NFL Draft 400: Top Specialists for 2018 NFL Draft

Scouts and general managers have called the 2018 NFL draft class average, but we still have questions. Who is the best overall player? How about the best at each position? 

The goal of the NFL Draft 400 series is to figure that out.

The top 400 players were tracked, scouted, graded and ranked, with help from scouting assistants Marshal Miller, Dan Bazal and Jerod Brown. Together, we viewed tape of a minimum of three games per player—the same standard NFL teams use.

Oftentimes, we saw every play from a prospect over the last two years. That led to the grades, rankings and scouting reports you see here.

Players were graded on strengths and weaknesses, with a pro-player comparison added to match the prospect's style or fit in the pros. The top 400 players will be broken down position by position for easy viewing before the release of a top-400 big board prior to the draft.

In the case of a tie, players were ranked based on their overall grade in our top 400.

6. Johnny Townsend, Punter, Florida

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

POSITIVES

—Smooth, fluid stroke as a punter.

—Excellent flipping the field with long punts.

—Cool, calm and collected punting in pressure situations.

—Averaged 46.2 yards per punt for his career.

NEGATIVES

—Hang time is below NFL standards.

—Doesn't have great accuracy to drop the ball inside the bucket.

—Seems not to grasp situational football, and outkicks his coverage team.

—Has not been used as a kickoff specialist.

OVERALL

Townsend is a solid college punter who should get a look in the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Teams will be intrigued by his technique and leg power, but he needs work on understanding the intricacies of field position and better skying punts to allow his coverage unit time to work.

GRADE: 5.00 (Priority Free Agent)

PRO COMPARISON: Brett Kern, Tennessee Titans

5. Eddy Pineiro, Kicker, Florida

John Raoux/Associated Press

POSITIVES

—Accurate and consistent, having hit 88.4 percent of his career field-goal attempts.

—Lone miss in 2017 happened in Week 1.

—Has the leg strength to nail 50-plus-yard attempts.

—Poised and collected under pressure.

—Soccer player before football.

NEGATIVES

—Relatively new to football (two years).

—NFL special teams coach said his mechanics are "a mess" and need to be reworked.

—Inconsistent kickoff distance and hang time.

—Warm-weather kicker.

OVERALL

Pineiro has the accuracy, placement and consistency to hear his name called on Day 3 of the draft. A special teams coach Bleacher Report spoke to didn't love his mechanics, but his production speaks for itself. Pineiro should be handling kickoffs, extra points and field goals in the NFL next season.

GRADE: 5.40 (Round 7)

PRO COMPARISON: Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys

4. Tanner Carew, Long Snapper, Oregon

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

POSITIVES

—Played through a torn ACL during his freshman season.

—Started 39 straight games.

—Hard-worker who is dedicated to his craft and invests time to get better.

—Time from snap to hand is great on punts and field goals.

—Consistent placement time after time on every snap. Great accuracy.

NEGATIVES

—Shorter than you'd like (6'1", compared to league average of 6'4" among long snappers drafted since 2008).

—Tested poorly at the combine and won't be head-hunting on punt coverage.

—Play strength looks average.

OVERALL

Carew is good enough to receive a draftable grade—something we haven't given a long snapper since Joe Cardona in 2015. He's small but accurate, and he's powerful snapping the ball back on field goals and punts.

GRADE: 5.50 (Round 6)

PRO COMPARISON: Joe Cardona, New England Patriots

3. JK Scott, Punter, Alabama

Butch Dill/Associated Press

POSITIVES

—Was the kickoff specialist and punter for Alabama.

—Four-year starter in the SEC.

—Consistently pins opponents inside the 20 and can get hot putting them inside the 10.

—Only had two punts blocked in four seasons.

—Does a great job pinning teams deep, but his kicks rarely resulted in touchbacks.

NEGATIVES

—Special teams coaches told B/R that Scott is a little slow and needs to speed up his process.

—Benefited from excellent Alabama coverage teams that made his stats look better.

—Won't handle kickoffs in the NFL outside of emergencies due to average leg strength.

OVERALL

Scott is a good punter with the consistency and accuracy to impress teams. The fact that he has a draftable grade at all speaks to his value and talent. Warm-weather teams might prefer him given his lack of a booming leg, but Scott will be an asset in the pros.

GRADE: 5.60 (Round 6)

PRO COMPARISON: Dustin Colquitt, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Daniel Carlson, Kicker, Auburn

Butch Dill/Associated Press

POSITIVES

—Excellent on long field goals and has NFL-caliber leg.

—Consistent throughout his mechanics, which leads to high kick percentage.

—Has experience punting, and he handled kickoffs for Auburn.

—Handled unfriendly environments in SEC without issue.

—Big-game, big-moment kicker with great poise.

NEGATIVES

—Accuracy regressed in 2017 (down to 74.2 percent).

—Warm-weather kicker untested in elements.

OVERALL

Carlson isn't the type of kicker you worry about breaking down mentally. He's consistent, accurate and has handled his business in a rough SEC for four years. The three-time Lou Groza Award finalist doesn't have elite leg strength, and he has to answer for his drop in accuracy this past year, but he's the best kicker in this class.

GRADE: 5.70 (Round 5)

PRO COMPARISON: Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots

1. Michael Dickson, Texas

Tim Warner/Getty Images

POSITIVES

—2017 Ray Guy Award winner and All-American.

—Exceptional size (6'2", 208 lbs) and top-tier leg strength.

—Can pin opponents deep and has consistent strength and placement.

—Averaged 47.4 yards per punt in 2016 and 2017.

—Does a great job eliminating return yards.

—Was Texas Bowl MVP.

NEGATIVES

—Came from Australia and has kicked in Texas, where there is little rain or snow.

—Outkicks his coverage at times.

OVERALL

I've never advocated for a punter to be drafted in the third round, but Dickson has the tools to become one of the league's best punters right out of the gate. He's big, strong, accurate and is still improving. If paired with a good defense, a weapon like Dickson could be worth a few wins per season.

GRADE: 6.00 (Late Round 3)

PRO COMPARISON: Andy Lee, Arizona Cardinals