2013 NFL Draft offense position rankings, post-combine
Landry Jones is expected to be a Day 2 pick. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The 2013 NFL Draft scouting combine wrapped on Tuesday, with defensive backs taking the field for workouts. The latest SI.com Big Board is coming Friday, with a closer look at where things stands a couple months out from the draft, now that we've see what went down in Indy.
In the meantime, the combine numbers made it a little easier (at most spots) to pick out this year's top prospects -- so what follows is a top-five ranking for each offensive positions, with guards/center lumped together in one group. Also included: a quick look at a few players outside the top fives who either helped or hurt their draft stock in Indianapolis. You can find the defensive rankings here.
Quarterback
1. Geno Smith, West Virginia
2. Matt Barkley, USC
3. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
4. Tyler Bray, Tennessee
5. Mike Glennon, N.C. State
Even without participating at the combine, Barkley remained one of the top prospects here because no other QB really grabbed the torch in Indianapolis. Bray received the biggest combine boost, thanks to an added 20-plus pounds of muscle. All in all, a disappointing performance from this group.
Rising: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
You can go ahead and ignore the 5.11 Jones put up in the 40 -- he's not going to fool anyone into thinking he's Colin Kaepernick. He was solid in passing drills, though, which is enough to give him a little bump.
Falling: E.J. Manuel, Florida State
It's not necessarily that Manuel did anything to hurt his draft stock at the combine. But his game tape is extremely inconsistent, so he had an opportunity to blow the field away with athleticism. Manuel had the group's best vertical and was neck-and-neck with Smith elsewhere, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who was overly wowed.
Running backs
1. Eddie Lacy, Alabama
2. Giovani Bernard, North Carolina
3. Andre Ellington, Clemson
4. Johnathan Franklin, UCLA
5. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
Minimal movement here. All the best (and worst) performances out of this group at the combine came from guys further down the board. One thing that was proven again in Indy: This RB class is pretty deep, which could drive down values at the top.
Rising:Knile Davis, Arkansas
Davis' college career was hindered greatly by an injury suffered following a 1,300-yard 2010 season. He missed all of 2011, then had minimal impact in 2012. He looked healthy this weekend, though, posting an impressive 31 bench press reps (225 pounds) and running a 4.37 40.
Falling:Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
Just kind of a tough week for Randle. He was relatively slow in the 40 at 4.63, then had to sit out pass-catching drills (and the bench press) because of a thumb injury. Randle remains a top seven or eight RB in this draft for now, but he will need a good Pro Day.
Wide receivers
1. Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee
2. Keenan Allen, California
3. Tavon Austin, West Virginia
4. DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
5. Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
With Allen not working out due to an injury, Patterson seemed to cement his spot as the draft's No. 1 receiver -- his 37-inch vertical was fifth-best among receivers and his 4.42 40 sixth-best. Austin's 4.34 40 time could catapult him into Round 1.
Rising:Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
There's a good buzz surrounding Austin's teammate right now, mainly because he continues to show that he's a pretty polished route-runner. The NFL Network's Mike Mayock talked him up during a combine Q-and-A press conference, saying he'd be surprised if Bailey lasts beyond Round 3.
Falling:Denard Robinson, Michigan
This is a similar case to Manuel with the quarterbacks. Robinson displayed that he's improved as a pass catcher, even from the Senior Bowl. But he remains a substantial work in progress, and he failed to really jump into the elite group in terms of speed (4.43 40).
Tight ends
1. Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
2. Zach Ertz, Stanford
3. Travis Kelce, Cincinnati
4. Gavin Escobar, San Diego State
5. Vance McDonald, Rice
Eifert and Ertz entered the week as options 1 and 1a at this position. Eifert simply bested Ertz in just about every workout, save the bench press. His 40 time, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle times all topped Ertz's marks.
Rising:Chris Gragg, Arkansas. Gragg had just 29 catches in 2012 and, at 6-foot-2, measured in as one of the smallest tight ends at the combine. However, his 4.51 40 and impressive showing in pass-catching drills will open some eyes.
Falling:D.C. Jefferson, Rutgers. Bad break here for a guy trying to climb the board. Jefferson injured his pectoral muscle during the bench press, finishing with just three lifts ... and putting his status going forward in question.
Offensive tackles
1. Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
2. Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
3. Lane Johnson, Oklahoma
4. D.J. Fluker, Alabama
5. Menelik Watson, Florida State
The gap between Joeckel and Fisher might be gone -- multiple mock drafts now have Fisher as the No. 1 overall pick. There's still a pretty big drop-off after Johnson, too, especially after he was one of the combine's stars.
Rising:Terron Armstead, Arkansas Pine-Bluff. The obvious choice here. Armstead came in at 6-4, 306; raised 31 on the bench press; then went out and ran a 4.71 40, one hundredth of a second better than Johnson, a former high school quarterback.
Falling:Oday Aboushi, Virginia. I've been skeptical of Aboushi to this point anyway, and the combine didn't help much. He has the size you want in a tackle at 6-5, 308, but he ran a 5.45 40 and did just 17 bench reps. That's a mix of lacking quickness and questionable power.
Guards/centers
1. Chance Warmack, Alabama
2. Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina
3. Larry Warford, Kentucky
4. Kyle Long, Oregon
5. Barrett Jones, Alabama
The tendency is to overreact to Warmack's 5.49 40, which was 0.42 slower than Cooper's time. A guard's 40 time is fairly unimportant, though, and Warmack is as powerful at the point of attack as anyone you'll see. One element to note here: Jones, a versatile guy who played all over Alabama's line, is sliding in the minds of some scouts.
Rising:Brian Schwenke, California. Sort of the opposite of Aboushi (and, again, with the acknowledgement that 40 time is not as important as how quick a lineman plays in tight space) -- Schwenke put up a 4.99 40 and 31 bench press reps. He's a pretty decent athlete for 6-3, 314.
Falling:
