With the draft drawing nearer and the combine participants officially on our radars, there might be no better time to browse NFL analyst Mike Mayock’s position-by-position prospect rankings for this year’s NFL Draft:
.@MikeMayock's top 5 prospects by position:
QB
1. DeShone Kizer
2. Deshaun Watson
3. Mitch Trubisky
FULL: https://t.co/Tri2PTKot5 #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/fMyWh2KC42— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFL_CFB) February 15, 2017
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Because here, you’ll see some familiar names who have been linked to the Bears on the pre-draft rumor mill.
For example, Alabama’s Jonathan Allen sits atop the list of interior defensive linemen, while Malik Hooker (Ohio State) and Jamal Adams (LSU) are 1-2 as far as safeties are concerned.
Deshaun Watson and Mitch Trubisky are ranked as the second and third quarterbacks on Mayock’s list, which leaves the name at the top of the QB rankings: Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, as one that might raise some eyebrows.
Kizer threw for 5,805 yards, 47 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions, while completing 60.7% of his pass attempts in his junior and senior seasons. The Fighting Irish signal caller also saw his completion percentage drop from 62.9% to 58.7%, and his quarterback rate tumbled from 150.1 to 145.6 from his junior to senior year, but the raw number of touchdown passes increased (from 21 to 26) while interceptions decreased (from 10 to 9).
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The first batch of position rankings (you can check out Mayock’s full rankings here) unveils the top five quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, interior offensive linemen, edge rushers, interior defensive linemen, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, and players who don’t rank in the top five of their normal positions, but are valuable elsewhere – for example, on special teams units as kick and/or punt returners.
This won’t be Mayock’s last prospect rankings list, but it’s the one that will send the first shockwaves through the system. If Watson is in the running for the Bears at No. 3 and Trubisky is a top-5 lock, where should Kizer fit?