Back on the edge with this version of my positional rankings. Today I want to take a look at the defensive side of the ball, since I talked about the top offensive tackles a couple of days ago. I categorize 4-3 defensive ends, 3-4 outside linebackers and sub-package pass-rushers as edge defenders.

This class has one headliner, who has a good chance of being the first defender off the board, and four more prospects, who could hear their names called on day one of the draft. All in all, I see a dozen players at the position selected within the first three rounds.

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After talking about the top interior offensive and defensive linemen last week, we move outside to the offensive tackles and edge rushers. Once again, I’m going to start with the offense and take a look at this tackle class. In a pass happy league, pass protection has to be the main factor for those guys protecting the edges, but I want to see them move people in the run game as well.

This group has two guys, who should absolutely be drafted in the first round and another one, who will end up in my top 50 as well. After those three, my rankings might vary strongly from the mainstream media, but I’m trying to project who I think will develop into quality starters and not necessarily who is ready to go day one.

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Now that we’ve talked about the top interior offensive linemen, it’s time to jump back to the defensive side of the ball and look at their direct opponents. This position group includes all players along the interior of the defensive line. So they can go from a true nose in a 3-4 to base defensive ends in a five-technique and any spots in-between, like shade nose players or penetrating three-techniques.

I think this unit has some immense talent, but most of the prospects aren’t nearly fully developed. Of my top ten (or rather eleven) guys, seven are underclassmen and one of the seniors comes from a Division II college.

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Time to go into the trenches! After talking about skill-positions over the last two weeks, I want to shift my focus on the offensive and defensive lines. In this edition of my positional rankings, we are taking a look at the top interior O-linemen available in the draft.

There is one standout prospect, who I believe is one of the top three overall players available. Behind him, I think there are three more potential first-round picks and even after those, there are up to four guards or centers, who I think are worthy of a second round selection. To me, this class of interior OL is the best we’ve seen in a couple of years now.

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Switching back to the defensive side of the ball, we go from the wide receivers to the guys lining up across from them – the cornerbacks. This list includes outside corners as well as the ones, who I believe will fit better as nickel defenders. With those positions especially, teams will rank them very differently depending on their defensive schemes and needs.

There are five prospects at this position, who will probably end up with first-round grades from me. The odd thing about them is that four of them have very limited starting experience. I like a bunch of players after those headliners and I believe teams might be able to find some diamonds in the rough in the later rounds of this draft.

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After talking about the top running backs and linebackers last week, I want to shift my focus towards the perimeter players. In this episode of positional rankings, we start with the offensive side of the ball – the wide receivers to be more exact. This group of pass-catchers is very diverse and offers a multitude of different bodies, which will lead to major variations in team’s rankings, depending on what they are looking for.

To be honest, I only see one guy in this draft class, who I think could develop into an elite WR1. However, there are a bunch of excellent second and third options available. I believe you can steal some eventual starters on day three. In the end, there might be 15 or 16 receivers, who I’d pick within the first four rounds.

Once again, my rankings are purely based on what I’ve seen on tape and in pre-draft events. However, with this positional group, there was one name with just too many red flags to judge him based on his pure talent and you will find his name at the very end.

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Continuing my series on the top ten prospects at each position, I want to take a look at this year’s class of linebackers. To make this clear – I differentiate between interior defensive linemen, edge rushers and off-the-ball linebackers. So this list won’t include guys like Arden Key or Harold Landry, who most would call 3-4 outside linebacker, because they primarily will still play on the line, despite maybe not putting their hand in the dirt a lot. So these upcoming prospects can be anywhere from true 4-3 middle linebackers to outside guys in a scheme with three down-linemen, if I think they will have a large role off the ball as well.

This linebacker class has a quadruple of headliners and then a bunch of guys, who I have rated very closely together. Of course, these lists deviate strongly depending from team to team, depending on their defensive scheme and what their coaches value. The trend that is clear with these guys though, is the fact, that the NFL is looking for more and more athletic guys at the position.

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Over the next six weeks, I will break down my top ten (plus) prospects at each position heading into the draft in late April. These rankings are solely based on what I’ve seen on tape and in pre-draft events. Neither do I have exclusive medical reports of these players, nor did I have the chance to sit down with each and everyone of them. Today I’m starting with the running backs.

Much like last year, this RB class has a lot of talent at the top and depth throughout the top 20 or so. While there is a clear number one guy for me, from two until fifteen, there will be a multitude of opinions and my rankings may vary heavily from the mainstream media, once we get past the top spots. Here it is:

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