Ranking The Defensive Ends

The top flight defensive ends in the NFL today all have tremendous strength and speed. The defensive ends are becoming so fast, that the offensive tackles are struggling to contain the outside pass rush. Recent draftees, Mario Williams, Trent Cole and 2008 draftee Chris Long have all brought a new level to the position. These three players and many more around the league have superb quickness that generates a lot of pressure on the Quarterbacks. The 2009 draft prospects have the quickness to make any offensive tackle look bad on Sundays. The crop of defensive ends in 2009 are a rare find. Many have the neccessary strength and quickness off the edge that all NFL scouts want. So which defensive ends make the top five list?

1. Brian Orakpo, Texas
2. Everette Brown, Florida State
3. Aaron Maybin, Penn State
4. Tyson Jackson, LSU
5. Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech

Ranking The Defensive Tackles

Every NFL fan knows that the game is won in the trenches. The biggest part of the defense, literally the "biggest" part, is the defensive tackle. When a team has a big time defensive tackle, life is much easier for everyone else on the defensive side. A defensive tackle who can stop the run, but still apply pressure on the Quarterback, is the most worthy component on the defense. Just look at some of the league's top defenses. The Ravens have Haloti Ngata and the Super Bowl champs have Casey Hampton, both are tremendous run stuffers and both have the ability to wreck havoc in the backfield. For the teams who are still searching for a gifted defensive tackle to complete their defense, what better place to start then the draft. This year's group of defensive tackles is a great one, with many prospects who could complete any team's defense. The top five defensive tackles in the 2009 NFL Draft are:

1. B.J Raji, Boston College
2. Peria Jerry, Ole Miss
3. Fili Moala, USC
4. Sen'Derrick Marks, Auburn
5. Ron Brace, Boston College

Ranking The Offensive Linemen

What position is the most physically grueling of them all? Who is the foundation of the offense, but gets overlooked by the media? The answer is the offensive linemen. There may be no position that is as important as the offensive line. How do you think those flashy 50 yard runs develop? The offensive linemen are the men behind the offense's success. Just look at some of the top teams in the NFL. Most of them, if not all of them, have a terrific line. In recent draft history, we have many linemen go in the top five of the NFL draft. In this year's draft, I expect to see many linemen go high, with mulitple linemen going top ten. This may be the hardest position to rank, and trust me, there are much more than five linemen who could play in the NFL.

1. Andre Smith, Alabama
2. Eugene Monroe, Virgina
3. Jason Smith, Baylor
4. Michael Oher, Ole Miss
5. Duke Robinson, Oklahoma

Ranking The Tight Ends

The tight end position has been the fastest growing position in the NFL. Before recent memories, the tight end's were mainly an additional linemen, rarely catching passes. But in today's game, the spot has been rejuvinated, with much more athletic tight ends who are a big part of the passing game. Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, and many of the tight ends around the league have used a basketball approach to the position. What do I mean by the basketball approach? Well in the NFL today, these tight ends are "boxing out" defenders, and leaping up like a basketball player would for a rebound. Many teams are still looking for an athletic tight end, and what better place to get a young tight end then the draft. We have put our heads together, and developed our top five tight end prospects.

1. Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State
2. Travis Beckum, Wisconsin
3. Jared Cook, South Carolina
4. Chase Coffman, Missouri
5. Cornelius Ingram, Florida

Ranking The Wide Receivers

Last year's rookie wideouts were non-existent. The first WR was drafted in the 2nd round, that being Donnie Avery, who was selected by the St. Louis Rams. Hopefully this year's group can produce better than last years, and I think these receivers have great potential to make a quick impact. The receiver position has quickly became a track star position. Teams are looking to draft the fastest receiver to overmatch the defense, helping to put fear in the defense. Last year's top rookie receiver was DeSean Jackson, who quickly gave the Eagles the deep threat they have been after. This year's crop of receivers are all capable of making that one big play that so many teams desperately need. The top 5 receivers in our opinion are:

1. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
2. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
3. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland
4. Percy Harvin, Florida
5. Kenny Britt, Rutgers
   

Ranking the Running Backs

This year's crop of halfbacks has a lot of potential, but also may be the weakest in recent history. Last year's draft had a few quality running backs, but just look at how the "other" backs produced, such as Steve Slaton, Tim Hightower and Jonathon Stewart. So will this year's crop produce the same as last years? It will be difficult to surpass them, but don't be surprised if they make an impact. So who are the best out of the crop? We put our heads together, and made our top five running back prospects.

1. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia

2. Chris Wells, Ohio State

3. LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh

4. Javon Ringer, Michigan State

5. Jason Davis, Clemson

Ranking The Quarterbacks

Those who follow the NFL know that a rookie Quarterback can be as lethal as a 10 year starter. Take last year's Quarterbacks: Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. Both QB's looked as poised as NFL veterans do, and both replaced big name Quarterbacks. Matt Ryan did his best to get Michael Vick out of the mind of the Falcons' fans, while Joe Flacco made Ravens' fans forget about Steve McNair. So who will be this year's Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco? We have done our best to rank the top five Quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft.

1. Matthew Stafford, Georgia
2. Mark Sanchez, USC
3. Josh Freeman, Kansas State
4. Nate Davis, Ball State
5. John Parker Wilson, Alabama