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

The college football regular season is nearing its end, and with that the NFL draft season really starts to heat up. 

With one final update before the end of the season, here is a look at which draft-eligible (redshirt sophomores, juniors and seniors) players project best to the NFL at this time. Draft rankings are fluid, and things like good or bad play, injuries and more time to view prospects can have a drastic effect on the board. But through three months of play, these players stand out as the best.

Here's a look at my top 64 players overall and my top 10 players at each position. If your favorite player isn't included here, it may be because they are an underclassman I don't expect to declare for the 2015 draft. If they're a senior prospect, it could be because an underclassman is taking their spot. 

Top 64

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The best of the best. That's who these players are.

The top 64 players overall represent the first two rounds of the NFL draft. There are a lot of underclassmen here—and some may not declare for the draft—but the strength of the upcoming draft is definitely in the sophomores and juniors on the board.

Looking at this class you'll notice there is a ton of talent on the edge of the defense. As I've said before, the 2015 draft is the Year of the Pass-Rusher, and four players in the top 10 overall backs up that point. 

The quarterbacks will garner the most attention, and they're good ones. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston sit atop the board, and if both enter the draft as expected, the overall talent of this class looks much better.

Top 64 Rankings

Rank	Player	Pos.	PR	School	Class	Ht.	Wt.
1	Marcus Mariota	QB	1	Oregon	rJr	6'4"	215
2	Jameis Winston	QB	2	Florida State	rSo	6'4"	232
3	Randy Gregory	DE	1	Nebraska	rJr	6'6"	245
4	Amari Cooper	WR	1	Alabama	Jr	6'1"	202
5	Leonard Williams	DT	1	USC	Jr	6'5"	298
6	Shane Ray	DE	2	Missouri	rJr	6'3"	245
7	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	1	Texas A&M	rSr	6'5"	300
8	Brandon Scherff	OT	2	Iowa	rSr	6'5"	320
9	Landon Collins	SS	1	Alabama	Jr	6'0"	215
10	Vic Beasley	OLB	1	Clemson	rSr	6'2"	235
11	Shaq Thompson	OLB	2	Washington	Jr	6'2"	231
12	DeVante Parker	WR	2	Louisville	Sr	6'3"	209
13	Alvin Dupree	DE	3	Kentucky	rSr	6'4"	267
14	Marcus Peters	CB	1	Washington	rJr	6'0"	198
15	Todd Gurley	RB	1	Georgia	Jr	6'1"	232
16	Kevin White	WR	3	West Virginia	Sr	6'3"	209
17	Gerod Holliman	FS	1	Louisville	rSo	6'2"	213
18	Ronnie Stanley	OT	3	Notre Dame	rSo	6'5"	315
19	Shawn Oakman	DE	4	Baylor	rJr	6'8"	275
20	La'el Collins	OT	4	LSU	Sr	6'5"	321
21	Michael Bennett	DT	2	Ohio State	Sr	6'2"	288
22	Benardrick McKinney	ILB	1	Mississippi State	rJr	6'4"	249
23	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	5	Florida	Jr	6'2"	261
24	Devin Funchess	WR	4	Michigan	Jr	6'5"	230
25	Jalen Collins	CB	2	LSU	rJr	6'2"	194
26	Trae Waynes	CB	3	Michigan State	rJr	6'1"	183
27	Hau'oli Kikaha	DE	6	Washington	rSr	6'3"	250
28	T.J. Clemmings	OT	5	Pitt	rSr	6'5"	305
29	Ty Sambrailo	OT	6	Colorado State	rSr	6'5"	315
30	Danny Shelton	DT	3	Washington	Sr	6'2"	332
31	Leonard Floyd	OLB	3	Georgia	rSo	6'4"	230
32	Nate Orchard	DE	8	Utah	Sr	6'4"	255
33	Tevin Coleman	RB	2	Indiana	Jr	6'0"	210
34	Nelson Agholor	WR	5	USC	Jr	6'1"	190
35	Malcolm Brown	DT	4	Texas	Jr	6'4"	320
36	Jaelen Strong	WR	6	Arizona State	rJr	6'4"	212
37	Alex Carter	CB	4	Stanford	rJr	6'0"	202
38	Eddie Goldman	DT	5	Florida State	Jr	6'3"	320
39	Eric Striker	OLB	4	Oklahoma	Jr	6'0"	221
40	Duke Johnson	RB	3	Miami (Fla.)	Jr	5'9"	206
41	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	5	Oregon	Sr	5'9"	195
42	Melvin Gordon	RB	4	Wisconsin	rJr	6'1"	207
43	Mario Edwards	DE	7	Florida State	Jr	6'3"	294
44	Jordan Phillips	DT	6	Oklahoma	rSo	6'6"	334
45	Kevin Johnson	CB	6	Wake Forest	rSr	6'0"	175
46	Jake Fisher	OT	7	Oregon	Sr	6'6"	299
47	Lorenzo Mauldin	DE	9	Louisville	Sr	6'4"	243
48	Shilique Calhoun	DE	10	Michigan State	rJr	6'4"	257
49	Ronald Darby	CB	7	Florida State	Jr	5'11"	195
50	A.J. Cann	OG	1	South Carolina	rSr	6'3"	318
51	Tyrus Thompson	OT	8	Oklahoma	rSr	6'5"	336
52	Cody Prewitt	FS	2	Ole Miss	Sr	6'2"	217
53	T.J. Yeldon	RB	5	Alabama	Jr	6'2"	221
54	Trey Flowers	DE	11	Arkansas	Sr	6'4"	267
55	Andrus Peat	OT	9	Stanford	Jr	6'7"	312
56	Ameer Abdullah	RB	6	Nebraska	Sr	5'9"	195
57	Brett Hundley	QB	3	UCLA	rJr	6'3"	227
58	Rashad Greene	WR	7	Florida State	Sr	6'0"	180
59	Charles Gaines	CB	8	Louisville	rJr	5'11"	175
60	Derron Smith	FS	3	Fresno State	rSr	5'11"	197
61	Bryce Petty	QB	4	Baylor	rSr	6'3"	230
62	P.J. Williams	CB	9	Florida State	Jr	6'0"	196
63	Eric Kendricks	ILB	2	UCLA	rSr	6'0"	230
64	Denzel Perryman	ILB	3	Miami (Fla.)	Sr	5'11"	242

Quarterbacks

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The quarterback class in 2015 won't rival the 2014 class in terms of first-round talent, but there are starting-quality quarterbacks here. There's just a big gap between the top two and the rest of the class.

Mariota and Winston are top-tier players and worthy of a franchise quarterback label. Both have the on-field talent to make them worthy of a top overall pick. Of course, Winston's off-field issues will make his stock interesting, but when looking at his play and poise on the field, he's a very impressive talent.

Brett Hundley entered the year as a first-rounder on my board, but he's regressed. Hundley has physical talent, but his quarterback skills—instincts, vision and decision-making—are lacking.

The rest of the class is a little suspect. Underclassmen Everett Golson and Dak Prescott are questionable at the next level—Golson due to bad decisions and poor accuracy and Prescott due to a lack of quarterback skills like accuracy. Bryce Petty may be the wild card here. He has nice athleticism and displays good accuracy on underneath throws, but he's protected by the Baylor system and won't appeal to every team's wish list at quarterback.

Quarterback Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Marcus Mariota	Oregon
2	Jameis Winston	Florida State
3	Brett Hundley	UCLA
4	Bryce Petty	Baylor
5	Everett Golson	Notre Dame
6	Dak Prescott	Miss. State
7	Garrett Grayson	Colorado State
8	Brandon Bridge	South Alabama
9	Shane Carden	East Carolina
10	Cody Kessler	USC

Running Backs

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The 2015 draft class at running back has the potential to be special. The overall class talent took a hit when Georgia running back Todd Gurley tore his ACL in his first game back from a four-game NCAA suspension. 

For now, and until a medical check can be done on Gurley after surgery and some rehab, he remains atop my list and is still a first-round talent. Whether the NFL will see him as such and draft him that high will be determined by how well he rehabs and where he's at medically in April—so this ranking may change.

The rest of the back class is still very exciting. There's a flavor here for everyone with power backs like T.J. Yeldon and David Cobb or speed backs like Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson and Melvin Gordon. There may not be a Round 1 running back if Gurley is slow to recover, but there are seven backs here (my top seven rated) with rookie starting potential.

Running Back Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Todd Gurley	Georgia
2	Tevin Coleman	Indiana
3	Duke Johnson	Miami (Florida)
4	Melvin Gordon	Wisconsin
5	T.J. Yeldon	Alabama
6	Ameer Abdullah	Nebraska
7	Mike Davis	South Carolina
8	Jay Ajayi	Boise State
9	David Cobb	Minnesota
10	Buck Allen	USC

Wide Receivers

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The 2014 class at wide receiver was ridiculously talented and deep, which may put a damper on how good the 2015 class is. No, this isn't a group as strong as we saw last year, but it is still a very good talent crop at wide receiver.

It all starts with Alabama's Amari Cooper. I don't see him as a Sammy Watkins-type receiver or talent (probably closer to Odell Beckham Jr.), but he is a very special receiver prospect. Cooper has shown at Alabama a talent set that allows him to play on the ground and in the air, and he's fast enough to be a threat all over the field.

If you're looking for a bigger receiver, Louisville's DeVante Parker looks like a legit top-15 talent, and Kevin White of West Virginia has the size and leaping skills to work his way into the top 20. Michigan's Devin Funchess is another big target (think Kelvin Benjamin-like) and is worth a late first-round pick himself. 

Keep an eye on Jaelen Strong, as he has the size, jump-ball skill and production that can make a draft stock shoot way up in April.

Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Amari Cooper	Alabama
2	DeVante Parker	Louisville
3	Kevin White	West Virginia
4	Devin Funchess	Michigan
5	Nelson Agholor	USC
6	Jaelen Strong	Arizona State
7	Rashad Greene	Florida State
8	Antwan Goodley	Baylor
9	Sammie Coates	Auburn
10	Josh Harper	Fresno State

Tight Ends

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Heading into the final month of the college football season, no tight end jumps out as a first-round talent. At least not from the juniors likely to enter and current seniors. That may change once the Senior Bowl and the rest of the predraft process is here. 

The top of the class is Ohio State's Jeff Heuerman. He has the total game skill set you want in a tight end—a capable blocker, a good route-runner and a plus athlete who can line up all over the field. Ben Koyack at Notre Dame is another good prospect at a school becoming known for churning out tight ends.

Keep an eye on Clive Walford. Miami tight ends historically do well in the pros, and scouts notice that. He was also a standout high school basketball player, and scouts really notice that.

Tight End Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Jeff Heuerman	Ohio State
2	Ben Koyack	Notre Dame
3	Clive Walford	Miami (Fla.)
4	E.J. Bibbs	Iowa State
5	Nick O'Leary	Florida State
6	Gerald Christian	Louisville
7	MyCole Pruitt	Southern Illinois
8	C.J. Uzomah	Auburn
9	Wes Saxton	South Alabama
10	Blake Bell	Oklahoma

Offensive Tackles

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The talent at offensive tackle in the past several drafts has been very impressive. The 2015 class looks the same.

Top-tier talents like Cedric Ogbuehi, Brandon Scherff and senior La'el Collins may not be the athletic wonders that Greg Robinson was, but they can all compete and have early starting capabilities as left or right tackles. 

The top of the class could get a boost from Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley, a player with top-10 potential but remaining eligibility for the Fighting Irish. Should Stanley return to school, seniors Ty Sambrailo and T.J. Clemmings are very likely first-round picks.

Offensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Cedric Ogbuehi	Texas A&M
2	Brandon Scherff	Iowa
3	Ronnie Stanley	Notre Dame
4	La'el Collins	LSU
5	T.J. Clemmings	Pitt
6	Ty Sambrailo	Colorado State
7	Jake Fisher	Oregon
8	Tyrus Thompson	Oklahoma
9	Andrus Peat	Stanford
10	Sean Hickey	Syracuse

Offensive Guards

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It's not an easy job to sell fans on offensive guard play, but look at what the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns found in the 2014 draft with Pro Bowl-caliber players Zack Martin and Joel Bitonio. The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions did the same thing in 2013 when they added Kyle Long and Larry Warford.

Guards may not be a sexy pick, but they're an integral part of building a team. And that's why A.J. Cann may end up a first-rounder by late April. The South Carolina mauler is athletic, smart and NFL-ready. 

The rest of the class is solid, but there aren't two top-40 players here. Cann is ahead of the group by a healthy margin.

Offensive Guard Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	A.J. Cann	South Carolina
2	Josue Matias	Florida State
3	Tre Jackson	Florida State
4	Jarvis Harrison	Texas A&M
5	Arie Kouandjio	Alabama
6	Laken Tomlinson	Duke
7	Vadal Alexander	LSU
8	Dallas Lewallen	Wisconsin
9	Aundrey Walker	USC
10	John Miller	Louisville

Centers

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More and more NFL teams are getting back to the idea of building their teams from the middle of the field first. Quarterback, offensive linemen, defensive tackles, middle linebackers and safeties are crucial building blocks—and that makes the centers' value incredibly high.

The 2015 class is a good one, especially after Florida State tackle Cam Erving made the move inside. He looks like a natural there and has very high potential. Mainstays Reese Dismukes and Hroniss Grasu will battle for ground, too, and both look like rookie starters.

Center Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Cameron Erving	Florida State
2	Reese Dismukes	Auburn
3	Hroniss Grasu	Oregon
4	Mike Matthews	Texas A&M
5	B.J. Finney	Kansas State
6	Jake Smith	Louisville
7	Andy Gallik	Boston College
8	Brandon Vitabile	Northwestern
9	David Andrews	Georgia
10	Tom Farniok	Iowa State

4-3 Defensive Ends

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if the 2015 draft is the Year of the Pass-Rusher, then this is the group that really shows up for you on paper.

The 4-3 defensive end rankings feature three players with top-15 talent and a solid 10 who could be drafted in the first round. That's incredible when compared to any other position group.

Nebraska's Randy Gregory and Missouri's Shane Ray highlight this group—and may well be the most NFL-ready prospects of the entire draft class. Both wreak havoc off the edge and have the total skill set to dominate in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.

4-3 Defensive End Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Randy Gregory	Nebraska	3-4 OLB
2	Shane Ray	Missouri	3-4 OLB
3	Alvin Dupree	Kentucky	3-4 OLB
4	Shawn Oakman	Baylor	3-4 DE
5	Dante Fowler	Florida	3-4 OLB
6	Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	3-4 OLB
7	Nate Orchard	Utah	3-4 OLB
8	Mario Edwards	Florida State	3-4 DE
9	Lorenzo Mauldin	Louisville	3-4 OLB
10	Shilique Calhoun	Michigan State	3-4 OLB

4-3 Defensive Tackles

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Much like the 4-3 defensive end talent, the group at defensive tackle for a four-man front is impressive. 

Leonard Williams is a unique, rare athletic specimen at defensive tackle and should be in the discussion for the No. 1 overall pick come April. Behind him, Ohio State's Michael Bennett and Texas' Malcolm Brown are exciting 3-technique pass-rushers. Add in massive bodies like Danny Shelton, Jordan Phillips and Eddie Goldman and we could see five or six tackles drafted in the first round.

4-3 Defensive Tackle Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Leonard Williams	USC	3-4 DE
2	Michael Bennett	Ohio State
3	Danny Shelton	Washington	3-4 NT
4	Malcolm Brown	Texas
5	Eddie Goldman	Florida State
6	Jordan Phillips	Oklahoma	3-4 NT
7	Ellis McCarthy	UCLA
8	Carl Davis	Iowa	3-4 DE
9	Gabe Wright	Auburn	3-4 DE
10	Christian Covington	Rice	3-4 DE

4-3 Outside Linebackers

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The 4-3 defense isn't as common as it was 10 years ago, but the need for three-down linebackers in space is still high thanks to the spread of nickel and subpackage defenses. 

The players who will best fit the nickel defense and work at outside linebacker in passing situations that require coverage and pass rushing are the 4-3 blend. And that value continues to go up on draft boards.

The 2015 class features some game-ready talents here (like Shaq Thompson and Benardrick McKinney) and others with potential but some development needed (like Vic Beasley and Eric Striker). Being a 4-3 outside linebacker means playing the run, pass and blitz well, and that offers a diverse set of talents. 

4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Vic Beasley	Clemson	3-4 OLB
2	Shaq Thompson	Washington
3	Benardrick McKinney	Miss. State	ILB
4	Eric Striker	Oklahoma	3-4 OLB
5	Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	3-4 OLB
6	Eric Kendricks	UCLA	ILB
7	Zach Hodges	Harvard	3-4 OLB
8	Jordan Jenkins	Georgia	3-4 OLB
9	Tony Washington	Oregon
10	Geneo Grissom	Oklahoma	3-4 OLB

3-4 Defensive Ends

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The 3-4 defense is definitely more popular in the NFL right now, which means scouts are crossing the country looking for the big bodies needed to play along the line. If you're in need of a defensive end for a three-man front, you're in luck this year.

Leonard Williams may be the first player drafted overall, and he's worth the pick. Baylor's Shawn Oakman and Florida State's Mario Edwards are unique talents who need to show more production and consistency, but are the type of athletes generally loved come draft time.

This is a solid group with top-end talent and nice depth in the top 10. 

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	Arik Armstead	Oregon	4-3 DE
5	Christian Covington	Rice	3-4 DE
6	Grady Jarrett	Clemson	3-4 DE
7	Gabe Wright	Auburn	4-3 DT
8	Tyeler Davison	Fresno State	3-4 DE
9	Carl Davis	Iowa	3-4 DE
10	Tony Raciti	San Jose State	4-3 DT

3-4 Outside Linebackers

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Outside of quarterback and maybe cornerback, no position is as highly sought after as a pass-rushing outside linebacker for a 3-4 defense. 

Look around the NFL and you'll see Aldon Smith, Clay Matthews, Justin Houston and so many other top-tier players who can take over a game from the position. And like a quarterback on offense, a great pass-rusher changes the entire scope of the defense.

With all that said, this is a very impressive group of talent at one position. All 10 players ranked have a shot at the first round, with Randy Gregory and Shane Ray legitimate top-10 picks and Vic Beasley not far behind. Remember these names, because they'll come off the board very early in Round 1.

3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Randy Gregory	Nebraska	4-3 DE
2	Shane Ray	Missouri	4-3 DE
3	Vic Beasley	Clemson	4-3 OLB
4	Shaq Thompson	Washington	4-3 OLB
5	Alvin Dupree	Kentucky	4-3 DE
6	Dante Fowler	Florida	4-3 DE
7	Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	4-3 DE
8	Leonard Floyd	Georgia	4-3 DE
9	Nate Orchard	Utah	4-3 DE
10	Eric Striker	Oklahoma	4-3 OLB

Inside Linebackers

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The versatility at inside linebacker in the 2015 draft class is what stands out most to me. The top three are all athletic enough to play as outside linebackers, and even players in the bottom half of the rankings are fluid enough to play in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.

There is only one first-rounder as of now—Mississippi State's Benardrick McKinney—but Eric Kendricks from UCLA is a baller with some Chris Borland-like instincts. He could sneak higher in the draft by April and wouldn't be a bad pick inside the top 40.

Inside Linebacker Rankings

Rank	Player	School	Other Pos.
1	Benardrick McKinney	Miss. State	4-3 OLB
2	Eric Kendricks	UCLA	4-3 OLB
3	Denzel Perryman	Miami (Fla.)	4-3 OLB
4	Stephone Anthony	Clemson
5	Ramik Wilson	Georgia
6	Hayes Pullard	USC
7	Ben Heeney	Kansas
8	Trey DePriest	Alabama
9	Bryce Hager	Baylor
10	Mike Hull	Penn State

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, Jalen Collins, Alex Carter, 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 now that Kevin Johnson is firmly placed on the rankings. 

Cornerback Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Marcus Peters	Washington
2	Jalen Collins	LSU
3	Trae Waynes	Michigan State
4	Alex Carter	Stanford
5	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	Oregon
6	Kevin Johnson	Wake Forest
7	Ronald Darby	Florida State
8	Charles Gaines	Louisville
9	P.J. Williams	Florida State
10	Senquez Golson	Ole Miss

Safeties

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Need a stud strong safety or rangy free safety with big playmaking skills? This is a good year for you.

Right now I have free and strong safeties ranked together, but that will change once underclassmen declare. The good news is that when combined, the class looks very promising. First-rounders Landon Collins (strong safety) and Gerod Holliman (free safety) are both underclassmen and could conceivably return to school, but are top-20 picks on my board if they declare early.

Senior Cody Prewitt highlights a solid class of upperclassmen, but without the underclassmen there is not yet a first-round talent here.

Safety Rankings

Rank	Player	School
1	Landon Collins	Alabama
2	Gerod Holliman	Louisville
3	Cody Prewitt	Ole Miss
4	Derron Smith	Fresno State
5	Kurtis Drummond	Michigan State
6	Jalen Mills	LSU
7	Durell Eskridge	Syracuse
8	Anthony Harris	Virginia
9	Jordan Richards	Stanford
10	Isaiah Johnson	Kansas