The biggest moves on my updated NFL Big Board centers around the drop of two highly talented defensive players. Tennessee’s Daniel McCullers and South Florida’s Aaron Lynch have struggled to meet expectations out of the gate.
Both players possess the physical abilities to dominate a game and establish themselves as top-5 NFL prospects. However, neither has been able to live up to expectations so far this season. Lynch’s limited impact can be attributed to the fact he had to sit out all over last season because of the transfer rules.
McCullers’ problems are more about consistency and lack of proper technique. He’s so naturally gifted that he often relies on that talent to beat his opponent. This won’t be the case at the next level which is why McCullers needs to work on keeping his pads down.
One of my favorite prospects in this draft, Ole Miss’s Charles Sawyer, has plummeted in my rankings because of a reported DUI arrest. These are the type of character red flags that have a big impact on a players stock.
There’s a shakeup in my quarterback rankings with both Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and LSU’s Zach Mettenberger passing San Jose State’s David Fales. The issue with Fales is that he lacks the arm strength to consistently attack the deep part of the field.
Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro continues to show why he needs to be considered one of the top tight end prospects in the country. His excellent size is complemented by speed that allows him to attack the seam and fluid movements which help him run clean routes. Don’t be surprised if Amaro finishes the season as the No. 1 tight end on some team’s boards.
| Rank | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Jadeveon Clowney | DE | South Carolina |
| 2 | Taylor Lewan | OT | Michigan |
| 3 | Teddy Bridgewater | QB | Louisville |
| 4 | Jake Matthews | OT | Texas AM |
| 5 | Marqise Lee | WR | USC |
| 6 | Sammy Watkins | WR | Clemson |
| 7 | Louis Nix | DT | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Anthony Barr | OLB | UCLA |
| 9 | Khalil Mack | OLB | Buffalo |
| 10 | Calvin Barnett | DT | Oklahoma State |
| 11 | CJ Mosley | LB | Alabama |
| 12 | Jason Verrett | CB | TCU |
| 13 | Aaron Lynch | DE | South Florida |
| 14 | Bradley Roby | CB | Ohio State |
| 15 | Dominique Easley | DL | Florida |
| 16 | Ka'Deem Carey | RB | Arizona |
| 17 | Colt Lyerla | TE | Oregon |
| 18 | Ja'Wuan James | OT | Tennessee |
| 19 | Antonio Richardson | OT | Tennessee |
| 20 | Tre Mason | RB | Auburn |
| 21 | Tre Jackson | OG | Florida State |
| 22 | Mike Evans | WR | Texas AM |
| 23 | Ameer Abdullah | RB | Nebraska |
| 24 | Noel Grigsby | WR | San Jose State |
| 25 | Cyrus Kouandjio | OT | Alabama |
| 26 | Adrian Hubbard | OLB | Alabama |
| 27 | Daniel McCullers | DT | Tennessee |
| 28 | George Uko | DT | USC |
| 29 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | TE | Washington |
| 30 | Phillip Dorsett | WR | Miami |
| 31 | LaDarius Perkins | RB | Mississippi State |
| 32 | De'Anthony Thomas | WR | Oregon |
| 33 | Jace Amaro | TE | Texas Tech |
| 34 | Craig Loston | S | LSU |
| 35 | Carl Bradford | LB | Arizona State |
| 36 | Anthony Johnson | DT | LSU |
| 37 | Sean Hickey | OT | Syracuse |
| 38 | La'el Collins | OL | LSU |
| 39 | Justin Gilbert | CB | Oklahoma State |
| 40 | Will Sutton | DT | Arizona State |
| 41 | Chris McCain | LB/DE | California |
| 42 | Kyle Fuller | CB | Virginia Tech |
| 43 | Loucheiz Purifoy | CB | Florida |
| 44 | Xavier Su'a Filo | OG | UCLA |
| 45 | Odell Beckham Jr | WR | LSU |
| 46 | AJ McCarron | QB | Alabama |
| 47 | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
| 48 | David Yankey | OG | Stanford |
| 49 | Cody Hoffman | WR | BYU |
| 50 | Brandon Coleman | WR | Rutgers |