BBI's Pre-Combine Big Board (Top 75)

With Dan's big board coming out, decided to put out the one that I have, pre-combine.


Disclaimer - My opinions and observations. Will definitely change post-combine.

1) Andrew Luck, QB - No brainer.

2) Trent Richardson, RB - Best RB prospect since AP.

3) Matt Kalil, OT - Best pass protector I've seen in college in the past 4 years. Last great one was Jake Long.

4) Robert Griffin III, QB - Cam Newton opened things up for ultra-athletic QBs, which is exactly what RGIII is.

5) David DeCastro, OG - Poor positional value, but exceptional talent. Not often can you guarantee multiple future probowls, but I think you can here.

6) Morris Claiborne, CB - Basically a Patrick Peterson clone.

7) Justin Blackmon, WR - Physical, great hands, excellent route runner. Not as good as Green or Jones, but close.

8) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB - I think he has the highest upside of any DB in the draft.

9) Quinton Coples, DE - Problems with motor, but if he wants to play, he's as good a prospect as I've seen.

10) Luke Kuechly, ILB - Virtually no weaknesses in his game, questions about athleticism are unfounded, I think.

11) Michael Brockers, DT - Doesn't have a great array of moves, but the size/speed combo impossible to ignore.

12) Alshon Jeffrey, WR - Must think I'm crazy, but I think the rumors are unfounded. Top 10 pick in 2010, and the only reason he suffered this year was from consistent double coverage, loss of Marcus Lattimore, and a drunk QB.

13) Melvin Ingram, DE - Lots of comparisons to Justin Tuck. I can see it.

14) Jonathon Martin, OT - A poor man's Matt Kalil, incidentally. Does everything well, but I did see him struggle a bit versus power rushers.

15) Michael Floyd, WR - Size/speed combo again. Has the production to match it.

16) Courtney Upshaw, OLB - I don't think he's got an elite first step, but he's powerful and knows how to get good leverage

17) Riley Reiff, OT - I think his skillset is reminiscent of Brian Bulaga.

18) Mark Barron, SS - I love Barron's physicality and leadership. Would be an enforcer type, but isn't the greatest in coverage.

19) Devon Still, DT - Inconsistency is a big problem, but he's shown ability to be a good run stopper and pass rusher.

20) Janoris Jenkins, CB - Thought he could've been a 1st rounder last year. Boom or bust.

21) Cordy Glenn, OG - I'm his biggest fan. Great athleticism for size. Played LT and held his own. Could be very good RT or dominant guard in the NFL. His footwork combined with the size gives him high upside.

22) Whitney Mercilus, DE - Athletic with production. Great first step and decent size.

23) Zach Brown, OLB - Speed. Speed. Speed. Instincts and tackling technique suspect though.

24) Peter Konz, OC - Could have been one of the best OC prospects I've seen in terms of strength and pass blocking. Haven't seen him get bowled back. Kind of low because of health concerns.

25) Dwayne Allen, TE - Great body control, experience as a blocker - a better blocking Brandon Pettigrew.

26) Kendall Wright, WR - I don't see what other draftniks see. He's explosive and fast, but I guess I just haven't watched enough tape on him to see him beat press coverage.

27) Lamar Miller, RB - Great acceleration + great vision + great upper body strength = successful NFL RB. He has stick legs though, and I have some worries about him getting taken down a little too easily at the knees.

28) Dont'a Hightower, LB - Great instincts, great leadership, big, powerful thumper. Limited lateral agility and slow, so I think he's limited to 3-4 ILB.

29) Mike Adams, OT - Brilliant senior bowl, but he's been plagued with inconsistency and character problems.

30) Fletcher Cox, DT - I wasn't a fan at first, but then, after watching a few more games, he reminds me more and more of Nick Fairley. Great at getting penetration, and a good gap shooter.

31) Dontari Poe. NT - Mammoth of a man that's also good at pass rushing. Reminds me of Linval Joseph.

32) Alfonzo Dennard, CB - I'm not buying his stock dropping that low. He has good size, and he's got great tape from 2010 opposite Prince Amukamara. He did well vs Nick Toon from Wisconsin. He got beat vs Alshon Jeffery, but as UKRedskin showed, he's a very good press corner.

33) Chase Minniefield, CB - I think he's the most scheme versatile corner and probably the best zone guy. Great instincts, not great speed.

34) Brandon Thompson, DT - I think he's one of the most athletically gifted DTs in the draft, and people are forgetting that.

35) David Wilson, RB - Again, ridiculous speed. Similar to Miller, one-cut, shoot the gap style running. Doesn't quite have Miller's explosiveness though.

36) Chandler Jones, DE - I probably have him higher than most. He's fast as hell, but has somewhat of a thin frame. Hard to believe at 265 lbs, but I think he has room to add a few more pounds. His quickness is probably what will form the foundation for him to grow as a passrusher.

37) Kelechi Osemele, G/OT - Immense player that I've got bets on to win the bench press at this year's combine.

38) Mohamed Sanu, WR - I'm down on him more than others simply because of the whole separation issue. I think there's a difference between him and Jeffrey, I've seen Alshon get plenty of separation before. I haven't seen that from Sanu. Both struggle against press coverage, but I think Alshon uses his body better to box out defenders than Sanu...who, to his credit, has made some insane catches before.

39) Ronnell Lewis, OLB - I think he's a great pass rusher that's got all the physical tools. A few character concerns.

40) Stephon Gilmore, CB - Athletically gifted, but I've seen him goof on his fair share of coverages at USC.

41) Vinny Curry, OLB - Was great at the Senior Bowl, but I went back and looked at him some more earlier on, and he didn't have the same burst that I saw, nor did he win the leverage battle and lean around the OTs like he did just this past month ago. I think I like Chandler Jones just a little more.

42) Jerel Worthy, DT - Mayock really likes him. I see someone who did really well against Peter Konz, but someone who disappeared against Nebraska. Maddeningly inconsistent, but he could still be a first rounder.

43) Coby Fleener, TE - Dominant as a receiver, raw as a blocker. Frame can add on some weight, but tremendous upside.

44) Nick Perry, DE - Raw. Raw . Raw. Just upside here because of his athleticism.

45) Brandon Weeden, QB - All the tools of a 1st round pick. Just the age issue.

46) Bobby Massie, OT - Monstrous run blocker, with great footwork. An athlete.

47) Kevin Zietler, OG - Can't go wrong with Wisconsin uglies.

48) Brandon Washington, OG/OT - Had an up and down time at Miami. I think he's a bit like his former teammate Orlando Franklin.

49) Jonathon Massaquoi, DE/OLB - Smallish for a DE, but the guy reminds me of Osi Umenyiora. Undersized Troy passrushers with an insane first step, but terrible run defenders.

50) Doug Martin, RB - Lacks elite speed, but has great balance with decent power. Poor man's Ray Rice with upside to get there.

51) Markelle Martin, SS - ct17 turned me onto him, so I started to pay attention and I liked what I saw. He's my number 2 safety in this class. Fundamentally sound hitter with good pass protecting skills.

52) Alameda Ta'amu, NT - I know he's had a great Senior Bowl, but I have him this low because I'd like to see more consistency with his pass rushing skills.

53) Dwight Jones, WR - As you can see, I don't take too much stock in the Senior Bowl. I love Jones' skill set, with his size and projected 4.5 speed. He has small hands, which might hurt him some.

54) Jayron Hosley, CB - I think he has fluid hips and would be an excellent slot corner. He's fast too. I think he's way too small though at 5'9 170 lbs.

55) Jared Crick, DT - Wasn't having a great year even before his injury, but his 2010 showcased his athleticism.

56) Reuben Randle, WR - 6'4 size with good speed, but he doesn't have great tape. Disappeared at points during the year.

57) Harrison Smith, S - Probaby the 2nd smartest safety behind Mark Barron, he's like the opposite of Taylor Mays. Huge guy that isn't as athletic, but you never see him give up a huge play and he keeps things in front of him.

58) Vontaze Burfict, ILB - So much to hate about him. Work ethic, character, tackling fundamentals, instincts. His 2010 tape looked great, though.

59) Orson Charles, TE - Poor man's Aaron Hernandez.

60) Lavonte David, OLB - So much to love about him. Work ethic, character, tackling fundamentals, instincts. Problem is that he's a tweener, and I think he's too slow to be a safety, and too small to be a linebacker.

61) Bernard Pierce, RB - Probably the best power back in the draft, he's got decent size but hits the hole hard.

62) Amini Silatolu, OG - I'll admit that I knew next to nothing about him. After reading scouting reports and watching whatever videos I could, I can officially say I'm a fan.

63) Michael Brewster, OC - He gets overpowered sometimes, but he's wily and his technique is extremely sound.

64) Ryan Tannehill, QB - My bust meter with this guy is off the charts. I think he doesn't do a good job reading his progressions, he's had little experience at QB, and is skittish in the pocket when you apply pressure.

65) Brandon Boykin, CB - He's fast, but doesn't have fluid hips and probably will only play outside.

66) Audie Cole, ILB - Does a bit of everything well. Didn't see any of his games, but whatever film I could find, I saw a player that has good instincts, sniffs out plays, and is presence on run defense.

67) Andrew Datko, OT - Was quite a good player for the Seminoles before his shoulder injury. Particularly impressed with his pass blocking.

68) Bruce Irvin, OLB - Not a lot of great tape, but a hunch that this guys athleticism will make him shoot up the big boards after the combine.

69) Josh Norman, CB - The only time I've seen him is at the East-West Shrine game and again for just a little bit from the Senior Bowl. He absolutely destroyed that Shrine game and displayed great, sound, athleticism.

70) Chris Polk, RB - Does a bit of everything well, nothing really well. I think he can be a nice player that can spell a feature back with upside because of his balance and vision to eventually become a starter.

71) LaMichael James, RB - I question his ability to play at his size in the NFL, but there's no questioning that he's a playmaker.

72) Ben Jones, OC - Not much to say about him, he's got good size. Kind of tall at 6'2, and rarely gave up too much pressure in the pass game. I noticed that he had a bit of trouble sticking with his blocks while trying to run block, though.

73) Josh Chapman, NT - Had an up and down season, but then I found out he was playing with a torn ACL. Amazing and that's about as good an endorsement for his work ethic as you'll get.

74) Sean Spence, OLB - Very similar to Lavonte David. Really undersized, but always around the ball and very instinctive. David is a bit better as a pass rusher than Spence, which is why I ranked him higher.

75) Joe Adams, WR - We all saw what he did at the Senior Bowl and the inevitable comparisons to Desean Jackson.