2014 NFL Draft: Expanded Offensive Positional Rankings

Who is the best running back in all of college football? Which offensive tackle should be taken first in the 2014 NFL draft?

As the college season rounds the turn into the second half, the answers to these questions are becoming more clear.

One position of significant interest at this point is quarterback. Whereas last season, all the potential top quarterbacks faltered and all but one slid out of the round completely, this season, it seems as if every week another quarterback makes his case to be part of the first-round mix.

This version of my offensive positional rankings is expanded to include all the players I have studied enough over the past two seasons to assign a ranking to. That's not a grade in terms of a round, just a ranking as a point of comparison. Grading by round will come closer to the end of the season.

So, with that, let's take a look at these expanded offensive positional rankings for the 2014 NFL draft.

Quarterbacks

This group is starting to get crowded up near the top of the list, with multiple players vying for the spot just behind Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

1. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
3. Tajh Boyd, Clemson
4. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
5. Brett Hundley, UCLA
6. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
7. Aaron Murray, Georgia
8. Derek Carr, Fresno State
9. Bryce Petty, Baylor
10. David Fales, San Jose State
11. Stephen Morris, Miami
12. A.J. McCarron, Alabama
13. Jeff Mathews, Cornell
14. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
15. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
16. Bryn Renner, North Carolina
17. Tom Savage, Pitt
18. Connor Shaw, South Carolina
19. Keith Price, Washington
20. Kenny Guiton, Ohio State

Running Backs

Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon continues to impress as the season goes on. But even with his skills, this is a group that's struggling to produce a first-round prospect at this point.

1. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
2. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona
3. Lache Seastrunk, Baylor
4. Bishop Sankey, Washington
5. Mario Grice, Arizona State
6. Charles Sims, West Virginia
7. James Wilder Jr., Florida State
8. Silas Redd, USC
9. Rajion Neal, Tennessee
10. LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State
11. Isaiah Crowell, Alabama State
12. Carlos Hyde, Ohio State
13. Damien Williams, Oklahoma
14. Antonio Andrews, Western Kentucky
15. Alfred Blue, LSU

Wide Receivers

Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins continues to separate himself from the other top receivers in this class with his ability to get open and the things he can do in the open field.

1. Sammy Watkins, Clemson
2. Marqise Lee, USC
3. Mike Evans, Texas A&M
4. Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
5. De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon
6. Odell Beckham, LSU
7. Paul Richardson, Colorado
8. Allen Robinson, Penn State
9. Jarvis Landry, LSU
10. Brandon Coleman, Rutgers
11. Kasen Williams, Washington
12. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
13. Rashad Green, Florida State
14. DeVante Parker, Louisville
15. Jalen Saunders, Oklahoma
16. Mike Davis, Texas
17. Jared Abberderis, Wisconsin
18. Dri Archer, Kent State
19. Tevin Reese, Baylor
20. Josh Huff, Oregon

Offensive Tackles

Beyond the top two on this list, the rest of the tackles all have significant questions about their games. The players from No. 3 on are sure to shuffle a great deal over the next seven months.

1. Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
2. Taylor Lewan, Michigan
3. Antonio Richardson, Tennessee
4. Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
5. Cameron Irving, Florida State
6. Seantrel Henderson, Miami
7. James Hurst, North Carolina
8. Ja'Wuan James, Tennessee
9. La'el Collins, LSU
10. Jack Mewhort, Wisconsin
11. Cameron Fleming, Stanford
12. Charles Leno, Boise State
13. Morgan Moses, Virginia
14. Cornelius Lucas, Kansas State
15. Austin Wentworth, Fresno State

Tight Ends

The tight end rankings take a turn with the recent events surrounding former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla. However, Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins continues to be the most impressive tight end in the nation.

1. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
2. Eric Ebron, North Carolina
3. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa
4. Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
5. Colt Lyerla, Oregon
6. Trey Millard, Oklahoma
7. Xavier Grimble, USC
8. Marcel Jensen, Fresno State
9. Arthur Lynch, Georgia
10. Crockett Gillmore, Colorado State

Offensive Guards

The top guards in the country remain Baylor's Cyril Richardson and Mississippi State's Gabe Jackson. The gap between them and the rest of this class is significant, but there is some nice depth to this group.

1. Cyril Richardson, Baylor
2. Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State
3. Anthony Steen, Alabama
4. Zack Martin, Notre Dame
5. David Yankey, Stanford
6. Chris Burnette, Georgia
7. Brandon Thomas, Clemson
8. Jon Halapio, Florida
9. Ryan Groy, Wisconsin
10. Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA

Centers

This isn't an elite center class, but the more I watch Oregon's Hroniss Grasu, the more convinced I am he's going to be great in the NFL. His body type and style of play fit perfectly with today's NFL offenses.

1. Hroniss Grasu, Oregon
2. Travis Swanson, Arkansas
3. James Stone, Tennessee
4. Tyler Larsen, Utah State
5. Bryan Stork, Florida State
6. Corey Linsley, Ohio State
7. Pat Eger, West Virginia
8. Khalil Wilkes, Stanford
9. Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
10. Dion Farrell, New Mexico