Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com released an initial Top 50 list of NFL prospects who are eligible for the 2015 draft.
The NFL season is over for all but two teams, which means it’s time to turn our attention (mostly) to the offseason. At the heart of this stretch stands the NFL draft, in which teams will rebuild for the present and stock up for the future. No one is going to accuse the sports media of being behind on draft coverage so it’s no surprise that Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com got the ball rolling by listing his top 50 draft prospects irrespective of where they might be selected come May.
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While early coverage has predictably centered on Heisman-winning quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, it was USC Trojans defensive tackle Leonard Williams who topped this list as the best draft prospect.
Williams is a two-time All-American who is labeled as an all-around defensive tackle who can remain stout against the pass or the run. Williams tallied 218 tackles in three seasons with the USC Trojans and had an easy decision to make when it came time to declare for the draft.
Outside linebacker Randy Gregory slots in at number two on the list, which is a little surprising given that he’s been somewhat labeled as a project by some. Still, the raw talent at hand is enough to put him at number 2 on the draft list and in Jeremiah’s mock draft.
Beyond that, we see two stud receivers at three and four. Kevin White from West Virginia and Amari Cooper from Alabama assume the two spots, respectively. Jeremiah calls White ‘the best receiver in the draft‘ while Cooper has been mocked in the top five since early last season for his explosive abilities.
Rounding out the top five is Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton.
Again, it’s worth noting that this is purely a list of prospects and how they grade per Jeremiah’s rankings. He is not saying that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will select Leonard Williams at first overall just because Williams is his top prospect for now.
In fact, Jeremiah predicted that the Bucs would go with Florida State QB Jameis Winston in his first mock draft, while Williams fell to fifth overall to the Washington Redskins.
Obviously these are extremely fluid lists, subject to countless little tests, film studies, combines, interviews, etc. so stick around and we’ll keep you updated on who is saying what about some of the best prospects preparing to become NFL players in May.
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