If you haven't had a chance to check out eDraft's official top 150 big board for the 2014 NFL draft, you simply aren't winning at life. With individual rankings from 11 different expects, over 1,100 total prospect write-ups, over 100 scouting reports and two dozen prospect interviews, this really is your one-stop shop.
On that note, let's break down each position and where eDraft's final rankings land some of the top prospects heading into the draft next month. We start with the most important position on the field.
What Some of the Experts Have to Say
Matt Johnson: Have loved him since last season, best player in this class and second best prospect in three years
Derrik Klassen: Best quarterback in the class by a good margin. Very mentally advanced.
Patrick Conn: The top quarterback in the class. Should be very high on Houston's board when they step to the podium in May.
My Final Take
A lot has been made about Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel possibly overtaking Bridgewater as the first quarterback off the board. That's just absurd. Teddy has been the best quarterback prospect in this draft class for some time now. That doesn't change because of a couple pro day's and concerns over his inability to speak up in the locker room as a vocal team leader.
Bridgewater possesses the accuracy, arm strength, mechanics, on-field vision and athleticism to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. Do any of the other quarterback prospects have a combination of these attributes? The answer is clearly a no.
Draft Outlook: Bridgewater will end up being the first quarterback off the board. It just remains to be seen where exactly he will land. His ceiling is No. 1 overall to the Houston Texans with a floor pretty much set in stone at eighth overall to the Minnesota Vikings
Potential Landing Spots: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings.
What Some of the Experts Have to Say
Luke Inman: Cannon for an arm that excels with his off field habbits. Guy that will have his head burried in the playbook and in the film room.
Josh Collacchi: Derek Carr has the talent on and off the field to build a franchise around.
Blake Meek: Has some questions because of the offense he played in, but has all the tools.
Patrick Conn: The top senior quarterback on my board. Has the best arm of any of the quarterbacks in this class.
My Final Take
eDraft has Carr higher than every other outlet that covers the NFL draft. It's a consensus here that he's going to go much higher than most people expect when the draft rolls around. Carr, who boasts the strongest arm among the top quarterbacks, has some questions as it relates to both standing strong against pressure and succeeding in a pro-style offense.
Outside of that, all the necessary tools to be a franchise quarterback are there. Carr can make every single throw on the field, and that's not a generic statement. He can hit a receiver on an out 30 yards down the right sideline from the left hash. That's the single-toughest throw a quarterback can make. He shows solid intermediate and down-field accuracy and is a football nerd off the field. Carr has the look of an All-Pro at the next level.
Draft Outlook: This is a little bit more intriguing than looking at where Bridgewater might land. Carr likely won't be a consideration for the Texans at No. 1 overall for a variety of different reasons. After that, it's anyone's guess. He could go as high at No. 3 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars or fall out of the first day altogether. Our best bet is that he'll end up somewhere in the top 10.
Potential Landing Spots: Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings
What Some of the Experts Have to Say
Josh Collacchi: This will surprise a lot of people, and I may be wrong. But I just do not see it in Bortles. (Josh has Bortles at No. 51 overall.
Matt Johnson: There is a lot to like about Bortles, but he needs time. Mechanics need a lot of work, shouldn't start first year
Derrik Klassen: Bortles looks the part, but has a multitude of mechanical issues needing to be cleaned up before huge NFL success.
My Final Take
Notice something here? eDraft's experts aren't nearly as high on Bortles as they are on Bridgewater or Carr. He's our 16th-rated prospect on our big board. The common theme here is that dratniks have issues with Bortles' mechanics, something that is readily obvious when viewing tape on the Central Florida prospect.
Blessed with a strong arm and prototypical frame (6'5" and 232), Bortles has a lot working for him. Much like the two quarterbacks ranked ahead of him, Bortles has the ability to make every throw on the field. He also exceeds expectations as it relates to pocket awareness. Provided he's able to find some sort of decent protection in front of him in the NFL, Bortles should be able to find his own time in the pocket. He does a solid job side stepping pressure and avoiding the sack. In addition to that Bortles, knows when to step up or away from pressure. That's something that both Bridgewater and Carr are missing right now.
Draft Outlook: Nearly a dozen writers on eDraft don't overrule what is expected come draft day. Bortles is high in the minds of many front offices around the league and should hear his name called in the top half of the first round, possibly as high as first overall to Houston.
Potential Landing Spots: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans
What Some of the Experts Have to Say
Luke Inman: Can't teach what the kid has, X-Factor type stuff.
Matt Johnson: The most polarizing prospect in this draft. There is no pro-comparison, will either be a star or cripple a franchise
Derrik Klassen: Manziel is the most "boom or bust" prospect in the class. He shows all the skills of a top notch quarterback, but can he protect his small frame?
Blake Arnold: Video Game player, makes a lot of spectacular plays but it seems he has Pocket-Phobia. Could be great if he learned to stay in the pocket.
My Final Take
Boom or bust. That's a term that seems to come up a lot when discussing Manziel's pro prospects. In my experience covering the draft, that type of quarterback prospect normally falls victim to a draft-day slide. Manziel's tape has grown on me a great deal since I first started scouting him when he was a freshman at College Station.
Manziel is, for the lack of a better description, one of those franchise changers. Selecting him early in the draft can either help a team sink or swim. There really isn't an in between here. Manziel's game will either translate very well to the NFL or he will bust out. Top-10 quarterback ceiling with a floor that could see him out of the league within five years. That's scary.
Draft Outlook: As I mentioned above, Manziel is a type of prospect that usually experiences a draft day fall. That's less magnified with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and rookie wage scale, but it's still something to take a look at. Manziel's draft-day window is also pretty big. He could go as high as first overall to Houston or slip to the back end of Round 1, at which point some team selecting at the top of the second round might trade up.
Potential Landing Spots: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys.
What Some of the Experts Have to Say
Derrik Klassen: The questions about Fales' arm strength are overblown. When going downfield, he does not have issues in that regard. Not to mention his accuracy and anticipation is stellar.
Matt Johnson: May not be a sexy-name but he wins games and his arm is better than many think. Great accuracy and can be a good starter for several teams
Richard Gatenby: Fales is a smooth and accurate quarterback with a future in the NFL.
My Final Take
Fales is eDraft's 77th-ranked prospect and I have him 78th overall. Where Fales struggles with pocket awareness and tends to step into pressure, which can cause some issues at the next level, he has a prototypical strong arm and does a really good job anticipating how the defense is setting up against him on specific plays. Those are two key things to look at when scouting quarterback prospects.
One of the major issues that I have seen with Fales on tape is that he struggles with mechanics. More often than not, you will see him throw off his back foot when faced with pressure up the middle. That not only causes timing issues in the passing game, it will lead to some interceptions at the next level. More important than that, Fales doesn't step into the pass on intermediate throws. That causes the ball to float more often than I would like to see.
Draft Outlook: Fales is likely going to end up a bottom half of Day 2 pick. We expect him to go between the third and fourth rounds when all is said and done. While eDraft might have Fales ranked ahead of Zach Mettenberger and Jimmy Garoppolo, both will likely go ahead of him.
Potential Landing Spots: The New England Patriots have met with Johnny Manziel and may be looking to add a heir-apparent for Tom Brady. The could be an option at the end of Round 2. Outside of the obvious teams looking to go quarterback, there are others who might show interest in the mid rounds. The St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals could all be options in the third round.
Others
6. Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback, Northern Illinois (82nd Overall)
7. Zach Mettenberger, Quarterback, Louisiana State (86th Overall)
8. Brett Smith, Quarterback, Wyoming (103rd Overall)
9. A.J. McCarron, Quarterback, Alabama (110th Overall)
10. Logan Thomas, Quarterback, Virginia Tech (131st Overall)
11. Aaron Murray, Quarterback, Georgia (140th Overall)