Skip to main content
Advertising

Official website of the New England Patriots

replay
Replay: Best of Patriots.com Radio Thu Apr 18 - 02:00 PM | Tue Apr 23 - 11:55 AM

Hot 100: Top prospects hold steady heading to combine

In his second edition of the Hot 100, Gil Brandt's list remains rather steady. But with the NFL Scouting Combine on tap, there could be some movement among the top prospects in the weeks to come.

500x305-brandt-hot100prospects.jpg

My second edition of the "Hot 100" doesn't look drastically different from the first version. But now that the NFL Scouting Combine is upon us, there could be some movement among the prospects as the week goes on.

For team personnel, the combine is a way to confirm or re-evaluate the skills and abilities that have been scouted on tape for the past several weeks. For instance, some players could help or hurt their prospects with their performance in the 40, which could be good news considering the track is expected to be a fast one in Indianapolis this week.

But more than anything, this week's combine will give teams a chance to evaluate prospects on more than just what they've seen on film. With that out of the way, here's my updated list of the top 100 prospects.

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
There's a reason for the hype. Luck might be the one player over the past five or six drafts at his position who's most ready to contribute immediately to an NFL team.

2. Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Kalil has quite the NFL bloodline. His father, Frank, played several seasons in the league and his brother, Matt, is currently a standout with the Panthers. The younger Kalil is one of the better USC linemen over past five or six years

3. Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Griffin has recently become everyone's darling, in part because of Cam Newton's rookie success. The idea that RG3 could be the next Newton has elevated his evaluation process.

4. Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Coples has great pass rush ability, but he has to learn to play hard every down.

5. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Claiborne is probably the best cover corner in draft. Combine his great coverage ability with his great kick return ability and his value doubles.

6. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Richardson played at the same high school as Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith but might have more ability and speed than Smith did at the same point. Football is important to Richardson, but family is more important, which should go over well in interviews.

7. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
A broken foot will prevent Tannehill from working out until late March, but no QB prospect has progressed further since September. He hasn't started many games at QB after beginning his career at Texas A&M as a receiver.

8. Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
Reiff was a multi-sport high school phenom in South Dakota, highlighted by a 130-1 career wrestling record.

9. Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
A product of Nick Saban's Alabama system, Upshaw is a very talented LB that can play on all three downs.

10. Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
Brockers is a defensive tackle not a defensive end, but he has the talent and athleticism to be a Jason Pierre-Paul-type player.

11. Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
Ingram is a very good pass rusher who could have entered the draft last season, but helped his draft stock by staying in school.

12. Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
Kuechly doesn't have outstanding speed, but good recognition helped him lead Boston College in tackles for three seasons.

13. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Blackmon has better tools than Michael Crabtree when the latter was coming out of Texas Tech. If Blackmon runs well at the combine, he can move up the board.

14. David DeCastro, G, Stanford
As a four-year player at Stanford, DeCastro was very good guard who can also play center.

15. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Jenkins transferred from Florida where he had off-field issues. But his excellent cover skills will make him an interesting prospect.

16. Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
Jeffery wasn't as good in 2011 as he was in 2010. He has added some weight, which is a concern, but he has the potential to be a good player if he sheds pounds.

17. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Teams want tall corners and Kirkpatrick fits the bill. He's over 6-foot-1 and has good technique taught to him by Nick Saban's Alabama staff.

18. Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Martin has shown good footwork and seems suited to play left tackle in the NFL.

19. Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Floyd is a tall WR who ran into a bit of offseason trouble at Notre Dame. However, his ranking could fluctuate depending on how well he runs.

20. Devon Still, DT, Penn State
Still has a respectable NFL pedigree as the cousin of former NFL defensive end Art Still and former Steelers LB Levon Kirkland. The younger Still had a very good senior year.

21. Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
Worthy has good size and lots of ability but the knock on him is that he doesn't go all out every play.

22. Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
Burfict was the most highly recruited player ever to land at ASU. However his anger management issues often overshadowed his outstanding ability.

23. Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina
Brown has better ability than his ranking shows, but is hurt in a draft where LBs aren't as coveted as DLs and OLs.

24. Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Wright has great ability, especially when it comes to catching long ball as he did frequently at Baylor. In addition to being a deep threat, Wright can be a threat across the middle.

25. Nick Perry, DE, USC
Perry is a dual-position guy who has lots of upside. He can play with his hand on ground or could potentially play in space in a 3-4 defense.

  1. Kelechi Osemele, OT, Iowa State
  2. Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
  3. Mark Barron, S, Alabama
  4. Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia
  5. Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
  6. Andre Branch, DE, Clemson
  7. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
  8. Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia
  9. Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame
  10. Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
  11. Lamar Miller, RB, Miami (Fla.)
  12. Orson Charles, TE, Georgia
  13. Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
  14. Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State
  15. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
  16. Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
  17. Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
  18. David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
  19. Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
  20. Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest
  21. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
  22. Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska
  23. Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
  24. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
  25. Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
  26. Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
  27. Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma
  28. Leonard Johnson, CB, Iowa State
  29. Billy Winn, DT, Boise State
  30. Kevin Zeitler, G, Wisconsin
  31. Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
  32. Shea McClellin, OLB, Boise State
  33. Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama
  34. Ronnell Lewis, DE, Oklahoma
  35. Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana
  36. Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia
  37. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
  38. Doug Martin, RB, Boise State
  39. Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt
  40. George Iloka, S, Boise State
  41. Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
  42. Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
  43. Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut
  44. Tyrone Crawford, DE, Boise State
  45. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
  46. Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska
  47. Luke Nix, G, Pittsburgh
  48. Andrew Datko, OT, Florida State
  49. Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington
  50. Joe Adams, WR/KR, Arkansas
  51. Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
  52. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
  53. Ben Jones, C, Georgia
  54. Senio Kelemete, OT, Washington
  55. Coryelle Judie, CB, Texas A&M
  56. Sean Spence, LB, Miami (Fla.)
  57. Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State
  58. Amini Silatolu, G, Midwestern State
  59. Keenan Robinson, LB, Texas
  60. James Brown, G, Troy
  61. Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State
  62. A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois
  63. Jayron Hosely, CB, Virginia Tech
  64. Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
  65. Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina
  66. Nigel Bradham, LB, Florida State
  67. Brandon Washington, G, Miami (Fla.)
  68. Markelle Martin, S, Oklahoma State
  69. DeQuan Menzie, CB, Alabama
  70. Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas
  71. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
  72. Ryan Steed, CB, Furman
  73. Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
  74. Eric Page, WR/KR, Toledo
  75. Josh LeRibeus, G, Southern Methodist
This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

Advertising

Latest News

Presented by
Advertising

Trending Video

Advertising

In Case You Missed It

Presented by
Advertising