2010 NFL Draft: Stacking the Boards

Danny FlynnMar 3, 2010

With the combine now complete, and most of the evaluation and data collecting process over, we now move to the planning phase of the draft.

This is the time when teams start planning their boards and the picture of where players will be taken starts to become clearer.

Every team’s board is different because systems and criteria for evaluating players vary from team to team. However, you can usually get a feel as we get into March of where all these players are going to be taken.

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That’s not to say that there won’t continue to be certain players who have their stock continue to go up and down, it’s just to say that we now have a feel for what all these players bring to the table and how NFL evaluators value them.

Here are my rankings based on where I believe the players will eventually be slotted and selected come draft time.

Quarterbacks

Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen have not cemented themselves as Top 10 picks with their play. However, the QB needs of a few Top 10 teams increase the likeliness that they come off the board early.

What the Rams choose to do at one will start the domino effect.

Bradford seems to be in play at that spot but we really won’t get a feeling of what the Rams plan to do until the draft draws closer. If he did happen to go one then there would be a strong possibility of Jimmy Clausen heading to the Seahawks.

Someone will take Tim Tebow within the first 40 picks. Not so much for the play he provides but for the commodity he gives a team. Where Tebow draws attention and interest will follow and most teams don’t mind attention and interest in their franchises. I don’t expect a team to make a foolish first round investment in him but once Round two rolls around he’ll be fair game.

No other QB possesses Franchise-like qualities or even starter qualities in this draft.

Tony Pike is intriguing but he doesn’t seem to have the personality to be the leader and face of a franchise.

Colt McCoy will continue to be exposed as the process goes on and most likely will be out of the league within three years.

Dan LeFevour and Zac Robinson are the types of players that a team can fall in love with and take in the third round.

Jarrett Brown of West Virginia is the best “physical specimen” QB in the draft but he is still raw and not a refined passer and decision maker. He’s a project in every sense of the word but some teams like the challenge of making projects into something special.

Sam Bradford – Oklahoma
Jimmy Clausen – Notre Dame
Tim Tebow – Florida
Tony Pike – Cincinnati
Colt McCoy – Texas
Dan LeFevour – Central Michigan
Jarrett Brown – West Virginia
Zac Robinson – Oklahoma State
Jevan Snead – Ole Miss
Jonathan Crompton - Tennessee

Running Backs

C.J. Spiller solidified himself as a Top 15 pick with his 40 yard dash. There were really no questions about his speed it just needed to be verified in the minds of scouts. He came into the combine as the Top RB and he leaves as the Top RB.

The only other solid Round 1 RB right now seems to be Ryan Matthews. He should come off the board somewhere in the 20s.

Jahvid Best might be too small to squeak into late round one but he should find himself comfortably in the early to mid part of round two.

One of the fastest risers in the running back group is Montario Hardesty. He has ascended into round two and if he keeps it up could even find himself at the tail end of round one if he wows the right team.

As Montario Hardesty rises it seems Jonathan Dwyer is heading in the opposite direction. His size (weight), his speed, and the type of system he succeeded in are just some of the red flags for him. He should go in round two but round one seems like a far stretch at this point in time.

C.J. Spiller – Clemson
Ryan Matthews – Fresno State
Jahvid Best – CAL
Montario Hardesty – Tennessee
Jonathan Dwyer – Georgia Tech
Joe McKnight – USC
Toby Gerhart – Stanford
Dexter McCluster – Ole Miss
Ben Tate – Auburn
Anthony Dixon – Mississippi State

Wide Receivers

Dez Bryant most likely tops every teams WR list. He’s a borderline Top 10 pick at this point but teams should be careful with him. He’s a game changer but as with most elite WRs, he does have his question marks. Bryant is a physically superior player that gets by on just pure ability a lot of the time.

Still that ability will be too hard to ignore for a team in need of WR at the top end of the first round.

Golden Tate will go somewhere in the teens. He’s not polished but his head turning speed is too hard to ignore.

Arrelious Benn comes in off a difficult year but there is no denying his ability. Anyone that saw him at the combine knows he passes the eyeball test.

Damian Williams is the type of WR that could sneak into round one but most likely will be selected in round two and come into the league with a chip on his shoulder. It’s hard to say a 2nd rounder is underrated but we may look back three years from now and wonder how Williams wasn’t a first rounder.

He has that type of ability.

Demaryius Thomas looks like a hybrid of Andre Johnson and Brandon Marshall. When he’s at his best there may not be a WR outside of Bryant who can compare to him in this class. He’s still an unknown commodity though. Teams don’t know exactly what there getting with him and that will probably push him down into round two.

Some team will take Jordan Shipley earlier then expected because he is the type of player that is hard not to like when you watch him. A lot of teams will see him as solid No. 3 option in their offense and that evaluation could help him possibly break into round two.

Brandon LaFell and Mardy Gilyard could see their stock fall substantially in the coming weeks leading up to the draft. I expect one if not both to possibly end up in round four by the time all is said and done.

Why they fall, players like Marcus Easley and others will rise.

The combine could be just the beginning of the climb up the boards for the Connecticut product. I expect him to find his way into round three and make some team very happy with the pick.

Dez Bryant – Oklahoma State
Golden Tate – Notre Dame
Arrelious Benn – Illinois
Damian Williams – USC
Demaryius Thomas – Georgia Tech
Jordan Shipley – Texas
Marcus Easley – UCONN
Brandon LaFell - LSU
Mardy Gilyard - Cincinnati
Carlton Mitchell – South Florida

Tight Ends

Jermaine Gresham will probably be a first rounder by default this year. He is not an elite player but some one in need of a TE will look to select him somewhere in the 20's.

Rob Gronkowski is the only other TE that seems like he could fit into any system.

The rest of the players are system specific because of their skill sets.

Dorin Dickerson is the fastest but also the smallest TE this year. He will probably be used in mostly passing situations in the pros.

Garrett Graham is the top H-Back player this year and will most likely draw some comparisons to Chris Cooley.

Dennis Pitta is also a solid player that could find himself being this year’s Tony Scheffler in round two.

The rest of the TEs all have positives and negatives that each team will evaluate differently. Their stock could fluctuate greatly as draft day approaches.

Jermaine Gresham – Oklahoma
Rob Gronkowski – Arizona
Dorin Dickerson – PITT
Garrett Graham – Wisconsin
Dennis Pitta – BYU
Ed Dickson – Oregon
Aaron Hernandez – Florida
Anthony McCoy – USC
Andrew Quarless – Penn State
Jimmy Graham – Miami

Offensive Tackles

There looks to be five first round Tackles this year with three of them (Okung, Bulaga, and Davis) being candidates for Top 10 picks.

Okung looks like the type of tackle that can be your Franchise guy for the next 10 years. There are very few noticeable flaws in his game.

Bryan Bulaga may not look as sound as Okung or a few of the others in this class but don’t let looks fool you, he’s got franchise Left Tackle ability as well. Anthony Davis and Trent Williams have the ability of Okung and Bulaga but they also come with questions. They will both most likely end up being Top 20 picks but there are concerns with their passion.

Okung and Bulaga seem like the safe picks, while Davis and Williams may be deemed a little risky by some teams.

“A little risky” would be an understatement for Bruce Campbell of Maryland. After his fabulous workout at the combine, Campbell, will most likely have a team take a chance on him in the later portion of round one.

Everything you seem to be hearing from scouts about Campbell doesn’t seem to be good though. Every time you see a player with that much ability who is not showing it on the field, it raises a lot of eyebrows. There is no denying his physical traits but there is rightful concern with making Campbell a first round pick.

Jared Veldheer of Hillsdale is a Tackle that some team will want in round two. He’s a project but has much upside as anyone outside the big five.

Early in the process, Charles Brown of USC was thought of as a first rounder but he seems to be characterized as a “system limited” player that would only fit into zone schemes. That could hinder his stock.

Russell Okung – Oklahoma State
Bryan Bulaga – Iowa
Anthony Davis – Rutgers
Trent Williams – Oklahoma
Bruce Campbell – Maryland
Jared Veldheer - Hillsdale
Charles Brown – USC
Selvish Capers – West Virginia
Vladamir Ducasse – UMASS
Sam Young – Notre Dame

Interior Offensive Lineman

Mike Iupati is the only interior lineman who seems to be a solid first round selection right now. Two others that could sneak in are Center Maurkice Pouncey and Tackle-Guard tweener Roger Saffold.

Iupati could fit in with most offenses and maybe the best run blocker in this entire draft class.

Pouncey looks like he’s the type of kid who’s smart enough to be the captain of an offensive line as a rookie.

Roger Saffold of Indiana is an athletic enigma. His stock is on the upswing after displaying that athleticism at all star games and the combine. A team could appreciate his athleticism enough to have him sneak into late round one consideration. No one else in the guard/center class stands out from the crowd.

There a few other solid prospects that can make it in the league but it would seem like the Big Three (Iuapati, Pouncey, and Saffold) are head and shoulders above them when it comes to potential.

Mike Iupati – Idaho
Maurkice Pouncey – Florida
Roger Saffold – Indiana
Mike Johnson – Alabama
Jon Asamoah – Illinois
John Jerry – Ole Miss
Mitch Petrus – Arkansas
J.D. Walton – Baylor
Zane Beadles – Utah
Eric Olsen – Notre Dame

Defensive Tackles

It’s a little unusual these days to see a non glamour position like Defensive Tackle get consideration for the Top overall pick. It makes it even more unusual that the top two picks could be Defensive Tackles.

That only speaks to the tremendous ability of Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy. Both have obvious Pro Bowl like traits and skills.

The battle is then on for who will be the third DT off the board.

It would seem to be a three horse race between Dan Williams, Jared Odrick, and Geno Atkins.

None of those players are on a Suh/McCoy level but they are still solid all around prospects regardless. One, possibly two of them could make it into the first round. The fastest riser of this class could be Lamarr Houston of Texas. He has steadily been infiltrating his way into the minds of scouts since January and now Lamarr could possibly be considered a solid second round candidate.

Jeff Owens of Georgia is also a riser as well.

Brian Price of UCLA was once thought of as first rounder but it would seem now that the second, even the third round, are more likely landing spots.

It will be very interesting to see where big Terrence Cody ends up. His size is undeniable but with that size comes limitations. I think the second round would be a stretch but the third round would seem just about right for a team in need of a big space eater in the middle of their D.

Ndamukong Suh – Nebraska
Gerald McCoy – Oklahoma
Dan Williams – Tennessee
Jared Odrick – Penn State
Geno Atkins - Georgia
Lamarr Houston – Texas
Brian Price – UCLA
Jeff Owens - Georgia
Terrence Cody – Alabama
Cam Thomas – North Carolina

Defensive Ends

Jason Pierre-Paul of South Florida seems to be one of the top “Boom or Bust” players this year. Jason is a one year wonder who is blessed with tremendous pass rushing skills. There are many who say he can have a Jevon Kearse-like impact. He is going to take patience and time to work with but the pass rushing threat he provides will be too much to pass up.

I expect him to go anywhere between 7-15.

Derrick Morgan has been overtaken by Pierre-Paul as the consensus top DE but it would still be hard to see him fall out of the Top 20. He’s one of those “High Floor” type players that scouts seem to like so much each year.

Brandon Graham looks to fit in somewhere in the late first—early second. He doesn’t fit every system which could be a reason he is taken a little later then his talent warrants.

Carlos Dunlap is one of those guys that couples top 10 talent with a late round personality. He’s certainly a risk, based off his underachieving college career, but if the light ever comes on he could be a steal if a team can nab him in the early 2nd round.

The same can be said for Everson Griffen, who like Dunlap was expected to be one of the most dominant defenders in the country coming out of High School.

It will be interesting to see what Dunlap and Griffen can make of themselves in the Pro Ranks.

Jason Pierre-Paul – South Florida
Derrick Morgan – Georgia Tech
Brandon Graham – Michigan
Carlos Dunlap – Florida
Everson Griffen – USC
Brandon Lang – Troy State
Corey Wootton – Northwestern
Austen Lane – Murray State
Greg Hardy – Ole Miss
Brandon Deadrick - Alabama

4-3 Linebackers

Rolando McClain is “risky.”

I’ve heard some try and compare him to Patrick Willis and it’s an unfair comparison. Physically you could make the argument that McClain is near Willis’ level but from a leadership standpoint there is no comparison. Rolando McClain will not walk into a team and be the leader of a defense from day one like Patrick Willis. He needs to have the right coach press the right buttons for the light to turn on and stay on.

He has the ability to be one of the best LBs in the NFL but he’s going to have to work at it. With that said, McClain will not escape the Top 15, he is too gifted. If he is available when the Giants are picking, which is a possibility, he’s the pick.

Sean Weatherspoon is a guy that any team would want to have. When you select a player like Weatherspoon you know what you are getting. He’s a guy that’s going to start for you for ten years and be solid. He’s not going to be a Hall Of Famer but you know you’re getting a guy that can come in and start from day one.

Navorro Bowman of Penn State is the only other LB of this group with round one possibilities. He has round one talent but the character concerns will knock him off a few teams’ boards. He’s one of the guys that interviews will play a big role into where he ends up getting taken.

Don’t be shocked come draft day if Brandon Spike goes into free fall mode and plummets to the 3rd even the 4th round. The more teams see of Spikes, the less they will like.

While he falls, Dekoda Watson of Florida State could rise maybe all the way into the late round two range if the right team likes him enough. He could be perfect for a fast flowing defense that takes advantage of his tremendous athleticism.

Rolando McClain – Alabama
Sean Weatherspoon – Missouri
Navorro Bowman – Penn State
Daryl Washington – TCU
Pat Angerer - Iowa
Sean Lee – Penn State
Brandon Spikes - Florida
Dekoda Watson – Florida State
Roderick Muckelroy – Texas
Rennie Curran – Georgia

3-4 Rush Linebackers

Projecting a 3-4 LB can be a tough proposition based on the fact that most of these players were DEs with their hand on the ground in college. If you see a guy less than 260 pounds with decent enough quickness he’s probably going to be asked to stand up in the Pros.

Sergio Kindle is the only First Round Prospect at this point but he sure is a good one.

You can make the case that he is the best pass rusher in this class regardless of position. Sergio has a chance to be one of the most dominant 3-4 LBs in the league within a few years. Look for him to come off the board in the 10-15 pick range possibly to Miami at 12.

Two other intriguing prospects are Thaddeus Gibson and Jason Worilds who were two players that really impressed at the Combine. It would seem that they now have a strong chance of being second round players.

Ricky Sapp of Clemson and Jerry Hughes are tough players to peg where exactly they will go. They can range all the way from early 2nd to late 3rd depending on who you ask.

Sergio Kindle – Texas
Thaddeus Gibson – Ohio State
Jason Worilds – Virginia Tech
Ricky Sapp – Clemson
Jerry Hughes – TCU
Koa Misi - Utah
Cameron Sheffield - Troy
Eric Norwood – South Carolina
Willie Young – North Carolina State
Obrien Schofield – Wisconsin

Cornerbacks

People will make a big deal of Joe Haden’s 40 time. While it most likely will knock him out of the seven spot that most were projecting him, it won’t knock him down much farther.

I’d be very surprised if he gets out of the Top 15.

When it comes to the Cornerback position you always have to look for guys that will rise into round one as the draft approaches. Devin McCourty of Rutgers looks to take that role this year. He will battle it out with Kyle Wilson and Patrick Robinson, two other first round CBs, for who will be the second corner to come off the board.

There a slew of Corners with 2nd Round grades (Cook, Cox, Jackson, Murphy, and Ghee) and they could be joined by small school product Akwasi Owusu Ansah (Indiana-Pennsylvania), who looks to be this year’s in demand small school CB.

Joe Haden – Florida
Devin McCourty – Rutgers
Kyle Wilson – Boise State
Patrick Robinson – Florida State
Chris Cook – Virginia
Perrish Cox – Oklahoma State
Kareem Jackson – Oklahoma
Jerome Murphy – South Florida
Brandon Ghee – Wake Forest
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah – Indiana (Pennsylvania)

Safeties

There are three safeties that are pretty much potential locks to be round one picks this year. That is saying a lot considering there were zero taken last year in round one. Safety is a touch-and-go position every year. Some years you’ve got a great one and some years the cupboard seems bare.

The main reason is that many college teams don’t stick there best players at safety. If you’ve got a great athlete that’s on the smaller side he’s going to corner and if he’s on the bulkier side he’s moving to LB.

There aren’t many great natural safeties out there because it’s a position that’s constantly evolving and changing. What certain guys are asked to do can vary widely from system to system.

This year out of those top three safeties only one, Eric Berry, is a true safety.

The others, Earl Thomas and Taylor Mays could find themselves at different positions (Thomas – CB, Mays – LB) depending on what the plan is for them by the team who drafts them.

Berry is a likely top five pick who many feel can have an “Ed Reed” like impact on a defense. That is a bold statement but Berry has done nothing to show that he isn’t capable of backing it up.

Thomas is small (5’10) but has all the skills needed to be the back end of a defense. I look for him to go somewhere in the teens on draft day.

Mays is another Boom-Bust guy who has a lot of question marks. If the NFL were played in T-shirts and shorts, Mays would be a Pro Bowler every year. However, he has a lot of questions marks about all the skills it takes to be a safety (Coverage, Recognition, Ball Skills, etc.).

There is no denying he brings the wood though, and that stands out to a lot of people. Some team will fall in love with his natural athleticism and take him somewhere in the 20s. He could be selected over guys who are more ready to step in right away like Larry Asante and T.J. Ward just because he provides higher down the line potential.

Eric Berry – Tennessee
Earl Thomas – Texas
Taylor Mays – USC
Larry Asante – Nebraska
T.J. Ward – Oregon
Chad Jones – LSU
Nate Allen – South Florida
Morgan Burnett – Georgia Tech
Reshad Jones – Georgia
Major Wright – Florida

Specialists

It’s not a good year for Kickers and Punters. There are no elite prospects that could crack the top three rounds. Zoltan Mesko looks to be the best punter and Leigh Tiffin of Alabama and Aaron Pettrey of Ohio State look to battle it out for the honor of top kicker.

None are sure things, and they most likely won’t get taken until round five or later.

The Returners are mostly comprised of small quick scat back type players. They all have great speed and elusiveness but most are in the 5’5 – 5’8 height range. Jacoby Ford will most likely be the top one chosen, probably coming off the board somewhere in the mid third round range.

Jacoby Ford – Clemson
Javier Arenas – Alabama
Trinidon Holliday – LSU
Zoltan Mesko – Michigan
Brandon Banks – Kansas State
Leigh Tiffin – Alabama
Brandon James – Florida
Aaron Pettrey – Ohio State
Matt Dodge – East Carolina
Clint Gresham – TCU

Here is a rough Top 50 of how I think the players will end up being slotted. It doesn’t take into consideration team needs, systems, and such but simply how I think an NFL team would stack their big board based on value at this point in time.