Broaddus: Ranking The Top 50 Prospects In This Year's NFL Draft Class

Apr 27, 2015 at 06:38 AM

Bryan Broaddus

Football Analyst/Scout

IRVING, Texas – Having spent four months researching draft prospects, it's finally down to draft week.

We've covered just about every angle possible in trying to determine the Cowboys' options in the 2015 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night in Chicago. Up until the picks start happening, it's a tough task to predict what actually happens.

This isn't about predicting the future, though. Having studied tape of 225 prospects for this draft, this is my projection of this year's 50 best prospects. That's not to say they'll be drafted in that order, but this is how I'm ranking the elite players for 2015 heading into Thursday night.

1. Leonard Williams	DT	USC	See a lot of Gerald McCoy in this player
2. Dante Fowler	DE	Florida	Believe he is a better player than Anthony Barr '14.
3. Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia	One of those backs that never comes off the field.
4. Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama	Smooth and reliable. Makes plays down after down.
5. Trey Waynes	CB	Michigan State	Receivers have a hard time getting away from him.
6. DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville	Has some Dez Bryant to him in the open field.
7. Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest	Love his length. Can deny the ball. Stays in position.
8. Kevin White	WR	West Virginia	Size with the ability to adjust. Tough in the air.
9. Brandon Scherff	OG	Iowa	Much better run blocker than pass. See him at guard.
10. Bud Dupree	DE	Kentucky	Is a fit in a 4-3 or 3-4. Would play as a left end here.
11. Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State	No questions about his leadership and physical traits.
12. Byron Jones	CB	Connecticut	Can really cover some ground in coverage. Physical.
13. Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon	Accurate but lacks arm to make all the throws.
14. Marcus Peters	CB	Washington	Plays with a chip on his shoulder. Outstanding in man.
15. Vic Beasley	DE	Clemson	Might be better suited as a 3-4 OLB. Can really rush.
16. T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh	Athletic enough to play either side. Works hard to finish.
17. La'el Collins	OT	LSU	Is not the prettiest blocker but effective. Might be a guard?
18. Danny Shelton	DT	Washington	Is a load to handle inside. Strong. Active down line.
19. Tevin Coleman	RB	Indiana	One of the most complete backs in the draft.
20. Carl Davis	DT	Iowa	Played as both a nose and under-tackle in Iowa's scheme.
21. Shane Ray	DE	Missouri	Explosive first step quickness. Can capture the edge.
22. Duke Johnson	RB	Miami	Great scheme fit. Does a great job of avoiding tacklers.
23. Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin	Can run himself out of tight spots. Breaks tackles.
24. Erick Flowers	OT	Miami	Mauler-Brawler. Works hard to finish blocks. Right tackle.
25. Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma	Smooth athlete that plays effortlessly. Big time size.
26. Eric Kendricks	ILB	UCLA	Is a sideline-to-sideline player in every sense of the word.
27. P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State	Has the length and the movement skills to shut down receivers.
28. Bernardrick McKinney	ILB	Mississippi State	Thumper as a MIKE. Could put his hand down a rush on 3rd down
29. Randy Gregory	DE	Nebraska	Talented but off field questions now hang over head.
30. D.J. Humphries	OT	Florida	Big man that is very light on his feet. Good in space.
31. Malcom Brown	DT	Texas	Have seen him be a dominating player but also get dominated.
32. Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington	Can really run. Outstanding at creating turnovers. Can cover.
33. Jalen Collins	CB	LSU	Can play on either side of the field and the slot as well.
34. Nelson Agholor	WR	USC	Smooth route runner. Catches the ball well in his hands.
35. Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota	Plays all over the formation. Mismatch player. Hard to cover.
36. Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami	Can really fly - plays to his timed speed in the 40.
37. Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M	Size and feet. Lacks some power now but has a chance to be great.
38. Cameron Erving	C	Florida State	Best Center in the Draft. Could play Tackle as well. Smart.
39. Andus Peat	OT	Stanford	Gets away from the line well in pass protection.
40. Breshad Perriman	WR	Central Florida	Nice when he can run inside routes. Can adjust down field.
41. Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State	Cowboys sent a coach to work him out - a true free safety here.
42. Jalen Strong	WR	Arizona State	Not afraid to give up body to make a play. Great in the air.
43. Ronald Darby	CB	Florida State	Has the speed and quickness to run with anyone. Physical at line.
44. Eddie Goldman	DT	Florida State	Does a really nice job at holding the point of attack. Can push.
45. A.J. Cann	OG	South Carolina	Powerful man that can get some push. Hard to move him.
46. Landon Collins	S	Alabama	I would consider him as strong safety only. Could be an OLB?
47. Clive Walford	TE	Miami	Position blocker and good at it. Can make plays down the field.
48. Eli Harold	DE	Virginia	Is bigger in person than he looks on tape. Sharpens the edge.
49. Jay Ajayi	RB	Boise State	Can run the ball inside or out. Needs to become a better blocker.
50. Davin Smith	WR	Ohio State	Explosive down the field player. Makes big plays.

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