Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling updates his rankings for the top tight end prospects in the 2022 NFL draft
The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, and the pro day circuit is in full swing, which means it’s time to take an updated look at our prospect rankings for the 2022 NFL draft.
Here’s how we stack this year’s tight end class:
Anonymous scouts discuss Raiders OT Alex Leatherwood before 2021 NFL draft
Each year for the past 37 years Bob McGinn has collected quotes from scouts about all the players in the draft and asked them to rank them as they see them. It makes for some interesting reading after these players are drafted.
One of the questions McGinn asked scouts was which offensive linemen in the class were the most overrated. He asked 17 different scouts that question. The leaders were Oregon OT Penei Sewell (the consensus top tackle in this draft taken at 8th overall by the Lions) and Texas OT Sam Cosmi (taken 51st overall by Washington). Each had four votes.
Two others received two votes. They were Michigan’s Jaylen Mayfield (taken in the third round at 68 overall by the Falcons) and Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood (taken at 17 overall by the Raiders).
You can take that for what it’s worth. Sewell, for instance, may just have been considered overrated because he was the unquestioned top OT in this class through the entire process and seen as a top-three talent in this class at any position. He was still rated as the top OL in the class regardless.
With a first-place vote worth six points, a second worth five and so on, the point totals were Sewell (93), Slater (84), Vera-Tucker (52), Christian Darrisaw (50), Teven Jenkins (17), Dickerson (13), Jackson Carman (eight), Liam Eichenberg (six), Cosmi (six), Leatherwood (five), Little (five), Banks (four), Mayfield (four), Dillon Radunz (four), Dan Moore (two), Trey Smith (two), Wyatt Davis (one) and Drew Dalman (one).
Based on these votes, Leatherwood was viewed as the 10th offensive lineman in this class and the 7th best tackle. And yet he was the fourth OL and third OT taken behind Sewell, OT Rashawn Slater, and G Alijah Vera-Tucker, with the more highly regarded Darrisaw and Jenkins still on the board.
This bears out why these scouts viewed Leatherwood as being overrated. So too does some of what they had to say about him.
“He’ll play,” one scout said. “You love his length (34-inch arms) … but he doesn’t play that strong and doesn’t have a lot of grit to him. He just kind of does everything OK, OK, OK, nothing elite. Someone may fall in love with him just because it’s an Alabama offensive lineman. Every year they don’t do anything, but every year we keep taking ’em. He falls in line with a lot of those ’Bama guys of the past.”
Another scout’s analysis matches up with the pre-draft feeling that Leatherwood may be best suited to play guard, but seems to have a similar feeling to that of the Raiders.
“I think he’s got to be a right tackle or a guard,” said another scout. “Big, powerful man. Moved well for a big guy. He worked out better than I thought. There’s some similarities between him and Andrus Peat, thick-boned guys who could play tackle but are really good guards.”
It’s important to reiterate that these are what scouts were saying about these players before they were drafted. So, it was regardless of where in the draft the player was selected and/or which team selected them. That’s what makes these quotes most interesting. Now we wait to see how accurate they end up being.
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A look at prospect rankings for the 2022 NFL draft which lists three Oklahoma Sooners.
With the NFL draft firmly in the rearview mirror for the 2021 class, the focus now shifts forward to the 2021 college football season and possible prospect for 2022. One outlet has already pegged quarterback Spencer Rattler as the No. 1 overall pick in their “way too early” mock draft.
USA TODAY Sports writer Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has released his top 15 players for the 2022 NFL draft. No surprise here as Rattle is once again listed among the top players in the country. He checks in at No. 3 overall and the No. 1 quarterback on the list.
Lincoln Riley has already produced two No. 1 picks at quarterback in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, and a third might be on the way. Rattler has a way of making dazzling deep strikes look effortless with a flick of his wrist. Teams will want to see more consistency, however, after he capped an up-and-down redshirt freshman season by throwing 10 touchdowns and one interception in his final four games.
Rattler is just one spot ahead of the quarterback he will competing with for top quarterback honors in 2021, North Carolina’s Sam Howell. The only other quarterback on the list in the top 15 is Southern California‘s Kedon Slovis. Rattler is the only Sooner to make the list for USA TODAY Sports.
Next, another draft prospect list showcases three Sooners…
Let’s take a look at all four rounds of Luke Easterling’s new mock, starting with the Falcons’ No. 16 pick.
Mock draft season is winding down as the start of the NFL draft is just two days away. Our friends over at Draft Wire released a final four-round mock that has the Atlanta Falcons filling needs and getting value.
Let’s take a look at all four rounds of Luke Easterling’s new mock, starting with the Falcons’ No. 16 pick.
Draft Wire Analysis: This entire defensive line is in desperate need of help, outside of Grady Jarrett. There’s quality talent on the board at both the EDGE spot and along the interior, so the Falcons go with the best overall prospect in Kinlaw. His combination of size, versatility, and a nonstop motor make him one of the most promising defenders in this entire class, and a steal outside the top 15.
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling ranks the top prospects at every position in the 2020 NFL Draft class
Draft week is upon us, and as teams and prospects alike are putting the finishing touches on their preparations, so are we.
Here are our final prospect rankings for every position group in the 2020 NFL Draft:
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Luke Easterling updates his prospect rankings for every position group in the 2020 NFL draft class
The NFL offseason, if there’s ever truly such a thing, is about to kick into a higher gear.
The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, as well as the all-star circuit for this year’s top draft prospects. Teams are now preparing for official visits with draft hopefuls, as well as getting ready for the frenzied free-for-all that is free agency, which kicks off next week.
As the action heats up across the league, here’s an updated look at our prospect rankings for every position group in the 2020 NFL draft:
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Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling updates his prospect rankings for every position group in the 2020 NFL draft
The predraft process is rolling on, as the Senior Bowl is in the books and the NFL Scouting Combine is next on the horizon.
As teams and prospects alike continue to prepare for Indy and beyond, here’s an updated look at my prospect rankings for every position group in the 2020 NFL draft class:
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