Time for a fresh update of my top prospects by position, the first since the preseason. A whole lot has changed ... dig in.
Important to note: This is a mix of seniors and underclassmen, but early on I separate the two so you see more senior players, as those are guys who are certain to be in the draft. By "underclassmen," I mean players who technically could return to school for another season. Those are true juniors and third-year sophomores. I've denoted the third-year sophomores with asterisks.
Quarterbacks
Seniors
1. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
2. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
3. Luke Falk, Washington State
4. Brandon Silvers, Troy
5. Mike White, Western Kentucky
Underclassmen
1. *Sam Darnold, USC
2. Josh Rosen, UCLA
3. Josh Allen, Wyoming
4. Lamar Jackson, Louisville
5. Kelly Bryant, Clemson
Mayfield is No. 1 in FBS in Total QBR (93.2), and Rudolph is No. 2 (89.1). The Sooner is one of my favorite college football players to watch. The first-year starter Bryant has a big frame (6-4, 200).
Running backs
Seniors
1. Royce Freeman, Oregon
2. Nick Chubb, Georgia
3. Akrum Wadley, Iowa
4. Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
5. Justin Crawford, West Virginia
Also considered: Sony Michel, Georgia
Underclassmen
1. Saquon Barkley, Penn State
2. Derrius Guice, LSU
3. Damien Harris, Alabama
4. Mark Walton, Miami (Fla.)
5. Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
Also considered: Bryce Love, Stanford; Ronald Jones II, USC
Wadley has rushed for 2,101 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. Crawford has averaged 7.3 yards per carry on 224 rushes since the beginning of last season.
Fullbacks
Seniors
1. Dimitri Flowers, Oklahoma
2. Jaylen Samuels, NC State
3. Khalid Hill, Michigan
4. Austin Ramesh, Wisconsin
5. Daniel Marx, Stanford
Also considered: Garrett Dickerson, Northwestern; J.D. Moore, LSU
Underclassmen
1. George Aston, Pittsburgh
2. Winston Dimel, Kansas State
3. Alec Ingold, Wisconsin
4. Ryan Nall, Oregon State
5. Chandler Cox, Auburn
Flowers has 10 touchdowns on 37 career receptions.
Wide receivers
Seniors
1. Dante Pettis, Washington
2. James Washington, Oklahoma State
3. Anthony Miller, Memphis
4. D.J. Chark, LSU
5. Michael Gallup, Colorado State
Also considered: Cam Phillips, Virginia Tech; Cedrick Wilson, Boise State; Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State; Darren Carrington, Utah
Underclassmen
1. Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
2. Calvin Ridley, Alabama
3. Courtland Sutton, SMU
4. Deon Cain, Clemson
5. Deontay Burnett, USC
Miller had 95 catches last season, and Pettis had 15 touchdown catches. Burnett is Sam Darnold's favorite target -- he has 33 catches and five touchdowns this season.
Tight ends
Seniors
1. Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
2. Mike Gesicki, Penn State
3. Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin
4. Adam Breneman, Massachusetts
5. Christopher Herndon IV, Miami (Fla.)
Also considered: Ian Thomas, Indiana; Marcus Baugh, Ohio State; DeAndre Goolsby, Florida; Durham Smythe, Notre Dame
Underclassmen
1. Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
2. C.J. Conrad, Kentucky
3. Ryan Izzo, Florida State
4. Cole Herdman, Purdue
5. Hayden Hurst, South Carolina
Also considered: Josh Oliver, San Jose State; Dalton Schultz, Stanford
Conrad isn't used much, but he can be a weapon. The 6-5, 245-pounder has a 59-yard TD this season and had one for 72 yards in 2016.
Offensive tackles
Seniors
1. Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
2. Zachary Crabtree, Oklahoma State
3. Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigan
4. Martinas Rankin, Mississippi State
5. Jamarco Jones, Ohio State
Also considered: Tyrell Crosby, Oregon; Mason Cole, Michigan
Underclassmen
1. Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
2. Connor Williams, Texas
3. Trey Adams, Washington
4. Mitch Hyatt, Clemson
5. Martez Ivey, Florida
Also considered: Nick Gates, Nebraska; Michael Deiter, Wisconsin; Lukayus McNeil, Louisville
This tackle class is shaping up to be better at the top than last year -- I have three in my top 25 so far. Williams could miss a few more games after hurting his knee in the loss to USC.
Offensive guards
Seniors
1. Braden Smith, Auburn
2. Cody O'Connell, Washington State
3. Austin Corbett, Nevada
4. Brendan Mahon, Penn State
5. Will Hernandez, UTEP
Also considered: Wyatt Teller, Virginia Tech; Tyrone Crowder, Clemson; Tony Adams, NC State; Colby Gossett, Appalachian State; Sean Welsh, Iowa
Underclassmen
1. Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
2. Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama
3. Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin
4. Sam Jones, Arizona State
5. Chris Brown, USC
UTEP doesn't produce much NFL talent, but I really like Hernandez. He's a wall.
Centers
Seniors
1. Billy Price, Ohio State
2. Frank Ragnow, Arkansas
3. Scott Quessenberry, UCLA
4. Coleman Shelton, Washington
5. Bradley Bozeman, Alabama
Also considered: Jake Bennett, Colorado State; Austin Golson, Auburn; Brian Allen, Michigan State; Tejan Koroma, BYU
Underclassmen
1. James Daniels, Iowa
2. Will Clapp, LSU
3. Alec Eberle, Florida State
4. Brendan Moore, Maryland
5. Drew Kyser, Memphis
Price is a three-year starter at guard who moved over to center this season.
Defensive ends
Seniors
1. Bradley Chubb, NC State
2. Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
3. Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
4. Da'Shawn Hand, Alabama
5. Chad Thomas, Miami (Fla.)
Also considered: Trevon Young, Louisville; Ebenezer Ogundeko, Tennessee State
Underclassmen
1. Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
2. Austin Bryant, Clemson
3. Ben Banogu, TCU
4. *Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
5. Josh Sweat, Florida State
Also considered: Hercules Mata'afa, Washington State; Rasheem Green, USC; Dorance Armstrong Jr., Kansas; Jalen Jelks, Oregon
The Clemson D-line is loaded. Bryant already has 5.0 sacks this season. Banogu has 6.0 tackles for loss.
Defensive tackles
Seniors
1. Maurice Hurst, Michigan
2. Derrick Nnadi, Florida State
3. Lowell Lotulelei, Utah
4. Justin Jones, NC State
5. Michael Hill, Ohio State
Underclassmen
1. Christian Wilkins, Clemson
2. Vita Vea, Washington
3. Trenton Thompson, Georgia
4. Da'Ron Payne, Alabama
5. Harrison Phillips, Stanford
Also considered: Kendrick Norton, Miami (Fla); Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
The massive Vea (6-4, 346) is more than a space eater -- he has some quickness to get into the backfield.
Inside linebackers
Seniors
1. Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama
2. Josey Jewell, Iowa
3. Rashaan Evans, Alabama
4. Micah Kiser, Virginia
5. Chris Worley, Ohio State
Underclassmen
1. Cameron Smith, USC
2. Roquan Smith, Georgia
3. Kendall Joseph, Clemson
4. T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin
5. Deshaun Davis, Auburn
Jewell had more than 120 tackles in each of the past two seasons, and he has 5.5 tackles for loss so far this season.
Outside linebackers
Seniors
1. Harold Landry, Boston College
2. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
3. Matthew Thomas, Florida State
4. Marquis Haynes, Mississippi
5. Corey Thompson, LSU
Also considered: Lorenzo Carter, Georgia; Uchenna Nwosu, USC; Jermaine Carter Jr., Maryland; Tegray Scales, Indiana
Underclassmen
1. Arden Key, LSU
2. Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
3. Malik Jefferson, Texas
4. Jerome Baker, Ohio State
5. Porter Gustin, USC
Also considered:Justin Hollins, Oregon; Malik Reed, Nevada
Edmunds is all over the field for the Hokies. He has 4.5 tackles for loss this season.
Cornerbacks
Seniors
1. Anthony Averett, Alabama
2. M.J. Stewart, North Carolina
3. Duke Dawson, Florida
4. Greg Stroman, Virginia Tech
5. Jordan Thomas, Oklahoma
Also considered: Dee Delaney, Miami (Fla.); Darius Phillips, Western Michigan; Deatrick Nichols, South Florida
Underclassmen
1. Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
2. Isaiah Oliver, Colorado
3. Jaire Alexander, Louisville
4. Quenton Meeks, Stanford
5. Denzel Ward, Ohio State
Also considered: Iman Marshall, USC; Donte Jackson, LSU; Derrick Baity, Kentucky; Nick Nelson, Wisconsin
Oliver is a new addition to my Big Board. Thomas had a poor game against Baylor, and he gets beat deep too often.
Safeties
Seniors
1. Armani Watts, Texas A&M
2. Kyzir White, West Virginia
3. Tre Flowers, Oklahoma State
4. Marcus Allen, Penn State
5. Godwin Igwebuike, Northwestern
Also considered: Quin Blanding, Virginia
Underclassmen
1. *Derwin James, Florida State
2. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
3. Ronnie Harrison, Alabama
4. Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech
5. Chase Hansen, Utah
Edmunds has five interceptions since the beginning of the 2016 season.
Kickers
Seniors
1. Daniel Carlson, Auburn
2. Jonathan Barnes, Louisiana Tech
3. Jason Sanders, New Mexico
4. Drew Brown, Nebraska
5. Michael Badgley, Miami (Fla.)
Also considered: Griffin Oakes, Indiana
Underclassmen
1. *Eddy Pineiro, Florida
2. Emmit Carpenter, Minnesota
3. John Baron II, San Diego State
4. Parker Shaunfield, Southern Mississippi
5. Matthew Wright, Central Florida
Punters
Seniors
1. Johnny Townsend, Florida
2. JK Scott, Alabama
3. Trevor Daniel, Tennessee
4. Ryan Santoso, Minnesota
5. Joe Davidson, Bowling Green
Underclassmen
1. Jake Bailey, Stanford
2. Michael Dickson, Texas
3. Joe Schopper, Purdue
4. Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah
5. Dylan Klumph, California