Mike Mayock of the NFL Network is one of the most well-respected draft analysts in the game, and his positional rankings are always a great centerpiece for conversation. With just over a week until the 2014 NFL Draft, Mayock released his latest set of rankings that will surely raise some eyebrows.
Mayock joined the club and decided to drop Teddy Bridgewater to No. 5 in his quarterback rankings, while having Johnny Manziel as the top rated player at the position. Outside of quarterback, the rest of the positional rankings fall in line with the belief from many draft scouts in the draft community.
The only other position that strays from conventional wisdom is quarterback, where Mayock places Kyle Fuller at the top of his rankings.
You can check out Mayock’s updated positional rankings below, via NFL.com:
Quarterback
1. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
2. Blake Bortles, Central Florida
3. Derek Carr, Fresno State
4. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
T-5. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
T-5. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
New entry: Mettenberger
Rise: Carr (4), Garoppolo (T-5)
Fall: Bridgewater (3)
Out: AJ McCarron, Alabama (T-5)
Running back
1. Bishop Sankey, Washington
2. Carlos Hyde, Ohio State
3. Jeremy Hill, LSU
4. Tre Mason, Auburn
5. Andre Williams, Boston College
Wide receiver
1. Sammy Watkins, Clemson
2. Mike Evans, Texas A&M
3. Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
4. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
T-5. Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State
T-5. Marqise Lee, USC
Rise: Beckham Jr. (T-5)
Fall: Lee (3)
Out: Jarvis Landry, LSU (T-5)
Tight end
1. Eric Ebron, North Carolina
2. Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
3. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
4. Troy Niklas, Notre Dame
5. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa
Rise: Amaro (3)
Fall: Seferian-Jenkins (2)
Center
1. Marcus Martin, USC
2. Weston Richburg, Colorado State
3. Travis Swanson, Arkansas
4. Bryan Stork, Florida State
5. Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
Guard
1. Xavier Su’a-Filo, UCLA
2. David Yankey, Stanford
3. Trai Turner, LSU
4. Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State
5. Chris Watt, Notre Dame
New entry: Watt
Rise: Su’a-Filo (2), Turner (4), Jackson (5)
Fall: Yankey (1)
Out: Brandon Thomas (injury), Clemson (3)
Offensive tackle
1. Greg Robinson, Auburn
2. Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
3. Taylor Lewan, Michigan
4. Zack Martin, Notre Dame
T-5. Joel Bitonio, Nevada
T-5. Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
New entry: Kouandjio
Defensive tackle
1. Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
2. Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota
3. Timmy Jernigan, Florida State
4. Louis Nix, Notre Dame
5. Dominique Easley, Florida
New entry: Easley
Rise: Hageman (4)
Fall: Jernigan (2), Nix (3)
Out: Daniel McCullers, Tennessee (5)
Defensive end
1. Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
2. Kony Ealy, Missouri
3. Dee Ford, Auburn
4. Scott Crichton, Oregon State
5. Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
Outside linebacker
1. Khalil Mack, Buffalo
2. Anthony Barr, UCLA
3. Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
4. Demarcus Lawrence, Boise St.
5. Kyle Van Noy, BYU
New entry: Lawrence, Van Noy
Out: Trent Murphy, Stanford (4); Marcus Smith, Louisville (5)
Inside linebacker
1. C.J. Mosley, Alabama
2. Chris Borland, Wisconsin
3. Preston Brown, Louisville
4. Max Bullough, Michigan State
5. Shayne Skov, Stanford
Rise: Brown (5)
Fall: Skov (3)
Cornerback
1. Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech
2. Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
3. Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State
4. Bradley Roby, Ohio State
5. Jason Verrett, TCU
Rise: Fuller (2)
Fall: Dennard (1)
Safety
1. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
2. Calvin Pryor, Louisville
3. Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois
4. Deone Bucannon, Washington State
5. Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State