As we head into Week 11 of the college football season, its time to re-rank and break down the top senior prospects at each position.
Quarterbacks
1. Tony Pike, Cincinnati (6-6, 212)
2. Colt McCoy, Texas (6-2, 212)
3. Mike Kafka, Northwestern (6-3, 220)
4. Sean Canfield, Oregon State (6-5, 215)
5. Tim Tebow, Florida (6-3, 245)
6. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee (6-4, 228)
7. Bill Stull, Pittsburgh (6-3, 215)
8. John Skelton, Fordham (6-5, 256)
9. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan (6-3, 226)
10. Ryan Perrilloux, Jacksonville State (6-2, 228)
Running Backs
1. C.J. Spiller, Clemson (5-11, 195)
2. Montario Hardesty, Tennessee (6-0, 215)
3. Charles Scott, LSU (5-11, 234)
4. Michael Smith, Arkansas (5-7, 180)
5. Toby Gerhart, Stanford (6-1, 235)
6. Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State (6-1, 235)
7. Ben Tate, Auburn (5-11, 218)
8. Brandon Minor, Michigan (6-0, 218)
9. Chris Brown, Oklahoma (5-11, 200)
10. Deji Karim, Southern Illinois (5-9, 205)
Fullbacks/H-backs
1. Rashawn Jackson, Virginia (6-1, 245)
2. Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh (6-2, 230)
3. Cody Slate, Marshall (6-2, 224)
4. Jameson Konz, Kent State (6-3, 226)
5. Matt Clapp, Oklahoma (6-2, 246)
6. Richard Dickson, LSU (6-2, 240)
7. John Conner, Kentucky (5-11, 240)
8. Riar Geer, Colorado (6-3, 250)
9. Rendrick Taylor, Clemson (6-2, 264)
10. Ryan Moya, UCLA (6-3, 243)
Tight Ends
1. Anthony McCoy, USC (6-5, 252)
2. Ed Dickson, Oregon (6-4, 243)
3. Garrett Graham, Wisconsin (6-3, 250)
4. Tony Moeaki, Iowa (6-3, 252)
5. Nate Byham, Pittsburgh (6-4, 258)
6. Dennis Pitta, BYU (6-2, 248)
7. Andrew Quarless, Penn State (6-5, 248)
8. Michael Hoomanawanui, Illinois (6-3, 270)
9. Dedrick Epps, Miami (6-4, 253)
10. Jeron Mastrud, Kansas State (6-5, 253)
Note: Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham is not listed due to a season-ending injury.
Wide Receivers
1. Brandon LaFell, LSU (6-3, 206)
2. Jeremy Williams, Tulane (6-1, 205)
3. Eric Decker, Minnesota (6-3, 215)
4. Jacoby Ford, Clemson (5-9, 185)
5. Blair White, Michigan State (6-2, 200)
6. Jordan Shipley, Texas (6-0, 190)
7. Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati (6-0, 187)
8. Marcus Easley, Connecticut (6-2, 216)
9. David Gettis, Baylor (6-4, 215)
10. Dexter McCluster, Mississippi (5-7, 168)
Offensive Tackles
1. Russell Okung, Oklahoma State (6-5, 302)
2. Charles Brown, USC (6-5, 292)
3. Jason Fox, Miami (6-6, 314)
4. Kyle Calloway, Iowa (6-7, 315)
5. Chris Scott, Tennessee (6-4, 346)
6. Ciron Black, LSU (6-5, 322)
7. Selvish Capers, West Virginia (6-5, 298)
8. Trent Williams, Oklahoma (6-5, 318)
9. Mike Tepper, California (6-6, 322)
10. Will Barker, Virginia (6-7, 320)
Offensive Guards
1. Mike Iupati, Idaho (6-5, 330)
2. Zane Beadles, Utah (6-4, 305)
3. Mitch Petrus, Arkansas (6-3, 315)
4. John Jerry, Mississippi (6-5, 350)
5. Sergio Render, Virginia Tech (6-3, 313)
6. Mike Johnson, Alabama (6-5, 305)
7. Shawn Lauvao, Arizona State (6-3, 305)
8. Jon Asamoah, Illinois (6-4, 315)
9. Marshall Newhouse, TCU (6-3, 320)
10. Vladimir Ducasse, Massachusetts (6-5, 330)
Centers
1. J.D Walton, Baylor (6-3, 305)
2. Eric Olsen, Notre Dame (6-4, 305)
3. Kenny Alfred, Washington State (6-2, 300)
4. Matt Tennant, Boston College (6-4, 291)
5. Ted Larsen, North Carolina State (6-2, 300)
6. Erik Cook, New Mexico (6-6, 318)
7. Joel Nitchman, Michigan State (6-3, 296)
8. Garrett Anderson, South Carolina (6-4, 308)
9. John Estes, Hawaii (6-2, 298)
10. Kyle Mutcher, Weber State (6-3, 300)
Defensive Ends
1. Greg Hardy, Mississippi (6-4, 265)
2. Brandon Graham, Michigan (6-1, 263)
3. Jermaine Cunningham, Florida (6-3, 252)
4. Corey Wootton, Northwestern (6-6 280)
5. Jammie Kirlew, Indiana (6-2, 260)
6. Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Kansas State (6-4, 280)
7. Alex Carrington, Arkansas State (6-5, 284)
8. Greg Middleton, Indiana (6-3, 284)
9. Brandon Deaderick, Alabama (6-4, 287)
10. O’Brien Schofield, Wisconsin (6-2, 248)
Defensive Tackles
1. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (6-4, 302)
2. Terrence Cody, Alabama (6-4, 365)
3. Arthur Jones, Syracuse (6-3, 302)
4. Jared Odrick, Penn State (6-4, 298)
5. D’Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech (6-2, 298)
6. Lamarr Houston, Texas (6-2, 300)
7. Mike Neal, Purdue (6-3, 302)
8. Vince Oghobaase, Duke (6-5, 305)
9. Ekom Udofia, Stanford (6-2, 315)
10. Malcolm Sheppard, Arkansas (6-2, 290)
4-3 Outside Linebackers
1. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri (6-1, 245)
2. A.J. Edds, Iowa (6-4, 244)
3. Perry Riley, LSU (6-1, 245)
4. Ryan Stamper, Florida (6-2, 235)
5. Roddrick Muckelroy, Texas (6-2, 235)
6. Dekoda Watson, Florida State (6-2, 226)
7. E.J. Savannah, Washington (6-1, 228)
8. Stevenson Sylvester, Utah (6-2, 230)
9. Rico McCoy, Tennessee (6-0, 220)
10. Dustin Doe, Florida (6-0, 239)
3-4 Outside Linebackers
1. Ricky Sapp, Clemson (6-4, 248)
2. Eric Norwood, South Carolina (6-0, 252)
3. Jerry Hughes, TCU (6-2, 257)
4. George Selvie, South Florida (6-4, 245)
5. Sergio Kindle, Texas (6-4, 255)
6. Austen Lane, Murray State (6-6, 258)
7. Carl Ihenacho, San Jose State (6-3, 256)
8. Willie Young, NC State (6-4, 250)
9. Cameron Sheffield, Troy (6-2, 249)
10. Rahim Alem, LSU (6-3, 262)
Inside Linebackers
1. Brandon Spikes, Florida (6-3, 256)
2. Daryl Washington, TCU (6-2, 234)
3. Micah Johnson, Kentucky (6-2, 258)
4. Sean Lee, Penn State (6-2, 236)
5. Pat Angerer, Iowa (6-0, 235)
6. Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State (6-1, 240)
7. Joe Pawelek, Baylor (6-2, 240)
8. Josh Hull, Penn State (6-3, 240)
9. Mike McLaughlin, Boston College (6-0, 245)
10. Boris Lee, Troy (6-0, 245)
Cornerbacks
1. Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest (6-0, 190)
2. Kyle Wilson, Boise State (5-10, 185)
3. Javier Arenas, Alabama (5-9, 198)
4. Stephan Virgil, Virginia Tech (5-11-189)
5. Trevard Lindley, Kentucky (5-11, 180)
6. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana PA (6-1, 195)
7. Brian Jackson, Oklahoma (6-1, 200)
8. Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State (6-0, 198)
9. Syd’Quan Thompson, California (5-9, 191)
10. Kevin Thomas, USC (6-1, 190)
Note: Oregon’s Walter Thurmond III is not listed due to a season-ending injury.
Safeties
1. Taylor Mays, USC (6-3, 235)
2. T.J. Ward, Oregon (5-10, 201)
3. Nick Polk, Indiana (5-11, 219)
4. Nate Allen, South Florida (6-1, 206)
5. Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech (6-3, 230)
6. Justin Woodall, Alabama (6-1, 220)
7. Darrell Stuckey, Kansas (5-11, 205)
8. Harry Coleman, LSU (6-2, 206)
9. Barry Church, Toledo (6-1, 219)
10. Josh Pinkard, USC (6-1, 215)
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Scott V:
Thanks for reading and I appreciate the kind words. As for Best, its a great point you bring up and I agree 100% that these concussions are a very scary thing to deal with. We don't know what effect they could end up having on his game, and will force teams to take a much longer to see how he checks out medically at the Combine.
PLus, you don't know the type of physiological damage it could have on the guy... A lot of questions to answer for a back who is as talented as they come.
Wes, generally appreciate your work, but have to point out one GLARING issue: Tebow shouldn't be ranked anywhere near a top ten of NFL QBs. Sure, he's a great college QB, but let's face it: he lacks the arm strength, plays in a shotgun spread with more weapons than almost any team in the nation, and his motion is 100% incompatible with NFL success. He's a gamer, a leader, and from everything I"ve heard/read, a stand-up guy. But he's about as much an NFL QB as Joe Flacco is an NFL tight end--you can try to make the case, but it doesn't work.
Glad to see Uconn's Marcus Easley up there! How serious are NFL teams looking at him since he's been a really late bloomer in his SR year after hardly any numbers his first 3.... Just hoping to see one of our Huskies who is from CT make it big...
Greg- I disagree. Look at the rest of the QB list- it's pretty weak. Tebow is not a great QB prospect, but with his unique set of skills he's better than Jonathan Crompton et. al. by a decent margin, I think.
A couple of thoughts, Wes. O'Brien Schofield seems really undersized both by measure and on the field compared to pro DE's. Most believe he'll be a OLB prospect at the next level. Do you think he'll put on weight and go DE instead?
Second, I'd be interested to hear your opinion of Corey Wooton's season so far. It seems like he disappears a bit for a guy of his size and talent, especially against the better OT's of the Big Ten. Against Iowa he made the one play where Stanzi ran into him on a boot, but other than that, not a whole lot from him. Has his ACL injury hurt his stock significantly given his lack of production so far?
Mbrady:
The reason I have Schofield as a defensive end is because the scouts I have talked to said he doesn't have the type of instincts needed to read/react at linebacker and that he was tried there in the pasr and was a complete fail. Therefore, I simply see him as a nickel rusher.
Wootton is tough because I saw him as a starting caliber defensive lineman based off his jr tape. However, he has not been the same player so far this year. I kept him at four because I think he will continue to get better as he has chance to further heal, because I don't think this is the Wootton we will see when he is 100% healthy.
Love your stuff Wes. To add to what MBrady stated, skill wise Tebow may not have it all. But when it comes to intangibles and just a flat out winning ball games those are things that make Tebow special. The range of where Tebow could end up as a football player in my eyes is anywhere from Vince Young to Big Ben. Thoughts?
Anthony Dixon is someone who compares favorably to Emmit Smith, maybe not a burner, but he's got a ton of power.
Perriloux is an intriguing power passer. Tebow is such a leader, his value should increase for that reason.
Baylor's Gettis had a huge game this past week, he has the big body for a possession wideout and could be one of those steals in the coming draft.
Stanford has a fullback type who caught TD pass this past week, looks like a late type, maybe even undrafted.
None of the above is really warranting high picks in the chatter I've read, they're players with game sense.
Perry Riley smells the football out, Brandon Spikes is a big name now with big game. Selvie and Lane could make some teams in need of blitzers very happy in the wave of 3-4 trending teams.
Taylor Mays more or less outclasses anyone at his position, he should make a great initial selection for a team this year. Does anyone else at any positions aside from a quarterback stand out that much?
Perhaps Cody of Bama, he would make many a coordinator become one dimensional.
Hey Wes,
What do you think of John Malecki, the Offensive Guard at the University of Pittsburgh? One of the reasons why Stull and Lewis are doing so well this year (Stull has made an appearance on your list, while Lewis is in the Heisman race) is because of that offensive line. And talking to some of my friends that go to the games regularly, they tell me that Malecki does a great job opening holes. Your thoughts?
Much appreciated.
I appreciate all the love, but if you aint got more love for Tebow, I don't want any love from you.
I can't agree with all the love being given out here. Without explaining why players are ranked where they are, this list doesn't offer much. At least a sentence or two for each player, and a listing of where they were ranked in the previous rankings would be welcome.
Is Chris Hawkins of LSU just off of the list or well off of the list?
@MBrady - have you SEEN his delivery? there is ZERO chance he can wing it in the NFL that way. VY has a funky delivery, for example, but he has about 20% more zip than Tebow, and NO ONE would say Young has a great arm. And they both a) ran shotgun spread, b) were surrounded with talent, and c) put up HUGE numbers against the creampuffs on their schedules on the way to college accolades.
@AlexB - have you seen Roethlisberger's arm? His delivery that's fairly close to textbook, plus ability to pump-fake with conviction? His ability to elevate his team in college that had NO players of the caliber Tebow suits up alongside? As I said, I root for the guy as a person, but he's not a NFL QB.
I'm still waiting for Wes to justify it...I've seen Crompton play, and I think Stull and LeFevour belong ahead of him, but Tebow's barely top 10 (I'll allow him in, only because it's a weak class). I'd take a guy who can be an NFL backup over Tebow, because he's going to be picked too high and paid too much money to be a backup, and that saddles a team with someone useless.
And don't get me wrong--it's not that I'm totally enamored with McCoy (who makes too many bad decisions and hasn't shown effectiveness under center) or Pike, who will likely go down as a system QB. I'd HATE to be a team without a proven QB (such as STL) in this draft.
Where is Danario Alexander in the WR rankings? Come on Wes, give him some respect!
Mardy Gilyard deserves to be ranked higher than #7. Good speed, phenomenal movement, and added special teams value. He should be at least above Jordan Shipley who doesn't look like anything more than a possession receiver.
@Greg: Roethlisberger has grown into the quarterback he is today. In Roethlisberger's first years he was used sparingly. Last year people couldn't stop talking about how little Roethlisberger was used in his first Super Bowl and this was last year was his chance to prove himself. I am not saying that those statements were correct because my eyes Roethlisberger did everything he was asked to do and more to put his team in a position to win. With a solid running game and a strong defense, Roethlisberger's job in his early years was to be effective and efficient. I believe Roethlisberger complained about these limitations that the coaching staff put on him.
The fact that Tebow is doing this two years in a row, and this year basically by himself makes him to be blue chip prospect. He has no wide receivers and the run game is basically him this season.
wes, oh wes, how is gerhart "not the greatest of athlete's" when he is faster then chris wells and knoshown moreno, and both of them were first round picks. As usual with you, if a player is white, then he is automaticlly a blue coller, lunch pail overachiever. Why don't you try for once to not knock a white player's athletic ability in one of your rants
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Nov 11, 2009
04:20 PM
Keep up the good work, Wes. I believe you rank up there with Mayock as one of the best at what you do. My question to you is, what will happen with Jahvid Best's draft status and is he now "persona non grata" with NFL teams after suffering 2 concussions within a week, the second one being a dramatic one. Before the concussions he reminded me so much of Tony Dorsett, it was scary: same body type, quick feet, second gear, though he doesn't break many tackles.....he seems like a good kid, it would be a shame if this curtails what would be a fine NFL career.