PRO PLAYER INSIDERS EARLY 2016 NFL DRAFT POSITION RANKINGS
We want to note that this is where each player would be valued if they came out early this past year and this is seniors only. We will rank underclassmen once they declare in January.
We are not projecting rounds on players and going strictly by the film evaluations we have done based on last year. For example, we know that Cook and likely one more senior will definitely go in the top two rounds but that is not where we would value them.
Players like Braxton Miller and others coming off injury have been downgraded and will surely rise if their play is back to where it was prior to their injuries.
QUARTERBACKS
| 1 | Connor | Cook | Michigan State | 3rd |
| 2 | Cody | Kessler | Southern California | 3rd |
| 3 | Dak | Prescott | Mississippi State | 4th-5th |
| 4 | Braxton | Miller | Ohio State | 4th-5th |
| 5 | Carson | Wentz | North Dakota State | 5th-6th |
| 6 | Kevin | Hogan | Stanford | 6th-7th |
| 7 | Trevone | Boykin | TCU | 6th-7th |
| 8 | Brandon | Allen | Arkansas | 7th-PFA |
| 9 | Travis | Wilson | Utah | 7th-PFA |
| 10 | Marquise | Williams | North Carolina | 7th-PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Jacoby Brissett, NC State
Mike Bercovici, Arizona State
Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
Josh Woodrum, Liberty
Taysom Hill, BYU
James Harris, California PA
Tre Roberson, Illinois State
John Robertson, Villanova
Nate Sudfeld, Indiana
Vad Lee, James Madison
The quarterback position is much stronger, just by the senior class along, in 2016. Look for more quarterbacks to be taken in the top 3 rounds. Our sleeper is Carson Wentz who we believe could end up in the 3rd round.
RUNNING BACKS
| 1 | Jonathan | Williams | Arkansas | 2nd-3rd |
| 2 | Devontae | Booker | Utah | 3rd |
| 3 | D.J. | Foster | Arizona State | 4th |
| 4 | Daniel | Lasco | California | 5th-6th |
| 5 | Marshaun | Coprich | Illinois State | 6th |
| 6 | Kenneth | Dixon | Louisiana Tech | 6th-7th |
| 7 | Brandon | Wilds | South Carolina | 7th |
| 8 | Leon | Allen | Western Kentucky | 7th-PFA |
| 9 | Kenyan | Drake | Alabama | PFA |
| 10 | Kenneth | Farrow | Houston | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Aaron Green, TCU
Paul James, Rutgers
Johnathan Gray, Texas
Tre Madden, USC
Storm Woods, Oregon State
Keith Marshall, Georgia
Kenyan Drake is our sleeper. While Drake has never started he is a talent player who would start at just about any other program. Coprich’s status is clouded with his recent arrest and Tre Madden is an interesting player coming off an injury.
FULLBACKS
| 1 | Devon | Johnson | Marshall | PFA |
| 2 | Trayion | Durham | Kent State | PFA |
| 3 | Chris | Swain | Navy | PFA |
| 4 | Quayvon | Hicks | Georgia | PFA |
| 5 | Dan | Vitale | Northwestern | PFA |
| 6 | Andrew | Bonnet | North Dakota State | PFA/FA |
| 7 | Matt | Tuleja | Massachusetts | FA |
| 8 | Jake | Cross | Memphis | FA |
| 9 | Seth | Fisher | Richmond | FA |
| 10 | Nick | Butier | Northern Arizona | FA |
There will surely be a fullback drafted in 2016 and the top two candidates are Devon Johnson and Trayion Durham. Durham is coming off an injury and would have been number one on this list if he wasn’t. Swain is a sleeper from Navy who has gotten a lot of interest from NFL teams already.
WIDE RECEIVERS
| 1 | Leonte | Carroo | Rutgers | 2nd |
| 2 | D’haquille | Williams | Auburn | 2nd-3rd |
| 3 | Sterling | Shepard | Oklahoma | 3rd |
| 4 | Nelson | Spruce | Colorado | 4th |
| 5 | Devon | Cajuste | Stanford | 4th-5th |
| 6 | Kolby | Listenbee | TCU | 5th |
| 7 | Byron | Marshall | Oregon | 5th |
| 8 | Jordan | Payton | UCLA | 5th |
| 9 | Tajae | Sharpe | Massachusetts | 6th |
| 10 | Darrin | Peterson | Liberty | 6th |
| 11 | Josh | Doctson | TCU | 6th |
| 12 | Seth | DeValve | Princeton | 6th-7th |
| 13 | Mekale | McKay | Cincinnati | 7th-PFA |
| 14 | Quinshad | Davis | North Carolina | PFA |
| 15 | Chris | Moore | Cincinnati | PFA |
| 16 | Quenton | Bundrage | Iowa State | PFA |
| 17 | Devin | Fuller | UCLA | PFA |
| 18 | Bryce | Treggs | California | PFA |
| 19 | Jamal | Robinson | Louisiana Lafayette | PFA |
| 20 | Keon | Hatcher | Arkansas | PFA |
| 21 | Cody | Core | Mississippi | PFA |
| 22 | Marcus | Leak | Maryland | PFA |
| 23 | Mitch | Mathews | BYU | PFA |
| 24 | Alonzo | Russell | Toledo | PFA |
| 25 | Johnny | Holton | Cincinnati | PFA |
| 26 | Tyler | Ervin | San Jose State | PFA |
| 27 | Jared | Dangerfield | Western Kentucky | PFA |
| 28 | Dom | Williams | Washington State | PFA |
| 29 | Malcolm | Mitchell | Georgia | PFA |
| 30 | J.D. | McKissic | Arkansas State | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Chris Brown, Notre Dame
Jaydon Mickens, Washington
Chris King, Duquesne
Karnorris Benson, Western Carolina
Durron Neal, Oklahoma
Blair Roberts, Old Dominion
Dez Steward, Ohio Dominican
Marquise Cushon, Pittsburg State
Our top two are the definite leaders at this point, in our opinion, and we believe Western Kentucky’ Jared Dangerfield is a sleeper to keep an eye on. This is a very solid group.
TIGHT ENDS
| 1 | Pharaoh | Brown | Oregon | 3rd |
| 2 | Nick | Vannett | Ohio State | 4th |
| 3 | Jerell | Adams | South Carolina | 5th |
| 4 | Bryce | Williams | East Carolina | 6th |
| 5 | Tim | Brown | West Chester | 6th |
| 6 | Steven | Scheu | Vanderbilt | 6th-7th |
| 7 | Tyler | Higbee | Western Kentucky | 7th |
| 8 | Jake | McGee | Florida | PFA |
| 9 | Braxton | Deaver | Duke | PFA |
| 10 | Kivon | Cartwright | Colorado State | PFA |
| 11 | Ryan | Malleck | Virginia Tech | PFA |
| 12 | Kyle | Carter | Penn State | PFA |
| 13 | Dillon | Gordon | LSU | PFA |
| 14 | Cody | Clay | West Virginia | PFA |
| 15 | Jay | Rome | Georgia | PFA |
This group is very solid and has a lot more talent than it did last season. Williams and Brown are two players we could see climbing up a good bit higher. Cartwright and Deaver are solid players coming off injury while Ryan Malleck is a real sleeper to watch because he splits time with an All-ACC tight end.
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
| 1 | Taylor | Decker | Ohio State | 1st-2nd |
| 2 | Isaiah | Battle | Clemson | 2nd |
| 3 | Le’Raven | Clark | Texas Tech | 3rd |
| 4 | John | Theus | Georgia | 3rd |
| 5 | Tyler | Johnstone | Oregon | 4th |
| 6 | Brandon | Shell | South Carolina | 4th |
| 7 | Kyle | Murphy | Stanford | 4th-5th |
| 8 | Spencer | Drango | Baylor | 5th |
| 9 | Joe | Haeg | North Dakota State | 5th |
| 10 | Tyler | Marz | Wisconsin | 5th-6th |
| 11 | Jason | Spriggs | Indiana | 5th-6th |
| 12 | Keith | Lumpkin | Rutgers | 6th-7th |
| 13 | Joe | Gore | Clemson | PFA |
| 14 | Clay | DeBord | Eastern Washington | PFA |
| 15 | Gavin | Andrews | Oregon State | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Arturo Uzdavinis, Tulane
Alex Lewis, Nebraska
Jordan Swindle, Kentucky
Pearce Slater, San Diego State
Ramadan Ahmeti, Central Michigan
Ike Harris, East Carolina
Josh Campion, Minnesota
Halapoulivaati Vaitai, TCU
Ben Curtis, Delaware
Decker and Battle are very close at the top. Battle is rated much higher by NFL personnel and PPI than most media have him. He would have likely been a first round pick had he come out last year. DeBord and Andrews are two players we expect to rise into the draft.
OFFENSIVE GUARDS
| 1 | Vadal | Alexander | LSU | 3rd |
| 2 | Joshua “Josh” | Garnett | Stanford | 5th |
| 3 | Landon | Turner | North Carolina | 6th |
| 4 | Cody | Whitehair | Kansas State | 6th-7th |
| 5 | Aaron | Morris | Mississippi | 7th-PFA |
| 6 | Joseph | Cheek | Texas A&M | 7th-PFA |
| 7 | Vi | Teofilo | Arizona State | PFA |
| 8 | Rees | Odhiambo | Boise State | PFA |
| 9 | Graham | Glasgow | Michigan | PFA |
| 10 | Joe | Dahl | Washington State | PFA |
| 11 | Jamison | Lalk | Iowa State | PFA |
| 12 | Sedrick | Flowers | Texas | PFA |
| 13 | Nila | Kasitati | Oklahoma | PFA |
| 14 | Clint | Van Horn | Marshall | PFA |
| 15 | Darrell | Greene | San Diego State | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Parker Ehinger, Cincinnati
Christian Westerman Arizona State
Dexter Charles, Washington
Herschel Prater, Minnesota Mankato
Torian White, Hampton
Jonathan Burgess, Liberty
We believe Alexander is the top prospect by far but there are several solid players to keep an eye on. Joseph Cheek from Texas A&M is a player to keep an eye on as he could be a mid-late round riser and has bloodlines.
CENTERS
| 1 | Max | Tuerk | Southern California | 2nd |
| 2 | Nick | Martin | Notre Dame | 5th |
| 3 | Ryan | Kelly | Alabama | 5th-6th |
| 4 | Jake | Brendel | UCLA | 6th |
| 5 | Nick | Kelly | Arizona State | 6th |
| 6 | Marcus | Henry | Boise State | 6th-7th |
| 7 | Austin | Blythe | Iowa | 7th |
| 8 | Evan | Boehm | Missouri | 7th-PFA |
| 9 | Jack | Allen | Michigan State | PFA |
| 10 | Robert | Kugler | Purdue | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Mike Matthews, Texas A&M
Dominic Espinosa, Texas
Anthony Fabiano, Harvard
Matt Skura, Duke
Garrick Mayweather Jr., Fordham
Jacoby Boren, Ohio State
Andrew Ness, Northern Illinois
Kyle Friend, Temple
We have several tackles and guards projected in this group but we do think this is a deeper class than it was last year. Tuerk, Martin, and Kelly are the definite top 3 and could all end up going in the top four rounds.
DEFENSIVE ENDS
| 1 | DeForest | Buckner | Oregon | 1st |
| 2 | Shilique | Calhoun | Michigan State | 1st |
| 3 | Shawn | Oakman | Baylor | 3rd |
| 4 | Sheldon | Rankins | Louisville | 3rd-4th |
| 5 | Drew | Ott | Iowa | 4th |
| 6 | Corey | Marshall | Virginia Tech | 4th |
| 7 | Noah | Spence | Eastern Kentucky | 5th |
| 8 | Eddie | Yarbrough | Wyoming | 5th-6th |
| 9 | Charles | Tapper | Oklahoma | 5th-6th |
| 10 | Jonathan | Bullard | Florida | 6th |
| 11 | Darius | Hamilton | Rutgers | 7th |
| 12 | Jihad | Ward | Illinois | 7th-PFA |
| 13 | Theiren | Cockran | Minnesota | 7th-PFA |
| 14 | Jonathan | Woodard | Central Arkansas | 7th-PFA |
| 15 | LaMichael | Fanning | Jacksonville State | 7th-PFA |
| 16 | Caleb | Azubike | Vanderbilt | PFA |
| 17 | Sterling | Bailey | Georgia | PFA |
| 18 | Ron | Thompson | Syracuse | PFA |
| 19 | Jessie | Rogers | North Carolina | PFA |
| 20 | Mario | Ojemudia | Michigan | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
DaVonte Lambert, Auburn
Blake Serpa, Central Michigan
Matt Judon, Grand Valley State
Terrell Lathan, TCU
Silverberry Mouhon, Cincinnati
Victor Ochi, Stony Brook
Jason Fanaika, Utah
This is a stacked group. Oakman may end up in the first round but his value in our eyes and that of NFL teams is more of a mid round prospect. His size will ultimately make it hard for him to fall past the third round.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
4-3
| 1 | Sheldon | Day | Notre Dame | 1st |
| 2 | Anthony | Zettel | Penn State | 2nd |
| 3 | Nile | Lawrence-Stample | Florida State | 3rd |
| 4 | Adolphus | Washington | Ohio State | 3rd |
| 5 | Jarran | Reed | Alabama | 4th-5th |
| 6 | Adam | Gotsis | Georgia Tech | 5th |
| 7 | Luther | Maddy | Virginia Tech | 5th-6th |
| 8 | Vernon | Butler | Louisiana Tech | 6th |
| 9 | Connor | Wujciak | Boston College | 6th |
| 10 | Matt | Ioannidis | Temple | 6th |
| 11 | Devaunte | Sigler | Jacksonville State | 6th |
| 12 | Lawrence | Thomas | Michigan State | 7th |
| 13 | Beau | Blackshear | Baylor | PFA |
| 14 | Antwaun | Woods | Southern California | PFA |
| 15 | Tylor | Harris | Wake Forest | PFA |
3-4
| 1 | O.J. | Mau | Gardner-Webb | 7th-PFA |
| 2 | Joel | Heath | Michigan State | PFA |
| 3 | Derrick | Mitchell Jr. | Florida State | PFA |
| 4 | Kyle | Rose | West Virginia | PFA |
| 5 | D.J. | Reader | Clemson | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State
Alex Balducci, Oregon
Davion Pierson, TCU
Rodney Coe, Akron
Al Page, Wagner
Josh Tupou, Colorado
Gerrand Johnson, Louisiana Monroe
David Dean, Virginia
Anthony McDaniel, Bowie State
Jon Desir, Towson
Day is by far our top prospect. We really like the upside and potential to see D.J. Reader and Jon Desir move up the board. Gerrand Johnson is another fun prospect who is limited in his draft potential because of his size but has a motor that doesn’t stop and he can run pretty well.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
| 1 | Jordan | Jenkins | Georgia | 1st-2nd |
| 2 | Dadi | Nicolas | Virginia Tech | 2nd-3rd |
| 3 | Curt | Maggitt | Tennessee | 3rd |
| 4 | Pete | Robertson | Texas Tech | 4th |
| 5 | Kris | Frost | Auburn | 4th |
| 6 | Terrance | Smith | Florida State | 4th |
| 7 | Eric | Striker | Oklahoma | 4th-5th |
| 8 | Joshua | Perry | Ohio State | 4th-5th |
| 9 | Montese | Overton | East Carolina | 4th-5th |
| 10 | Antonio | Morrison | Florida | 4th-5th |
| 11 | Kyler | Fackrell | Utah State | 4th-5th |
| 12 | Tyriq | McCord | Miami | 5th |
| 13 | Bronson | Kaufusi | BYU | 6th |
| 14 | Tyler | Matakevich | Temple | 6th-7th |
| 15 | Jared | Norris | Utah | 6th-7th |
| 16 | Ed | Davis | Michigan State | 7th |
| 17 | DeVondre | Campbell | Minnesota | 7th |
| 18 | Antonio | Longino | Arizona State | 7th |
| 19 | Kamu | Grugier-Hill | Eastern Illinois | PFA |
| 20 | Deon | King | Norfolk State | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Graham Stewart, UCONN
Connor Underwood, Indiana State
T.T. Barber, Middle Tennessee State
Kache Palacio, Washington State
Josh Forrest, Kentucky
This is a very loaded group and we believe that the value of Josh Perry, Montese Overton, Brnson Kaufusi, and DeVondre Campbell are both going to rise.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
| 1 | Reggie | Ragland | Alabama | 2nd |
| 2 | Reggie | Northrup | Florida State | 3rd |
| 3 | Cassanova | McKinzy | Auburn | 3rd-4th |
| 4 | Blake | Martinez | Stanford | 6th |
| 5 | Zeek | Bigger | East Carolina | 7th |
| 6 | James | Burgess | Louisville | 7th-PFA |
| 7 | Nick | Kwiatkoski | West Virginia | 7th-PFA |
| 8 | Kentrell | Brothers | Missouri | 7th-PFA |
| 9 | C.J. | Johnson | Mississippi | PFA |
| 10 | Joe | Bolden | Michigan | PFA |
| 11 | Kyrie | Wilson | Fresno State | PFA |
| 12 | Raphael | Kirby | Miami | PFA |
| 13 | Frank | Shannon | Oklahoma | PFA |
| 14 | Jason | Whittingham | Utah | PFA |
| 15 | Desmond | Morgan | Michigan | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Jovan Santos-Knox, UMASS
Mason Monheim, Illinois
Joe Walker, Oregon
Brandon Chubb, Wake Forest
Luke Rhodes, William & Mary
Don Cherry, Villanova
We believe that Cassanova McKinzy and Zeek Bigger are going to rise up the board. If you are looking for a late round or free agent projection to rise up the board there is belief around scouting circles that Jovan Santos-Knox and Joe Walker will move up as we get closer to draft day.
CORNERBACKS
| 1 | Lloyd | Carrington | Arizona State | 3rd |
| 2 | Jordan | Lucas | Penn State | 4th |
| 3 | Orlando “Duke” | Thomas | Texas | 4th |
| 4 | Jonathan | Jones | Auburn | 4th-5th |
| 5 | William | Jackson | Houston | 4th-5th |
| 6 | Trevor | Williams | Penn State | 4th-5th |
| 7 | Maurice | Canady | Virginia | 5th |
| 8 | Kevin | Peterson | Oklahoma State | 6th |
| 9 | Kevon | Seymour | Southern California | 6th |
| 10 | D.J. | White | Georgia Tech | 6th |
| 11 | Eric | Murray | Minnesota | 6th-7th |
| 12 | Cyrus | Jones | Alabama | 6th-7th |
| 13 | Blake | Countess | Michigan | 6th-7th |
| 14 | Fabian | Moreau | UCLA | 7th |
| 15 | Will | Redmond | Mississippi State | 7th |
| 16 | DeAndre | Houston-Carson | William & Mary | 7th |
| 17 | Briean | Boddy-Calhoun | Minnesota | 7th-PFA |
| 18 | Kenya | Dennis | Missouri | PFA |
| 19 | Nick | VanHoose | Northwestern | PFA |
| 20 | Damarius | Travis | Minnesota | PFA |
| 21 | Anthony | Brown | Purdue | PFA |
| 22 | Wayne | Lyons | Michigan | PFA |
| 23 | Frankie | Williams | Purdue | PFA |
| 24 | Taveze | Calhoun | Mississippi State | PFA |
| 25 | Kenneth “Ken” | Crawley | Colorado | PFA |
| 26 | V’Angelo | Bentley | Illinois | PFA |
| 27 | Tavon | Young | Temple | PFA |
| 28 | Jimmy | Pruitt | San Jose State | PFA |
| 29 | Darius | Hillary | Wisconsin | PFA |
| 30 | Tracy | Howard | Miami | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Richard Leonard, Florida International
James Bradberry, Samford
Harlan Miller, Southeastern Louisiana
We have Lloyd Carrington, Jordan Lucas, and Duke Thomas are the top three for sure and should all be a top 100 pick when all is said and done.
NFL teams are always looking for tall, long corners so keep an eye on a few players we have rated lower such as Taveze Calhoun, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Damarius Travis, and Harlan Miller.
FREE SAFETIES
| 1 | Jalen | Mills | LSU | 4th |
| 2 | Darian | Thompson | Boise State | 5th |
| 3 | Tevin | Carter | Utah | 6th |
| 4 | Deon | Bush | Miami | 6th |
| 5 | Jamal | Golden | Georgia Tech | 7th |
| 6 | Doug | Middleton | Appalachian State | 7th-PFA |
| 7 | Demond | Smith | Georgia Tech | PFA |
| 8 | LaDarrell | McNeil | Tennessee | PFA |
| 9 | Sean | Davis | Maryland | PFA |
| 10 | A.J. | Stamps | Kentucky | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Jamie Byrd, South Florida
Justin Simmons, Boston College
Jordan Lomax, Iowa
Matt Dobson, Georgia Southern
Eric Williams, Indiana PA
We have Mills as the clear number one but keep an eye on Tevin Carter who has a lot of potential and good physical tools. Simmons, Byrd, and Stamps are all sleepers to rise.
STRONG SAFETIES
| 1 | Jeremy | Cash | Duke | 2nd-3rd |
| 2 | Karl | Joseph | West Virginia | 3rd-4th |
| 3 | Kevin | Byard | Middle Tennessee State | 7th |
| 4 | Miles | Killebrew | Southern Utah | 7th |
| 5 | Michael | Caputo | Wisconsin | 7th |
| 6 | Julien | David | Howard | 7th-PFA |
| 7 | RJ | Williamson | Michigan State | PFA |
| 8 | Charles | Washington | Fresno State | PFA |
| 9 | Elijah | Shumate | Notre Dame | PFA |
| 10 | Brian | Randolph | Tennessee | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Tyler Hunter, Florida State
Derrick Moncrief, Auburn
Isaiah Johnson, South Carolina
Dante Barnett, Kansas State
Jordan Simone, Arizona State
We believe that Jeremy Cash is the clear cut number one strong safety but Karl Joseph and Kevin Byard are two quality players to watch. Byard should rise up the board and we think Elijah Shumate and RJ Williamson are potential mid to late round picks so we expect to move them up the board. One big sleeper is Miles Killebrew whose size and speed will vault him up the board and make him a potential top 150 pick.
KICKERS
| 1 | Brad | Craddock | Maryland | 6th-7th |
| 2 | Ross | Martin | Duke | PFA |
| 3 | Marshall | Morgan | Georgia | PFA |
| 4 | John | Lunsford | Liberty | PFA |
| 5 | Tyler | Tate | Bowling Green | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Ian Frye, Virginia
Paul Griggs, Purdue
Ammon Lakip, Clemson
Jaden Oberkrom, TCU
Craddock is the only one we have in the draft right now but we do think Ross Martin, Marshall Morgan, and Johns Lunsford all have a chance to move into the draft.
PUNTERS
| 1 | Tom | Hackett | Utah | 7th |
| 2 | Drew | Kaser | Texas A&M | PFA |
| 3 | Jamie | Keehn | LSU | PFA |
| 4 | Peter | Mortell | Minnesota | PFA |
| 5 | Will | Monday | Duke | PFA |
OTHERS TO WATCH
Cason Beatty, Florida State
Nick O’Toole, West Virginia
Alex Kinal, Wake Forest
Drew Riggleman, Arizona
Kris Albarado, USC
As of right now we only have Hackett in the draft but Drew Kaser, Jamie Keehn, and Peter Mortell have all been productive and could find their way into the late rounds.
LONG SNAPPER
| 1 | Nathan | Theus | Georgia | FA |
As of right now Theus is the only one we have a grade on and that is because he is big and has good snap times. His speed is something he will need to show improvement on for us to put him near the draft.
ALL-PURPOSE
| 1 | Tyreek | Hill | Akron | PFA |
| 2 | Ed | Eagan | Northwestern State | PFA |
| 3 | Autrey | Golden | UTEP | PFA |
| 4 | Pokey | Harris | Murray State | FA |
| 5 | Demitri | Knowles | Virginia Tech | FA |
Hill is the best of the bunch, by far, but his current transfer status makes him an unknown. He may sit out and play in 2016.
