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Who are the Real Top Players in the NFL Draft?

We have our own data to make semi-intelligent guesses.

The NFL draft is 2 days from now. Well, the first round that is. ESPN drags this damn thing out for like 5 days, but the big time guys will be coming off the board in the next couple of days. Tomorrow I will have my version of a "mock" draft for everyone. Today though, I want to talk about some of the prospects that are getting a little too much attention, or not enough.

First off, lets go straight to a few guys that played for my team, Michigan. What Jordan Lewis did was inexcusable and despicable. To put your hands on a woman is one of the, if not the, worst things a man can do. That should never, ever be tolerated, and I hope his stock falls massively in the draft. This was very upsetting to me because he seemed like a good kid. Then, he goes out and hits a woman. That is wrong on so many levels. It is frightening and appalling. Shame on you Jordan Lewis.

The next Wolverine I want to talk about is Jabrill Peppers. Yesterday it was reported that he had a "diluted sample" at the combine. Why is it coming out now, I have no idea. But, he has this "diluted sample". I have read and read about what this means, and I have to say, I do not think it is that big a deal. There are no steroids or illegal drugs that we know of yet. His people said that he was feeling ill and drank a ton of water while flying in for the combine. Again, I do not know if that is true, or why that would dilute someone's urine. All this being said, I feel like the people at ESPN, who have been covering this upcoming draft for what seems like years now, are trying to find anything and everything they can to discredit Peppers. I think he is very raw as a corner or safety, but I watched him play for the last 2 years, and that kid can play. He is never going to be on the level of the Ed Reed, Eric Berry and Troy Paulamalu, but I think he will be a fine nickel corner/safety, and a great return specialist.

As I said, I feel like ESPN has gone out of their way to chastise Peppers since he declared for the draft. They only had one story on Reuben Foster, who was asked to leave the combine because of how he handled himself during interviews at the combine, but he is an Alabama kid. ESPN will not attack the "almighty Nick Saban". Same can be said for Cam Robinson. Robinson is probably the best offensive lineman in the draft, but let us not forget, no matter how much ESPN refuses to talk about it, that he was caught in the offseason with unlicensed firearms. I'd rather have a kid that has a diluted piss test than a kid that had unlicensed firearms on my team. But, if you watch any ESPN coverage, you'd think Peppers broke the law and did the most horrific thing imaginable. But, their coverage of Foster and Robinson is only about how great of talents they both are, not the fact that Foster had to be removed from the combine and that Robinson likes to dick around with guns. It's almost like ESPN and Alabama are each dipping their hands in each other's honey pot. It is really rather disturbing.

I want to move on.

Lets look at the QB class this year next. I think that Deshaun Watson is unequivocally the best QB prospect in the draft. He won on the biggest stage during his college career, and the year he didn't win, it wasn't his fault, he was dynamic. He may throw a lot of picks, but so did Brett Favre and Tony Romo and Cam Newton. Watson is an incredible talent, and I think he will be a great pro. The fact that the draft "experts" rate a guy like Mitch Trubsiky ahead of him is laughable to me. Trubisky only played one full season, and when he was in a big game, he tightened up and looked afraid. He didn't play up to his competition. He did not win anything of importance his lone year as the starter at UNC. He has the look of a Tim Couch or Christian Ponder to me. Patrick Mahomes will be good, as long as he goes to a team where he can sit for a year or two and learn from a seasoned vet. He played in that crazy air raid offense at Texas Tech, so if he can have that time to be a backup and learn the NFL game, I think he can be a quality starter. I have no faith in DeShone Kizer. That kid is out of his god damn mind with the quotes he's been making lately. I'm all for guys that believe in themselves, but this kid has done nothing to back up that talk. He is a average to mediocre QB. I do not think he will ever start in the NFL.

Running back is about 2 dudes and then everyone else. Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffery are the 2 running backs in this draft. They can both be transformative players for whoever takes them. I like Fournette more, but McCaffery should be a good pro too. Guys like D'Onta Foreman, Dalvin Cook and Jordan Howard will be okay pros, but not on the level that Fournette and McCaffery have the ability to be. I will not discuss the other back that everyone in the sports media is trying to redeem.

Receiver is very ho hum to me. The only guy that stands out as a first round talent is John Ross from Washington. He is lighting fast and can change the game as a returner as well.

Flipping over to the defensive side, this draft is stacked with defensive talent. As far a D line goes, I love Johnathan Allen and Solomon Thomas, just like everyone else. The linebackers are good, led by Hassan Reddick. Secondary is loaded, but I think Jamal Adams from LSU is the stand out, along with Adoree Jackson. I've heard a lot of talk about a couple of the University of Ohio State(I know what I wrote) guys, Malik Hooker and some other corner who's name escapes me because I hate that team. Hooker is good, but he is oft injured. He had hamstring surgery in high school. I've never heard of that before. Both these guys will go in round one though. But, if I had a pick, I'd do whatever I could to get Adams. He is a workaholic that will only get better with professional coaching. And how Adoree Jackson is not a lock first rounder is baffling to me. He is a better version of Jabrill Peppers, and I am as big a Peppers fan as there is. Jackson is a very physical corner and can cover. He is also an excellent returner as well. He is going to be great.

These are just some of my quick thoughts on some guys I like and others I'm not so high on. Come back tomorrow for my "mock" draft to see where I think these kids will end up, or what I think certain teams should do in the first round.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is dumbfounded by ESPN's draft "experts". Those guys get paid to be dumb and wrong. How can he score an easy gig like that.

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