NFL teams
Mel Kiper Jr., Football analyst 7y

Mel Kiper's way-too-early 2018 rankings: Top NFL draft prospects at every position

NFL Draft, NFL

I released last week the way-too-early 2018 Big Board of my top 25 prospects, but that short list was pulled from a huge number of prospects currently in the evaluation pool for next year's draft. We have a long way to go, but here's an early look at the top prospects at every position.

This is a mix of seniors and underclassmen, but early on, I separate the two so you'll see more senior players, who are certain to be in the draft. By "underclassmen," I mean players who technically could return to school for another season. Those are true juniors and third-year sophomores. I've denoted the third-year sophomores with asterisks.

One more note: I'm still waiting to see how a few big-name quarterback transfers fare at their new schools, and so they're not included. Underclassmen Will Grier, Kyle Allen, Jarrett Stidham and Blake Barnett are prospects to keep an eye on.

On to the position rankings:

Quarterbacks

Seniors

1. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
2. Luke Falk, Washington State
3. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
4. Matt Linehan, Idaho
5. Mike White, Western Kentucky

Underclassmen

1. *Sam Darnold, USC
2. Josh Allen, Wyoming
3. Josh Rosen, UCLA
4. Lamar Jackson, Louisville
5. Clayton Thorson, Northwestern

Darnold (6-4, 225), Allen (6-5, 216) and Rosen (6-4, 210) were in the top seven in my way-too-early Big Board. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jackson (6-3, 196) is a supreme athlete but a work-in-progress as a quarterback. He needs to show major improvement as a passer in 2017. It will be fun to watch Rudolph (6-4, 217) and Mayfield (6-1, 220) duel for the Big 12 title.

^ Back to Top ^