2019 NFL Draft, Positional Top Ten

[Fritz]

Interior defensive linemen: Whether they are nose tackles, 3 techs, or even a 5 tech it is how I differentiate them from being an edge rusher from an interior defensive lineman.

Tier 1
1. Ed Oliver DT Houston -Oliver has elite level ball get off and pad level. He is considered undersized by some but the fact that he is drawing comparisons to Aaron Donald speaks volumes about his potential at the next level.

2. Quinnen Williams DT Alabama - Easily can be considered the number 1 defensive tackle in this draft if not the best overall prospect. Rare combination of size, strength, and quickness. I would like to see him develop a counter move to his swim technique, but if ain't broke don't fix it.

Tier 2
3. Jeffery Simmons DT Mississippi St. - He might over the best value in this draft after tearing his ACL in preparation for the draft. Some team will decide to draft him and wait for him to heal up and they will have a top five player in the 2019 draft. Off field issues are a distraction for scouts and franchises, and he has a lower basement than both Williams and Oliver.

4. Dexter Lawerence DT Clemson - Massive human that takes up space and can be unmovable at times. He did receive a suspension for PEDs, but who cares this is the NFL. He is more athletic than what people will give him credit for and he can move his 340 pounds better than most 300 pound defensive tackles. He has the ability to pressure from the middle. Perfect 3-4 nose tackle.

5. Christian Wilkins DT Clemson - More of prototypical 3 technique tackle. He doesn't quite have the jump off the ball as Williams or Oliver but he is relatively close to those guys. He could be a guy that could play all three downs on the inside, he has the ability and agility to put pressure on the QB and has good read and reaction skills.

6. Jerry Tillery DT Notre Dame - Tallest frame of the bunch and could be a prototypical 4 or 5 technique in a 3-4 front. Like most tall defensive tackles he loses when his pad level gets high and linemen get into his chest, but when his pad level is good and he gets hands on he can be devastating at the point of attack. His movement off the snap can be too slow at times and this will effect his ability to battle interior linemen.

Tier 3
7. Dre'Mont Jones DT Ohio St. - Quick one gap tackle that needs to physically mature. He needs to add strength to his frame especially in his lower half. He will offer the ability to make dynamic plays but also he can get overwhelmed very quickly as well. Probably should have stayed in school one more year and matured.

8. Renell Wynn DT Arizona St. - His 6'5" 320 pound frame along with an exceptional combine will have him go earlier than his on field production demonstrates. He can fit any scheme, and the key for him to excel in the NFL will be his ability to learn and execute technique that will improve his feet and hands. He also needs to improve his pad level and play below the offensive line.

9. Armon Watts DT Arkansas - Another 6'5" 300 pound player that finally saw starter snaps as a senior and had a very productive year. Scouts are warming up to him as the day of the draft closes in. His biggest issues are his instincts and reading the run. These possibly could be correctable skills and if he can combo those skills with his quality hand punch and his ability to quickly disrupt and discard offensive linemen.

10. Khalen Sanders DT Western Illinois - Very agile and disruptive player in small school competition but he was able to impress those skills at the Senior Bowl. He would benefit from getting his body into better shape so he could have an impact all game long and strength so he doesn't get railroaded on double teams and down blocks. His height (6'0") could also hinder him.

Nutz, after the draft is over, would you consider listing the Packers' picks, followed by these brief write-ups you've done? I'd be really curious to see those in conjunction with the guys the Packers actually end up drafting.

[Carolina_Packer]

Wide Receiver- Very deep class of receiver where there will more guys in the top tier than the 3rd tier. The weird thing is, there is a heck of a lot of talent in this group but no player with a clean resume. Their is potential of a bust with every one of these guys.

Tier 1
1. DK Metcalf Ole Miss- I really struggle to put his name on the top of this list, but if I was a GM that needed a receiver I would put his name down to be drafted first. His boom/bust potential is the biggest I have seen at this position in a long time.

2.Parris Campbell Ohio St - Perfect slot receiver, he has the right size and his combine numbers were phenomenal. He played in weird offense at OSU that doesn't usually translate to the pros, he only ran a handful of routes.

3. AJ Brown Ole Miss - A heavily built slot receiver with good feet. His combine numbers were slightly above average, but his on field production is tops for this class. Brown has NFL ready hands and will have the bulk to attack the ball on contested throws.

4. N'Keal Harry Arizona St.- Reminds me a little bit of Davante Adams. He isn't going to run away from defensive backs but that's ok because he will make his mark in the NFL catching contested passes. Good open field vision and the best blocker in this group. His lack of explosive athletic traits will be a huge question mark as he transitions to the Pros.

Tier 2
5. Marquise Brown Oklahoma - I wouldn't draft him in the first two rounds. He is an explosive fast twitch athlete that gets to top speed quickly and can run his routes at top speed, but he is just too small and I can't see him surviving big open field hits after he catches the ball. It's the new NFL where guys are protected, but once he becomes a runner all bets are off. If he was 20 pounds heavier I would say he is a no question 1st rounder. Still might be.

6. Emanuel Hall Missouri - Hall is a smooth strider that makes the deep ball look easy. He had a very good combine, long arms and big hands and a phenomenal verticle at 43". Halls film is good, although he needs to polish up his route tree and not just rely on running routes fast.

7. Deebo Samuel South Carolina - Very similar to AJ Brown in terms of size and speed. Samuel has good hands and catches the ball well in traffic. With his size he doesn't shy away from contact which makes him a good open field runner after the catch. He lacks the top end speed and quickness to separate from college defensive backs, but does a nice job of settling in the open zone.

8. Hakeem Butler Iowa St. Rare combination of size, speed and athleticism. He also has huge hands. Big play receiver that relies on his physical attributes to make spectacular plays. Not a polished route runner and is very slow on his cuts and breaks. His hands are also a relative question mark.

Tier 3
9. Riley Ridley Georgia - Similar build and athleticism as his brother who led all rookies in TD grabs, and yards in 2018. His below average combine will make teams shy away, but he runs polished routes and has very good hands. Speed isn't everything but his lack of initial quickness may be another red flag.

10. Jalen Hurd Baylor - former running back at Tennessee that was used all over the field for the Bears last season. He is a tremendous athlete that realized his potential at the next level was at receiver. He presents some unique options for NFL offensive coordinators, you can use him in the slot, on the boundry, or in the backfield. For only playing receiver one year in college he runs good routes and has above average hands. He will be a sleeper on draft day.

Others: JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Mecole Hardman, Miles Boykin, Andy Isabella, Terry, McClaurin

I like Arcega-Whiteside and would rate him higher than you have him listed. His 50/50 ball, contested catch, and route running skill set is intriguing. I could see him forming back shoulder throw chemistry with Rodgers, and also being able to make plays to move the chains with his large frame. I also think he could last until the 3rd or 4th round, and I'd sign up for him in a heart beat.

[Deputy Nutz]

I think he is a pretty good player, nothing to argue with you about. All of these guys will be gone by the start of round 4, so I think we will be splitting hairs anyways.

[texaspackerbacker]

Are you gonna put one of these together for Kickers?

[Deputy Nutz]

Are you gonna put one of these together for Kickers?

Absolutely not.

[Joemailman]

Absolutely not.

Come on Nutz. We need to know who the 10th best kicker in the draft is. Those kickers could go pretty early.

[bobblehead]

Funny, Bobble, I was just thinking this morning about the efficacy of doing more-or-less the opposite: Packaging picks to move up and get as many top-round players as possible. I started wondering about whether anyone's looked at probowlers recently and in what round they were drafted. What percentage of a given set of pro bowl players in, say, 2018, were first rounders? Second rounders? And so on. If it turns out, as you'd imagine it would, that the vast majority of pro bowlers are first and second round picks, the would it behoove you as a GM to try to trade up into those rounds as much as possible, looking for surer quality rather than quantity? Could you have a draft of, say, four or maybe five players, and fill in the rest with UDFA's? Could you build a team using the theory that, like NBA basketball, you need a few top-notch players, and the rest can be fill-ins?

Of course it would carry risk - you bust on a few top picks, you're screwed - but you could argue that loading up with multiple picks may mean you're only getting more chum. For every Donald Driver there are twenty Ronnie McAdas.

You can find talent all over the draft, but undoubtedly your chances are best in top 3 rounds. The reason TT took so many OL in the 4/5th is because those guys are still developing and you can get some steals that aren't as apparent at age 22. If possible I wouldn't mind packaging a few picks to get back into the middle of the 2nd for 4 picks in the top 50. If moving from 12 to 15 with the first pick helps that then so be it. A lot of good WR and S help available early in the second and I think that would be worthwhile in this draft. So get an 2 quality players in 1st, maybe OL/Edge. Get WR/S in 2nd. If a TE falls it could alter that a bit, but where the value lines up I think those are viable scenarios. Every draft is different though. I do agree that I don't value 6th and 7th rounds much. I think the odds of landing quality goes way down from 2nd to 3rd and from 5th to 6th in general.

[Deputy Nutz]

Interior offensive line - Packer fans should pay close attention to the interior line on this draft. It is a decent group with some guys that played tackle in college that will probably progress better in the NFL at guard.

Tier 1
1. Chris Linstrom G Boston College: Boston College is a run heavy offense and Linstrom did a phenomenal job staying low and keeping his head up which leads to him winning the leverage battle with defensive linemen. He can get out to the second level and get hands on linebackers and wall them off. He has a good hand punch and keeps his ass underneath him in pass blocking sets. He doesn't get bull rushed.

2. Cody Ford G Oklahoma - I have him also listed at tackle, but he could flourish as a mauling type guard at the next level.

3. Garrett Bradbury C/G NC St. - He can play any of the interior positions, and can bump out to right tackle. He has some of the most athletic talent along the interior in this draft. He can get out and move due to having quick feet and taking the right steps to get up field blocks in the run game. He isn't a mauler but plays with leverage. Perfect player for zone heavy team.

4. Erik McCoy C/G Texas A&M - Another interior guy that has great athleticism and could excel in a zone run scheme but absolutely has the power and technique to flourish in a gap system as well. He has a quick first step and excellent hand placement. He could manage all types of rushers in the pass set in college.

5. Elgton Jenkins C/G Mississippi - carbon copy of the other two guys listed above him. Talented kid with a little more size than McCoy and Bradbury. Has a great mind and understanding of blocking assignments, but the only knock on him is that he isn't as physical as he could be with his size.

Tier 2
6. Micheal Deiter G/C/T Wisconsin - He has position flexibility but he will be best suited playing guard in the NFL. Tall, but lacks length in the arms and that will hold him back a bit if a team would try him at tackle. Very good puller and can dominate once he reaches the second level. Strength is a concern as his technique and fluidity are good but he might struggle against quicker and stronger defensive linemen at the next level.

7. Nate Davis G/T NC Charlotte - Powerful blocker that has a strong upper body. He can move. Played a lot at tackle, but height and length deficancies will be major factor of him playing the inside in the NFL. He needs to work on his core and keeping his stance wide. He ends up on the ground too much and folds at the waist.

8. Dru Samia G Oklahoma - Tall and lean player. Weighs less than 300 pounds so he is not much of a mauler, but he gets by on good technique and getting his hands in the right place. Good functional strength but he does not possess that brute strength, needs to strengthen his lower half. Big defensive linemen will give him fits at the next level.

Tier 3
9. Conner McGovern G/C - Has good functional strength and athleticism, but gets sloppy with his technique at times. I would like to see him anchor a little harder in his pass set. He has a nasty demeanor, but needs better timing with his hands. He also needs to work on seeing defensive stunts develop in front of him.

10. Beau Benzschawel G/T - Tall at 6'6". He is more of a pass protection specialist with a really good anchor. In the run game he is at times limited by his size and needs to work on his flexibility and core. He ends up on the ground too often and has to give himself up by lunging and not getting great hand placement. He will need to prove that he can handle powerful defensive linemen in the run game.

[Deputy Nutz]

Cornerbacks - this is probably the worst group of corners in quite some time. All of them have major flaws, most don't have that top end quick twitch speed that you are looking for in the position.

Tier 1
1. Greedy Williams CB LSU - The best cover corner in the draft with the ability to play solid man to man defense in the NFL. The knock this guy is that he doesn't want to tackle anyone. Defensive coordinators hate that.

2. Byron Murphy CB Washington - Strong run defender that teams might use to cover the slot to use him as the seventh man in the box to support the run. He doesn't have that deep speed that you are looking for in a corner back on the outside.

3. Amani Oruwariye CB Penn St - Long and solid at 6'2" and over 200 pounds and has a sub 4.5 forty which normally wouldn't be that big of deal but this group is slow. Uses his height well in jump ball situations and can physically take receivers out at the line. The 5 yard contact rule might have negative impact on his game.

4. Deandre Baker CB Georgia - Not overly fast but has honed his skills well. He does a nice job staying balanced and recognizing route patterns. He could excel in a zone scheme with cover 2 principles that would allow him to be physical with receivers on the line.

5. Julian Love CB Notre Dame - He does his best work when he can dictate at the line of scrimmage. He has good size but his track speed is limited and the deep ball or deep cross could be a problem in man coverage situations.

Tier 2
6. Sean Bunting CB Central Michigan - Needs to improve his instincts but the size and traits are optimal for an NFL corner.

7. Justin Layne CB Michigan St. - Extremely long corner that can use the sideline to his advantage. He has decent route recognition, but sometimes allows too much separation in routes. He will do well in 50/50 contest due to his length and jumping ability. Lacks the long the long speed.

8. Rock Ya-Sin CB Temple - His forty time was average for this group, his vertical was good, and his three cone was below average. His technique is lacking but has the right intangibles that teams can work with.

Tier 3
9. Trayvon Mullen CB Clemson - Needs to build up his technique base and skills. His physicality and size makes up for most of his deficiencies in the college game, but NFL coaches are going to need to really work with him on spacing and route recognition.

10. Isaiah Johnson CB Houston - Tall corner that looks to disrupt receivers right away. Has the right combination of size and athleticism that makes scouts and coaches drool. He has to get a better understanding of route recognition and playing zone coverage. His footwork needs a lot of work.