SEC pass-rushers and a quarterback are moving up. Another quarterback is moving down. Three new prospects are in the top 25.
My updated Big Board for the 2019 NFL draft -- the best prospects for this class -- is below.
A few notes before I get started, same as always:
These aren't detailed scouting reports. I still have a lot of work to do on these prospects, and what they do from now until January matters a lot.
The draft is all about projection, so keep in mind that several guys here have started only one season.
Height and weight are based on what we have from schools. We don't get official numbers until the 2019 combine.
Note: One asterisk denotes the player is a junior, and two asterisks denote the player is a redshirt sophomore in 2018.
1. Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State*
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 263 pounds | Previously: 1
I don't expect Bosa's core muscle injury to affect his draft stock, even after it was announced that he isn't returning to Ohio State and will instead begin preparations for the draft. It's not an injury with lasting long-term effects. The Buckeyes' defensive line isn't the same without him. He's the Class of 2019's best edge rusher, and it's not close. He is advanced for his age in his technique -- you can probably thank his brother, Joey, and dad, John, both former first-round picks -- and he hasn't put up huge numbers because of Ohio State's talented defensive line rotation. He has four sacks in the three games after picking up eight in 2017.
2. Ed Oliver, DT, Houston*
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 292 | Previously: 2
On tape, Oliver is just relentless. He never quits. He's the best interior pass-rusher in this class, though he's not quite Aaron Donald. Those are the comps Oliver is going to get until April, but that's not fair to him at this point. He has room to grow in his technique. Oliver uses a quick first step to wreck plays before they can even begin -- he had 39 tackles for loss in his first two seasons, and he has 6.5 this season.
3. Devin White, LB, LSU*
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 240 | Previously: 3
White had 133 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and an interception during a spectacular breakout 2017 season. He has dominated this season, too, with 53 tackles, including 6.5 for loss so far. I love his read-and-react ability, and when I went back and watched the 2017 LSU tape, he was all over the field. White is not a true pass-rusher, but he could play outside or inside linebacker at the next level. He has some versatility and is extremely athletic.
4. Andraez "Greedy" Williams, CB, LSU**
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 184 | Previously: 7
Williams burst onto the scene in 2017, picking off six passes as a redshirt freshman and emerging as one of the best defensive backs in college football. He has two picks this season, including one in the Tigers' upset over Auburn. Williams has great ball skills and a long, lean frame, and he sticks to wide receivers. The third-year sophomore has top-five talent if he leaves school early.
5. Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson*
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 265 | Previously: 4
I thought Ferrell could have been a first-round pick in the 2018 draft, when he was a third-year sophomore. He's that good. He had 9.5 sacks last season and is up to six in six games this season. He terrorized Texas A&M and Georgia Southern with two sacks apiece and multiple pressures. Clemson has one of the most talented defensive lines I've ever seen in college football, and Ferrell is the top prospect.
6. Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama*
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 301 | Previously: 8
It's not easy to start for Nick Saban as a freshman, and that's exactly what Williams did when he lined up as the right tackle in Week 1 in 2016. Now he has started more than 30 games in two-plus seasons, spending last season on the left side. There's a chance he could move to guard in the NFL, but I like him as a tackle right now.
7. Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 241 | Previously: 13
I just wrote about why Sweat was moving up on my board. After putting up three sacks in Saturday's win over Auburn, he now has 15 sacks in 18 games since transferring to Mississippi State. Sweat's frame has room for more weight, so he could play outside linebacker in a 3-4 or defensive end in a 4-3. He showed last season that he's one of the best pass-rushers in college football, putting up 10.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. He has an outstanding takeoff at the snap and good pass-rushing moves.
8. Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon*
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 233 | Previously: 14
Check out this video clip. Herbert scrambles out of the pocket against Bowling Green and fires a 50-yard strike to an open receiver in the end zone. That's where he flashes the ability that makes NFL scouts perk up. Now, he has thrown five interceptions against so-so competition thus far -- that's where he flashes the bad stuff. His decision-making was improved last season (he finished No. 12 in the FBS in Total QBR at 80.1, even after missing five games because of a broken collarbone), but there are bad throws at times. I'd like to see more consistency overall, but he has the traits that teams love, and that's why he's my No. 1 quarterback right now. Watch the touchdown throw against Cal above -- that's a great ball.
9. Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan*
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 283 | Previously: 5
Gary dominates when he's at his best; just manhandles offensive linemen. The problem? Consistency. A defender this big and this talented should have more than 17 tackles for loss in two seasons. The former No. 1 overall recruit disappears too often for my liking. He has 4.5 TFL this season and is dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out in the win over Maryland.
10. Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 185 | Previously: 10
Passers who went after Baker last season didn't have much luck. He broke up nine passes and had six interceptions. Even after losing Roquan Smith, there is still a ton of talent on the Georgia defense, and it starts with Baker, who has developed into an elite corner. Baker has three more picks this season.
11. Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson*
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 340 | Previously: 6
As I wrote in my way-too-early Big Board, big-bodied guys who move like Lawrence and can eat gaps don't last long in the draft. And Lawrence has shown that he is more than a plugger -- he had nine sacks in his first two seasons. Turn on the tape, and Lawrence takes on blockers and throws them aside. He hasn't made a huge impact this season, however, as he has only 12 total tackles and one tackle for loss in six games.
12. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State*
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 300 | Previously: 9
Simmons had two touchdowns last season. In one game. He blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone, then took a fumble 90 yards to the house in the rout of Louisiana Tech. The big man can move. Simmons, a disruptive player on the interior, also chipped in five sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2017. He has 8.5 tackles for loss this season. Simmons will have to answer to NFL teams about his 2016 arrest.
13. Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama**
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 194 | Previously: 17
Nick Saban and Alabama consistently produce NFL-ready defensive backs, and Thompson could be the next in line. After playing in the rotation most of the past two seasons, Thompson stepped in to start two games at the end of 2017. He didn't look out of place. So far in 2018, he has been spectacular, racking up 35 tackles and two interceptions. Thompson has great range and is a natural playmaker. The third-year sophomore has emerged as one of college football's best all-around defensive backs.
14. Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 230 | Previously: 21
I pegged Allen before the season as a potential Day 2 pick, as he broke out in 2017 with 7 sacks, 66 tackles and 1 interception. Allen is disruptive, and he has the length that NFL teams love as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He has six sacks this season, including a three-sack day in the win over South Carolina.
15. Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss*
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 325 | Previously: 11
Little is a true left tackle. He won't have to move to the right side in the NFL. He's light on his feet and can get to the second level to take on linebackers, and he consistently overpowers SEC edge defenders at the point of attack.
16. Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn*
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 325 | Previously: 12
It's tough to miss Brown on the 2017 Auburn tape. He bullied offensive linemen during a breakout season in which he had nine tackles for loss and 56 total tackles. He's still raw and still developing pass-rushing moves, but the size and athleticism are there to be a top-10 pick. He has four tackles for loss this season.
17. Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 193 | Previously: NR
The Fighting Irish are undefeated and playing extremely well, and Love is developing into a shutdown corner. He has broken up 11 passes this season, and he had an interception and a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the win at Virginia Tech. Check it out in the clip above. Love had three picks in 2017, when he started every game as a sophomore.
18. Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 310 | Previously: 20
Wilkins skipped the 2018 draft and decided to return for another season at Clemson. And like his linemate Ferrell, Wilkins could have gone on Day 1 last April. I compared Wilkins last year to former Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, because he's scheme-versatile and could play end or tackle in the NFL. Wilkins has 5.5 tackles for loss this season. The Clemson defensive line is loaded.
19. Brian Burns, OLB/DE, Florida State*
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 235 | Previously: 23
Florida State almost upset Miami on Saturday, and Burns had two sacks in the loss. The twitchy pass-rusher has been a bright spot, with seven sacks in six games. He put up 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last season, after 9.5 sacks as a freshman in 2016. Burns has a lean frame and needs more time in the weight room, but he could grow into a 4-3 end in time. There's a chance he rises even more after the combine.
20. Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 286 | Previously: 22
There was some draft buzz late last year about Jones, who was dominating as a third-year sophomore, though he didn't always show up on the stat sheet. The decision to return to Ohio State looks great -- he is starting to put it all together. You can see some of his athleticism in this clip in which he steps in front of a shovel pass for a pick-six against TCU. He also has 4.5 sacks this season. This is a three-technique tackle with a high ceiling, and he has top-10 pick potential.
21. Raekwon Davis, DE, Alabama*
Height: 6-7 | Weight: 316 | Previously: 15
You might remember the massive Davis intercepting Georgia's Jake Fromm in the College Football Playoff national title game last season. He moves extremely well for his size. Davis is still developing pass-rushing moves, but he has the size and athleticism that NFL teams love. He had 8.5 sacks last season but doesn't have any in 2018.
22. Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma*
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 168 | Previously: 19
I wrote about Brown as a riser a few weeks ago -- he's a big-play threat on every route. He has game-changing speed and is dynamic after the catch. Since the start of the 2017 season, he has 16 catches of 40-plus yards. Brown can play in the slot or outside, creating easy separation with that speed. And he's not one-dimensional; he runs every route that NFL teams want to see. The question is size -- at 5-9, he doesn't look like a No. 1 wide receiver. But the NFL is changing: Speed is everything. He can be a deep threat at the next level, in the mold of John Ross, who has started to flash his talent in Year 2. Brown should be in the discussion for Round 1, especially after he works out at the combine.
23. Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 285 | Previously: NR
Yes, Allen can get after quarterbacks, but he also was credited with 100 total tackles in 2017. He's not former Boston College first-round pick Luke Kuechly, of course, but he's a complete defender. And Allen was better than 2018 second-round pick Harold Landry last season -- Allen had 15.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He has 8.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks this season and probably will be a 4-3 end at the next level.
24. Chase Winovich, OLB, Michigan
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 255 | Previously: NR
I highlighted Winovich recently as a potential riser, when he had three tackles for loss against Northwestern. He is great at using his hands as a pass-rusher and run defender, and he is always near the action. He has 10.5 TFL so far this season. Winovich can play on his feet or with his hand in the dirt, and that versatility makes him valuable at the next level. I also noted that with the blond hair flowing out of his helmet, he reminds me of Clay Matthews hitting quarterbacks off the edge.
25. Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 225 | Previously: 16
Lock got off to a hot start, with 13 total touchdowns (11 passing) and only 1 pick in three games, but he has no touchdown passes and three interceptions in two games against better competition (losses to Georgia and South Carolina). And he completed only 47 percent of his passes in those games. Lock has as much arm talent as any quarterback from the past few drafts, but the question is consistency. He leaves throws on the field, even as he puts up big numbers. Of course, he also hits some big ones, as shown by his 44 touchdown passes and only 13 picks last season.