Top 10 draft prospects by position

Three weeks before the NFL draft, PFW personnel analyst Nolan Nawrocki ranks the prospects, showing the top 10 at each position. Players are ranked according to the likelihood of their success in the NFL, not necessarily in the order Nawrocki believes they will be drafted.

Quarterbacks

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Blaine Gabbert	Missouri	6.35	6-4 3/8	234	4.63	Jr.
2	Cam Newton	Auburn	5.99	6-5	248	4.58	Jr., Ch.
3	Jake Locker	Washington	5.77	6-2 1/2	231	4.52
4	Ricky Stanzi	Iowa	5.53	6-4 3/8	223	4.93
5	Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	5.51	6-4 5/8	233	4.53	ATH
6	Andy Dalton	TCU	5.47	6-2	215	4.86
7	Christian Ponder	Florida State	5.39	6-2	229	4.64	X
8	Ryan Mallett	Arkansas	5.29	6-7	247	5.37	Jr., Ch.
9	T.J. Yates	North Carolina	5.24	6-3 3/8	219	5.04
10	Nathan Enderle	Idaho	5.22	6-4 1/8	240	5.21

Running backs

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Mark Ingram	Alabama	6.13	5-9 1/8	215	4.56	Jr.
2	Ryan Williams	Virginia Tech.	5.69	5-9 3/8	212	4.56	Soph-3, X
3	Dion Lewis	Pittsburgh	5.62	5-6 5/8	193	4.47	Soph-3, X
4	Daniel Thomas	Kansas State	5.59	6-0 1/4	230	4.61	X
5	Kendall Hunter	Oklahoma State	5.57	5-7 1/4	199	4.47	X
6	Mikel Leshoure	Illinois	5.55	5-11 5/8	227	4.59	Jr., Ch.
7	Shane Vereen	California	5.53	5-10 1/4	210	4.49	Jr.
8	Jacquizz Rodgers	Oregon State	5.39	5-6 3/8	197	4.53	Jr., RS
9	Delone Carter	Syracuse	5.39	5-8 5/8	222	4.54	Ch.
10	Jordan Todman	Connecticut	5.38	5-8 7/8	203	4.44	Jr.

Fullbacks

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Anthony Sherman	Connecticut	5.26	5-10 1/4	242	4.72
2	Owen Marecic	Stanford	5.23	6-0 1/2	248	4.88	LB
3	Shaun Chapas	Georgia	5.21	6-2 1/8	247	4.96
4	Henry Hynoski	Pittsburgh	5.17	6-0 3/8	257	5.08	Jr.
5	Stanley Havili	USC	5.09	6-0	240	4.90e	X
6	Robert Hughes	Notre Dame	5.05	5-11 3/8	233	4.85e	RB
7	Jake Hutton	Idaho State	5.03	5-11 1/2	228	4.58	X, ILB, Age
8	Patrick DiMarco	South Carolina	5.00	6-0 3/4	237	4.93
9	Brett Morse	Iowa	4.95	6-2 3/8	239	5.04
10	Preston Dial	Alabama	4.95	6-2 3/8	236	5.28	H-B

Wide receivers

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	A.J. Green	Georgia	7.90	6-3 5/8	211	4.49	Jr.
2	Julio Jones	Alabama	6.70	6-2 3/4	220	4.39	Jr.
3	Randall Cobb	Kentucky	5.75	5-10 1/4	191	4.47	Jr., RS
4	Greg Little	North Carolina	5.65	6-2 1/2	231	4.54	Ch., DNP
5	Titus Young	Boise State	5.63	5-11 3/4	174	4.43	RS
6	Torrey Smith	Maryland	5.55	6-0 7/8	204	4.42	Jr., KR
7	Jerrel Jernigan	Troy	5.50	5-8 7/8	185	4.48	RS
8	Edmond Gates	Abilene Christian	5.47	5-11 3/4	192	4.36	Age
9	Jonathan Baldwin	Pittsburgh	5.46	6-4 3/8	228	4.51	Jr., Ch.
10	Dwayne Harris	East Carolina	5.45	5-10 3/8	203	4.56	KR

Tight ends

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Kyle Rudolph	Notre Dame	5.96	6-6 1/8	259	4.75e	Jr., X
2	Lance Kendricks	Wisconsin	5.95	6-2 7/8	243	4.68
3	Virgil Green	Nevada	5.55	6-3 3/8	249	4.56	H-B
4	Luke Stocker	Tennessee	5.45	6-4 3/4	258	4.74
5	Jordan Cameron	USC	5.30	6-5 1/4	254	4.56
6	Rob Housler	Florida Atlantic	5.29	6-5 3/8	248	4.52	H-B
7	Lee Smith	Marshall	5.27	6-5 3/4	266	5.04
8	D.J. Williams	Arkansas	5.24	6-2 1/8	245	4.61	FB, H-B
9	Charles Clay	Tulsa	5.24	6-2 7/8	245	4.73	FB, H-B
10	Julius Thomas	Portland State	5.20	6-4 5/8	246	4.66	H-B

Centers

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Rodney Hudson	Florida State	5.50	6-2 3/8	299	5.24	OG
2	Stefen Wisniewski	Penn State	5.31	6-3	313	5.29	OG
3	Alex Linnenkohl	Oregon State	5.27	6-1 3/4	304	5.37
4	Brandon Fusco	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	5.20	6-4	306	5.12
5	Jacob Kirkpatrick	TCU	5.15	6-1 7/8	300	5.33
6	Colin Baxter	Arizona	5.09	6-2 5/8	311	5.43	OG
7	Zane Taylor	Utah	5.08	6-2 1/4	309	5.59
8	Tim Barnes	Missouri	5.07	6-3 3/4	297	5.14	OG
9	Kris O'Dowd	USC	5.05	6-4 1/8	304	5.16	X
10	Zack Williams	Washington State	5.05	6-3	309	5.21

Offensive guards

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Mike Pouncey	Florida	6.01	6-5	303	5.16	C
2	Danny Watkins	Baylor	5.97	6-3 3/8	310	5.29	OT, Age
3	Clint Boling	Georgia	5.65	6-4 5/8	308	5.29	OT
4	Will Rackley	Lehigh (Pa.)	5.55	6-3 1/4	309	5.44	OT
5	John Moffitt	Wisconsin	5.40	6-4 1/4	319	5.52
6	David Arkin	Missouri State	5.35	6-4 3/4	300	5.34	OT
7	Zach Hurd	Connecticut	5.27	6-6 3/4	316	5.30
8	DeMarcus Love	Arkansas	5.25	6-4 5/8	318	5.24	OT
9	Andrew Jackson	Fresno State	5.20	6-5	299	5.31	X, C
10	Maurice Hurt	Florida	5.20	6-2 5/8	323	5.37	X

Offensive tackles

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Anthony Castonzo	Boston College	6.30	6-7	311	5.27	X
2	Tyron Smith	USC	6.25	6-5	307	4.98	Jr.
3	Gabe Carimi	Wisconsin	6.15	6-7	314	5.18
4	Nate Solder	Colorado	5.99	6-8 1/4	319	4.98
5	Derek Sherrod	Mississippi State	5.97	6-5 3/8	321	5.21
6	James Carpenter	Alabama	5.70	6-4 3/8	321	5.26	OG
7	Marcus Gilbert	Florida	5.63	6-6 1/8	330	5.44
8	Marcus Cannon	TCU	5.60	6-5	358	5.29	OG
9	Orlando Franklin	Miami (Fla.)	5.57	6-5 1/2	316	5.18	OG
10	Ben Ijalana	Villanova	5.42	6-3 5/8	317	5.38	OG

Defensive ends

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Robert Quinn	North Carolina	6.55	6-4	264	4.69	Jr., X
2	Aldon Smith	Missouri	6.30	6-4 1/4	263	4.74	Soph-3, X
3	J.J. Watt	Wisconsin	6.25	6-5 3/8	290	4.84	Jr.
4	Cameron Jordan	California	6.23	6-4 1/8	287	4.73	DT, OLB
5	Ryan Kerrigan	Purdue	6.17	6-3 7/8	267	4.69
6	Da'Quan Bowers	Clemson	6.15	6-3 5/8	276	4.94	Jr., X
7	Adrian Clayborn	Iowa	6.13	6-2 5/8	281	4.82	X, DT
8	Muhammad Wilkerson	Temple	5.95	6-4 1/8	315	4.98	Jr., DT
9	Jabaal Sheard	Pittsburgh	5.75	6-2 7/8	264	4.68	OLB
10	Allen Bailey	Miami (Fla.)	5.65	6-3	285	4.78	DT

Defensive tackles

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Marcell Dareus	Alabama	7.75	6-3 1/8	319	4.93	Jr., DE
2	Nick Fairley	Auburn	6.20	6-3 7/8	291	4.84	Jr., Ch.
3	Corey Liuget	Illinois	6.05	6-2 1/8	298	5.01	Jr.
4	Marvin Austin	North Carolina	5.87	6-1 5/8	309	4.83	DE, Ch.
5	Phil Taylor	Baylor	5.75	6-3 1/4	334	5.21	NT
6	Stephen Paea	Oregon State	5.67	6-1 1/4	303	4.95e	NT
7	Jurrell Casey	USC	5.65	6-0 5/8	300	5.11	Jr.
8	Christian Ballard	Iowa	5.63	6-3 3/4	283	4.72	DE
9	Jarvis Jenkins	Clemson	5.50	6-4	310	5.06	NT
10	Terrell McClain	South Florida	5.45	6-1 5/8	297	4.99

Inside linebackers

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Martez Wilson	Illinois	5.55	6-3 3/4	250	4.46	Jr., X
2	Quan Sturdivant	North Carolina	5.45	6-1	241	4.76
3	Akeem Dent	Georgia	5.40	6-1	240	4.74	OLB
4	Kelvin Sheppard	LSU	5.39	6-2	250	4.71	SLB
5	Greg Jones	Michigan State	5.37	6-0 1/8	242	4.76	WLB
6	Casey Matthews	Oregon	5.33	6-0 7/8	232	4.83
7	Nick Bellore	Central Michigan	5.29	6-1	245	4.84
8	Chris White	Mississippi State	5.23	6-2 3/4	240	4.67
9	Mike Mohamed	California	5.20	6-3	239	4.77	SLB
10	Derrell Smith	Syracuse	5.17	6-0	243	4.82

Outside linebackers

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Von Miller	Texas A&M	8.50	6-2 5/8	246	4.53	DE
2	Bruce Carter	North Carolina	5.95	6-1 1/2	241	4.50e	X
3	Justin Houston	Georgia	5.90	6-2 7/8	270	4.64	Jr., DE
4	Akeem Ayers	UCLA	5.75	6-2 1/2	254	4.82	Jr.
5	Brooks Reed	Arizona	5.55	6-2 1/2	263	4.68	X, DE
6	Colin McCarthy	Miami (Fla.)	5.45	6-1 3/8	238	4.64	X, ILB
7	Chris Carter	Fresno State	5.40	6-1 1/8	248	4.66	DE
8	Dontay Moch	Nevada	5.39	6-1 3/8	248	4.46	DE, PRS
9	Ross Homan	Ohio State	5.37	6-0 3/4	240	4.66	MLB
10	Nate Irving	North Carolina State	5.36	6-1 1/4	242	4.74	X, ILB

Cornerbacks

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Patrick Peterson	LSU	8.00	6-0 1/4	219	4.34	Jr.
2	Prince Amukamara	Nebraska	6.50	6-0	206	4.43
3	Brandon Harris	Miami (Fla.)	5.97	5-9 1/2	191	4.44	Jr.
4	Jimmy Smith	Colorado	5.75	6-2 1/4	211	4.44	Ch.
5	Johnny Patrick	Louisville	5.65	5-10 5/8	191	4.56	Ch.
6	Ras-I Dowling	Virginia	5.57	6-1 3/8	198	4.43	X
7	Brandon Hogan	West Virginia	5.55	5-10 1/4	192	4.46	X, Ch.
8	Josh Thomas	Buffalo	5.45	5-10 1/8	191	4.46
9	Davon House	New Mexico State	5.42	6-0 1/2	200	4.46
10	Shareece Wright	USC	5.40	5-10 7/8	185	4.46	XX, Ch.

Strong safeties

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Jaiquawn Jarrett	Temple	5.50	5-11 7/8	198	4.62
2	Joe Lefeged	Rutgers	5.37	5-11 5/8	210	4.43	KR
3	Quinton Carter	Oklahoma	5.37	6-0 5/8	208	4.62	X
4	Shiloh Keo	Idaho	5.35	5-11 1/4	219	4.74	Ch.
5	Ahmad Black	Florida	5.35	5-9 1/2	184	4.74	CB
6	Jeron Johnson	Boise State	5.31	5-10 1/4	212	4.57
7	DeAndre McDaniel	Clemson	5.31	6-0 1/8	217	4.64	Ch.
8	Tyler Sash	Iowa	5.31	6-0	211	4.64	Jr.
9	Jermale Hines	Ohio State	5.23	6-1 1/8	219	4.62	OLB
10	Robert Sands	West Virginia	5.21	6-4 3/8	217	4.56	Jr.

Free safeties

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Aaron Williams	Texas	6.07	5-11 7/8	204	4.54	Jr., CB
2	Rahim Moore	UCLA	5.65	5-11 3/4	202	4.62	Jr.
3	Marcus Gilchrist	Clemson	5.42	5-10	195	4.48	CB
4	Eric Hagg	Nebraska	5.23	6-1 3/8	209	4.63	OLB
5	Jonathan Nelson	Oklahoma	5.20	5-10 7/8	198	4.55e	CB
6	Will Hill	Florida	5.19	6-0 3/4	202	4.64	Jr., Ch.
7	Michael Holmes	Syracuse	5.17	5-9 7/8	179	4.51	CB, KR
8	Mark LeGree	Appalachian State	5.12	5-11 1/2	210	4.56
9	Jerrard Tarrant	Georgia Tech	5.10	6-0 3/4	204	4.59	Jr.
10	Deunta Williams	North Carolina	5.09	6-1 3/4	205	4.55e	X

Placekickers

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Kai Forbath	UCLA	5.23	5-10 7/8	197	4.80e	KO
2	Alex Henery	Nebraska	5.20	6-1 1/2	177	4.85e	P
3	Dan Bailey	Oklahoma State	5.10	6-0 1/4	193	4.95e
4	Josh Jasper	LSU	5.05	5-10 1/8	174	5.00e	P, KO
5	Matt Bosher	Miami (Fla.)	5.00	6-0 5/8	208	4.90e	P
6	Thomas Weber	Arizona State	5.00	6-0 1/2	200	4.95e	P, KO
7	Jake Rogers	Cincinnati	4.95	6-2	213	5.00e	P, KO
8	Daniel Lincoln	Tennessee	4.85	5-10 5/8	208	5.00
9	Adi Kunalic	Nebraska	4.80	5-11 3/4	184	5.00e	KO
10	Mitch Payne	Brigham Young	4.65	6-1 5/8	205	4.90e	KO, Age

Punters

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Ryan Donahue	Iowa	5.23	6-1 7/8	193	4.91	PK
2	Chas Henry	Florida	5.22	6-3 1/8	219	4.80e
3	Reid Forrest	Washington State	5.05	6-0 1/8	189	5.00e
4	Spencer Lanning	South Carolina	5.00	5-11	190e	4.95e	PK
5	Teddy Dellaganna	Rutgers	5.00	6-2 1/8	219	5.00e	KO
6	Rob Long	Syracuse	4.85	6-2 1/4	188	4.74	KO
7	John Gold	Texas	4.80	6-2 e	210e	5.00e
8	Anthony Santella	Illinois	4.80	6-1	181	5.00e
9	Trevor Hankins	Arizona State	4.75	6-3 1/2	235	5.10e
10	Brett Hartmann	Central Michigan	4.70	6-2 3/4	226	5.00e	PK

Long-snappers

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Andrew Schulze	Iowa	5.09	6-4 3/4	260	5.13
2	Danny Aiken	Virginia	5.00	6-4 1/4	244	5.12
3	Zach Enyeart	Washington State	5.00	6-0 1/2	255	5.20e
4	Scott Albritton	Colorado State	4.95	6-3 1/2	226	5.15e
5	Christian Yount	UCLA	4.80	6-0	241	5.10e
6	Neal Dahlman	Bowling Green	4.45	6-0 7/8	239	5.06
7	Aaron Feld	Mississippi State	4.20	6-0 1/2	229	4.80e

Return specialists

Rk	Player Name	School	Grade	Height	Weight	Speed	Notes
1	Leon Berry	Mississippi State	4.80	6-0 1/4	191	4.50e	X, WR

Key to symbols used above:

6041 — Player's height is shown as a four-digit number, with the first digit signifying feet, the second and third inches, and the fourth, eighths of an inch. In this example, it's 6-foot-4 1/8.
Age — Player is overaged.
ATH — Player has the athletic ability to play multiple positions and could be drafted higher because of it.
BB — Pro baseball player who is entering the draft.
Ch. — Character (i.e., history of arrests, team suspensions or off-field problems) may affect draft status.
DNP — Player did not play football last season.
E — Player had eligibility remaining.
H — Likely will be drafted higher than ranking.
Jr. — Player is entering the darft as a junior (Soph. for sophomore).
L — Likely will be drafted lower than ranking.
MI — More information needed to accurately grade player.
RB — Can also play running back S for safety, H-B for H-back, RS for return specialist, LS for long-snapper, PRS for pass-rush specialist, ST for special-teamer, etc.).
RS-5.0 — Player has separate grade of 5.0 as a return specialist (applies to other position abbreviations, too).
X — Past or current injury could have an impact on where this player is drafted, according to at least one source. Due to the confidentiality of medical records, we cannot confirm or deny whether the injury problem is still a concern.
XX — Very serious injury concern.

Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/04/08/top-10-draft-prospects-by-position-2

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