2011 NFL Draft: Top 5 Players At Each Position

As the draft continues to get closer these rankings may change some, others may change drastically. This article will give my best insight on who are the top 5 players at each position for the 2011 national Football League draft . I will also give a brief summary on some of those players. These are only the players that will be entering the draft, therefore, talented prospects like Andrew Luck and Justin Blackmon will not be included.

Quarterbacks

Ryan Mallet—  Arkansas

Blaine Gabbert—  Missouri

Cam Newton—  Auburn

Jake Locker—  Washington

Pat Delvin—  Deleware

There is so much controversy on who is who among the QBs as of now, but that should diminish after the combine and pro days. Many are dogging Mallet because of his mobility, intelligence, footwork and check down skills. I disagree and believe he is the #1 QB in this draft because of his height, smooth release, accuracy and overall arm strength despite playing a brutal Southeastern Conference schedule. Gabbert makes horrible decisions, Newton will need time to develop, and Locker has not proven anything against top competition. Delvin is somewhat under the radar coming from the same school as Joe Flaco, but his 20 TD to 2 INT is very impressive.

Running-backs

RB

Mark Ingram—Alabama

Mikel Leshore—  Illinois

Ryan Williams—  Virginia Tech

DeMarco Murray—  Oklahoma

Daniel Thomas—  Kansas State

Ingram is your typical sized NFL back that has great running vision which enables him to find blocks and  holes. Acceleration, power and big pay ability are all there. Ryan Williams has 1st round talent but underperformed all year. Daniel Thomas has been on the rise all season after punching in 19 TDs this year. He is a very strong back who drags defenders for that extra yard.

Fullbacks

FB

Owen Marecic—  Stanford

Stanley Havili—  USC

Shaun Chapas—  Geroriga

Henry Hynoski—  Pittsburgh

Charles Clay—  Tulsa

Marecic is a very athletic full back who also started at linebacker this year and shows great competitiveness. Havili was a huge part of USC’s offense and is great at catching and running the ball, although not the best blocker. Hynoski is a very big guy at 260 who can catch the ball great for his size and blocks like a hoss.

Wide Receivers

AJ Green— Georgia

Julio Jones— Alabama

Jonathan Bladwin— Pittsburgh

Torrey Smith— Maryland

Jerrel Jernigan—Troy

Aj Green is the most complete wide receiver  in this draft and is the next of the elite receivers with the likes of Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, and Calvin Johnson. Julio Jones sneaks past the secondary with ease and is a nightmare to bring down after the catch.  No corner back wants to take Baldwin one on one in a jump ball situation with his huge frame and strong hands. Jernigan is the sleeper of this group, but he has all the moves in the book to separate from defenders making him wide open for the catch. 

Tight Ends

Kyle Rudolph—Notre Dame

Lance Kendricks—Wisconsin

Luke Stocker—Tennessee

DJ Williams—Arkansas

George Bryan—NC State

Kyle Rudolph leads this group by a long shot with his great speed for size. He is an effort machine. He attacks the ball and makes tough catches look easy. Kendricks is a very versatile tight end doing a little bit of everything. Stocker is a wide target and works the middle of the field well. George Bryan happens to be the best blocking tight end in this group, almost the size of a tackle. 

Offensive Tackles

Nate Solder—Colorado

Tyron Smith—USC

Gabe Carimi—Wisconsin

Anthony Castonzo—Boston College

Derek Sherrod—Mississippi State

Nate Solder is a physical freak, 6-9 315, and will do whatever it takes to make it in the National Football League. Smith’s footwork and athleticism are the best in this class. Gabe Carimi played very well against some of the nation’s top defensive ends in Adrian Clayborn and Cameron Heyward. Sherrod may be the best pass blocking tackle in this draft but his run blocking skills are not pristine.  

Offensive Guards

Clint Boling—Georgia

Orlando Franklin—Miami(FL)

Marcus Cannon—TCU

William Rackley—Lehigh

John Moffitt—Wisconsin

Boling has great football intelligence using it to understand opponents and will find an advantage to beat you at the line. Franklin is the run blocking king and takes great angles with his quick first step staying low while driving his legs. Moffitt is very versatile and could play Center as well. 

Centers

Mike Pouncey—Florida

Rodney Hudson—Florida State

Stefen Wisniewski—Penn State

Kris O’Dowd—USC

Zane Taylor—Utah

Pouncey is an excellent player just like his brother on the Steelers and can play the Guard position effectively as well. Hudson is very balanced being terrific in the run and pass game because of his great level and top notch awareness. 

Defensive Tackle

Nick Fairly—Auburn

Marcell Dareus—Alabama

Stephen Paea—Oregon State

Corey Liuget—Illinois

Drake Nevis—LSU

Fairly is a BEAST and dominated every game he played in this year including the national title. Dareus can play a 3-4 end as well because he possess the some of the best speed for any 305 pound man I have seen. Pea is a strong force in the run game and will clog the line with his great leverage. 

Defensive Ends

Da’Quan Bowers—Clemson

Robert Quinn—North Carolina

Ryan Kerrigan—Purdue

Adrain Clayborn—Iowa

Cameron Jordan—California

Defensive end is probably the most talented position in this draft. Bowers is fun to watch because of the way he transfers his speed to power and blasting upper body strength. Quinn is an athletic beast and will need to show scouts he still has what it takes after missing time this year. Kerrigan can turn the corner like no other and lead the nation with 26 tackles for loss this year. Although Clayborn underperformed most of the year he still has that gifted 1st round talent that scouts love. Jordan is one of the better ends at stuffing the run and has a wide variety of skilled pass rush moves.

Inside Linebackers

Dont’a Hightower—Alabama

Quan Sturdivant—North Carolina

Greg Jones—Michigan State

Kelvin Sheppard—LSU

Nate Irving—NC State

Inside linebacker is one of the positions that is lacking elite talent this year. Hightower is a disciplined, instinctive linebacker that is very aggressive and will drive legs all the way through contact. Jones is a picture perfect tackler and finds the ball as good as anyone in this draft. 

Outside Linebackers

Von Miller—Texas A&M

Akeem Ayers—UCLA

Justin Houston—Georgia

Bruce Carter—North Carolina

Mark Herzlich—Boston College

No one gets to the quarter back like Miller, and as much as a sack choreographer as he is, he can also play well in zone coverage. Ayers is one hell of an athlete who can play in the 3-4 and 4-3 and is the best linebacker in coverage this draft. Houston has literally taken off as a pass rusher this year. We all know about Herzlich’s cancer story and I have the utmost respect for him. He's tough as nails, takes on blocks with pure power, plays the game well, and is the type of guy all teams want in their locker room. 

Cornerback

Probably the coolest pic ever

Patrick Peterson—LSU

Prince Amukamara—Nebraska

Brandon Harris—Miami(FL)

Aaron Williams—Texas

Ras-I Dowling—Virginia

Peterson is one stud of a football player and is a rare talent to find. He locates the ball anywhere in the air, takes great angles to the point of attack, and then plays the ball aggressively. Amukamara is not too far behind Peterson in talent and plays man to man coverage tremendously. Harris is very balanced doing a little bit of everything and doing it well. Dowling can read quarterbacks well and has great reactions to the ball.  

Safeties

Rahim Moore—UCLA

Kenny Tate—Maryland

DeAndre McDaniel—Clemson

Quinton Carter—Oklahoma

Robert Sands—West Virginia

Moore is a complete and instinctive ball hawk and will intercept anything that comes his way. McDaniel’s strong point is his ability to shut down the run by taking great angles, closing in on the ball in a hurry, and exploding with power on his hits. Sand has great football intelligence, aggression, and he brings a physical presence down the middle of field.