NFL Player Comparisons for the 2018 NFL Draft's Top Prospects
"He reminds me of [fill in the blank]."
It's one of the most commonly used phrases every April. Where NFL prospects are being discussed, comparisons are often being made.
So for your convenience, we've taken the top players on Bleacher Report draft guru Matt Miller's big board and drawn comparisons to 10 active NFL stars.
RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State
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Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson
Saquon Barkley is a little bit thicker than David Johnson, but both are super-powerful runners with particularly strong lower bodies. Barkley might also have better vision and instincts than Johnson did entering the league (in that respect, he's a lot more like Ezekiel Elliott), but both are also exceptional receivers.
Johnson had 80 catches for 879 yards when he was last fully healthy in 2016, while Barkley caught 54 passes for 632 yards during his final year at Penn State.
Former Nittany Lion and current Cardinals offensive lineman A.Q. Shipley noted in a Penn State football social media video in December that the two have a lot in common.
"He's big, runs well, can catch the ball out the backfield," Shipley said, via Joshua Needelman of AJC.com. "He blocks well. He's a special player. I knew he was big, seeing him in person, up close. He's special."
G Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
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Washington Redskins G Brandon Scherff
Quenton Nelson might be the first clear-cut interior offensive lineman to be drafted in the top five since the turn of the century, so it isn't easy to find an NFL equivalent for a player who might be a generational talent at the guard position.
However, a comparison to Brandon Scherff makes a lot of sense considering the Pro Bowl guard was a top-five pick (albeit as an offensive tackle coming out of college) in 2015.
They are built similarly at 6'5" and 320-330 pounds, and they both have mean streaks on the field.
And that might not be a coincidence.
"I would say a lot of guys that have been the best players at their position have that characteristic of being nasty," Nelson said in March, per Matthew Paras of the Washington Times. "Larry Allen and guys in the NFL like Zach Martin, Brandon Scherff, [Kelechi Osemele]. Those are guys that I look up to and want to be like."
Both are powerful maulers who can serve as offensive line anchors from the inside.
EDGE Bradley Chubb, NC State
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Los Angeles Chargers DE Joey Bosa
Bradley Chubb resembles several elite NFL pass-rushers, including Terrell Suggs and Cameron Jordan, but Joey Bosa is the closest comparison. Chubb is 6'4" and 269 pounds. Bosa is 6'5" and 269 pounds. And while neither has lightning speed, they both make up for that with their technique and their aggressiveness.
NFL Network's Mike Mayock pointed this out at the combine, noting that both players are technically proficient and relentless in their pursuits of quarterbacks.
Chubb is a little quicker and lankier, but both are built to dominate the edge without relying purely on athleticism.
Look for Chubb to be a top-three pick—like Bosa was in 2016—and for the NC State product to start his career just as strong as the Los Angeles Chargers Pro Bowler did.
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S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
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Houston Texans S Tyrann Mathieu
Your mind won't be blown by this comparison because it's become a common one throughout the draft process. But you won't find anyone who resembles Minkah Fitzpatrick's playing style quite as much as Tyrann Mathieu, even if Fitzpatrick has four inches and 15 pounds on the Honey Badger.
Back in October, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said Fitzpatrick "could be Tyrann Mathieu in a bigger package."
Jeremiah continued: "He has the same ball skills. ... He also has similar instincts and toughness. I think Fitzpatrick gives you all of the versatility that Mathieu possesses."
Both proved in the SEC that they can make big plays, intercept passes, force fumbles, sack the quarterback and provide shutdown coverage inside. Mathieu might be the best hybrid defensive back in the league, but Fitzpatrick might be better.
Because the Mathieu comparison has become a little bit worn, let's also give a shoutout to Aqib Talib. If Fitzpatrick is turned into a pure corner at the next level, he could wind up resembling the five-time Pro Bowler. Neither has blazing speed, but they both boast major playmaking skills, and they are about the same size.
QB Sam Darnold, USC
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Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck
You've probably seen plenty of Sam Darnold-Tony Romo comparisons, as they have similar builds and skill sets in terms of arm talent, mobility and improvisation. Even their deliveries are eerily similar. But Romo works for CBS Sports now, so the best active NFL comparison is Andrew Luck.
Like Luck, Darnold enters the NFL with the look and feel of a franchise quarterback. They are both natural leaders with all of the intangibles you want in an NFL starter. And while Luck is one inch taller and a few pounds heavier, they are both accurate pocket passers who can make every throw and have just enough mobility to make plays with their legs. Both are smart, poised, instinctive natural passers who often make it look easy in big moments.
So why isn't Darnold getting as much love as Luck did back in 2012? The USC product doesn't have quite as much arm strength as Luck did entering the league, and he turned it over a lot more in college.
No comparison is perfect, but this is as close as you will get at a position that has a wide range of players with very different skill sets.
QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
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Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz
There are three particular active NFL starters who resemble quarterback Josh Allen: Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. All have big, mobile bodies and booming arms.
But there haven't been questions about Roethlisberger's accuracy, and Newton is a much more dynamic player because of his speed. That's why Allen more closely resembles Wentz, who isn't quite as accurate as Roethlisberger and isn't as mobile as Newton.
It's also convenient that Wentz came out of the obscure North Dakota State because Allen is looking to become the first NFL quarterback out of Wyoming.
QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
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New York Giants QB Eli Manning
Josh Rosen has been compared to retired (or seemingly retired) quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Trent Green and Jay Cutler, but the best active comparison is probably Eli Manning.
They both entered the league as poised, accurate and intelligent pocket passers with similarly polished techniques. Manning might have a bigger arm, but they deliver the ball in similar fashion and are both prone to bone-headed moments. They're also about the same size and possess similar athletic abilities.
Like Manning, Rosen doesn't appear to be a rah-rah leader. That said, the off-field comparisons stop there. Rosen is a hell of a lot more outspoken and hasn't been afraid to express controversial non-football thoughts. That might even be a red flag in the eyes of some evaluators. At the very least, it differentiates him from the quarterbacks he's been compared to on the field.
On the field, Rosen looks like Eli Manning. Off the field, he's a lot more like the clever and opinionated Aaron Rodgers.
CB Denzel Ward, Ohio State
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Houston Texans CB Johnathan Joseph
When Johnathan Joseph broke into the league as a first-round pick in 2006, the fear was that while he was extremely fast, his lack of size (5'11", 190 pounds) would prevent him from being able to handle big wide receivers outside. Joseph was coming off a strong senior season at South Carolina, but he was relegated to slot-coverage duty as a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals.
That's the situation the 5'10", 191-pound Denzel Ward finds himself in after two big seasons in the Big Ten. Like Joseph (4.31 seconds), he crushed the 40-yard dash at the combine (4.32), but he will probably serve in a nickel role early while trying to prove he's got the play strength and athletic ability to hold it down on X or Z receivers.
S Derwin James, Florida State
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Kansas City Chiefs S Eric Berry
It makes sense that former Florida State safety Derwin James models himself after Eric Berry because the two have uncannily similar playing styles and nearly identical measurements.
"Man, that's one of my favorite players actually," James said of Berry at the combine, per BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com. "I have watched so much tape on [Berry]—from being an in-the-box safety to back playing deep and covering tight ends."
Like Berry when he was coming out of Tennessee in 2010, James might have the ability to player cornerback. They both have strong coverage skills along with the ideal combination of size, strength and speed. Both ran 4.47-second 40-yard dashes, and they fared similarly in the bench press, vertical jump and broad jump at the combine.
James still has to prove he has the playmaking ability Berry has been exhibiting for eight years. But the 21-year-old possesses every tool required to become a do-it-all defensive back at the NFL level.
QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
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Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Yes, most of us have scene the comparisons between Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel, but Manziel isn't an active NFL player, so let's look at the glass half-full and instead point out the resemblance between Mayfield and Russell Wilson.
Nobody in the NFL improvises under center like Wilson, and Mayfield doesn't have the Seattle Seahawks quarterback's speed. But he is incredibly mobile and is by far the top improviser in this year's draft class. Like Wilson (5'11", 204 pounds), Mayfield is short for a quarterback (6'1", 215 pounds). Both are incredibly accurate and reliable, both play extremely tough and strong for their sizes and both have been known to rise to big occasions.
Mayfield is probably more fiery, and he will always be bigger and slower. But the two have a lot in common as uniquely skilled and exciting signal-callers.
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