Every year, I sit down and do mock drafts and have a good idea in my mind of how I would rank players. But I seldom have put that list down on paper -- or, in this case, in cyberspace.
But that was the task I gave myself this week. I've watched film on nearly every prospect. I've read about their backgrounds. I've formulated who I like and who I don't.
Typically, when I do these kind of exercises, I look at players through the eyes of the Steelers and what they do. It's the team I cover. And some players just don't fit into their scheme.
So, if there are players you see on other lists like this that aren't on this one, that's probably a good reason why. Or, they might have something in their background that causes me to rank them lower than somebody who is simply looking at them from a talent standpoint.
I'll give you the offensive rankings today as we continue to run up to the draft April 23-25. The defense will come out tomorrow.
QUARTERBACK
Quarterbacks make or break a draft and there are two who figure to go at the top this year. But they’re not the only ones who will be selected.
While the overall depth at the position this year is not great, there figure to be at least a dozen selected, though the Steelers won't be in the market for one.
1. Joe Burrow, LSU (6-3, 221) -- Burrow is this year’s top QB. But he’s not without warts. For example, as good as his 2019 season was, where was that kind of play prior to this?
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama (6-0, 217) -- Had the draft been held last August, he would have been the top pick. He’ll still go high, but a season-ending hip injury is a concern.
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon (6-6, 236) -- Big, strong and athletic, Herbert is nonetheless a work in progress, especially on short touch passes. Some also question his leadership qualities.
4. Jordan Love, Utah State (6-4, 224) -- Athletic and can make all the throws, but doesn’t do so consistently. Love is the wildcard of the first round.
5. Jake Fromm, Georgia (6-2, 219) -- Fromm doesn’t have any outstanding qualities, other than the fact he’s been a winner and is a big-time leader. Sometimes, those are good enough at the quarterback position.
6. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (6-1, 222) -- Athletic quarterback with some accuracy issues that are hard to overlook. Lost his starting job at Alabama to Tagvailoa and transferred.
7. Jacob Eason, Washington (6-6, 231) -- Has a big arm and can make all the throws. But is a statue in the pocket. Lost the starting job to Fromm at Georgia and transferred.
8. James Morgan, Florida International (6-4, 229) -- Tough, strong-armed prospect who is lacking in accuracy. Was under 60 percent in completion percentage in three of his four seasons.
9. Nate Stanley, Iowa (6-4, 235) -- Has the size, arm and mobility to at least be a quality backup. But never completed over 60 percent of his passes in four seasons for the Hawkeyes.
10. Steven Montez, Colorado (6-4, 231) -- A nice size-speed combination who never put it all together at the college level. Could better coaching help him?
RUNNING BACK
While there are no true stars at the running back position this year, there are a number of players who can step in and play right away. And there’s some depth there, as well.
The running backs probably won’t start coming off the board until around pick 25, but there could be five or six selected in the first 60 or so picks.
1. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State (5-9, 209) -- Dobbins has it all in terms of size, speed and ability to make people miss. He didn’t run at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the tape shows sub-4.5 speed.
2. D’andre Swift, Georgia (5-8, 212) -- Good all-around back but perhaps lacking in any great attribute. Even so, he’ll be a longtime starter.
3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU (5-7, 207) -- Despite his lack of size, draws power from his massive legs. The best pass-catching back in the draft, Edwards-Helaire has superior ability to make people miss but lacks top-end speed.
4. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (5-10, 226) -- Strong, fast and productive, but it’s hard to overlook his 15 career fumbles. He also is not in the same class as a receiver as the three players ahead of him.
5. Cam Akers, Florida State (5-10, 217) -- Solid across the board in all facets of the game, Akers’ production was lacking because of poor offensive line play.
6. Zack Moss, Utah (5-9, 223) -- A powerful runner with great contact balance and the ability to catch the ball. The only knock against him is his lack of breakaway speed.
7. A.J. Dillon, Boston College (6-0, 247) -- A rocked-up runner with surprising speed, Dillon doesn’t play quite as physically as you’d expect for a runner of his size.
8. Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State (5-10, 203) -- Despite his smallish size, Evans is a tough inside runner with some game-breaking ability.
9. Joshua Kelley, UCLA (5-11, 212) -- Physical runner despite lacking in great size. Kelley also catches the ball well. Probably best suited to be in a timeshare because of his style.
10. Ke’shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt (5-10, 214) -- Has good size and toughness but struggles with his vision to find holes that aren’t obvious.
WIDE RECEIVER
The wide receiver position this year is easily the deepest in the draft. As many as eight could be taken in the first round. And there could be twice that many gone by the end of round 2.
They also come with a lot of variety, depending on what it is teams want. That makes ranking this group tough, but it’s a fun position at which to look.
1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama (6-1, 193) -- Jeudy isn’t Julio Jones, but he’s the most complete receiver prospect in this draft and should be a top-12 pick.
2. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma (6-2, 198) -- Lamb and Jeudy are this year’s version of Jones and A.J. Green back in 2011. Both are top prospects. Jeudy is a tick better, but that’s splitting hairs.
3. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama (5-11, 188) -- Ruggs played Robin to Jeudy’s Batman at Alabama, but this Robin ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and was disappointed with that time.
4. Justin Jefferson, LSU (6-1, 202) -- Jefferson was highly productive in LSU’s offense, but some questioned his speed – until he ran a 4.43 40 at the combine.
5. Jalen Reagor, TCU (5-11, 206) -- Reagor is a nice consolation prize for somebody looking for an athletic speed receiver who misses out on Ruggs. He does everything well.
6. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State (6-0, 205) -- Not the biggest receiver. Not the fastest. But he’s a complete receiver who is still getting better after starting as a JUCO player.
7. Denzel Mims, Baylor (6-3, 207) -- A long, freaky athlete who can make difficult catches look easy but does have some drops on easy ones. Still, the talent is undeniable.
8. Tee Higgins, Clemson (6-4, 216) -- The latest in a long line of good Clemson receivers to come to the NFL, Higgins has great size and will make contested catches. He just lacks great deep speed.
9. Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado (6-1, 227) -- Runs like a running back with the ball in his hands, looking for people to run over. But that leads to injury issues. His deep speed is a concern, as well.
10. Michael Pittman, USC (6-4, 223) -- Son of the former NFL running back of the same name, Pittman is a big, burly receiver who runs routes well and plays to his size. Not a burner, but fast enough to catch 101 passes last season.
TIGHT END
The 2019 draft was a great one for tight ends, with 16 overall being drafted, including eight in the first two days.
This year’s group isn’t nearly that deep and lacks in star power. But given the dearth of talented tight ends in the league, we could still see nearly 16 selected again this year.
That's why the Steelers made the moves they did to keep Vance McDonald and add Eric Ebron.
1. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame (6-6, 262) -- Kmet is the best of the bunch this year, but still likely won’t hear his name called until the second day of the draft.
2. Adam Trautman, Dayton (6-5, 255) -- Trautman will be making a big jump up in competition, but he was dominant at his level. He needs to improve his blocking to truly be a factor.
3. Devin Asiasi, UCLA (6-3, 257) -- A true in-line tight end, Asiasi has some chops as a blocker and also the athleticism to test the seam down the middle.
4. Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic (6-5, 243) -- Bryant is a former high school offensive tackle, but he’s more of a receiving tight end than he is a blocker.
5. Brycen Hopkins, Purdue (6-4, 245) -- An athletic pass catcher, Hopkins, the son of longtime NFL offensive tackle Brad Hopkins, will need to get bigger and stronger at the NFL level.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
One of the deepest positions in this draft, offensive tackle could see as many as six players at the position taken in the first round. And it wouldn’t be surprising to see a dozen selected by the end of the second round.
Given the need of a number of NFL teams to restock their lines, that’s not a bad thing. Plenty of teams need to restock the position.
1. Jedrick Willis, Alabama (6-4, 312) -- Willis doesn’t have prototypical size, but he’s not lacking in any other facet. He makes up for his lack of ideal size by being a true technician.
2. Tristan Wirfs, Iowa (6-5, 320) -- Played mostly on the right side at Iowa, but certainly has the athleticism to play left tackle in the NFL.
3. Mekhi Bechton, Louisville (6-7, 364) -- A massive, athletic blocker who has the feet to play on the left side.
4. Andrew Thomas, Georgia (6-5, 315) -- Another athletic talent who could play on the left or right side. The last of the four sure things to go in the first round.
5. Josh Jones, Houston (6-5, 319) -- A four-year starter at left tackle who suffered a knee injury in 2019 that limited him to nine games. He’s healthy now and a probable first-round pick
6. Austin Jackson, USC (6-5, 322) -- A true junior, Jackson has youth on his side. He’s still developing. But the talent is certainly there.
7. Ezra Cleveland, Boise State (6-6, 311) -- A big, mobile blocker who just needs to get stronger to be effective at the NFL level.
8. Isaiah Wilson, Georgia (6-6, 350) -- His size probably limits him to playing on the right side, but his size …
9. Lucas Niang, TCU (6-6, 315) -- A talented player who fought through a hip injury to finish his junior season and play half of his senior season before it got too painful. Had surgery to repair the issue and should be good to go at the start of the season.
10. Prince Tego Wanogho, Auburn (6-5, 308) -- A raw big man who hasn’t been playing the game all that long, his best football is ahead of him.
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
As good as the offensive tackles are in this draft, the interior offensive line is lacking in star power and depth.
In fact, there might only be a couple of interior offensive linemen selected before the end of the second round. That could lead some teams in need of immediate help to overdraft players at guard and center, or take an offensive tackle they hope can shift inside.
Because of the lack of depth, we’ll only rank the top five here.
1. Cesar Ruiz, Michigan (6-3, 307) -- A true center, Ruiz could sneak into the late first round if a team is looking for immediate help there. He’s easily the best of the bunch this year.
2. John Simpson, Clemson (6-4, 321) -- The best true guard in this draft, Simpson is a road grader, but he needs to work on his overall awareness.
3. Robert Hunt, Louisiana-Lafayette (6-5, 323) -- He could play right tackle in the NFL, but his best spot might be at guard, where he can use his size to dominate.
4. Tyler Biadsaz, Wisconsin (6-4, 314) -- A late day-2 prospect at center who could also play some guard, provided he gets strong.
5. Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU (6-3, 312) -- Cushenberry has good size and length to play both center and guard, but he lacks some lateral quickness needed to get to the second level.
Again, the defense is tomorrow.
