1. Alabama - Top Draft Prospects: D.J. Fluker, Barrett Jones, Dee Milliner, Nico Johnson, C.J. Mosley, Jesse Williams, Robert Lester, Jarrick Williams, Michael Williams, Chance Warmack, Eddie Lacy, A.J. McCarron

• Alabama is loaded in the trenches with three early round offensive linemen and an early round defensive linemen. Johnson and Mosley give them two stud linebackers and the secondary is stacked with three possible early round picks. The offensive backfield is talented and young.

See the rest of the rankings after the jump

2. LSU - Top Draft Prospects: Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery, Tharold Simon, Tyrann Mathieu, Bennie Logan, Eric Reid, Zach Mettenberger, Spencer Ware, J.C. Copeland, Chris Faulk, Alex Hurst

• LSU’s strengths are at DL and in the secondary. The DL starts with Mingo and Montgomery, two potential top 10 picks, and also includes a possible first round pick in Bennie Logan. The secondary has two possible first round picks in Simon and Mathieu and a possible second rounder in Eric Reid. Faulk and Hurst are two road graders on the offensive line.

3. USC - Top Draft Prospects: Matt Barkley, Robert Woods, Khaled Holmes, Wes Horton, T.J. McDonald

• USC is only five deep in draft prospects for next year but they are a special five. Barkley is the favorite to go #1 and Woods is considered a top 5 prospect. McDonald is the best safety in the draft next year and a possible top 10 pick. Holmes and Horton are both late first round to early second round picks.

4. Florida State - Top Draft Prospects: Brandon Jenkons, Xavier Rhodes, Bjoern Werner, E.J. Manuel, Everett Dawkins, Greg Reid, Lamarcus Joyner

• FSU is stacked with prospects. There strengths are at DL and in the secondary. Jenkins and Werner are both late first round prospects while Reid and Joyner are two of the top safeties in the draft. Rhodes is a possible top 10 pick. Manuel is a QB with massive upside.

5. Tennessee- Top Draft Prospects: Tyler Bray, Da’Rick Rogers, Justin Hunter, Prentiss Waggner, Jacques Smith

• Tennessee features a potential top 5 pick in Tyler Bray and two first round WRs in Rogers and Hunter. There is not a lot of depth here but the top of the class is great.

6. Georgia – Top Draft Prospects: Aaron Murray, Bacarri Rambo, John Jenkins, Tavarres King, Kwame Geathers, Jarvis Jones

• I really love the Georgia talent. Jarvis Jones is the best OLB in the draft and a top 5 pick. Murray, Rambo, and Geathers are all possible first round picks while Jenkins and King could go in round 2. I almost put them at #5.

7. Arkansas - Top Draft Prospects: Tyler Wilson, Cobi Hamilton, Knile Davis, Alvin Bailey, Alonzo Highsmith

• Arkansas has a class with the possible #1 pick in Wilson and two possible first rounders to pair with him on offense in Hamilton and Davis. Highsmith and Bailey should be drafted on Day 2.

8. Texas - Top Draft Prospects: Alex Okafor, Kenny Vaccaro, Carrington Byndom, Jackson Jeffcoat

• The Longhorns class features two potential first round picks in Okafor and Jeffcoat. Vaccaro and Byndom both have first round upside and look like probable day 2 picks.

9. Florida – Top Draft Prospects: Xavier Nixon, Jonathan Bostic, Caleb Sturgis, Jelani Jenkins, Dominique Easley, Matt Elam, Shariff Floyd

• This class has a stud in Jelani Jenkins and a bunch of possible day 2 picks. Easley and Floyd are two DTs that could go on Day 2 as could Elam and Nixon.

10. North Carolina - Top Draft Prospects: Sylvester Williams, Kevin Reddick, Dion Guy, Erik Highsmith, Giovani Bernard

• This class has a ton of Day 2 talent but no clear 1st round talent. Every player listed here could be a day 2 pick but I don’t see the upside in this class that some of the classes above have.

11. Ohio State - Top Draft Prospects: John Simon, Jake Stoneburner, Johnathan Hankins

• This class has an absolute stud in Hankins, a possible top 5 pick, but not much talent after that. Simon is a possible Day 2 pick at DT and Stoneburner a possible Day 3 pick at TE.

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 310

Class: Senior

2011 Stats: 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks

Draft Projection: First Round

Draft Grade (out of 100) – 91.5

Player Comparison: Cullen Jenkins – Short is similar to Jenkins in size and ability as a pass rusher. I see Short being very similar to Jenkins in that he will give you 5 to 8 sacks a year and will deflect a lot of passes.

Strengths:

• Good size and strength – Short has great strength and size. He has a great bull rush and uses his strength to cause trouble for weaker offensive linemen
• Gets hands up in the passing lanes – Short has a knack for judging the throw by the QB and getting his hands on the ball.
• Makes splash plays – Short can do it all. He deflects passes, gets sacks, and makes tackles in the backfield. While he is not an elite pass rusher, he makes big plays on occasion
• Good athletic ability – While not a great athlete, Short is most definitely a good athlete. He shows good speed when chasing from behind and has good jumping abilities.
• Stacks and sheds blockers well - Short does a good job taking on the blockers and then throwing them away. He does a good job taking on double teams and controls his gap.
• Active hands - Short uses his hands when pass rushing well and can keep a blocker away from him and throw them to the side.
• Good tackler and pass rusher - Short wraps up well and rarely misses a tackle. He is also an above average pass rusher with potential to be a force when he focuses.

Weaknesses:

• Does not get great leverage all the time – At times, Short plays too high and will get moved out of the way with ease.
• Does not have great explosiveness – Short is a good pass rusher but not because of his first step.
• Consistency and hustle – Short dominates games when he feels like it but at times takes plays and even games off. He was taken out of too many games last year.
• Not a lot of pass rushing moves – While he is a good pass rusher, it is more because of his strength then actually making pass rushing moves.

Final Word: Short is a good prospect but his has his limitations. He is good against the run and can get a sack here and there but he will never be an elite pass rusher. However, he should be a solid player with the ability to get 5 or 6 sacks a season.

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 220

Class: Senior

2011 Stats: 277 for 438 – 3638 yards – 63.2 completion % – 8.31 YPA – 24TD – 6INT

Draft Projection: Top 10 – Wilson will need another similar year to last year to solidify himself as a top 10 pick but if he does have another great year, he could be in discussion for the #1 overall pick

Draft Grade (out of 100): 94.0 – I have Barkley rated slightly higher than Wilson (95.0) because he is more polished and more proven. Wilson can raise this number with another strong season.

Player Comparison: Phillip Rivers – Like Rivers, Barkley has a cannon for an arm and can make all the throws. I would say that Wilson takes better care of the ball than Rivers did and he is smaller than Rivers but in terms of skill set, they are similar.

Strengths:

• Arm Strength: Wilson has an incredible arm and he has accuracy on the deep balls as well. Wilson can make all the throws and won’t have any limitations in terms of a system.
• Good Accuracy: Wilson has the accuracy to fit balls into tight windows and can throw against good coverage. He has accuracy to all three levels and that can be seen by his completion percentage and YPA.
• Good Mobility: While Wilson does not scramble that often, he has incredible mobility and is good at avoiding sacks. Think Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning. While they don’t often scramble, they will move around in the pocket and avoid sacks.
• Upside: This is where Wilson will raise his stock. Wilson has incredible upside because of his arm strength and mobility. With some coaching and some refining to his technique, he could become a franchise QB.

Weaknesses:

• Needs to work on mechanics outside of the pocket: Wilson, while he has the mobility similar to Big Ben, does not keep his mechanics when he gets outside the pocket. He tends to rush throws and struggles with his accuracy when on the run.
• Pocket Presence: While Wilson has good mobility, he does not always feel the pressure from the blind side. He took 24 sacks last year and will need to improve that number if he wants to become an elite QB.

Final Word: Wilson has all the tools you look for in a franchise QB but needs to work on his pocket presence and mechanics outside the pocket. However, he has unteachable talent and will be a high pick in the draft because of those talents.

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 210

Class: Senior

2011 Stats: 24 tackles, 2INTs

Draft Projection: First to Second Round – Notice that I have a first round grade on him (above a 90) but because of the talent at the safety position and the fact that you won’t normally see 3 safeties in the first round, I could see him going in round 2. I currently have T.J. McDonald and Tony Jefferson above him and I only see 2 safeties going in round 1.

Draft Grade (out of 100): 91.0 – I have Lester graded as a late first rounder because of his upside to be a ballhawk. Despite getting only 2 INTs as a Junior, he had 8 INTs as a sophomore and I think he returns to that form.

Player Comparison: Rahim Moore

Strengths:

• Very smart, hardworking player – Like most Alabama players, Lester is intelligent and hardworking. You can see this by his good physical shape and the fact that he is usually in the right place on the football field
• Great center field ability – In his two years as a starter for Alabama, Lester has shown the ability to play center field. He has 10 interceptions in the 2 years and most of them came when lined up in deep zone and just reading the play
• Always around the ball, creates a lot of turnovers – This ties in with the point above. Lester is in the right place at the right time and has the ability to make big plays after the INT.
• Great coaching – This is a given with any player from Alabama
• Solid in coverage on slot WRs – Lester has shown the ability to cover slot WRs in his two years at Bama. He does not get beat very often and has good technique
• Scheme versatility – He can play zone or man (ties in with the above point). Nick Saban uses him in a variety of ways similar to Troy Polamalu. At times you see him in the box. Other times you see him dropping into a deep zone and other times he is lined up on a slot WR.
• Good athlete – Lester is athletic and has good speed. He is not going to blow you away with speed but he has above average speed for a safety.

Weaknesses:

• Only an average tackler – Lester has good form but at times he is over-aggressive and misses tackles. He also occasionally takes bad angles
• Does not attack the line of scrimmage on running plays – Lester appears to be hesitant at times when playing the run. He will wait about five to seven yards and allow the runner to get to him instead of meeting the runner near the line of scrimmage
• Tries to hard to get an interception – At times, Lester overplays the ball in the air and leaves himself vulnerable to big plays. Lester must learn that when he is the last line of defense, he has to be safer and avoid being beaten deep

Final Word: Lester is a very good safety prospect and has the tools to be a fantastic safety. His weaknesses are all things that can be coached out of him and if he continues to work hard, he will be a star. He has the talent to have a huge year and become the #1 safety in next year’s class.

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 205

Class: Senior

2011 Stats: 69 tackles, 3INTs, 37 yards, 2PDs

Draft Projection: First Round, potentially top 10

Draft Grade (out of 100): 92.5

Player Comparison: Nick Collins, S, Green Bay Packers

Strengths:

• Great athlete
• Can cover slot WRs
•  nose for the ball
• Solid tackler
• Complete prospect – great work ethic, team leader, etc
• Speed
• Big hitter
• Ability to blitz
• good hands

Weaknesses:

• injury concerns (minor)
• Over aggressive at times

Final Word: McDonald projects as the best safety in a loaded safety class. He can do everything you want a free safety to do and he is a safe prospect. With a strong senior season, he could become  a top ten pick.

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 302

Class: Senior

Draft Projection: Top 15

Draft Grade (out of 100): 95.5

Player Comparison: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Pittsburgh Steelers

Strengths:

• size, strength, and athleticism
• versatility
• experience
• pass blocking
• football IQ
• zone blocking ability
• good anchor

Weaknesses:

• needs to improve his run blocking
• Does not get a constant push
• needs to improve his explosion off the snap
• Does not use his hands well
• Short arms for a tackle

Final Word: Jones is an extremely versatile linemen and is well accomplished. His versatility and talent will propel him to the top half of the first round next year. I believe he is a center or guard at the next level.

1. Minnesota Vikings – Matt Barkley, QB, USC (SR)
2. Cleveland Browns – Robert Woods, WR, USC (JR)
3. Miami Dolphins – Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia (JR)

4. St. Louis Rams – Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan (JR)
5. Indianapolis Colts – David Amerson, CB, N.C. State
6. Oakland Raiders – Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas (SR)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State (JR)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars – Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee (JR)
9. Arizona Cardinals – Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech (JR)
10. Seattle Seahawks – Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina (JR)
11. San Diego Chargers – Keenan Allen, WR, California (JR)
12. Dallas Cowboys – Jonathan Hankins, NT, Ohio State (JR)
13. Cincinnati Bengals – T.J. McDonald, S, USC (SR)
14. New York Jets  - Sam Montgomery, DE/OLB, LSU (JR)
15. Tennessee Titans – Kawaan Short, DT, Purdue (SR)
16. New Orleans Saints – Barret Jones, C/OG/OT, Alabama (SR)
17. St. Louis Rams (from Washington) – Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State (JR)
18. Buffalo Bills – Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma (JR)
19. Carolina Panthers – Star Lotulelei, NT/DT, Utah (SR)
20. Philadelphia Eagles – Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame (SR)
21. San Francisco 49ers – Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M (JR)
22. Pittsburgh Steelers – Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE, LSU (JR)
23. Denver Broncos – D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama (JR)
24. Atlanta Falcons – Tyler Eiffert, TE, Notre Dame (SR)
25. Baltimore Ravens – Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia (SR)
26. Kansas City Chiefs – Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia (JR)
27. Chicago Bears – Alex Okafor, DE, Texas (SR)
28. Detroit Lions – Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama (JR)
29. Houston Texans – Bjoern Werner, DE/OLB, Florida State (JR)
30. Green Bay Packers – Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee (JR)
31. New England Patriots – Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S, LSU (JR)
32. New York Giants – Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina (SR)
33. Minnesota Vikings – Cobi Hamilton, WR, Arkansas (SR)
34. Cleveland Browns – Jonathan Banks, CB, Mississippi State (SR)
35. Miami Dolphins – Da’Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee (JR)
36. St. Louis Rams – Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin (SR)
37. Indianapolis Colts – Kwame Geathers, NT, Georgia (JR)
38. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland) – Jelani Jenkins, OLB, Florida (JR)
39. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jonathan Brown, OLB, Illinois (JR)
40. Jacksonville Jaguars – Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma (JR)
41. Arizona Cardinals – Shayne Skov, ILB, Stanford (SR)
42. Seattle Seahawks – Shariff Floyd, DT, Florida (JR)
43. San Diego Chargers – Sean Porter, OLB, Texas A&M (SR)
44. Dallas Cowboys – Brandon Jenkins, OLB/DE, Florida State (SR)
45. Cincinnati Bengals – Johnny Adams, CB, Michigan State (SR)
46. New York Jets – Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas (SR)
47. Tennessee Titans – Khaled Holmes, C, USC (SR)
48. Washington Redskins – Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor (SR)
49. Buffalo Bills – Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
50. Carolina Panthers – Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
51. Philadelphia Eagles – Tharold Simon, CB, LSU (JR)
52. San Francisco 49ers – Robert Lester, S, Alabama (SR)
53. Pittsburgh Steelers – Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia (SR)
54. Denver Broncos –  Michael Dyer, RB, Arkansas State (JR)
55. Atlanta Falcons – Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin (SR)
56. Baltimore Ravens – Eric Reid, S, LSU (JR)
57. Kansas City Chiefs – Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas (JR)
58. Chicago Bears – Tom Wort, LB, Oklahoma (JR)
59. Detroit Lions – Arthur Brown, OLB, Kansas State (SR)
60. Houston Texans – Emory Blake, WR, Auburn (SR)
61. Green Bay Packers – William Gholston, DE, Michigan State (JR)
62. New England Patriots – Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama (SR)
63. New York Giants – Seantrel Henderson, OT, Miami (JR)
64. Minnesota Vikings – Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington (SR)
65. Cleveland Browns – Chris Faulk, OT, LSU (JR)
66. Miami Dolphins – Jesse Williams, NT/DT/DE, Alabama (SR)
67. St. Louis Rams – Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford (SR)
68. Indianapolis Colts – Nico Johnson, OLB, Alabama (SR)
69. Oakland Raiders – Joseph Fauria, TE, UCLA
70. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Dominique Easley, DT, Florida (JR)
71. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State (SR)
72. Arizona Cardinals – Lamarcus Joyner, S, Florida State (JR)
73. Seattle Seahawks – Tavon Austin, WR/KR, West Virginia (SR)
74. San Diego Chargers – Bennie Logan, DE, LSU (JR)
75. Dallas Cowboys – Ray Ray Armstrong, S, Miami (SR)
76. Cincinnati Bengals – Giovani Bernard, RB, UNC (RSO)
77. New York Jets – Alex Hurst, OT, LSU (SR)
78. Tennessee Titans – Devin Street, WR, Pittsburgh (JR)
79. New Orleans Saints – John Simon, DT/DE, Ohio State (SR)
80. Washington Redskins – C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama (JR)
81. Buffalo Bills – Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford (JR)
82. Carolina Panthers – Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers (SR)
83. Philadelphia Eagles – Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia (JR)
84. San Francisco 49ers – Margus Hunt, DE, SMU (SR)
85. Pittsburgh Steelers – John Jenkins, NT, Georgia (JR)
86. Denver Broncos – Kenny Vaccaro, CB/S, Texas (SR)
87. Atlanta Falcons – Gerald Hodges, OLB, N.C. State (SR)
88. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin Reddick, ILB, North Carolina (SR)
89. Kansas City Chiefs – Dion Jordan, OLB, North Carolina (SR)
90. Chicago Bears – Chaz Green, OT, Florida (RSO)
91. Detroit Lions – Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State (JR)
92. Houston Texans – Louis Nix III, NT, Notre Dame (RSO)
93. Green Bay Packers – Kenny Tate, LB/S, Maryland (SR)
94. New England Patriots – Erik Highsmith, WR, North Carolina (SR)
95. New York Giants – Khaseem Green, OLB, Rutgers (SR)

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 194

Class: Junior

2011 Stats: 59 tackles, 13 INTs, 205 INT Return Yards, 2TDs, 5PDs

Draft Projection: Top 10

Draft Grade (out of 100): 98

Player Comparison: Ladarius Webb, CB, Baltimore

Strengths:

• Ball Skills
• Size
• Athleticism
• Man cover abilities
• Tackling
• Run Support

Weaknesses:

• Is he a safety or a corner?
• Speed

Final Word: Amerson is arguably a better prospect than Patrick Peterson or Morris Claiborne. It is not often that you find someone who can cover as well as he can and be an absolute ballhawk at the same time. He could come into the NFL and immediately be the best ball hawk in the league.

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 241

Class: RS Junior

2011 Stats: 70 tackles, 13.5 sacks

Draft Projection: Top 5

Draft Grade (out of 100): 98.5

Player Comparison: James Harrison

Strengths:

• excellent athlete
• incredible burst off the line of scrimmage
• incredible upside
• great production
• plays with anger against both the pass and the run
• good wrap up tackler
• good bull rush
• good leverage
• can drop into coverage and be effective
• big hitter
• fantastic motor
• long arms

Weaknesses:

• Has some troubles disengaging from blocks in the run game
• Needs more seasoning in his pass rush repertoire
• Could add weight
• inexperienced
• Neck injury his freshman year of college

Final Word: Jones has James Harrison like upside and is a very safe pick. I currently have him graded as my #1 player in the 2013 draft. He plays mean, fast, and smart and can do everything you look for in a 3-4 OLB.

Matt Barkley, QB, USC

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 230

Class: Senior

2011 Stats: 308-446, 3528 yards, 69.1 completion %, 7.91 YPA, 39 TD, 7INT, 8 Sacks

Draft Projection: Top 5

Draft Grade (out of 100) – 95

Player Comparison: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit

Strengths:

• Work Ethic
• Leadership
• Polished technique
• Great job reading through progressions
• Accuracy, especially on tough throws like the deep out and fade
• Sells play fakes very well

Weaknesses:

• Only average arm strength
• Needs to add zip to medium route throws
• Only an average athlete
• Does not put enough air on deep throws

Final Word: Matt Barkley is a fantastic quarterback prospect but he is not in the same league as Griffin or Luck. He has only average arm strength and will need to improve his ability on the deep ball. Despite those concerns, he is a very safe pick because of his work ethic and technique. I would say his best fit is in a West Coast offense.