Dustin James' NFL Draft Guide: 8th Edition

It's officially draft season here at the Ultimate Football Blog and here is all the information you need to keep you up-to-date on all the latest happenings in the NFL.......

The Ultimate Football Blog: 

NFL Draft Guide

8th Edition

Final List Of Underclassmen Who Have Declared For The Draft:

-Nelson Agholor: WR (USC)
-Jay Ayaji: RB (Boise State)
-Kwon Alexander: LB (LSU)
-Javorius Allen: RB (USC)
-Arik Armstead: DE (Oregon)

-Delon Barnes: DE (Penn State)
-Malcolm Brown: DT (Texas)
-Alex Carter: CB (Stanford)
-Sammie Coates: WR (Auburn)
-Tevin Coleman: RB (Indiana)
-Jalen Collins: CB (LSU)
-Landon Collins: S (Alabama)
-Amari Cooper: WR (Alabama)
-Xavier Cooper: DE (Washington State)
-Christian Covington: DT (Rice)
-Ronald Darby: CB (Florida State)
-Mike Davis: RB (South Carolina)
-Stefon Diggs: WR (Maryland)
-Lorenzo Doss: CB (Tulane)
-Lemar Durant: WR (Simon Fraser)
-Mario Edwards Jr.: DE (Florida State)
-Durrell Eskridge: FS (Syracuse)
-George Farmer: WR (USC)
-Ereck Flowers: OT (Miami)
-Dante Fowler: DE (Florida)
-Devin Funchess: WR/TE (Michigan)
-Jacoby Glenn: CB (Central Florida)
-Eddie Goldman: DT (Florida State)
-Melvin Gordon: RB (Wisconsin)
-Dorial Green-Beckham: WR (Oklahoma)
-Deontay Greenberry: WR (Houston)
-Randy Gregory: DE (Nebraska)
-Todd Gurley: RB (Georgia)
-Chris Hackett: S (TCU)
-Eli Harold: DE (Virginia)
-Chris Harper: WR (California)
-Dee Hart: RB (Colorado State)
-Braylon Heard: RB (Kentucky)
-Gerod Holliman: S (Louisville)
-D.J. Humphries: OT (Florida)
-Brett Hundley: QB (UCLA)
-Danielle Hunter: DE (LSU)
-David Irving: DT (Iowa State)
-Jesse James: TE (Penn State)
-Duke Johnson: RB (Miami)
-Matt Jones: RB (Florida)
-Nigel King: WR (Kansas)
-Tyler Kroft: TE (Rutgers)
-Marcus Mariota: QB (Oregon)
-Ellis McCarthy: DT (UCLA)
-Benardrick McKinney: OLB (Mississippi State)
-Patrick Miller: OT (Auburn)
-Tyler Moore: G (Florida)
-Rakeem Nunez-Roches: DT (Southern Mississippi)
-Andrus Peat: OT (Stanford)
-Breshad Perriman: WR (Central Florida)
-Marcus Peters: CB (Washington)
-Jordan Phillips: DT (Oklahoma)
-Darius Philon: DT (Arkansas)
-Bradley Pinion: P (Clemson)
-Jeremiah Poutasi: OT (Utah)
-Shane Ray: DE (Missouri)
-Josh Robinson: RB (Mississippi State)
-Shaq Roland: WR (South Carolina)
-James Sample: S (Louisville)
-Jeff Sifrin: TE (UMass)
-Noah Spence: DE (Ohio State)
-Donovan Smith: OT (Penn State)
-Jaelen Strong: WR (Arizona State)
-Shaq Thompson: LB (Washington)
-Max Valles: LB (Virginia)
-Trae Waynes: CB (Michigan State)
-Leonard Williams: DL (USC)
-Maxx Williams: TE (Minnesota)
-P.J. Williams: CB (Florida State)
-Trey Williams: RB (Texas A&M)
-Jameis Winston: QB (Florida State)
-T.J. Yeldon: RB (Alabama)

Final NFL Draft Order:

This is the final order for the NFL Draft that will be held this Spring)

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

2. Tennessee Titans 

3. Jacksonville Jaguars 

4. Oakland Raiders

5. Washington Redskins

6. New York Jets

7. Chicago Bears

8. Atlanta Falcons

9. New York Giants

10. St. Louis Rams

11. Minnesota Vikings

12. Cleveland Browns

13. New Orleans Saints

14. Miami Dolphins

15. San Francisco 49ers

16. Houston Texans

17. San Diego Chargers

18. Kansas City Chiefs

19. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo)

20. Philadelphia Eagles

21. Cincinnati Bengals

22. Pittsburgh Steelers

23. Detroit Lions

24. Arizona Cardinals

25. Carolina Panthers

26. Baltimore Ravens

27. Dallas Cowboys

28. Denver Broncos

29. Indianapolis Colts

30. Green Bay Packers

31. Seattle Seahawks

32. New England Patriots

It's Mock Draft Time!

(In this space, you will find a full blown mock draft. For the time being, I will be featuring an expert's mock draft until the end of the football season when mine will be officially released. Contain your excitement.....)

This week's mock draft is brought to you by Todd McShay at ESPN.com:


(PLEASE NOTE: This is not MY mock draft. I haven't officially released my mock draft yet and won't until after the scouting combine in February. I know. My mock draft has been more on point than ESPN's own draft guru Mel Kiper, so I know you people are excited for it....but you must wait!)

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston - QB (Florida State)

2. Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams - DE (USC)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Randy Gregory - DE (Nebraska)

4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper - WR (Alabama)

5. Washington Redskins: Shane Ray - DE (Missouri)

6. New York Jets: Marcus Mariota - QB (Oregon)

7. Chicago Bears: Danny Shelton - DT (Washington)

8. Atlanta Falcons: Arik Armstead - DE (Oregon)

9. New York Giants: Brandon Scherff - OT (Iowa)

10. St. Louis Rams: Kevin White - WR (West Virginia)

11. Minnesota Vikings: DeVante Parker - WR (Louisville)

12. Cleveland Browns: T.J. Clemmings - OT (Pittsburgh)

13. New Orleans Saints: Dante Fowler - DE (Florida)

14. Miami Dolphins: Trae Waynes - CB (Michigan State)

15. San Francisco 49ers - Devin Smith - WR (Ohio State)

16. Houston Texans: Andrus Peat - OT (Stanford)

17. San Diego Chargers: Eddie Goldman - DT (Florida State)

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Dorial Green-Beckham - WR (Missouri)

19. Cleveland Browns: Devin Funchess - WR (Michigan)

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Landon Collins - S (Alabama)

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Vic Beasley - DE (Clemson)

22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Peters - CB (Washington)

23. Detroit Lions: Malcolm Brown - DT (Texas)

24. Arizona Cardinals: Denzel Perryman - LB (Miami)

25. Carolina Panthers: Ereck Flowers - OT (Miami)

26. Baltimore Ravens: Jalen Collins - CB (LSU)

27. Dallas Cowboys: Melvin Gordon - RB (Wisconsin)

28. Denver Broncos: La'El Collins - OT (LSU)

29. Indianapolis Colts: Eli Harold - LB (Virginia)

30. Green Bay Packers: Maxx Williams - TE (Minnesota)

31. Seattle Seahawks: Todd Gurley - RB (Georgia)

32. New England Patriots: Carl Davis - DT (Iowa)

In the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, you will see a certain selected prospect a week here (mainly the top recruits in the draft) with my personal scouting report on that prospect. I took professional scouting classes at the Scouting Academy, so this is my way of giving back.....

This week's prospect:

Leonard Williams (DE, USC)

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 290 pounds

Strenghts: Very explosive and strong. Is versatile and has quick feet for his size. Perfect fit for a 3-4 system, but can likely play anywhere in any system. Experienced starter who will play when injured. Extremely tough at the point of attack. Fantastic football instincts. Is arguably the most "pro ready" guy in the draft. 

Weaknesses: Takes plays off at times. Needs to sharpen pass-rushing skills. Stamina is questionable. 

Pro Comparision: Richard Seymour

Brief Synopsis: Leonard Williams is the most "pro ready" guy in the 2015 NFL Draft. Whoever drafts Williams is going to draft a guy who is going to become a force in the NFL for years to come. In most sports, a player with Williams' talent would easily go #1 in the draft and the team selecting first wouldn't blink an eye. However, the NFL works a little differently than most sports. Most NFL teams will draft need over talent and that's the main reason a guy with Williams' talent won't be the #1 overall draft pick, even though he probably should be. One thing is for sure though. Whatever NFL team winds up with Leonard Williams on their roster just got MUCH nastier on defense and as everyone knows....defense wins championships.

-Contract talks between the Detroit Lions and top free agent Ndamukong Suh have yet to begin and that leaves some NFL experts thinking that Suh's time in Detroit may be coming to an end. Lions CEO Tom Lewand recently mentioned that the Lions have a "very good chance" at striking a deal with Suh over the next couple of weeks, but if talks have yet to even begin....how confident can the Lions really feel that this will get done and make all parties happy? The Lions could realistically use the franchise tag on Suh if a deal can't get done, but as ProFootballTalk explains, that could prove to be difficult as it could lead to Suh becoming the highest paid player in football:

"In those discussions, Suh holds all the cards, because his pre-wage scale rookie deal coupled with can-kicking restructurings made his cap number so high in 2014 that it would cost the Lions $26.8 million to apply the one-year franchise tag to keep him around for one more year.  Last month, G.M. Martin Mayhew said all options are on the table with Suh, including the use of the tag.

Either way, it’s unlikely that this one will be wrapped up any time soon — unless the Lions decide to apply the franchise tag and embark on a path that would see Suh become the highest paid player in the game over the next two seasons."  

It is extremely likely that Suh will hit free agency to see what his true value is. He's able to start entertaining offers on March 7th and he can see who's interested in and for how much. He's reportedly mentioned that he's interested in playing for the Seattle Seahawks, but the Seahawks are not in good shape financially to make an offer for him. One thing is for sure, the Suh-free agency watch is going to be a fun one. If for some reason the Lions don't reach an agreement with Suh, I fully expect them to focus on taking a defensive tackle in the first-round of the draft.


-According to WalterFootball.com, the Jacksonville Jaguars are prepared to welcome back often-troubled wide receiver Justin Blackmon to the team once he returns from his year-long suspension and completes his treatment program after being suspended for numerous drug test failures. Blackmon was drafted by the Jaguars with the fifth overall pick in 2012 and has been a gigantic bust ever since. He hasn't played much due to off-the-field problems and when he has, he hasn't looked good. However, I'm not willing to give up on the kid just yet. He's still young (25 years old) and if he can get his head into the game, I have some hope that he could eventually turn into a productive NFL wide receiver. For the sake of the Jaguars and second-year quarterback Blake Bortles, they had better hope so.  


-There are a lot of draft experts who think that West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White is more "pro ready" than consensus #1 wide receiver Amari Cooper. Some experts feel that Cooper's stock skyrocketed with how Lane Kiffin used him at Alabama and that he may struggle when moved to the pro game. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller (one of the top draft experts on the Internet in my opinion....) was the latest to move White ahead of Cooper in his rankings and there could be more people who start feeling the same way as the combine and the draft approach. Of course, there are also people who think this draft is loaded at wide receiver and you can't really go wrong with either one of those guys (or DeVante Parker of Louisville for that matter...).


-Jason Cole of Bleacher Report mentioned recently that while the Cleveland Browns aren't ready to give up on Johnny Manziel just yet (although they should...), they are mulling the possibility of trading their two first-round draft picks in this year's draft to move up and take either Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston. The Browns reportedly favor Mariota over Winston and if they think that Mariota could eventually turn into their franchise guy, they may not hesitate to make a trade. The Browns are a team to watch as the draft approaches in April.


-NFL Insider Adam Caplan is reporting that when he was down at the Senior Bowl he heard multiple team executives mention that Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins and Tampa Bay QB Mike Glennon are both on the trade block and could be pursued by a team looking for "stopgap starters" for next season. He mentions that either guy could likely be traded for a fourth or fifth-round draft pick. Some teams that could consider a trade would be Tennessee, New York Jets, Houston, Cleveland, and St. Louis.