2015 NFL Draft Big Board: Matt Miller's Latest Rankings

It's always NFL draft season around these parts, and with six weeks of college football already in the books, a clear picture of the best talent available for the 2015 draft is starting to take shape.

An early look at this class shows strength at offensive tackle, running back and edge pass-rushers on defense. The top-end talent at quarterback looks impressive midway through the year, but with conference schedules picking up, players like Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley and Jameis Winston will be under more pressure and more of a spotlight to perform well for scouts.

Here's a look at the current top 100 players on my board, which includes underclassmen (redshirt sophomores and juniors) at this stage. You'll also get a look at the top 10 players at each position, including rankings for 3-4 defensive positions.

Overall Top 50

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Rankings for the NFL draft are very fluid during the season. As players improve, decline or get hurt, rankings can change pretty drastically over a short amount of time.

That said, my top 10 has been largely the same since the year started. Marcus Mariota, Cedric Ogbuehi, Leonard Williams, Vic Beasley, Brandon Scherff and Randy Gregory are mainstays inside the top of the rankings, with Landon Collins, Amari Cooper and Todd Gurley earning big moves up the board in the early season.

While those players have moved up, Winston and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are the players most notably moving down the board thus far. For Jameis Winston, it's more about off-field concerns than any on-field struggles. Ekpre-Olomu, on the other hand, has struggled on the field in man coverage and is moving down because of teams abusing him in the last two weeks.

Top 50 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	Pos. Rk	School
1	Marcus Mariota	QB	1	Oregon
2	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	1	Texas A&M
3	Amari Cooper	WR	1	Alabama
4	Leonard Williams	DE	1	USC
5	Vic Beasley	OLB	1	Clemson
6	Todd Gurley	RB	1	Georgia
7	Brandon Scherff	OT	2	Iowa
8	Randy Gregory	DE	2	Nebraska
9	Landon Collins	SS	1	Alabama
10	Shaq Thompson	OLB	2	Washington
11	Michael Bennett	DT	1	Ohio State
12	Jameis Winston	QB	2	Florida State
13	Devin Funchess	WR	2	Michigan
14	Shane Ray	DE	3	Missouri
15	Brett Hundley	QB	3	UCLA
16	Connor Cook	QB	4	Michigan State
17	Leonard Floyd	OLB	3	Georgia
18	Shawn Oakman	DE	4	Baylor
19	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	5	Florida
20	Marcus Peters	CB	1	Washington
21	Shilique Calhoun	DE	6	Michigan State
22	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	2	Oregon
23	Mario Edwards Jr.	DE	7	Florida State
24	P.J. Williams	CB	3	Florida State
25	Melvin Gordon	RB	2	Wisconsin
26	Nelson Agholor	WR	3	USC
27	Danny Shelton	DT	2	Washington
28	Ty Sambrailo	OT	3	Colorado State
29	Eddie Goldman	DT	3	Florida State
30	Andrus Peat	OT	4	Stanford
31	Bryce Petty	QB	5	Baylor
32	Trae Waynes	CB	4	Michigan State
33	Ronald Darby	CB	5	Florida State
34	Germain Ifedi	OT	5	Texas A&M
35	Carl Davis	DT	4	Iowa
36	Ameer Abdullah	RB	3	Nebraska
37	Eric Striker	OLB	4	Oklahoma
38	Hau'oli Kikaha	DE	8	Washington
39	DeVante Parker	WR	4	Louisville
40	Kris Frost	ILB	1	Auburn
41	Trey Flowers	DE	9	Arkansas
42	Sammie Coates	WR	5	Auburn
43	Benardrick McKinney	OLB	5	Miss. State
44	Mike Davis	RB	4	South Carolina
45	Denzel Perryman	ILB	2	Miami (FL)
46	Kurtis Drummond	FS	1	Michigan State
47	Ty Montgomery	WR	6	Stanford
48	Markus Golden	DE	10	Missouri
49	Jalen Mills	CB	6	LSU
50	Eric Kendricks	ILB	3	UCLA

Quarterbacks

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Underclassmen dominate the quarterback rankings as we break into October. It's important to note that not every player listed here is a guarantee to enter the 2015 draft, either.

Marcus Mariota and Brett Hundley are solid locks to enter the draft after both were thought of as top-15 players for last year's draft. Even as redshirt juniors, it would be a shock to see either return to college. 

Jameis Winston, Everett Golson and Dak Prescott all have high-end potential, but each needs more work before jumping to the NFL. Winston needs to mature off the field and keep his name out of the headlines, which has been there for all the wrong reasons, while Golson and Prescott need to continue developing as passers and decision-makers.

The best senior of the group, Bryce Petty, plays in a system that produces huge numbers but doesn't ask him to make many progressions in his reads. The athleticism and stats are impressive, but he's no sure thing.

Junior Connor Cook is the riser to watch here, though. The Michigan State offense doesn't allow him to compete with Petty, Mariota or Winston in terms of numbers, but he looks the part of an NFL starter.

Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Marcus Mariota	Oregon
2	Jameis Winston	Florida State
3	Brett Hundley	UCLA
4	Connor Cook	Michigan State
5	Bryce Petty	Baylor
6	Everett Golson	Notre Dame
7	Dak Prescott	Mississippi State
8	Brandon Bridge	South Alabama
9	Cody Kessler	USC
10	Jacoby Brissett	North Carolina St.

Running Backs

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Two years without a running back being drafted in the first round has many wondering when we'll see that happen again. Spoiler alert—it'll happen this year.

Todd Gurley is the best running back prospect since Trent Richardson—and I realize how odd that sounds given Richardson's struggles, but try remembering he was a can't-miss prospect out of Alabama.

Gurley would be on par with Richardson, Adrian Peterson, Cedric Benson and Ronnie Brown in terms of being a player NFL teams "must have" and will use a high draft pick to get. This is a rare, once-in-a-decade type of talent, and Gurley has better speed and vision than Richardson showed at Alabama. In short, Gurley is what everyone thought Richardson could be.

Melvin Gordon and Ameer Abdullah are also first-rounders at this stage, with Gordon offering game-changing speed and Abdullah being the all-around back that's so important in the NFL right now. Even Mike Davis at South Carolina has a good chance to entice teams to spend a late first-round pick on him.

The top-end talent and overall depth at running back is unreal for 2015.

Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Todd Gurley	Georgia
2	Melvin Gordon	Wisconsin
3	Ameer Abdullah	Nebraska
4	Mike Davis	South Carolina
5	Duke Johnson	Miami (FL)
6	Tevin Coleman	Indiana
7	T.J. Yeldon	Alabama
8	Jeremy Langford	Michigan State
9	Malcolm Brown	Texas
10	Corey Grant	Auburn

Wide Receivers

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Last year brought us Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham and Kelvin Benjamin. An early look at the 2015 class doesn't indicate the strength that we saw in 2014, but this is a good class with a lot of depth.

Alabama's Amari Cooper is a legitimate top-10 player with the speed, hands, route running and vision to be an elite player. You could say that offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin hasn't had great success turning productive wide receivers into NFL stars, but Cooper has more raw talent than Marqise Lee or Robert Woods had coming out of USC.

Cooper is the smooth, athletic wideout, but Michigan's Devin Funchess is the physically overpowering monster on the edge. The former tight end has the size every NFL team wants right now.

DeVante Parker is currently injured, but he's my top-ranked senior wide receiver and has room to move up big once healthy.

Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Amari Cooper	Alabama
2	Devin Funchess	Michigan
3	Nelson Agholor	USC
4	DeVante Parker	Louisville
5	Sammie Coates	Auburn
6	Ty Montgomery	Stanford
7	Rashad Greene	Florida State
8	Kevin White	West Virginia
9	Kasen Williams	Washington
10	Stefon Diggs	Maryland

Tight Ends

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One year after Eric Ebron went No. 10 overall in the 2014 draft, there isn't a dominant must-have type of player at the tight end position. At least not yet.

Looking at the landscape of tight end play, the senior class is strong without being super talented, and the junior class is still very raw and underdeveloped. That leaves something to be desired in terms of top-end talent, but teams looking for a versatile tight end can find one outside of Round 1.

Ohio State's Jeff Heuerman won't lead the NCAA in stats or anything, but he's a tough, athletic, versatile player with the skills to stand up in the slot or drop down and block as an extra lineman.

Tight End Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Jeff Heuerman	Ohio State
2	Nick O'Leary	Florida State
3	Ben Koyack	Notre Dame
4	Clive Walford	Miami (FL)
5	Rory Anderson	South Carolina
6	Gerald Christian	Louisville
7	E.J. Bibbs	Iowa State
8	MyCole Pruitt	Southern Illinois
9	Randall Telfer	USC
10	C.J. Uzomah	Auburn

Offensive Tackles

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It should be no surprise that Texas A&M has another offensive tackle ranked in the top spot at his position. What might surprise you is that its right tackle, Germain Ifedi, also looks like a future first-rounder. He'll likely follow in the footsteps of Jake Matthews and Cedric Ogbuehi before him and slide over to left tackle next year with Ogbuehi heading to the NFL this spring.

There is serious first-round talent across the board at the tackle position outside of A&M, too. Brandon Scherff may get stereotyped as an unathletic Iowa tackle, but that couldn't be further from the truth. And little-known Ty Sambrailo from Colorado State will have folks talking very soon about his total-game skill set.

The rankings are dominated by underclassmen like Andrus Peat, Ifedi, Spencer Drango and Ereck Flowers, which potentially sets the stage for another great tackle class in 2016.

Offensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Cedric Ogbuehi	Texas A&M
2	Brandon Scherff	Iowa
3	Ty Sambrailo	Colorado State
4	Andrus Peat	Stanford
5	Germain Ifedi	Texas A&M
6	Spencer Drango	Baylor
7	Ereck Flowers	Miami (FL)
8	La'el Collins	LSU
9	Cameron Erving	Florida State
10	Sean Hickey	Syracuse

Offensive Guards

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You won't find many people getting excited about offensive guard play, but when your interior offensive line is bad, it definitely shows up.

Teams like the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have created dominant running games by investing in guards and centers early in the draft, and any team looking to do so this year will like South Carolina's A.J. Cann.

Cann, Alabama's Arie Kouandjio and the duo at Florida State make up a talented top four at the position. Cann, for his part, looks like a potential late first-rounder at this time and could be the cream of a talented guard crop.

Offensive Guard Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	A.J. Cann	South Carolina
2	Arie Kouandjio	Alabama
3	Tre Jackson	Florida State
4	Josue Matias	Florida State
5	Laken Tomlinson	Duke
6	Quinton Spain	West Virginia
7	Aundrey Walker	USC
8	Jarvis Harrison	Texas A&M
9	John Miller	Louisville
10	Miles Dieffenbach	Penn State

Centers

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With no clear-cut first-round talent currently at center, it's easy to lose sight of the position. And then you remember that young centers like Travis Frederick, Russell Bodine, Bryan Stork and Corey Linsley are all holding down starting jobs for top-tier teams right now. 

Auburn's Reese Dismukes looks to be the best of the class, but he'll have to prove himself as a pass-protector coming out of a run-heavy offense. The opposite goes for Oregon's Hroniss Grasu, who is a smooth athlete in space but needs to show he can maul defenders in the run game.

Center Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Reese Dismukes	Auburn
2	Hroniss Grasu	Oregon
3	B.J. Finney	Kansas State
4	Dominic Espinosa	Texas
5	Brandon Vitabile	Northwestern
6	Tom Farniok	Iowa State
7	Andy Gallik	Boston College
8	David Andrews	Georgia
9	Jake Smith	Louisville
10	Austin Barron	Florida State

4-3 Defensive Ends

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If you want to slap a fancy label on the 2015 NFL draft, you might want to consider calling it the Year of the Pass-Rusher. And for teams running a 4-3 defense, that's incredibly valuable.

With elite athletes like Leonard Williams, Randy Gregory and Shane Ray dominating the board's top 15, it's easy to see this position once again becoming a focal point of a strong class. Depending somewhat on the draft order, it wouldn't be a reach to think three defensive ends/edge-rushers could go in the top 10.

Of the 10 players listed here, seven have a top-32 grade. 

4-3 Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Leonard Williams	USC	4-3 DT
2	Randy Gregory	Nebraska	3-4 OLB
3	Shane Ray	Missouri	3-4 OLB
4	Shawn Oakman	Baylor	3-4 DE
5	Dante Fowler	Florida	None
6	Shilique Calhoun	Michigan State	3-4 OLB
7	Mario Edwards	Florida State	3-4 DE
8	Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	3-4 OLB
9	Trey Flowers	Arkansas	3-4 OLB
10	Cedric Reed	Texas	3-4 OLB

4-3 Defensive Tackles

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A 4-3 defensive tackle is generally asked to be a dual-threat player as a run-stopper and a pass-rusher. When looking at the 2015 draft class, there is plenty to like for both spots.

Ohio State's Michael Bennett is an ideal 3-technique defender with the quickness to be a threat as a pass-rusher and the tenacity to get after it in the run game. He isn't super stout at the point of attack yet, but he's an Aaron Donald-like prospect.

Big Danny Shelton and Carl Davis are able to step in as run defenders and collapse the pocket as pass-rushers, and Florida State's Eddie Goldman does each well enough to be a legitimate first-round prospect.

4-3 Defensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Michael Bennett	Ohio State	None
2	Danny Shelton	Washington	None
3	Eddie Goldman	Florida State	None
4	Carl Davis	Iowa	3-4 DE
5	Ellis McCarthy	UCLA	None
6	Christian Covington	Rice	3-4 DE
7	Jordan Phillips	Oklahoma	None
8	Malcom Brown	Texas	None
9	Grady Jarrett	Clemson	3-4 DE
10	Tyeler Davison	Fresno State	3-4 DE

4-3 Outside Linebackers

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A 4-3 outside linebacker has to be able to play in pass coverage, stop the run on the edge and, in some defenses, pull the trigger and get after the quarterback. When looking for a draft prospect at the position, each team may have different rankings based on what it wants at the position in terms of coverage, pass rush and run defense.

Below is a look at a basic 4-3 outside linebacker ranking, with the understanding that certain teams may value a pass-rusher like Leonard Floyd over an all-around athlete like Shaq Thompson. The good news is that the top four players here all look like first-rounders and are incredibly versatile for today's ever-changing job responsibilities of an outside linebacker.

4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Vic Beasley	Clemson	3-4 OLB
2	Shaq Thompson	Washington	None
3	Leonard Floyd	Georgia	3-4 OLB
4	Eric Striker	Oklahoma	3-4 OLB
5	Benardrick McKinney	Mississippi St.	ILB
6	Kris Frost	Auburn	ILB
7	Zach Hodges	Harvard	3-4 OLB
8	Jordan Jenkins	Georgia	3-4 OLB
9	Jake Ryan	Michigan	ILB
10	Geneo Grissom	Oklahoma	3-4 OLB

3-4 Defensive Ends

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The spread of the 3-4 defense in the NFL means more and more scouts are tasked with finding big, athletic bodies to play defensive end in a three-man front. The task is not easy, as many colleges are still running four-man fronts.

The ideal 3-4 defensive end is built like a defensive tackle with the strength and athleticism to both stop the run and rush the quarterback. Think of J.J. Watt, Muhammad Wilkerson and Justin Smith as the ideal athlete for the position.

USC's Leonard Williams is a ridiculous athlete, as is big Shawn Oakman at Baylor. Both are tailor-made for the 3-4 and could be top-15 picks.

3-4 Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Leonard Williams	USC	4-3 DT
2	Shawn Oakman	Baylor	4-3 DE
3	Mario Edwards	Florida State	4-3 DE
4	Carl Davis	Iowa	3-4 DE
5	Arik Armstead	Oregon	4-3 DE
6	Christian Covington	Rice	3-4 DE
7	Grady Jarrett	Clemson	3-4 DE
8	Tyeler Davison	Fresno State	3-4 DE
9	Henry Anderson	Stanford	4-3 DT
10	Gabe Wright	Auburn	4-3 DT

3-4 Outside Linebackers

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A 3-4 outside linebacker is equal parts pass-rusher and run defender, so it requires a unique skill set to be athletic enough and versatile enough to play the position.

Clemson's Vic Beasley is a terror coming off the edge, and he makes up for his smaller stature (6'2", 236 lbs) with exceptional quickness and length. Nebraska's Randy Gregory is a monster (6'6", 245 lbs) and has the speed and strength to be an instant starter in the NFL.

The class is dominated by college defensive ends, and players like Leonard Floyd and Gregory are the rare breed that come into the NFL with experience playing in a role similar to a 3-4 outside linebacker.

3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Vic Beasley	Clemson	4-3 OLB
2	Randy Gregory	Nebraska	4-3 DE
3	Leonard Floyd	Georgia	4-3 DE
4	Shane Ray	Missouri	4-3 DE
5	Shilique Calhoun	Michigan State	4-3 DE
6	Eric Striker	Oklahoma	4-3 OLB
7	Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	4-3 DE
8	Trey Flowers	Arkansas	4-3 DE
9	Noah Spence	Ohio State	4-3 DE
10	Markus Golden	Missouri	4-3 DE

Inside Linebackers

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The talent at inside linebacker is unique in that the top-tier players are all versatile enough to play outside linebacker, too. 

There is no elite talent here, but there are quality starter-level players in the top seven. You also get a ton of potential in Kris Frost, Benardrick McKinney and Trey DePriest, while others like Denzel Perryman and Eric Kendricks are battle-tested and ready to roll in the NFL.

Inside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Kris Frost	Auburn	4-3 OLB
2	Benardrick McKinney	Mississippi St.	4-3 OLB
3	Denzel Perryman	Miami (FL)	4-3 OLB
4	Eric Kendricks	UCLA	4-3 OLB
5	Ramik Wilson	Georgia	None
6	A.J. Johnson	Tennessee	None
7	Trey DePriest	Alabama	None
8	Stephone Anthony	Clemson	None
9	Bryce Hager	Baylor	None
10	Ben Heeney	Kansas	None

Cornerbacks

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Look around the NFL right now and it's obvious that the level of play at cornerback is pretty bad for many teams. That will put the pressure on scouts to find starting-quality players at the college level for the upcoming draft. 

NFL teams increasingly desire long, fast, agile athletes at cornerback, and in the 2015 class, they'll find that with Marcus Peters, P.J. Williams and Trae Waynes. And while Ifo Ekpre-Olomu isn't the biggest guy (just under 5'10"), he has the quickness to be a starter as a slot cornerback early in his career with the potential to be moved outside.

Of the 10 players here, the top six have first-round potential.

Cornerback Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Marcus Peters	Washington
2	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	Oregon
3	P.J. Williams	Florida State
4	Trae Waynes	Michigan State
5	Ronald Darby	Florida State
6	Jalen Mills	LSU
7	Quandre Diggs	Texas
8	Doran Grant	Ohio State
9	Steven Nelson	Oregon State
10	Kevin Johnson	Wake Forest

Safeties

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If your favorite NFL team needs safety help, this is a good year to need one. 

Alabama's Landon Collins is a truly elite-level talent at the position and has shown the ability to play free safety or strong safety at the next level. Collins ranks higher than former Alabama safeties Mark Barron and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Collins isn't the only starting-quality player here, though. Kurtis Drummond, Derron Smith and Cody Prewitt are all players with the talent to start in the pros.

Safety Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Landon Collins	Alabama
2	Kurtis Drummond	Michigan State
3	Derron Smith	Fresno State
4	Cody Prewitt	Ole Miss
5	Jordan Richards	Stanford
6	Anthony Harris	Virginia
7	Tyler Hunter	Florida State
8	Jermaine Whitehead	Auburn
9	Kyshoen Jarrett	Virginia Tech
10	Justin Cox	Mississippi State