Which NFL Draft Prospects Have the Highest Ceilings?

Chick fil A Bowl Football

With the 2014 NFL draft just two weeks away, even the average football fan is foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the big event.

To help prepare, we’re going to highlight one high-ceiling prospect from every position. These aren’t necessarily the top players at each position right now. Instead, they’re the ones who have the potential to be great.

Johnny Manziel isn’t currently a better all-around pro prospect than Teddy Bridgewater. But what Manziel brings to the table simply cannot be defined. He possesses good improvisational skills and can change the course of the game in a matter of seconds.  If he polishes other areas of his game, he has the arm strength and moxie to be successful at the pro level.

Johnny Manziel, quarterback, Texas A&M

The Texas A&M product has the highest ceiling of any of the top-four quarterback prospects in the draft, but he also has the lowest floor.

Manziel isn’t the top-rated quarterback prospect. In fact, I have him as my No. 4 player at that position behind Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr and Blake Bortles. This doesn’t mean that he isn’t a dynamic player.

In order for Johnny Football to succeed at the next level, he’s going to need to land in the right situation with a built-in group of players on the offensive side of the ball and a good coaching staff to boot. This leads me to believe that the Minnesota Vikings remain his best fit. With a franchise left tackle in Matt Kalil and a future Hall of Fame running back in Adrian Peterson, the Vikings would afford Manziel the ability to hone his craft as a game manager earlier in his career. Once Manziel works the kinks out, he’s going to be a game changer.

The former Heisman Trophy winner possesses an underrated arm, can sling it all over the field, is about as athletic as they come and isn’t afraid to take chances out of the pocket. Manziel is transcendent simply because we have no idea how his game is going to translate to the NFL. He could be hoisting a Super Bowl ring or be riding the pine as a backup in five years time. That’s what makes him such an intriguing prospect.

Bishop Sankey, running back, Washington

This running back class isn’t exactly what you would call deep. Add into the equation the fact that teams around the NFL don’t value this position highly in the draft itself and there is a strong possibility that no running back will go in the first two rounds.

As high as I might be on Sankey, he’s still only my 35th-ranked prospect. With that said, Sankey provides something that nearly every other running back prospect in this draft class doesn’t. Sankey shows tremendous first and second-level burst, which enables him to get laterally and bounce runs to the outside. In addition to this, he runs with a low center of gravity.

This allows the Washington product to break some tackles despite his smallish 5’9”, 209-pound frame. Equally as impressive, Sankey is the best receiving running back in the draft. While he’s not going to be able to touch the ball 25-plus times like he did in college, Sankey’s going to be an elite playmaker at the next level. A good comparison would be another player I was high on: Giovani Bernard from last year’s draft.

Eric Ebron, tight end, North Carolina

Ebron is my highest-rated tight end prospect since Vernon Davis came out of Maryland and was selected sixth overall in the 2006 draft. About as dominating as a tight end prospect can get, Ebron utilizes a superior level of athleticism to make him nearly uncoverable when going up against linebackers and safeties.

Not exactly a true in-line receiving option, but he can line up in the slot or on the outside. In this, Ebron poses a tremendous mismatch against smaller defensive backs when lined up outside of the hashes. Unlike Davis, this prospect already boasts superior route-running skills.

His skill set dictates that he should be an immediate impact performer at the pro level. In the end, Ebron will join the new generation of tight ends that includes Davis, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, among others. That’s why he’s my 10th-ranked prospect in the draft.

Sammy Watkins, wide receiver, Clemson

Watkins is the clear top receiver in the draft class. His domination against decent competition in the ACC doesn’t mean a whole lot. It’s all about the tape here. Despite standing at just over six feet tall, Watkins’ leaping ability and ball skills make him a dominating weapon on the outside. Furthermore, he does a tremendous job making plays after the catch. This makes Watkins a perfect fit in the west-coast offense, a scheme that’s becoming more prevalent in the modern NFL. 

Look for Watkins to go somewhere in the top five with a ceiling at No. 2 overall to the St. Louis Rams. He’s the best wide receiver prospect to enter the draft since Julio Jones and A.J. Green. It’s that simple.

Greg Robinson, offensive tackle, Auburn

Robinson is not my top-rated offensive tackle in the draft. That distinction goes to Jake Matthews from Texas A&M. In fact, he’s not even my second-ranked offensive linemen. The issue here is that Robinson is boom or bust. He has the highest potential of any offensive linemen in the draft, but also boasts an incredibly low floor. 

Much better in run blocking than pass protection right now, Robinson will need to hone his technique and avoid staying upright in order to be a blindside protector at the next level. Everything else is in place for Robinson to be a Hall of Fame caliber player. He boasts elite athleticism, size, power, build and strength.
With the right coaching out of the gate to improve in protecting the QB, Robinson could be as dominating as any left tackle in the National Football League. This leads me to believe he won’t last past the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6 overall.

Re’Shade Hageman, defensive tackle, Minnesota

Hageman reminds me a lot of J.J. Watt when he came out of Wisconsin. This Minnesota product can be among the most dominating interior defensive linemen in the entire NFL if he can be consistent. At 6’6″ and 310 pounds, Hageman has the size and power to take on double teams from the interior of the line. Surprisingly, one of his major strengths is athleticism. Hageman’s quickness makes him nearly unstoppable against guards. His power/size/speed combo makes him a terror against offensive tackles. 

I expect Hageman to be looked at by 4-3 teams that are in need of a 3-tech. With that said, he could very well play a Justin Smith-like role in a 3-4 defense. In fact, while Watt might be his ceiling, Smith is possibly a better comparison. A freak of nature in every sense of the word, Hageman will need to be coached up against the run. That’s the one area that he needs to improve in.

Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end, South Carolina

Clowney is he best defensive prospect I have ever scouted. His combination of speed, size, athleticism and strength hasn’t been seen since Reggie White came into the league with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. Talk about a generational talent. That’s exactly what Clowney is. All of these rumors about his work ethic are overblown. Place someone under the microscope as long as we have with Clowney, and you are sure to come up with some issues.

Clowney’s lack of production from a statistical standpoint had more to do with blocking schemes rotating two or three players to his side. Even then, he was still able to put consistent pressure on the quarterback. Offenses simply won’t have that capability in the NFL. If Clowney goes first overall to the Texans, he will be a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate in the future.

Khalil Mack, outside linebacker (3-4), Buffalo

More of a 3-4 outside linebacker than a 9-technique in a 4-3 scheme, Mack can pretty much play all over the field. Despite going up against less-than stellar competition in college, this small-school product has everything teams look for in a franchise pass rusher. At 6’3″ and 251, Mack ran a ridiculous 4.65 40-yard dash at the combine.

Just to put this into perspective, that’s nearly the same number that former Florida State wide receiver and early-round prospect Kelvin Benjamin (4.61) put up in Indianapolis. Not only an athletic freak from the edge, Mack already boasts elite pass-rushing technique. He has the size to bull rush, speed to get around the corner and lower-body movement to divide double-teams at the point of contact. Mack is eDraft’s fourth overall prospect.

That’s simply amazing considering the amount of questions many had about him during the 2013 campaign as it related to competition level. He’s simply a double-digit sack guy out of the gatesimilar to Aldon Smith in both size and athletic ability. Expect that type of production from day one.

C.J. Mosley, linebacker, Alabama

There has been questions about Mosley’s ability be a three-down linebacker and stay healthy throughout the course of a 16-game schedule. Those questions, while holding some weight, shouldn’t force a team to avoid him in the top 10. As sure of a tackler as you will get, Mosley does a great job driving the ball carrier to the ground at the point of contact. He’s also a dominating sideline-to-sideline force and can act as the coverage backer in nickel sets. This makes him a three-down player out of the gate.

Teams that could make a play for Mosley in the top 10 include the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both would be tremendous fits in that they could afford him to do what he does best on the field. In reality, Mosley’s tape is much better than what we saw from Luke Kuechly entering the 2012 NFL draft, and that speaks volumes.

Pierre Desir, cornerback, Lindenwood

This small-school product has the size and physicality that NFL teams look for from a young cornerback. He does a tremendous job in press coverage, doesn’t struggle with stiff hips on the outside and has amazing ball skills. All things equal and after watching his tape, there is no reason to believe that Desir should get past the San Francisco 49ers at No. 30 overall. This is how much of a dynamic prospect he is from the cornerback position.

Deone Bucannon, safety, Washington State

Bucannon is comparable to Donte Whitner, but with plus-coverage skills. The 6’1″, 211-pound strong safety prospect is a bit of a loose cannon in the back end of the defense. While he does a tremendous job lowering his shoulder to avoid the personal foul penalty, Bucannon absolutely stuns receivers over the middle. He’s also not afraid to take a penalty in order to announce his presence on the football field.

Interestingly enough, Bucannon does a great job seeing the field in front of him. This makes him a decent coverage option despite the fact that he lacks the ability to cover one-on-one over the top.

Quantcast