Dri Archer, Kent State

Tight Ends

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Washington TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins

In terms of talent, Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins is head and shoulders above the rest of this group, but it is still a nice class with some good players who can be had late.

Top Five Tight Ends

1. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
2. Eric Ebron, North Carolina
3. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa
4. Colt Lyerla, Oregon
5. Jace Amaro, Texas Tech

Five to Watch

• Gabe Holmes, Purdue
• Asa Watson, North Carolina State
• Xavier Grimble, USC
• Rory Anderson, USC
• Trey Millard, Oklahoma

Offensive Tackles

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan OT Taylor Lewan

With so many NFL franchises in dire need of offensive line help, don't be shocked if all of this top five are gone very quickly. 

Top Five Offensive Tackles

1. Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
2. Taylor Lewan, Michigan
3. Antonio Richardson, Tennessee
4. Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
5. Seantrel Henderson, Miami

Five to Watch

• Ja’Wuan James, Tennessee
• Cameron Fleming, Stanford
• La’el Collins, LSU
• Billy Turner, North Dakota State
• Charles Leno, Boise State

Offensive Guards

Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State OG Gabe Jackson

The unsung heroes of the offensive line are the guards, and this is a group with a ton of starter potential.

Top Five Offensive Guards

1. Cyril Richardson, Baylor
2. Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State
3. Anthony Steen, Alabama
4. Zack Martin, Notre Dame
5. David Yankey, Stanford

Five to Watch

• Chris Burnette, Georgia
• Dakota Dozier, Furman
• Brandon Thomas, Clemson
• Jon Halapio, Florida
• Chris Watt, Notre Dame

Centers

Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas C Travis Swanson

Oregon's Hroniss Grasu leads a very solid, albeit unspectacular, group of centers.

Top Five Centers

1. Hroniss Grasu, Oregon
2. Travis Swanson, Arkansas
3. James Stone, Tennessee
4. Tyler Larsen, Utah State
5. Bryan Stork, Florida State

Five to Watch

• Weston Richburg, Colorado State
• Corey Linsley, Ohio State
• Khalil Wilkes, Stanford
• Dion Farrell, New Mexico
• Pat Eger, West Virginia