College football's kickoff weekend is just days away, which means the 2017 NFL draft will be here before you know it. Those of us at Scouts Inc. -- Kevin Weidl, Steve Muench and I -- spent the summer scouring tape and ranking the top players at each position from a draft perspective.
Here is our preseason evaluation of the Top 32 players for next year's draft. A lot can change between now and next April, but this will give you a good idea of where the best prospects stand heading into the season. For a full breakdown of the top players at every position, click here.
Note: Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.
1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU*
Grade: 95
Fournette led all running backs last season with 162.7 rushing yards per game and ranked fourth in touchdowns (22). He has a rare combination of size, power, agility and speed for the position. Fournette runs angry and violent, consistently initiating contact with defenders.
2. Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
Grade: 94
Allen, a fourth-year senior, has 43 games and 23 starts to his name. He's coming off a highly productive 2015 season in which he led the Tide with 14 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. With an excellent combination of quickness and power, Allen constantly pushes the pocket as a pass-rusher, particularly from the interior.
3. Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State*
Grade: 93
An elite athlete, McDowell shows very good range for his position and closes on the quarterback in a flash. He also has the strength to generate push while engaged. He tallied 41 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in his first season as a full-time starter in 2015.
4. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M*
Grade: 93
Garrett has been highly productive in his first two seasons with the Aggies, posting 33.5 tackles for loss and 24 sacks in 25 starts. Long-levered, explosive and slippery, Garrett is one of the top returning edge rushers in college football.
5. Dawaune Smoot, DE, Illinois
Grade: 92
A gifted pass-rusher, Smoot keeps offensive tackles on their heels with his ability to win with speed, power and redirection quickness. He has parlayed his explosive first-step quickness into 22.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks the past two seasons.
6. Jamal Adams, S, LSU*
Grade: 92
Adams is coming off a season in which he did a little bit of everything for the Tigers' defense, recording 67 tackles, six pass breakups and four interceptions. He's a difference-maker in the run game, and, although he has room to improve his technique in coverage, Adams has an excellent blend of size, length and athleticism.
7. Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
Grade: 92
Williams needs to work on his technique a bit, but he has a high ceiling as a pass-rusher. With excellent first-step quickness, he is effective setting up blockers with initial speed before quickly planting and generating speed-to-power to rock offensive linemen on their heels.
8. Jordan Thomas, CB, Oklahoma*
Grade: 91
Thomas, who finished last season with five interceptions, projects as an early-round pick because of his combination of size (6-foot, 192), athletic ability and instincts. But Thomas' off-field decision-making, including two suspensions in 2015 and an arrest, deserves attention from teams.
9. Devonte Fields, OLB, Louisville
Grade: 91
Fields struggled to stay out of trouble at TCU and was dismissed from the program after being accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Although the charge was eventually dropped, his character is still a major concern. But Fields shows tremendous potential as a pass-rusher, recording 11 sacks last season while playing with a shoulder injury.
10. Charles Harris, DE, Missouri*
Grade: 90
Harris' relentless motor, quickness and athleticism translated to an SEC-leading 18.5 tackles for loss last season. He needs to add some bulk and get stronger against the run, but Harris is a versatile and disruptive edge defender who appears to be just scratching the surface as a pass-rusher.
11. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State*
Grade: 90
Cook doesn't need much of a crease to explode through the hole. He's not an ankle-breaker, but he makes defenders miss with subtle changes in direction and speed. And he has an uncanny ability to stay on his feet and make defenses pay for sloppy tackling.
12. Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama
Grade: 90
An explosive and impactful tackler, Foster gets downhill in a hurry. He has a good combination of agility and speed for a 240-pounder and was a standout on special-teams coverage units before starting eight games last season at inside linebacker. He needs to sharpen his instincts and recognition skills.
13. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford*
Grade: 90
McCaffrey's 2,664 total yards from scrimmage last season were 354 more than the next closest player (Derrick Henry). What really makes him special is his ability to make defenders miss. He has a rare combination of vision, lateral agility and acceleration, which more than makes up for his lack of ideal size (6-foot, 197 pounds).
14. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC*
Grade: 90
A very reliable pass-catcher, Smith-Schuster has compiled 2,178 yards and 15 TDs the past two seasons. He does a great job of creating late separation when the ball is in the air, but his route running needs some work. With good but not elite speed, Smith-Schuster is silky smooth in the open field.
15. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee*
Grade: 89
Barnett, a true junior, has had outstanding production his first two seasons, recording 33 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. He plays with very good discipline, a consistent motor and impressive physicality. Barnett also has quality versatility, with the ability to line up at both DE spots and reduce inside on pass rushing downs.
16. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama*
Grade: 89
An elite run-blocker, Robinson consistently drives defenders off the ball when he's playing with leverage. Teams will need to investigate Robinson's character after an arrest in May 2016 for possession of marijuana and illegal possession of a stolen firearm, though charges were eventually dropped.
17. Charles Walker, DT, Oklahoma*
Grade: 89
Walker has yet to start a game at Oklahoma, but he looks like an early-round pick when you throw on the tape. He has shown the quickness to shoot gaps and disrupt run plays in the backfield when he kicks inside. His lower-body strength and low center of gravity give Walker a lot of upside as a pass-rusher.
18. Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame*
Grade: 89
Nelson established himself as one of the best offensive guards in the country last season. He shows good effort, toughness and technique in the run game. And, at 6-5 and 325 pounds, it's tough for pass-rushers to get around him. Nelson projects as a Day 1 NFL starter barring a setback in 2016.
19. Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Grade: 88
McGlinchey will take Ronnie Stanley's spot on the left side after Baltimore selected Stanley at No. 6 in the 2016 draft. McGlinchey is long enough to protect the edge against most speed rushers when his footwork is sound, but his future appears to be on the right side in the NFL.
20. Teez Tabor, CB, Florida*
Grade: 88
Tabor has a knack for finding the ball, posting 22 pass breakups and five interceptions in his first two seasons at Florida. This season, he won't have the benefit of playing opposite 2016 first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves III (Bucs), and we'll be keeping an eye on whether he can maintain his production with fewer opportunities.
21. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson*
Grade: 88
A dynamic playmaker, Watson has the ability to throw from the pocket and extend plays with his mobility. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he lacks ideal size and will need to adjust to a pro-style system, but Watson has the tools to develop into a good starter in the NFL if developed and used properly.
22. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, OLB, Tennessee
Grade: 88
An undersized linebacker (6-foot, 230), Reeves-Maybin has started all 26 games the past two seasons while either tying or leading the Vols in tackles each year, with 206 total. With elite sideline-to-sideline ability and good instincts, Reeves-Maybin has similar traits to Lavonte David (Bucs) and Darron Lee (Jets).
23. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami*
Grade: 87
Kaaya is listed at 6-4, 215 pounds, so he'll need to add some bulk and strength to his frame. But he can really excel in a precision/timing-based offense. Decisive with his full-field reads, Kaaya showed very good accuracy on short-to-intermediate throws and consistently made good pre-snap decisions.
24. Roderick Johnson, OT, Florida State*
Grade: 87
Johnson cracked the starting lineup with five games left in his freshman season in 2014, and he has started every game since. He has the quickness and length to protect the edge at the NFL level with improved technique.
25. Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida*
Grade: 87
Brantley -- who has a good combination of quickness and functional strength -- finished with 4.0 tackles for loss in his final eight games. He popped off the screen against Alabama in the SEC championship game, and that tape will serve as a snapshot of his upside for NFL teams.
26. Jarrad Davis, OLB, Florida
Grade: 87
Davis finished second on the Gators with 98 tackles in 2015, adding 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his first year as a starter. An explosive athlete and high-impact tackler, he has excellent range and a relentless motor. He brings added value on special teams and plays similar to Bucs OLB Kwon Alexander.
27. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
Grade: 87
Turn on last year's College Football Playoff National Championship and it won't take long to see Howard's big-play ability. He scored touchdowns of 53 and 51 yards, exploiting Clemson for 208 receiving yards. He possesses top-end speed for the position and is a constant threat up the seam or after the catch.
28. Desmond King, CB, Iowa
Grade: 87
A 40-game starter for the Hawkeyes, King is very adept at reading the quarterback's eyes in zone coverage, and, when the ball is in the air, he attacks it as if he's the intended target (8 INTs in 2015). King can play in the slot and on the perimeter and is more than willing to help out against the run.
29. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn*
Grade: 87
With a powerful upper body and heavy hands, Lawson is an elite run defender who brings a tone-setting mentality on and off the field. He has the skill set of a potential first-rounder but has appeared in just seven games the past two seasons because of injuries: a torn ACL in 2014 and a hip injury in 2015.
30. Ricky Seals-Jones, WR, Texas A&M*
Grade: 87
Seals-Jones stands 6-5 and weighs 240 pounds, so he causes all kinds of mismatch problems, particularly in the red zone. His big, strong hands swallow the ball, and his length and leaping ability give him a wide catch radius. While Seals-Jones doesn't have home run speed, he is shifty and agile enough to create yards in the open field.
31. Jake Butt, TE, Michigan
Grade: 86
At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Butt has very good speed and fluidity for his size. He will be able to stretch the seam in the NFL and make tough catches in traffic. He needs to get stronger as a run-blocker, but he gives solid effort in that area. Butt has big, reliable hands as well as the versatility to play in line, flexed out or split out wide.
32. Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State*
Grade: 86
McMillan, who has shown some savvy taking on blocks, made big strides in terms of his recognition skills and technique as a sophomore in 2015. But he comes off the field on some obvious passing downs, and he needs to improve in coverage to convince NFL teams that he's an every-down linebacker.