Dustin James' NFL Draft Guide: 12th 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

12th Edition

It's FREE AGENT WEEK BABY!!!!:

It's free agent week in the NFL. That means teams with a lot of cap room (Jaguars, Raiders, Eagles, etc.) will be big-time players this week as they look to improve their teams by adding veterans who were jettisoned from their former teams for specific reasons (usually salary cap related...). Free agency is a scary mistress in my opinion. The average NFL fan loves it because they get excited when their teams nab a big name guy (whichever fan base grabs Ndamukong Suh this year willl probably be screaming SUPER BOWL OR BUST!!!!), but you have to have buyer's beware people. There's a reason some of these guys are free agents. The main one? Their former teams didn't think they were worth the money they are commanding on the open market. I don't care who the player is. The NFL is a game of "what have you done for me lately"? Just because you were great two years ago, doesn't mean you are great now. That's how quickly things change.

Anyway, the reason I'm focusing on free agency this week is because it does have an impact on the draft. If you have a gigantic hole on your football team, the only way to truly fill it is through the NFL draft and free agency. Once free agency passes, we start to get a real feel on what position teams are focusing on in the draft. These are the best free agents avaliable for your favorite team to sign this week. These guys will probably be filthy ass rich by the time you read this column next week (if they aren't already.....)

ESPN's Top Free Agents:

(Please note: This isn't MY list. It's the list of former Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian who currently works for ESPN. Feel free to disagree with some of the rankings, because I certainly do.)

(Also, please note: While the NFL season technically starts on Tuesday, teams are allowed to start negotiating with players and getting a deal in place. But, more on that later....)

Quarterbacks:

1. Brian Hoyer (Cleveland Browns)

2. Mark Sanchez (Philadelphia Eagles)

3. Jason Campbell (Cincinnati Bengals)

4. Austin Davis (St. Louis Rams)

5. Matt Flynn (Green Bay Packers)

Running Backs:

1. DeMarco Murray (Dallas Cowboys)

2. Justin Forsett (Baltimore Ravens)

3. John Kuhn (Green Bay Packers)

4. Ryan Mathews (San Diego Chargers)

5. Shane Vereen (New England Patriots)

6. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers)

7. Reggie Bush (Detroit Lions)

8. Roy Helu (Washington Redskins)

9. Steven Jackson (Atlanta Falcons)

10. Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders)

11. Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints)

12. Daniel Thomas (Miami Dolphins)

13. Leon Washington (Tennessee Titans)

14. De'Angelo Williams (Carolina Panthers)

Wide Receivers:

1. Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys) *Franchise tagged

2. Demaryius Thomas (Denver Broncos) *Franchise tagged

3. Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles)

4. Denarius Moore (Oakland Raiders) 

5. Torrey Smith (Baltimore Ravens)

6. Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers)

7. Kenny Britt (St. Louis Rams)

8. Darrius Heyward-Bey (Pittsburgh Steelers)

9. Eddie Royal (San Diego Chargers)

10. Dane Sanzenbacher (Cincinnati Bengals)

11. Cecil Shorts (Jacksonville Jaguars)

12. Brandon Tate (Cincinnati Bengals)

Tight Ends:

1. Charles Clay (Miami Dolphins) *Transition tagged

2. Julius Thomas (Denver Broncos)

3. Jordan Cameron (Cleveland Browns)

4. Owen Daniels (Baltimore Ravens)

5. Ed Dickson (Carolina Panthers)

6. Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals)

7. Tony Moeaki (Seattle Seahawks)

8. Jacob Tamme (Denver Broncos)

Offensive Tackle:

1. Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay Packers)

2. Ryan Harris (Kansas City Chiefs)

Offensive Guard:

1. Mike Iupati (San Francisco 49ers)

2. Darryn Colledge (Miami Dolphins)

3. Willie Colon (New York Jets)

4. Dan Connolly (New England Patriots)

5. Vladimir Ducasse (Minnesota Vikings)

6. Orlando Franklin (Denver Broncos)

7. Jeffrey Linkenbach (Kansas City Chiefs)

Centers:

1. Brian de la Puente (Chicago Bears)

2. Jonathan Goodwin (New Orleans Saints)

3. Rodney Hudson (Kansas City Chiefs)

4. Chris Myers (Houston Texans)

5. Stefen Wisniewski (Oakland Raiders)

Defensive Ends:

1. Jerry Hughes (Buffalo Bills)

2. George Johnson (Detroit Lions)

3. Greg Hardy (Carolina Panthers)

4. Jason Pierre-Paul (New York Giants) *Franchise tagged

5. Adrian Clayborn (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

6. Karl Klug (Tennessee Titans)

7. B.J. Raji (Green Bay Packers)

8. Cory Redding (Indianapolis Colts)

9. O'Brien Schofield (Seattle Seahawks)

10. George Selvie (Dallas Cowboys)

11. Lawrence Sidbury (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

12. Anthony Spencer (Dallas Cowboys)

Defensive Tackles:

1. Ndamukong Suh (Detroit Lions) 

2. Terrance Knighton (Denver Broncos)

3. Jared Odrick (Miami Dolphins)

4. Terrell McClain (Dallas Cowboys)

5. C.J. Mosley (Detroit Lions)

6. Alan Branch (New England Patriots)

7. Dwan Edwards (Carolina Panthers)

8. Nick Fairley (Detroit Lions)

9. Andre Fluellen (Detroit Lions)

10. Kevin Vickerson (Kansas City Chiefs)

11. Vince Wilfork (New England Patriots)

12. Letroy Guion (Green Bay Packers)

Linebackers:

1. Justin Houston (Kansas City Chiefs) *Franchise tagged

2. Pernell McPhee (Baltimore Ravens)

3. Akeem Ayers (New England Patriots)

4. Rolando McClain (Dallas Cowboys)

5. Brian Orakpo (Washington Redskins)

6. Sam Acho (Arizona Cardinals)

7. Kroy Biermann (Atlanta Falcons)

8. Jasper Brinkley (Minnesota Vikings)

9. Bruce Carter (Dallas Cowboys)

10. Justin Durant (Dallas Cowboys)

11. Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)

12. A.J. Hawk (Green Bay Packers)

13. Geno Hayes (Jacksonville Jaguars)

14. Mark Herzlich (New York Giants)

15. Derrick Morgan (Tennessee Titans)

16. Jabaal Sheard (Cleveland Browns)

17. Brandon Spikes (Buffalo Bills)

18. Lawrence Timmons (Miami Dolphins)

19. Sean Weatherspoon (Atlanta Falcons)

20. D.J. Williams (Chicago Bears)

21. Jason Worilds (Pittsburgh Steelers)

22. Colin McCarthy (Tennessee Titans)

Cornerbacks:

1. Tramon Williams (Green Bay Packers)

2. Brandon Flowers (San Diego Chargers)

3. Antonio Cromartie (Arizona Cardinals)

4. Byron Maxwell (Seattle Seahawks)

5. Javier Arenas (Atlanta Falcons)

6. Tarell Brown (Oakland Raiders)

7. Darius Butler (Indianapolis Colts)

8. Chris Culliver (San Francisco 49ers)

9. Bradley Fletcher (Philadelphia Eagles)

10. Davon House (Green Bay Packers)

11. Brice McCain (Pittsburgh Steelers)

12. Patrick Robinson (New Orleans Saints)

13. Carlos Rogers (Oakland Raiders)

14. Cassius Vaughn (Detroit Lions)

15. Kyle Wilson (New York Jets)

16. Shareece Wright (San Diego Chargers)

Strong Safety:

1. Mike Adams (Indianapolis Colts)

2. Nate Allen (Philadelphia Eagles)

3. Quinton Carter (Denver Broncos)

4. Dawan Landry (New York Jets)

5. Brandon Meriweather (Washington Redskins)

6. Antrel Rolle (New York Giants)

7. Da'Norris Searcy (Buffalo Bills)

Free Safety:

1. Devin McCourty (New England Patriots)

2. Sergio Brown (Indianapolis Colts)

3. Stevie Brown (New York Giants)

4. Chris Conte (Chicago Bears)

5. Louis Delmas (Miami Dolphins)

6. Quintin Demps (New York Giants)

7. Dwight Lowery (Atlanta Falcons)

8. Taylor Mays (Cincinnati Bengals)

9. Rahim Moore (Denver Broncos)

Make sure to check UltimateFootballBlog.com all week long for the latest updates on free agency as they happen. Business is about to pick up on March 10th and we will have you covered from head-to-toe once the madness starts. 

It's Mock Draft Time!

Here is MY official mock draft.....

Updated as of February 27, 2015

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

2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota - QB (Oregon)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams - DE (USC)

4. Oakland Raiders: Kevin White - WR (West Virginia)

5. Washington Redskins: Dante Fowler - EDGE (Florida)

6. New York Jets: Amari Cooper - WR (Alabama)

7. Chicago Bears: Randy Gregory - EDGE (Nebraska)

8. Atlanta Falcons: Trae Waynes - CB (Michigan State)

9. New York Giants: Vic Beasley - EDGE (Clemson)

10. St. Louis Rams: DeVante Parker - WR (Louisville)

11. Minnesota Vikings: Shane Ray - EDGE (Missouri)

12. Cleveland Browns: Arik Armstead - DE (Oregon)

13. New Orleans Saints: Marcus Peters - CB (Washington)

14. Miami Dolphins: Brandon Scherff - OT (Iowa)

15. San Francisco 49ers - Dorial Green-Beckham - WR (Oklahoma)

16. Houston Texans: Shaq Thompson - LB (Washington)

17. San Diego Chargers: T.J. Clemmings - OT (Pittsburgh)

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Landon Collins - S (Alabama)

19. Cleveland Browns: Andrus Peat - OT (Stanford)

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Collins - CB (LSU)

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Danny Shelton - DT (Washington)

22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Bud Dupree - EDGE (Kentucky)

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

24. Arizona Cardinals: Eli Harold - EDGE (Virginia)

25. Carolina Panthers: La'El Collins - OT (LSU)

26. Baltimore Ravens: P.J. Williams - CB (Florida State)

27. Dallas Cowboys: Owa Odighizuwa - EDGE (UCLA)

28. Denver Broncos: Maxx Williams - TE (Minnesota)

29. Indianapolis Colts: Cameron Erving - OL (Florida State)

30. Green Bay Packers: Jaelen Strong - WR (Arizona State)

31. Seattle Seahawks: Ronald Darby - CB (Florida State)

32. New England Patriots: Jordan Phillips - DT (Oklahoma)

Mike Mayock's Top 5 Draft Prospects By Position

NFL draft expert Mike Mayock has released his post-combine top prospects. I'm posting this list because Mayock is widely regarded as one of the best scouts out there and his opinion is almost like the gospel of the NFL Draft.

Quarterbacks:

1. Jameis Winston (Florida State)

2. Marcus Mariota (Oregon)

3. Bryce Petty (Baylor)

4. Brett Hundley (UCLA)

5. Garrett Grayson (Colorado State)

Running Backs:

1. Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin)

2. Todd Gurley (Georgia)

3. Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska)

4. Duke Johnson (Miami)

5. Tevin Coleman (Indiana)

Wide Receivers:

1. Kevin White (West Virginia)

2. Amari Cooper (Alabama)

3. DeVante Parker (Louisville)

4. Jaelen Strong (Arizona State)

5. Dorial Green-Beckham (Oklahoma)

5. Breshad Perriman (Central Florida)

Tight Ends:

1. Maxx Williams (Minnesota)

2. Clive Walford (Miami)

3. MyCole Pruitt (Southern Illinois)

4. Blake Bell (Oklahoma)

5. Nick O'Leary (Florida State)

Interior Offensive Linemen:

1. Brandon Scherff (Iowa)

2. Cameron Erving (Florida State)

3. Laken Tomlinson (Duke)

4. A.J. Cann (South Carolina)

5. Tre' Jackson (Florida State)

Offensive Tackles:

1. La'El Collins (LSU)

2. T.J. Clemmings (Pittsburgh)

3. Andrus Peat (Stanford)

4. Ereck Flowers (Miami)

5. D.J. Humphries (Florida)

5. Cedric Ogbuehi (Texas A&M)

Interior Defensive Linemen:

1. Leonard Williams (USC)

2. Danny Shelton (Washington)

3. Malcolm Brown (Texas)

4. Arik Armstead (Oregon)

5. Jordan Phillips (Oklahoma)

5. Eddie Goldman (Florida State)

Edge Rusher:

1. Dante Fowler (Florida)

2. Shane Ray (Missouri)

3. Vic Beasley (Clemson)

4. Randy Gregory (Nebraska)

5. Bud Dupree (Kentucky)

Linebacker:

1. Paul Dawson (TCU)

2. Eric Kendricks (UCLA)

3. Stephone Anthony (Clemson)

4. Bernardrick McKinney (Mississippi State)

5. Denzel Perryman (Miami)

Cornerback:

1. Trae Waynes (Michigan State)

2. Jalen Collins (LSU)

3. Marcus Peters (Washington)

4. Kevin Johnson (Wake Forest)

5. Byron Jones (UConn)

5. P.J. Williams (Florida State)

Safety:

1. Landon Collins (Alabama)

2. Shaq Thompson (Washington)

3. Derron Smith (Fresno State)

4. Damarious Randall (Arizona State)

5. Jaquiski Tartt (Samford)

-There's not going to be a whole lot of news this week outside of NFL free agency. Even though I stated earlier in the column that NFL teams aren't allowed to sign free agents until Tuesday, they are still able to negotiate with players and get deals in place. These are the free agents who currently have deals in place as of press time (7:14 P.M. on 3/8/15):

Ndamukong Suh - Miami Dolphins

Randall Cobb - Green Bay Packers

Jeremy Maclin - Kansas City Chiefs

Brandon Flowers - San Diego Chargers

Mark Ingram - New Orleans Saints

Frank Gore -  Philadelphia Eagles

Byron Maxwell - Philadelphia Eagles

Tyson Alualu - Jacksonville Jaguars

Mark Sanchez - Philadelphia Eagles


-Cincinnati Bengals free agent Taylor Mays is drawing interest from numerous NFL teams. According to Pro Football Talk, the Bengals are interested in bringing the safety back, but may have to fight off plenty of suitors including the Raiders, Vikings. Rams, and Washington.


-Baltimore Ravens WR Torrey Smith hasn't officially stated where he plans on playing next season, but he did tweet a "goodbye" to the city of Baltimore recently, so that's a pretty big indication that he'll be playing football in a new uniform next season. The San Francisco 49ers are considered to already have a deal in place to lock up the WR.