Mike Mayock updates 2015 NFL Draft position rankings

NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock updated his 2015 NFL Draft position rankings after the NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up in February.

While the NFL is busy breaking out the franchise tags on March 2, the NFL Draft season is drawing closer and that means more mock drafts and more lists ranking the top draft prospects in this year’s draft class.

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The NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up at the end of February with a number of the high-profile draft prospects working out, including the draft’s top quarterback prospects.

In recent years there has been a preference for the top prospects at the game’s most important position to bypass the throwing drills at the combine in favor of working out at their pro day. The controlled environment and familiarity with their receivers has meant teams and viewers watching at home didn’t get to see the best compete against each other.

Thankfully, that changed this year with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota throwing at the combine and competing against each other for the right to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock updated his position rankings and there is some shuffling after the combine, but this list is far from a finished product and is sure to fluctuate between now and the draft’s first round on April 30.

Not much has changed, however, at quarterback with Winston still the head of the class and Mariota the runner-up.

Quarterback
1. Jameis Winston, Florida State
2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
3. Bryce Petty, Baylor
4. Brett Hundley, UCLA
5. Garrett Grayson, Colorado State

Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon still tops Mayock’s list at running back, but I wonder if that will change later in the process when Gurley’s progress from ACL surgery is revealed.

Running back
1. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
2. Todd Gurley, Georgia
3. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
4. Duke Johnson, Miami (Fla.)
5. Tevin Coleman, Indiana

Kevin White was one of the biggest winners at the combine and tops a deep and talented list of receivers that could rival last year’s historic class that featured three rookies with more than 1,000 yards.

Wide receiver
1. Kevin White, West Virginia
2. Amari Cooper, Alabama
3. DeVante Parker, Louisville
4. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State
T-5. Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
T-5. Breshad Perriman, Central Florida

It’s a thin crop of tight ends this year, but Maxx Williams has the best chance of being the first one to hear his name called, but is he a first round talent?

Tight end
1. Maxx Williams, Minnesota
2. Clive Walford, Miami (Fla.)
3. MyCole Pruitt, Southern Illinois
4. Blake Bell, Oklahoma
5. Nick O’Leary, Florida State

Size matters in the NFL and we could see as many as six offensive linemen taken in the first round, including La’el Collins whose athleticism stood out at the combine and vaulted him to the top spot at tackle.

Interior offensive linemen

1. Brandon Scherff, Iowa
2. Cameron Erving, Florida State
3. Laken Tomlinson, Duke
4. A.J. Cann, South Carolina
5. Tre’ Jackson, Florida State

Offensive tackle
1. La’el Collins, LSU
2. T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh
3. Andrus Peat, Stanford
4. Ereck Flowers, Miami (Fla.)
T-5. D.J. Humphries, Florida
T-5. Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M

Leonard Williams is the top overall prospect in this year’s draft but Danny Shelton looks like a potential top-10 pick too. Teams in need of a nose tackle, like the Chicago Bears, could make the massive Shelton their pick at No. 7.

Interior defensive linemen
1. Leonard Williams, USC
2. Danny Shelton, Washington
3. Malcom Brown, Texas
4. Arik Armstead, Oregon
T-5. Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma
T-5. Eddie Goldman, Florida State

If you’re looking for a 3-4 outside linebacker or edge rusher, this is a good group to find a future double-digit sack guy and all five should be gone in the first round, with four potentially gone in the first 10 picks.

Edge rusher
1. Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida
2. Shane Ray, Missouri
3. Vic Beasley, Clemson
4. Randy Gregory, Nebraska
5. Bud Dupree, Kentucky

Linebacker

1. Paul Dawson, TCU
2. Eric Kendricks, UCLA
3. Stephone Anthony, Clemson
4. Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
5. Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.)

Trae Waynes was one of the fastest players at any position at the combine and be the second straight Spartan to be a first rounder but Marcus Peters may be the most intriguing talent.

Cornerback
1. Trae Waynes, Michigan State
2. Jalen Collins, LSU
3. Marcus Peters, Washington
4. Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest
T-5. Byron Jones, Connecticut
T-5. P.J. Williams, Florida State

If you’re looking for a safety this is not the draft for you and you’ll have to explore free agency to fill your need. Landon Collins is the best pure safety in the draft and could be a rare top-10 pick at the position. Mayock lists Shaq Thompson at safety but he’s adamant about playing linebacker in the NFL.

Safety

1. Landon Collins, Alabama
2. Shaq Thompson, Washington
3. Derron Smith, Fresno State
4. Damarious Randall, Arizona State
5. Jaquiski Tartt, Samford

Which position do you think is the deepest/shallowest in this year’s draft?

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