NFL Draft

Top wide receivers in the 2017 NFL Draft:

With this class of wide receivers I think it’s really about what your taste is and what you need on your roster. If you just look at the top three guys you have a huge target to bail his quarterback out, a precise route-runner who hurts defenses after the catch and a true burner, who can get by anybody with his speed. I don’t have any doubt all three of them will go in the first round. After that it gets a little more complicated. The question is: Do you trust production or do you solely look at potential? I don’t count in off-the-field stuff in my rankings, I only look at talent and competitiveness.

I go at least 20 to 25 prospects deep in my evaluations at every position. So if there are any players you’d like to hear my opinion about, just let me know in the comments.

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NFL Draft

Top edge rushers in the 2017 NFL Draft:

After talking about a pretty weak offensive tackle class I want to take a look at the guys lining up across from them. And to make myself clear about the difference in the quality between those two classes – the edge rushers would whip those tackles if you went number five against number five or seven against seven. While most of the prospects lined up primarily with their hand in the dirt during their time in college, many of them will convert to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. That’s why I won’t knock their game too much if I didn’t see them drop into coverage before turning pro. At the same time pass rushers are at a premium right now and therefore the ability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks will be the most important criteria.

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NFL Draft

Top offensive tackles in the 2017 NFL Draft:

After talking about some of the most talented position groups in the running backs and safeties last week, I’d like to take a look at one of worst offensive tackle classes in a while.

When you read about scouts’ opinions you see that there is no clear-cut number one prospect across the boards and you understand that if you need someone at the position you either grab him early or try to find somebody in free agency. To me there are three prospects in the top 40, but after them there’s a pretty significant drop-off. On the other hand, I have to say there are some intriguing developmental guys in the middle- and later rounds.

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NFL Draft

Top safeties in the 2017 NFL Draft:

After ranking my top running backs in the draft a couple of days ago, I now look at a defensive position group, to be more accurate I list my top safeties in this class.

Similar to the RBs this safety group is one of the best I’ve seen in years. I could see at least five guys get drafted in the first round and the about same number going in the second. I also love the diversity when I see one-year studs, four-year stars from the FCS as well as guys who played on the outside all of their collegiate career.

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NFL Draft

Top running backs in the 2017 NFL Draft:

This ranking of the running backs will kick off my evaluations of the top prospects at every position in this year’s draft over the next few weeks. So make sure you check in to read my rankings leading up to April 27th.

In today’s passing league we often talk about how the running back position is being devalued, but with guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon turning into stars early in their career, people in the draft room will start to bet their money on those young runners. This class has elite quality at the top and depth throughout. I focused on my top ten+ prospects, but I went deeper in my evaluations. So if you want to have my reports on any other players just let me know in the comments.

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NFL Draft

Who impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine:

After the NFL Scouting Combine over the weekend and yesterday I wanted to list the players who stood out the most in Indianapolis. John Ross breaking the record for the 40-yard dash at 4.22 probably made the most noise, but he didn’t do any of the on-field drills. For me it’s more about who had the best all-around performances. Here are some of those guys:

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NFL Draft

Whose draft stock is rising right now?

With an epic Super Bowl taking place in Houston not many people (who aren’t scouts or GMs) have paid a lot of attention to the college athletes entering the NFL. I watched the East-West Shrine and Senior Bowl practices and games for you to catch up to who improved their draft stock the most. Here are the players who helped themselves the most:

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NFL Predictions

Super Bowl LI preview:

The NFL season is coming to an end and only game is left to play. To determine the 2017 NFL champions. On the AFC side the Patriots come in with a league-best 14-2 record and advance to the Super Bowl for the seventh time in the Belichick – Brady era. The Falcons will represent the NFC after finishing the regular season with a 11-5 record and will make just their second ever appearance in the big game. Both teams are led by their MVP candidate quarterbacks Tom Brady and Matt Ryan in a matchup of New England’s number one ranked scoring defense and Atlanta’s number one ranked scoring offense. It’s the AFC vs. the NFC. It’s Patriots vs. Falcons.

Here is my gameplan for both squads and a prediction for the final score:

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NFL award winners

NFL Honors awards 2017

Once again it’s time to give credit where it’s due. The NFL Honors show will air Saturday 8:00 pm ET and players will receive awards for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and many others. I didn’t try to predict the winners for these trophies, I simply put my top three candidates up and made my case for each of them.

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Storylines around the NFL

First- and second-year NFL players who aren’t talked about enough:

There have been a couple of spectacular rookies who have been in the conversation all year like Dak & Zeke in Dallas or Joey Bosa in San Diego, but there are a lot of very good rookie and sophomore players who rarely anybody talks about. They migt not all have put up huge numbers, but they are stars in the making.

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