NFL Draft 2011: Examining Wes Bunting's Tier Rankings of the Top Prospects

When NFL Draft season comes around, fans will eat up any and all analysis of the prospects coming out of college into the NFL.

That's why it's always refreshing to see something other than a big board or a mock draft.

Wes Bunting of National Football Post ranked the prospects into tiers—different groups which indicate a player's expected level of production for their rookie year and their career, otherwise known as their "ceiling."

Bunting describes his rankings by saying:

"Tier rankings is a tool used by decision makers come draft day to keep them from reaching on need over talent. It allows them to stay focused on the best prospects available, easily cluing them in on just how much of a talent drop there would be between the best player on their board and the best player at the position(s) they need."

What's most interesting about these tiers is how they divide the prospects up in ways that don't correlate much—if at all—to the run-of-the-mill big boards.

In fact, this should really be the basis for any good big board, at least in terms of ranking the prospects at each position.

Of course, different factors will go into each prospect, but this is a good place to start.

Instead of getting descriptions of a prospect's athleticism accompanied by vague accounts of how that athleticism translates to the next level, Bunting takes an impartial stance of what can be expected from each prospect.

Really, this is as easy as any breakdown will get in terms of understanding the prospects at hand.

All the common draft day questions—is my team taking a big risk? Will this guy contribute early?—can be answered by reviewing the tier breakdown above.

In short, this article shows the real value of guys like Cam Newton in comparison to Robert Quinn.

One has to wonder why any team—even one that is desperate for a quarterback to put butts in seats and create the illusion of a franchise moving forward—would take a risk on Newton in the Top 10 with so many sure-fire bets left on the board.

His athleticism makes him one of the most intriguing prospects of the draft, but none of that matters if he can't grasp an NFL offense and doesn't mature into the role of a starting NFL quarterback.

Other guys are in that tier for various reasons, but the general message is the same: Proceed with extreme caution.

Ultimately, this article takes into account the real value of each player.

Value—not need—should reign supreme on draft day.

Of course, this is the opinion of just one man, but the perspective it provides should enlighten many readers who have grown tired of the mundane big boards and mock drafts.