The influx of underclassmen in the 2014 NFL draft has made this class one of the most talented in recent memory.
The increase in sophomores and juniors has forced NFL teams to put in more work before the draft, since they weren’t allowed to talk to those players until the college season was over. It also has made picks in the second and third rounds more valuable this season.
The deepest positions in this year’s draft are wide receiver, defensive tackle and cornerback, while tight end, safety and pass rusher get shallow fast. There’s a noticeable clump of similar talent from No. 25 to 50, which might encourage the New England Patriots to trade down if their top player is no longer available.
I’ve ranked the Top 100 players most likely to be drafted in the first three rounds of this week’s draft. I’ve culled the list from composite rankings from draft experts, what I’ve been told from league and player sources and my own evaluation (in that order).
Check out my final Top 100 draft rankings:
1. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
2. Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
3. Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
4. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
5. Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
6. Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
7. Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
8. Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
9. C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
10. Odell Beckham, WR, LSU
11. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
12. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
13. Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
14. Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
15. Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
16. Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
17. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
18. Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
19. Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State
20. Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
21. Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
22. Marqise Lee, WR, USC
23. Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
24. Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame
25. Dominique Easley, DT, Florida
26. Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
27. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
28. Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
29. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise State
30. Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
31. Stephon Tuitt, DT, Notre Dame
32. Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
33. Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, UCLA
34. Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
35. Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee
36. Cyrus Kouandijo, OT, Alabama
37. Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
38. Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
39. Dee Ford, DE, Auburn
40. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
41. Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
42. Joel Bitonio, OL, Nevada
43. Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
44. Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, Georgia Tech
45. Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
46. RaShede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
47. Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State
48. Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU
49. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
50. Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana
51. Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
52. Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State
53. Marcus Martin, C, USC
54. Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington
55. Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State
56. Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
57. Lamarcus Joyner, CB, Florida State
58. Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
59. Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State
60. Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville
61. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU
62. Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame
63. Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU
64. Jack Mewhort, OT, Ohio State
65. Tre Mason, RB, Auburn
66. Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss
67. Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi State
68. Terrence Brooks, S, Florida State
69. Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson
70. Trent Murphy, LB, Stanford
71. DaQuan Jones, DT, Penn State
72. Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee
73. Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina
74. Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina
75. Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
76. Trai Turner, OG, LSU
77. AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama
78. Telvin Smith, LB, Florida State
79. Stanley Jean-Baptise, CB, Nebraska
80. Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU
81. Philip Gaines, CB, Rice
82. Bashaud Breeland, CB, Clemson
83. Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood
84. Tom Savage, QB, Pittsburgh
85. Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State
86. Carl Bradford, LB, ASU
87. C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa
88. Keith McGill, CB, Utah
89. Ego Ferguson, DT, LSU
90. Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia
91. David Yankey, OG, Stanford
92. Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
93. Andre Williams, RB, Boston College
94. Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
95. Terrance West, RB, Towson
96. Christian Jones, LB, Florida State
97. Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida
98. Ed Stinson, DE, Alabama
99. Brent Urban, DE, Virginia
100. Will Clarke, DE, West Virginia
