2013 NFL Draft Positional Rankings

[Matthew Jones]

My current positional rankings are below. Every significant player I have scouted is included, and notable prospects on my to-watch list are in the "not ranked" section. Feel free to suggest other prospects for me to watch, I'm sure I'm missing a substantial number of top prospects.

Quarterback Rankings (QBR)

1. Matt Barkley, Southern California (6’1″, 220)

2. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech* (6’5″, 255)

3. Aaron Murray, Georgia* (6’1″, 210)

4. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas (6’3″, 220)

5. Tyler Bray, Tennessee* (6’5″, 210)

6. E.J. Manuel, Florida St. (6'4”, 245)

7. Landry Jones, Oklahoma (6'4”, 230)

8. Geno Smith, West Virginia (6'3”, 215)

9. Mike Glennon, North Carolina St. (6'4”, 225)

Not ranked: Zach Mettenberger*, Casey Pachall*, Brad Sorensen

Running Back Rankings (RBR)

1. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina* (6’0″, 230)

2. Eddie Lacy, Alabama* (5’10″, 220)

3. Montee Ball, Wisconsin (5’9″, 210)

4. Knile Davis, Arkansas* (6’0″, 225)

5. Spencer Ware, Louisiana St.* (5’11″, 225)

6. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh (5'9”, 195)

7. Michael Dyer, Arkansas St. (5'9, 210)

8. Kenjon Barner, Oregon (5'11”, 195)

9. Joseph Randle, Oklahoma St.* (6'0”, 190)

10. Andre Ellington, Clemson (5'10”, 190)

Not ranked: La'Veon Bell*, Giovani Bernard*, Christine Michael, Fitzgerald Toussaint*, Cierre Wood*

Wide Receiver Rankings (WRR)

1. Keenan Allen, California (6’3″, 205)

2. Robert Woods, Southern California* (6’1″, 185)

3. Justin Hunter, Tennessee* (6’4″, 205)

4. Marquess Wilson, Washington St.* (6’2″, 190)

5. Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas (6'3”, 210)

6. Da'Rick Rodgers, Tennessee (6'3”, 215)

7. Terrance Williams, Baylor (6’1″, 190)

8. Tavon Austin, West Virginia (5'9”, 175)

9. Ryan Swope, Texas A&M (6'0”, 205)

10. Denard Robinson, Michigan (5'11”, 195)

Not ranked: Josh Boyce*, Tavarres King, Aaron Mellette, Kenny Stills*

Tight End Rankings (TER)

1. Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame* (6’5″, 250)

2. Joseph Fauria, UCLA (6’7″, 260)

3. Michael Williams, Alabama (6’5″, 270)

4. Jordan Reed, Florida (6’3″, 240)

5. Jake Stoneburner, Ohio St. (6’5″, 245)

6. Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn (6'4”, 250)

7. Ryan Griffin, Connecticut (6'5”, 250)

Not ranked: Zach Ertz*

Offensive Tackle Rankings (OTR)

1. Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin (6’6″, 320)

2. Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M* (6’6″, 310)

3. Taylor Lewan, Michigan* (6’7″, 300)

4. Jake Matthews, Texas A&M* (6’5″, 295)

5. D.J. Fluker, Alabama* (6’6″, 335)

6. Chris Faulk, Louisiana St.* (6'5”, 325)

7. Alex Hurst, Louisiana St. (6'6”, 340)

8. Xavier Nixon, Florida (6'5”, 290)

Not ranked: Oday Aboushi, Cyril Richardson*

Offensive Guard Rankings (OGR)/Center Rankings (CR)

1. Khaled Holmes, Southern California (6’3″, 310) (C)

2. Barrett Jones, Alabama (6’4″, 305) (OL)

3. Chance Warmack, Alabama (6’3″, 320) (OG)

4. Travis Frederick, Wisconsin* (6’4″, 330) (OG/C)

5. Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina (6’3″, 310) (OG)

Not ranked: Alvin Bailey*

Defensive Tackle Rankings (DTR)

1. Star Lotulelei, Utah (6’3″, 325)

2. Bennie Logan, Louisiana St.* (6’3″, 290)

3. Kawann Short, Purdue (6’3″, 310)

4. Johnathon Hankins, Ohio St. (6’3″, 335)

5. Sharrif Floyd, Florida* (6’3″, 300)

6. Dominique Easley, Florida* (6'2”, 280)

7. Baker Steinkuhler, Nebraska (6'5”, 290)

8. Kaleb Ramsey, Boston College (6'3”, 300)

Not ranked: Johnathan Jenkins, Jesse Williams*, Sylvester Williams

Pass Rusher Rankings (PRR)

1. Barkevious Mingo, Louisiana St.* (6’5″, 240)

2. Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas* (6’4″, 250)

4. Alex Okafor, Texas (6’4″, 260)

5. Sam Montgomery, Louisiana St.* (6’4″, 250)

6. Brandon Jenkins, Florida St. (6'3”, 265)

7. Devin Taylor, South Carolina (6'6”, 260)

8. Bjoern Werner, Florida St.* (6'4”, 275)

9. John Simon, Ohio St. (6'2”, 270)

10. Dion Jordan, Oregon (6'6”, 245)

11. Wes Horton, Southern California (6'5”, 265)

12. Corey Lemonier, Auburn* (6'4”, 245)

Not ranked: Michael Buchanan, Margus Hunt, Craig Roh

Outside Linebacker Rankings (OLBR)

1. Jarvis Jones, Georgia* (6’2″, 240)

2. Sean Porter, Texas A&M (6’2″, 230)

3. Chase Thomas, Stanford (6’4″, 240)

4. Jelani Jenkins, Florida* (6’0″, 230)

5. Kenny Tate, Maryland (6’4″, 220)

Not ranked: Jonathan Brown*, Alonzo Highsmith, Gerald Hodges, C.J. Mosley

Inside Linebacker Rankings (ILBR)

1. Manti Te’o, Notre Dame (6’2″, 255)

2. Kevin Reddick, North Carolina (6’2″, 240)

3. Shayne Skov, Stanford (6’3″, 245)

4. Nico Johnson, Alabama (6’2″, 245)

Not ranked: all prospects not listed

Cornerback Rankings (CBR)

1. David Amerson, North Carolina St.* (6’2″, 195)

2. Johnthan Banks, Mississippi St. (6’1″, 185)

3. Xavier Rhodes, Florida St.* (6’2″, 215)

4. Tyrann Mathieu, Louisiana St.* (5’8″, 175)

5. Micah Hyde, Iowa (6’1″, 185)

6. Greg Reid, Florida St. (5'8”, 185)

7. Johnny Adams, Michigan St. (5'11”, 175)

Not ranked: Carrington Boyd*, Dee Milliner*

Free Safety Rankings (FSR)

1. Eric Reid, Louisiana St.* (6’2″, 210)

2. T.J. McDonald, Southern California (6’2″, 205)

3. Robert Lester, Alabama (6’2″, 210)

4. Kenny Vaccaro, Texas (6’1″, 215)

5. Baccari Rambo, Georgia (6’0″, 220)

Not ranked: all prospects not listed

Strong Safety Rankings (SSR)

1. Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma* (5’10″, 200)

2. Ray-Ray Armstrong, Miami (FL) (6’4″, 215)

3. Matt Elam, Florida* (5’10″, 205)

Not ranked: all prospects not listed

[J52]

A lot of ranking based on rivals high school class...

2. Ray-Ray Armstrong, Miami (FL) (6’4″, 215)

Unless he does a 180, he won't get drafted... And I'm a Miami fan. Slow, weak, out of position constantly, penalty after penalty. Doesn't realize that he has arms when he tackles.

[WCH]

I like the Denard Robinson projection. I think he clearly projects as a WR, and #10 puts him firmly in the 3rd round (maybe the second or fourth rounds, depending on when the run on WRs takes place), which I think seems reasonable.

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by J52

A lot of ranking based on rivals high school class...

2. Ray-Ray Armstrong, Miami (FL) (6’4″, 215)

Unless he does a 180, he won't get drafted... And I'm a Miami fan. Slow, weak, out of position constantly, penalty after penalty. Doesn't realize that he has arms when he tackles.

I'm not very familiar with how these prospects were perceived as high school recruits, but as you can see, I have only scouted three strong safeties, so Armstrong does not have much competition. Matt Elam is very reminiscent of his brother Abram Elam: fundamentally sound but with little upside. He may be a better player than Armstrong right now (bad angles, gambler) but I'd rather roll the dice on a potential starter than draft someone I'm pretty sure will end up being a backup. I'd go with a fourth-round grade or so for each of them.

[marks01234]

Where are you heights coming from? Seems like you have taken a couple of inches from some official measurements.

Are these based on anything other than speculation?

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by marks01234

Where are you heights coming from? Seems like you have taken a couple of inches from some official measurements.

Are these based on anything other than speculation?

Good question. I look at the official measurements and make adjustments as I see fit while I'm watching the prospects. Most players end up being shorter than their "official" height when they are measured at the combine, because colleges want to make their players seem more impressive. So I guess you could consider it a prediction of how tall they'll be at the Combine. I usually stick pretty close to the listed weight for prospects though.

[underscore]

Kenny Tate was pretty much a disaster at OLB wasn't he? Then obviously he got hurt. I thought he was moving back to safety this year.

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by underscore

Kenny Tate was pretty much a disaster at OLB wasn't he? Then obviously he got hurt. I thought he was moving back to safety this year.

I think he's more of an outside linebacker. Here's Tate's blurb from my site, Draft Examiner:

8. Kenny Tate, Maryland (6'4", 220)
Massive converted strong safety who has even lined up in a three-point stance to rush. Very long-limbed. Active in pursuit. Adequate speed for an outside linebacker. Takes on blocks well. Special teams contributor. Misses too many tackle attempts. Sloppy backpedal in coverage and looks awkward changing directions. Season-ending leg injury will affect his draft stock.

[duesouth]

Originally Posted by underscore

Kenny Tate was pretty much a disaster at OLB wasn't he? Then obviously he got hurt. I thought he was moving back to safety this year.

No, I think he's staying at OLB. He might be helped by the fact he can be a nickel LB as a pro - but you are right he struggled before his injury last year.

[duesouth]

Originally Posted by WCH

I like the Denard Robinson projection. I think he clearly projects as a WR, and #10 puts him firmly in the 3rd round (maybe the second or fourth rounds, depending on when the run on WRs takes place), which I think seems reasonable.

I think he might be hurt by Armanti Edwards struggles to date with the Panthers.

Certainly for me I would have Aaron Mellette above a Robinson projection and many of the WR's in your top 10.

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Nice work. As a Dolphin fan I'm keeping an eye on wide receivers, safeties and pass rushers. Looks like a good draft for those positions. At wr, I love the way Keenan Allen runs after the catch, much like a running back. Justin Hunter and Allen could battle for that #1 spot when all is said and done.

[SeahawkNMD]

Been lurking on this site and just realized you're DraftExaminer. Really like your rankings and big board probably because they're more similar to mine on a lot of prospects then most guys.

Have you scouted Desmond Trufant from Washington at all? I'm interested to see deeper rankings of the CB position, a lot of interesting prospects.

[K Train]

Originally Posted by duesouth

I think he might be hurt by Armanti Edwards struggles to date with the Panthers.

Certainly for me I would have Aaron Mellette above a Robinson projection and many of the WR's in your top 10.

robinson is much closer to devin hester than he is armanti edwards

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by SeahawkNMD

Been lurking on this site and just realized you're DraftExaminer. Really like your rankings and big board probably because they're more similar to mine on a lot of prospects then most guys.

Have you scouted Desmond Trufant from Washington at all? I'm interested to see deeper rankings of the CB position, a lot of interesting prospects.

Thanks man! I haven't really looked at Desmond Trufant very much so far. I'll probably look into him when I'm writing the blurbs for the CB rankings.

[YAYareaRB]

whats you view on terence garvin (WVU)? I thought he would at least have been ranked a top 10 safety. his size might allow him to play OLB in the league, though

[Master Exploder]

What's up with John Jenkins being so low on your list? Todd McShay gave him the highest grade for this years class. That's not really news though, he's been getting a lot of hype and some have said he's the best NT in this year's draft for quite a few months. What do you not like about the guy?

[SeahawkNMD]

Originally Posted by Master Exploder

What's up with John Jenkins being so low on your list? Todd McShay gave him the highest grade for this years class. That's not really news though, he's been getting a lot of hype and some have said he's the best NT in this year's draft for quite a few months. What do you not like about the guy?

He has Jenkins as "unranked" meaning he hasn't been full scouted therefore he doesn't have on opinion on where Jenkins is yet.

Sheldon Richardson from Missouri is another DT you should scout if you get a chance, high upside beast of a man.

[Master Exploder]

Originally Posted by SeahawkNMD

He has Jenkins as "unranked" meaning he hasn't been full scouted therefore he doesn't have on opinion on where Jenkins is yet.

Sheldon Richardson from Missouri is another DT you should scout if you get a chance, high upside beast of a man.

Ah, makes sense.

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by YAYareaRB

whats you view on terence garvin (WVU)? I thought he would at least have been ranked a top 10 safety. his size might allow him to play OLB in the league, though

Any player not included in my rankings is someone I haven't really seen enough of to have an opinion on. I'll look into players mentioned in this thread though.

[Matthew Jones]

Some of the wide receiver/tight end reports are up now.

[marks01234]

Originally Posted by Matthew Jones

Good question. I look at the official measurements and make adjustments as I see fit while I'm watching the prospects. Most players end up being shorter than their "official" height when they are measured at the combine, because colleges want to make their players seem more impressive. So I guess you could consider it a prediction of how tall they'll be at the Combine. I usually stick pretty close to the listed weight for prospects though.

ACC Kickoff had all of the QB's in attendance and they posed for a picture in street shoes. Logan Thomas was a solid 1" taller than Glennon. UNC's Byron Renner was next in line and then Manual. Manual was probably two inches shorter than Glennon and three inches shorter than Thomas. Thomas is just plain huge.