National Football League

NFL Draft: Top 5 players at every position as pro days roll on, according to Joel Klatt

Published Mar. 17, 2015 10:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Combine is over, and now it's all about the individual workouts and pro days. Who moved up and who fell in Joel Klatt's top five at each position? Check it out.

* -- Junior

** -- Red-Shirt Sophomore

Parentheses indicate previous ranking

QUARTERBACKS

1. *Marcus Mariota - Oregon

2. **Jameis Winston - Florida State

3. Sean Mannion - Oregon State

4. Bryce Petty - Baylor

5. *Brett Hundley - UCLA

On Deck : Garrett Grayson - Colorado State

Still no change at the top of the list for the quarterbacks. Marcus Mariota had a solid pro day, going 60 of 65 with all throws coming from under center. Everyone in attendance came away impressed while those watching on TV focused on the few misses caused by wideout errors. Winston had a very productive few days with Tampa Bay in a private meeting, and, as one source described, "killed it" in every aspect. While Winston and Mariota are getting all of the attention, the battle for the third spot is fantastic. I go with Sean Mannion because he doesn't need any special assistance moving forward. Mannion's floor is extremely high, making him the safest quarterback in the draft. He tended to hit the wall on throws, not transitioning his power all the way through his front leg, but that was corrected when he threw in Corvallis. Many quarterback coaches around the league were there and by all accounts Mannion has separated himself from the others in the race for No. 3.

RUNNING BACKS

1. *Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin

2. *Todd Gurley - Georgia

3. Ameer Abdullah - Nebraska (4)

4. Jeremy Langford - Michigan State (3)

5. *T.J. Yeldon - Alabama

On Deck : Javorius Allen - USC

Melvin Gordon is a first-round talent regardless of the position being devalued in the last few years. Todd Gurley is showing signs of health and his tape is as impressive as any back in the last five years. This group has good depth when you add players like Tevin Coleman, David Cobb and Duke Johnson. Many of the teams looking for a running back in the middle rounds will get decent value this year.

WIDE RECEIVERS

1. Kevin White - West Virginia

2. *Amari Cooper - Alabama

3. *Jaelen Strong - Arizona State

4. *Dorial Green-Beckham - Oklahoma

5. DeVante Parker - Louisville

On Deck : *Nelson Agholor - USC

This group is the deepest and most talented of the draft. I won't be shocked if we see 9-10 receivers taken in the first 50 picks. Kevin White was a man among boys at the Combine and should get selected in the top five, probably to Oakland. Amari Cooper is only 20 years old, but he is quite refined as a player and route runner -- it is hard to see him being able to improve past what he already is. Dorial Green-Beckham is a Calvin Johnson clone and ran under 4.50 at the Combine. He is so talented that it will be fairly easy for an organization to overlook his off-field issues.

TIGHT ENDS

1. **Maxx Williams - Minnesota

2. Clive Walford - Miami

3. Wes Saxton - So. Alabama

4. Nick O'Leary - Florida State

5. Jeff Heurman - Ohio State

On Deck: EJ Bibbs - Iowa State

NOTE: Devin Funchess may be evaluated as a TE and would immediately be vaulted to No. 1. He played the entire year at wideout for Michigan and would be a fine NFL receiver, but he has drawn comparisons to Jimmy Graham if he were to move to hybrid TE.

This group lacks a real playmaker, which is why Maxx Williams left two years of eligibility on the table at Minnesota. Walford and Saxton gained solid momentum at the Combine, but I don't see any tight end getting selected before the middle of the second round, at the earliest.

TACKLES

1. *Ereck Flowers - Miami

2. La'el Collins - LSU

3. D.J. Humphries - Florida (4)

4. Cedric Ogbuehi - Texas A&M (5)

5. TJ Clemmings - Pitt (NR)

On Deck: *Andrus Peat - Stanford (3)

This offensive class as a whole is sub-par, but that is good news for these guys because they will likely get selected earlier than they should due to need. Denver needs O-Line help and will likely take one of these players in the first round. I have heard evaluations all over the map for this group, so without a clear-cut leader, any one of them could be the first off the board. I don't see any of them being a franchise left tackle in the NFL, but all of them could play for a long time on the right side and do a serviceable job.

GUARD/CENTER

1. Cameron Erving - Florida State

2. Brandon Scherff - Iowa

3. Laken Tomlinson - Duke

4. Tre' Jackson - Florida State

5. A.J. Cann - South Carolina

On Deck : Josue Matias - Florida State

I'm higher on this group than I am the tackles, but they lack a clear-cut leader and so, just as was the case with the tackle group, any of these players could be the first off the board at their position. I am a big fan of Erving because of his toughness and versatility having played defensive tackle, left tackle and center at FSU during his career. Scherff will be on most people's tackle list, but he just doesn't fit on the outside. However, he can have a good career on the interior as a guard. Tomlinson is the guy that is the most intriguing because not many knew about him until his marvelous week in Mobile against defensive tackle Danny Shelton, a sure-fire top 10 pick.

SAFETIES

1. *Landon Collins - Alabama

2. *Chris Hackett - TCU (3)

3. *Gerod Holliman - Louisville (4)

4. Cody Prewitt - Ole Miss (Prev 2)

5. Derron Smith - Fresno State

On Deck : Jaquiski Tartt - Samford

Collins is the clear class of this group and is the only safety that I am comfortable giving a first-round grade. The others will be bunched up together just outside of the top 50 and I think there will be a bit of a run on safeties in the back half of the second round and into the third round because of that. Furthermore, the free-agent market dried up fast when Devin McCourty re-signed with New England, leaving Rahim Moore as the prize safety available. Hackett and Holliman are solid players and should be good pick-ups late in the second round.

CORNERS

1. *Trae Waynes - Michigan State

2. *Marcus Peters - Washington

3. *PJ Williams - Florida State

4. *Jalen Collins - LSU

5. Kevin Johnson - Wake Forest (NR)

On Deck : Kevin White - TCU (NR)

MOVED OUT - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu - Oregon (5)

Waynes has solidified his spot at the top of the group with a strong showing at the Combine, but Peters is very intriguing and it will only take one team to overlook the perceived character problems that caused his dismissal from the team at Washington. Ekpre-Olomu is just not healthy enough right now to be included in this group which is unfortunate for him, but some team is going to get an incredible value with him in the middle rounds of the draft.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

1. Eric Kendricks - UCLA (2)

2. *Benardrick McKinney - Mississippi State (1)

3. Denzel Perryman - Miami

4. Paul Dawson - TCU

5. Ben Heeney - Kansas

On Deck : Ramik Wilson - Georgia

McKinney did not run a solid 40 and Kendricks surprised with his time, as well. Kendricks should be the first inside backer taken in the draft. His tape is off the charts with production, recognition, tackling ability, stamina, pursuit and overall effort. Perryman is undersized, but has good instincts. Paul Dawson makes an appearance on the list; he was a disruptive player for TCU on its way to a fabulous season.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

1. *Dante Fowler Jr. - FLorida

2. Vic Beasley - Clemson

3. *Shane Ray - Missouri

4. *Shaq Thompson - Washington (5)

5. Eli Harold - Virginia (4)

On Deck: Nate Orchard - Utah

Along with the receivers, this group is the class of the draft and all of these players should get selected in the top 50 picks. Fowler Jr. had one of the five best combines in Indy and solidified himself as the most NFL-ready outside linebacker in the draft. He weighed in at 260 pounds, which was a great weight, but then backed it up with great performances in the movement drills. Thompson stays on this list, but he really needs to be evaluated as a safety or weak-side linebacker.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

1. *Randy Gregory - Nebraska

2. Alvin Dupree - Kentucky

3. Owamagbe Odighizuwa - UCLA

4. *Arik Armstead - Oregon

5. *Danielle Hunter - LSU

On Deck: *Mario Edwards Jr. - Florida State

No changes to this group as all of these players performed well in Indy. One of the only things that could be taken as a negative is that Gregory weighed less than 240 pounds, which will have to be corrected before the season. There were rumors that his interviews also did not go well. Dupree was one of the more impressive performers in Indy with a fast time and excellent interviews.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

1. *Leonard Williams - USC

2. Danny Shelton - Washington

3. *Malcom Brown - Texas

4. Eddie Goldman - Florida State

5. **Jordan Phillips - Oklahoma

On Deck: Michael Bennett - Ohio State

The defensive tackles are another strong group and they were solid in Indy. Williams is the best player available in the draft and Shelton continues to impress everyone. Phillips is one of the more intriguing players in the draft as he didn't have great production, but the athletic ability jumps off the tape. All of these players are strong candidates to get selected in the top 50 picks.