Time for another edition of my position rankings for the 2017 NFL draft. Dig in.
One asterisk denotes a junior, and two asterisks denote a redshirt sophomore for the 2016 season.
Quarterbacks
1. *Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina
2. *Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech
3. *Deshaun Watson, Clemson
4. **DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame
5. *Brad Kaaya, Miami (Fla.)
6. *Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
7. *Luke Falk, Washington State
8. **Wilton Speight, Michigan
9. **Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
10. *Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Mahomes is the big mover here. He has an NFL body (6-3, 230) and an NFL arm. He's going to take time to adjust to the NFL, though, and whichever team that picks him will have to be patient. Speight is a massive kid (6-6, 240) who has been extremely efficient for the Wolverines (15 touchdown passes and three picks while completing 64.5 percent of his passes).
Running backs
1. *Leonard Fournette, LSU
2. *Dalvin Cook, Florida State
3. *Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
4. *D'Onta Foreman, Texas
5. *Royce Freeman, Oregon
6. *Nick Chubb, Georgia
7. **Kamryn Pettway, Auburn
8. *Wayne Gallman, Clemson
9. Matthew Dayes, NC State
10. Corey Clement, Wisconsin
Pettway, a third-year sophomore, didn't have a carry last season. This season he has 1,106 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, on the nation's third-best rushing attack. At 6-0, 240, he'll seek contact with defenders.
Fullbacks
1. *Jaylen Samuels, NC State
2. Sam Rogers, Virginia Tech
3. Nate Iese, UCLA
4. *Dimitri Flowers, Oklahoma
5. *Austin Ramesh, Wisconsin
6. Anthony Firkser, Harvard
7. Chris Herndon, Miami (Fla.)
8. *Christian Payne, Georgia
9. *Daniel Marx, Stanford
10. *Khalid Hill, Michigan
Flowers (6-2, 240) had to fill in at running back for the Sooners because of injuries and a suspension against Iowa State on Nov. 3, and he responded with 115 yards on 22 carries. He hadn't had a single carry in three seasons prior to that game.
Wide receivers
1. *Mike Williams, Clemson
2. *JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC
3. Corey Davis, Western Michigan
4. *John Ross, Washington
5. *Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech
6. *Curtis Samuel, Ohio State
7. Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma
8. Amara Darboh, Michigan
9. **Courtland Sutton, SMU
10. Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M
Ross (5-11, 190) is one of the fastest players in college football. He lit up Cal last weekend with six catches for 208 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 15 total TDs on the season. Westbrook (6-0, 175) is averaging 18.2 yards per catch.
Tight ends
1. *Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech
2. O.J. Howard, Alabama
3. Jake Butt, Michigan
4. Evan Engram, Mississippi
5. Jordan Leggett, Clemson
6. Cole Hikutini, Louisville
7. Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas
8. Pharaoh Brown, Oregon
9. Gerald Everett, South Alabama
10. *Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin
I have Hodges (6-7, 240) over Howard (6-6, 250) here for the first time, but it's likely going to come down to their combine results. I expect both to test really well.
Offensive tackles
1. *Cam Robinson, Alabama
2. *Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
3. Dion Dawkins, Temple
4. **Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
5. *Roderick Johnson, Florida State
6. *Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin
7. Adam Bisnowaty, Pitt
8. Chad Wheeler, USC
9. Conor McDermott, UCLA
10. Julie'n Davenport, Bucknell
Brown has great feet for his size (6-8, 340). His father started 119 NFL games in nine years for the Browns and Ravens.
Offensive guards
1. **Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
2. *Billy Price, Ohio State
3. *Braden Smith, Auburn
4. Dan Feeney, Indiana
5. Dorian Johnson, Pitt
6. Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky
7. Nico Siragusa, San Diego State
8. *Damien Mama, USC
9. Greg Pyke, Georgia
10. *Sean Welsh, Iowa
Smith (6-6, 300) moves up a few spots here. He's clearing space for the third-ranked rushing attack in the country.
Centers
1. Ethan Pocic, LSU
2. Pat Elflein, Ohio State
3. *Mason Cole, Michigan
4. Jon Toth, Kentucky
5. *Frank Ragnow, Arkansas
6. *Bradley Bozeman, Alabama
7. Chase Roullier, Wyoming
8. Tyler Orlosky, West Virginia
9. Cameron Tom, Southern Mississippi
10. Kyle Fuller, Baylor
Cole (6-5, 305) is a three-year starter for the Wolverines, and he actually switched from left tackle after making a bunch of starts there.
Defensive ends
1. *Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
2. Jonathan Allen, Alabama
3. Takkarist McKinley, UCLA
4. *Derek Barnett, Tennessee
5. **Solomon Thomas, Stanford
6. *Carl Lawson, Auburn
7. *Charles Harris, Missouri
8. Dawuane Smoot, Illinois
9. Isaac Rochell, Notre Dame
10. DeMarcus Walker, Florida State
If your team needs a top-tier pass-rusher, this class has them. McKinley (6-2, 240) has five sacks in his past two games.
Defensive tackles
1. *Malik McDowell, Michigan State
2. *Elijah Qualls, Washington
3. Chris Wormley, Michigan
4. **Greg Gaines, Washington
5. *Caleb Brantley, Florida
6. *Charles Walker, Oklahoma
7. Carlos Watkins, Clemson
8. Montravius Adams, Auburn
9. Jarron Jones, Notre Dame
10. *Davon Godchaux, LSU
Jones (6-5, 315), a fifth-year senior, flashes at times but is inconsistent. He missed most of the 2015 season because of a knee injury. He's tough to move.
Inside linebackers
1. Reuben Foster, Alabama
2. *Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State
3. *Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt
4. Kendell Beckwith, LSU
5. *Azeem Victor, Washington
6. *Anthony Walker, Northwestern
7. *Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
8. Keith Kelsey, Louisville
9. Hardy Nickerson, Illinois
10. Ben Gedeon, Michigan
Cunningham (6-4, 230), a fourth-year junior, is one of the most athletic defenders in the nation. He's productive, too.
Outside linebackers
1. Tim Williams, Alabama
2. Ryan Anderson, Alabama
3. Jarrad Davis, Florida
4. Vince Biegel, Wisconsin
5. Devonte Fields, Louisville
6. Steven Taylor, Houston
7. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Tennessee
8. *Marquis Haynes, Mississippi
9. *T.J. Watt, Wisconsin
10. *Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
Anderson (6-2, 255) made his debut in my updated Big Board.
Cornerbacks
1. **Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State
2. **Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
3. *Teez Tabor, Florida
4. *Sidney Jones, Washington
5. Jourdan Lewis, Michigan
6. *Quincy Wilson, Florida
7. Tre'Davious White, LSU
8. Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson
9. Desmond King, Iowa
10. Kevin King, Washington
Kevin King (6-3, 190) is a big corner who can turn and run with receivers. There are a bunch of potential NFL starters in this group.
Safeties
1. **Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
2. *Jamal Adams, LSU
3. **Malik Hooker, Ohio State
4. Marcus Maye, Florida
5. Justin Evans, Texas A&M
6. Eddie Jackson, Alabama
7. Chidobe Awuzie, Colorado
8. *Marcus Williams, Utah
9. Johnathan Ford, Auburn
10. *Shalom Luani, Washington State
Look at the youth at the top. Two sophomores and a junior. Luani (6-0, 205) has four interceptions this season.
Kickers and punters
1. *Daniel Carlson, Auburn (Kicker)
2. *JK Scott, Alabama (Punter)
3. Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State (Kicker)
4. *Trevor Daniel, Tennessee (Punter)
5. *Johnny Townsend, Florida (Punter)
6. Jake Elliott, Memphis (Kicker)
7. Cameron Johnston, Ohio State (Punter)
8. *Jonathan Barnes, Louisiana Tech (Kicker)
9. Justin Vogel, Miami (Fla.) (Punter)
10. Austin Rehkow, Idaho (Kicker and Punter)
Gonzalez has missed only one field goal on the season, and he's the NCAA record holder for field goals in a career.