Post Combine Big Board: Take One

Hello fellow brothers and sisters of TheSteelersFans. AskQuestionsLater here, bringing you my NFL Big Board. This time around, we will be examining the Big Board after the events of the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. As is the case every year, there are some players who surprise many and increase their stock. Other players who were top prospects can hurt their stock if their on field performance does not correlate wit their collegiate tape. To that end, here is my updated list of players who boosted or crippled their ratings. Before we begin though, a disclaimer;




These written statements by the author do not reflect nor are shared opinions of members of TheSteelersFans Message Board, Staff Members and/or Site Administrator.




One more important note to all those who have either begun to read my Big Board series or new to the site. If you have not read up on my Pre Combine Big Board, now is a good oppurtunity to do so as this new big board will have an ratings index indicating who has risen or fallen from the previous Board. How it works is simple. A player will have a ratings increase oe decrease next to their ranking. Link is right below this paragraph!



Pre Combine Big Board




As stated in the Pre Combine Mock Draft, of the 256 players that will be selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, 32 truly stand out above the rest. 20 of those 32 however, are truly either instant day one starters to league game changing forces. Of course however, there is one player who can either transform a team or even transcend their respective positon all together. Now that the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine has concluded, it is time to see who has risen above and who has fallen. Like in the Pre Combine Big Board, I will break these prospects down in three tiers; 1-10, 11-20 and 21-32. Now, with the introduction and prelude out of the way, it is time to proceed with the updated big board! As always, sit back, relax and enjoy the read!




Top 32 Big Board (Post Combine):



1.) Ed Oliver: Defensive Tackle from the University of Houston. (+1)


2.) Quinnen Williams: Defensive Tackle from the University of Alabama. (+1)


3.) Brian Burns: Defensive End from Florida State University. (+1)


4.) Nick Bosa: Defensive End from Ohio State University. (-3)



*** Board's Biggest Riser! ***



5.) Montez Sweat: Defensive End from Mississippi State University. (+27)


6.) Jawaan Taylor: Offensive Tackle from the University of Florida. (+7)


7.) Christian Wilkins: Defensive Tackle from the University of Clemson. (+1)


8.) Byron Murphy: Cornerback from the University of Washington. (+2)


9.) Josh Allen: Linebacker from the University of Kentucky. (-4)


10.) Devin White: Linebacker from Louisiana State University. (-1)


11.) Cody Ford: Offensive Tackle from the University of Oklahoma. (+1)


12.) Jonah Williams: Offensive Tackle from the University of Alabama. (-6)


13.) Nasir Adderley: Safety from the University of Delaware. (+2)


14.) D.K. Metcalf: Wide Receiver from the University of Mississipi. (-3)


15.) Clelin Ferrell: Defensive End from the University of Clemson. (- 8)


16.) Chauncey Gardner Johnson: Defensive Back from the University of Florida. (+3)


17.) T.J. Hockenson: Tight End from the University of Iowa. (-1)


18.) Noah Fant: Tight End from the University of Iowa. (Unchanged)


19.) Dalton Risner: Offensive Tackle from Kansas State University. (+1)


20.) Devin Bush Jr: Linebacker from the University of Michigan. (+14. Was previously ranked number 34.)


21.) Andre Dillard: Offensive Tackle from Washington State University. (+14. Was previously ranked number 35.)


22.) RaShan Gary: Defensive End from the University of Michigan. (-1)


23.) N'Keal Harry. Wide Receiver from Arizona State University. (+1)


24.) Johnathan Abram: Safety from Mississippi State University. (+13. Was previously ranked at number 37.)


25.) Greedy Williams: Cornerback from Louisiana State University. (+4)



*** Boards Biggest Faller ***



26.) DeAndre Baker: Cornerback from the University of Georgia. (-13)


27.) Dwayne Haskins: Quarterback from Ohio State University. (+3)


28.) Kelvin Harmon: Wide Receiver from North Carolina State University. (-11)


29.) Kyler Murray: Quarterback from the Univeristy of Oklahoma. (+4. Was previously ranked number 33.)


30.) Josh Jacobs: Running Back from the Univeristy of Alabama. (-2)


31.) Greg Little: Offensive Tackle from the Univeristy of Mississippi. (-6)


32.) Rock Ya-Sin: Cornerback from Temple University. (+13. Was previously ranked number 45)





That concludes the latest updates and additions to the Post Combine Big Board. Quite a bit to dwelve into including some possibly controversial rankings. To that end, let us sort out all that has happened!




Post Analysis:




Here we go yet again everyone! Time to see who is truly among the best of the best. Time to examine the 10 players that are not just merely instant impact starters but those who can become much more.




1 to 10:




Alright, time to address the biggest issue many of you might have right now. Why is Brian Burns ahead of Nick Bosa?! Both are more so scheme dependant right?! Well... not exactly so anymore.. for Brian that is. Given the fact he not only showed up at 249lbs. at the combine and was very exceptional in all of his drills, the coverage position drills being the most surprising, I had no choice but to rank him higher than Bosa. I will go further in depth on this later. Getting back on topic though, Ed Oliver, to me, is the best player in the draft. I was looking forward to his bench press as he was already in contention to be the top of my board after weighing in at 287lbs. I was expecting him to hit 30 but not anything beyond that. 32 reps is what surprised me. After achieving that mark, anything else he did solidified his Board Ranking for me; a 36 inch vertical and 10 foot broad jump. Quinnen definitely put on a show in his own right but I am still far more impressed with what Ed did than Williams. Biggest talk of the proverbial town though goes to Montez Sweat; the biggest riser of the draft. I initially did not think much of him at first; a plug and play 4-3 end. He was certainly worth a first round selection but I thought the combine would greatly expose him. I was right!!... sort of. Sweat's tape might not match his testing to some, but his collegiate career says otherwise. Add his red hot motor and commitment and he is by far the player who made the most money of any player in the draft. For me, he is not only a transcendent athlete but a scheme one as well. Some of the same reasons can be applied to the likes of Jawaan Taylor, Christian Wilkins and Byron Murphy as well. All three have either scheme or athletic abilities that exceed even some of the above average players in the NFL today. That being said, scheme dependency can only get someone so far ; hence why Josh Allen drops from the Top 5. He is a top ten player but he is not as gifted as either Burns, Murphy or Bosa nor is as athletically gifted as Wilkins, Taylor or Sweat. Devin White drops simply due to him being not as versatile as Allen.




Now that we are done sorting out the updated cream of the crop, let us see who is the best of the rest! This time though, a lot more shakeup than in the first ten players.




11 to 20:




Had it not been for the likes of Montez Sweat and Brian Burns, Clelin Ferrell is still a top 10 player in my opinion. Sadly though, his limited agility and flexibility kick him out of the top 10. That being said however, he is still an immediate plug and play 4-3 Defensive End for today's game. Much of the same athletic concerns I had for Ferrell can also now be applied to Jonah Williams. Like Ferrell, he is a plug and play option. Question remains though; is he athletic enough to be a quality Left Tackle?! Time will tell for certain. Regarding athletic upside, no one in this section impressed more than D.K. Metcalf. Why is his ranked lower than last time you may ask?! His agility and flexibility are something to watch. Hopefully though, as Brett Kollman of BattleRedBlog pointed out on Twitter, this is nothing more than a technical issue. Nasir Adderley however, did not even perform at all yet rose. Why is that you may ask?! His tape alone is enough to warrant a top 20 player but the fact that he is still the best safety in the class elevates him even higher due to others not named Chauncey Gardner-Johnson doing enough to push him off the spot. Chauncey on the otherhand, is elevated due to his performance in the positional drills. Fuild as a slot corner? Rangy as a Free Safety? Powerful as a Strong Safety? Check all three. Only reason he is lower is due to consistency issues. T.J. is only docked one due to the newcomers. That being said though, among those in this section, T.J. is by far the most complete player. Noah Fant remains unchanged for me as he did as well as I thought he would. Dalton Risner remains in the top 20 despite his age in addition to his surprising fluidity and agility. To round out this list, Devin Bush Jr. makes his grand on the list. I did not have him on the Top 32 because I was under the impression he had limited athletic capabilities. Post combine though... I now look at Mr. Bush Jr. with a much different set of eyes; those of respect and admiration. Sure, he is still going to get pushed around a bit by interior offensive lineman. That being said however, he does have the ability to shed blocks quickly. Due to that, for me, he is an impact player and more so a Day One starter.




As I said, quite a bit of shakeup within thr players ranked 11 to 20. Now it is time to see the players who are on the outside looking inward.




21 to 32:




I understand some will have Andre Dillard inside the top 20. Yes, he does possess all the tangilbes and intangibles one could want in a tackle but the fact remains is he is still a work in progress overall. For that, starting him day one could be an issue; a disaster depending on the offense he is going to. Regarding RaShan Gary, much of the same. He needs to be an interior defensive lineman to fully maximize his talents. If he is used elsewhere, he could be greatly exposed; elite athleticism meaning little even in today's NFL. N'Keal Harry impressed me with his 40 time as I was expecting him to go slower but his performance in the gauntlet had me concerned. I still believe he is the best Wide Receiver when it comes to combat catching ability. That being said though, he is still not a worthy of being a top 20 player. Johnathan Abram is worth a First Round pick now to me. A top 20 selection though? No chance. Not enough ball production regardless of Mississippi State's ability to defend the deep pass. The two bigger disappointments however were both Kelvin Harmon and DeAndre Baker. Kelvin was not going to run a fast forty but I did expect him to be more explosive than what he showed. He was... but not as explosive as I had hoped. Regarding DeAndre Baker... man oh man. It almost looked he did not even train well enough for the combine. Nevermind his 40 time but his overall workout was very disappointing. Greg Little can also be added onto this list. His overall athletic testing is what I thought he would do but, like Baker, performed poorly in the performance drills. Three players that did see their stocks rise to round out the rest would be Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins and Rock Ya-Sin. I do believe Murray can make it as a good Quarterback in the NFL. I do not believe though he is worth the top overall pick in the draft like many believe him to be. For Dwayne Haskins, the overall abilities that make a great Quarterback are definitely there. The issue will come when he is asked to start early. When he does, he will likely be greatly exposed. Rock Ya-Sin is a press man cover corner for certain. That being said though, he is among the best press corners in the draft overall. Add his physicality and desire and he is definitely someone worth spending a First Round pick on. Just do not expect him to play zone coverage as his hip fluidity will get exposed.




That will do it for the updated Top 32 Big Board. Definitely some surprises for certain. Time to further analyze some of the interesting choices that have been made.




Final Notes:




Continuing onward of what was discussed in the 1 to 10 section and addressing the proverbial elephant in the room, I do believe that Brian Burns is the best pass rusher overall in the draft. Yes, Nick Bosa possess far superior technical and fundementals that even the best pass rushers of the NFL today have issues with. For that matter, Nick is even more developed than Joey was; someone who's college tape can be used as a teaching tool for any player of any league in my opinion. However, much like Joey although better, he is still not the athlete or as malleable as Burns is. Keep in mind that Jason Taylor, a PA Native, weighed 244lbs his whole career. For that matter, Von Miller plays at 245lbs. Leonard Floyd came out as 244 but is now 251lbs., just 2lbs. heavier than Burns. Now, comparing a Hall of Famer to any prospect usually is high praise for any prospect. That being said however, Brian Burns has also produced very well throughout his collegiate career. That being said, of the two, while Bosa is the far superior techican, he is only a solid athlete overall. Burns is a both great in his technics and his athleticism. For those reasons along with the aforementioned, I have slotted both Burns and Bosa accordingly.




Regarding the Ed Oliver vs Quinenn Williams debate, for me, I believe this debate is now settled. Yes, Quinnen did put on a show at the combine; further increasing his own argument to be selected number one overall. That being said however, consider this; even with Quinnen's rise this season, overall, Ed Oliver was the more dominant player. For me, to be the best overall player in the draft does not mean what one does in a full season but over the course of their college career. There are more moments of Ed Oliver showcasing those dominant traits to me than Quinnen did in one season.





Regarding the likes of Montez Sweat and DeAndre Baker, both are indirectly interwoven as both players are further evidence as to why the combine can make or break a player. Bear in mind that the combine is not just merely the "Underwear Olympics" like some make it out to be. The combine is ultimately used to showcase to elevators the information that they already have on that player. Rather, it is used to confirm what the draft scouts already know in addition to dispelling some of the shortcomings one already has. For that matter, Montez provides the aforementioned statememts based on his career whereas DeAndre reinforces the concerns many had about him entering the combine; myself included. Other prospects that are seen yearly such as Devin Bush Jr., Andre Dillard and N'Keal Harry are other cases as their athleticism or technique are pivotal in determining their draft status overall. Had the aforementioned three performed poorly, none of them make this board.




Wrapping up the notes, there are some notable omissions. Let us start with Deionte Thompson. Pro day or not, his tape is truly Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll. That being said and, due to the performance of Johnanthan Abram, he is not worth a First Round Pick. For that matter, picking him in the second can be risky as the likes of players such as Juan Thornhill and Amani Oruwariye boosted their stock considerably. For David Edwards, while I do believe he is going to one of the best, if not best interior lineman from this class, he is going to take some time doing so. Christopher Lindstrom, on the other hand, is currently the best one as we speak. That being said though, there really is no First Round Interior Offensive Lineman right now. Even if Jonah Williams does get kicked to the inside, that still does not change the fact that he was an Offensive Tackle coming out of Alabama; his position change being irrelevant by then anyhow. Now, if one needs to learn how not to bomb the Combine, Jachai Polite is an excellent tool. Nevermind his Draft Interviews, his inability to showcase much of anything during the combine was a huge letdown. Depending on how his Pro Day is will decide if he gets back into the Top 32.




All right now! Hopefully that cleared up some of the controversey surrounding the rankings after the combine. With those concerns and issues out of the way, it is time we wrap this up!




Closing Statments:




A combine is more than just running fast, being fluid and jumping high. The combine is supposed to be a prospects comfirmation message to NFL Draft Scouts why they are or should be either a First Round Pick or part of their team. For that matter, the Cornerback group ultimately highlights this point along with my greatest worries heading into the draft. Among the top corners in this draft, only Byron Murphy is worthy of a top 10 selection. The other cornerbacks in this class do not even sniff the top 20. For that matter, this is the first time for me since 2010 that I do not have two or more cornerbacks in the top 20. This is worrying to me for we have seen Kevin Colbert bank on athletic ability far more than he should on cornerbacks. Artie Burns is a prime example of this. Kevin did say he his more enamored with prospects who can take the ball away but much of these same statements were indirectly made in the 2016 NFL Draft; Artie having seven interceptions entering that year in the draft. I am hoping Kevin has learned the lesson of not overvaluing athleticism over technics and fundementals as a corner but I would not be surprised to see Steelers scouts being said to the Pro Day's of teams such as Clemson, Michigan State, Texas, Auburn and Ole Miss; Trayvon Mullen, Justin Layne, Kris Boyd, Jamel Dean and Ken Webster to be more precise. One aspect still remains, given the new information, Pittsburgh desperately needs a playmaking defender and not just a turnover capable one. Owning a Top 20 pick means the player has to start Day One. No exceptions. Otherwise, nevermind the pick, some increased grumblings might leave to some concerns about Colbert's and Tomlin's ability to draft defensive players as a whole this decade.





Well everyone, that does it for me for my updated list. Thank you all for reading and I hoped you enjoyed! As implied within the title, I will have more takes on this. How many more I have not yet determined just yet so keep your eyes peeled on the comments section for my final count before the day of the draft! In addition, be on the lookout for my Post Combine Mock Draft tomorrow! A lot of decisions to be made for certain but everything is rounding into shape for certain.




What are your thoughts on this updated board?! Are some players rated too high?! Too low?! Which omissions did you not see coming?! Leave all your comments down below as your feedback is much appreciated!



Once again, thank you all yet again! Until next time, take care everyone! Very much appreciated!!



Go Steelers!

 

A lot of work has gone in to that @AskQuestionsLater thanks, a good read!

 

Hello everyone! A quick update on today's Mock Draft after the Combine! Quite a bit to get into but I will keep in short and sweet.



Due to the Antonio Brown trade, I have decided to push the Mock Draft back until Monday. Disappointing I know. That being said, there is now far too many possibilities the Steelers can go for with two picks. As such, tomorrow's Mock Draft will definitely be interesting to say the least.



I will have further updates to this and more as that information becomes available! Once again, thank you all for reading!!


Go Steelers!!

 

Damn dude, you should be getting paid by a network for that analysis!!