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Rossi's Pre Free Agency Top 5 Position Rankings

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I'll probably start getting more and more into posting positional rankings, top 50s and eventually the fully stacked big board (and maybe some mocks - albeit not sure about whether i'll do any mocks this year).

But to start with here are my top 5 rankings for all the positions as it stands pre-free agency for the 2020 class...

BEHOLD!

QB
  1. Joe Burrow
  2. Tua Tagovailoa
  3. Jordan Love
  4. Justin Herbert
  5. Jake Fromm/Jacob Eason
RB
  1. D'Andre Swift
  2. Cam Akers
  3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
  4. Jonathan Taylor
  5. JK Dobbins
TE
  1. Cole Kmet
  2. Brycen Hopkins
  3. Adam Trautman
  4. Stephen Sullivan
  5. N/A (I have only watched 4 TEs this year so far)
WR
  1. Ceedee Lamb
  2. Henry Ruggs III
  3. Jerry Jeudy
  4. Denzel Mims
  5. Justin Jefferson
OT
  1. Jedrick Wills Jr
  2. Mekhi Becton
  3. Andrew Thomas
  4. Austin Jackson
  5. Josh Jones
OG
  1. Tristan Wirfs
  2. Robert Hunt
  3. Netane Muti
  4. Shane Lemieux
  5. Damien Lewis
C
  1. Cesar Ruiz
  2. Lloyd Cushenberry III
  3. Matt Hennessey
  4. Tyler Biadasz
  5. Darryl Williams
ATH (thought I'd include this for fun this time around because there's a few options this year but all bar one I have in the WR rankings)
  1. Laviska Shenault Jr
  2. Lynn Bowden Jr
  3. Antonio Gibson
  4. Malcolm Perry
  5. N/A
DL
  1. Derrick Brown
  2. Javon Kinlaw
  3. Justin Madubuike
  4. Ross Blacklock
  5. Marlon Davidson/Neville Gallimore
EDGE
  1. Chase Young
  2. K'Lavon Chaisson
  3. Jonathan Greenard
  4. AJ Epenesa
  5. Khalid Kareem
LB
  1. Isaiah Simmons
  2. Patrick Queen
  3. Zach Baun
  4. Troy Dye
  5. Willie Gay Jr
CB
  1. Jeff Okudah
  2. CJ Henderson
  3. Kristian Fulton
  4. Bryce Hall
  5. AJ Terrell/Noah Igbinoghene/Damon Arnette
S
  1. Xavier McKinney
  2. Grant Delpit
  3. Ashtyn Davis
  4. Kyle Dugger
  5. Antoine Winfield Jr
Feel free to bash, question and argue with me... and if you vehemently disagree with some of these feel free to ask and I'll try and elaborate why I have certain players ranked in certain spots.
 
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allblackraven

Hall of Famer
I'll probably start getting more and more into posting positional rankings, top 50s and eventually the fully stacked big board (and maybe some mocks - albeit not sure about whether i'll do any mocks this year).

But to start with here are my top 5 rankings for all the positions as it stands pre-free agency for the 2020 class...

BEHOLD!

QB
  1. Joe Burrow
  2. Tua Tagovailoa
  3. Jordan Love
  4. Justin Herbert
  5. Jake Fromm/Jacob Eason
RB
  1. D'Andre Swift
  2. Cam Akers
  3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
  4. Jonathan Taylor
  5. JK Dobbins
TE
  1. Cole Kmet
  2. Brycen Hopkins
  3. Adam Trautman
  4. Stephen Sullivan
  5. N/A (I have only watched 4 TEs this year so far)
WR
  1. Ceedee Lamb
  2. Henry Ruggs III
  3. Jerry Jeudy
  4. Denzel Mims
  5. Justin Jefferson
OT
  1. Jedrick Wills Jr
  2. Mekhi Becton
  3. Andrew Thomas
  4. Austin Jackson
  5. Josh Jones
OG
  1. Tristan Wirfs
  2. Robert Hunt
  3. Netane Muti
  4. Shane Lemieux
  5. Damien Lewis
C
  1. Cesar Ruiz
  2. Lloyd Cushenberry III
  3. Matt Hennessey
  4. Tyler Biadasz
  5. Darryl Williams
ATH (thought I'd include this for fun this time around because there's a few options this year but all bar one I have in the WR rankings)
  1. Laviska Shenault Jr
  2. Lynn Bowden Jr
  3. Antonio Gibson
  4. Malcolm Perry
  5. N/A
DL
  1. Derrick Brown
  2. Javon Kinlaw
  3. Justin Madubuike
  4. Ross Blacklock
  5. Marlon Davidson/Neville Gallimore
EDGE
  1. Chase Young
  2. K'Lavon Chaisson
  3. Jonathan Greenard
  4. AJ Epenesa
  5. Khalid Kareem
LB
  1. Isaiah Simmons
  2. Patrick Queen
  3. Zach Baun
  4. Troy Dye
  5. Willie Gay Jr
CB
  1. Jeff Okudah
  2. CJ Henderson
  3. Kristian Fulton
  4. Bryce Hall
  5. AJ Terrell/Noah Igbinoghene/Damon Arnette
S
  1. Xavier McKinney
  2. Grant Delpit
  3. Ashtyn Davis
  4. Kyle Dugger
  5. Antoine Winfield Jr
Feel free to bash, question and argue with me... and if you vehemently disagree with some of these feel free to ask and I'll try and elaborate why I have certain players ranked in certain spots.

For me it's

Jeudy
Lamb
Mims
Jefferson
Ruggs
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
I can’t get with the notion that lamb is better than jeudy, and I can’t get with your hype on greenard, I like him, just far less than you lol, I certainly wouldn’t have him over Curtis weaver let alone epenesa, but we have our preferences there and I just respectfully disagree.

also I can’t put becton over thomas, I still think thomas and wills are the top 2 tackles and becton is a lot more hype than substance atm, his pass pro came in a really small sample size and proportionately it was god awful compared to the rest of the class, I admit I’m leaning on pff some here but I have watched film on becton and I actually came to this conclusion prior to hearing any of their thoughts on him, they just strengthened my thoughts on him.
 

Edgar

Ravens Ring of Honor
I have a hard time not including Murray in my top 5. Willie Gay is really really inconsistent in both games Ive seen. There is stuff there to like to be sure but he is oft out of position.
after Simmons I'm thinking:
Queen
Davis -Gaither
Dye
Murray
Logan Wilson
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I can’t get with the notion that lamb is better than jeudy, and I can’t get with your hype on greenard, I like him, just far less than you lol, I certainly wouldn’t have him over Curtis weaver let alone epenesa, but we have our preferences there and I just respectfully disagree.

also I can’t put becton over thomas, I still think thomas and wills are the top 2 tackles and becton is a lot more hype than substance atm, his pass pro came in a really small sample size and proportionately it was god awful compared to the rest of the class, I admit I’m leaning on pff some here but I have watched film on becton and I actually came to this conclusion prior to hearing any of their thoughts on him, they just strengthened my thoughts on him.

greenard's just one of those guys who i really like as a prospect - I really like Jeudy but the 2nd go round on Lamb put him over the top for me - i still like epenesa but just slightly less than Greenard - Weaver is the guy I really dont like that I know we disagree on a lot lol... I have Weaver as something like my 14th/15th Edge guy

with Becton it's partly a projection obviously but for reference he's only 3 spots higher than Thomas on my board (10 and 13 respectively) and I have Wirfs ahead of them both but also have Wirfs ranked as a guard
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
@rossihunter2 what is your thinking about having Jonathan Taylor listed 4th on your RB list?

I just like the other 3 a fraction more - he's an electric runner with some home-run speed to go with it but he has a few negatives that knock him as a prospect (rather than as an actual talent as a runner) - has some worrying fumble rates, has a large amount of carries (although i dont necessarily buy into that as a major reason - just contributes to break ties etc.)

the real thing that the other 3 have over him is their impact on 3rd down - all 3 are fairly natural receivers and also have shown a fairly impressive ability to pass protect (swift is the best of the 3 in that aspect) - for context on their rankings on the board (positional value taken into account) Swift is 47, Akers is 55, Edwards-Helaire is 58, Jonathan Taylor is 62 and JK Dobbins is a small jump down to 74

as a pure downhill runner, Taylor might be the best of them right now but that's not the only thing in the evaluation
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I have a hard time not including Murray in my top 5. Willie Gay is really really inconsistent in both games Ive seen. There is stuff there to like to be sure but he is oft out of position.
after Simmons I'm thinking:
Queen
Davis -Gaither
Dye
Murray
Logan Wilson

I don't really have a hard time excluding murray - he's got amazing athletic traits but there's a decent chance he could completely bust - ADG was hard done by me including Baun as a LB in this ranking - he would have been number 5 otherwise (would have been the number 4 edge between greenard and epenesa if i'd ranked him there)

Gay is so good in coverage albeit in limited opportunities, he's what I'd hoped Murray would be when i started watching murray - Gay is athletically gifted, with the sideline to sideline range, the ability to work through traffic, good blitzer, is a playmaker in coverage, has pretty good play recognition and learns from previous plays, engages with his eyes still looking for the ball, disengages fairly well - he just doesnt have a huge amount of film to watch because of the suspension which obviously is a big concern (especially as its still undisclosed as to why he was suspended although rumours are he punched his own QB in the face) but all accounts are that his interviews went really well at the combine which despite the amazing numbers he put up at the combine that might have been the most important thing for him

Troy Dye I absolutely love - i just wish he was a bit thicker but that might come - Dye is really natural dropping into coverage, reads keys well, looks like a ready to play mike linebacker in this league straight away

logan wilson is someone who looks the part but im not sure he's athletic enough to translate - i feel like his upside involves him still coming off the field in some passing situations where he's limited - and for someone who's so aggressive coming down hill i wish he was more effective as a blitzer but i see him getting stonewalled a lot - that being said id happily take him on day 3 - i just think i'd prefer the top 5 i listed, davis-gaither, malik harrison, jordyn brooks, kenneth murray

and a LB i really like who ravens fans should get to know but who seems to be completely under the radar of the NFL establishment (got snubbed by the combine) is zach orr's younger brother chris orr who i also really like in a similar range to logan wilson

Troy Dye and Malik Harrison feel like guys who'd be really great fits on this team if we picked them up on day 2 somewhere - plug and play type players in this defence which is what you want out of your day 1 and 2 picks
 
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Somerset Ravens

Pro Bowler
I just like the other 3 a fraction more - he's an electric runner with some home-run speed to go with it but he has a few negatives that knock him as a prospect (rather than as an actual talent as a runner) - has some worrying fumble rates, has a large amount of carries (although i dont necessarily buy into that as a major reason - just contributes to break ties etc.)

the real thing that the other 3 have over him is their impact on 3rd down - all 3 are fairly natural receivers and also have shown a fairly impressive ability to pass protect (swift is the best of the 3 in that aspect) - for context on their rankings on the board (positional value taken into account) Swift is 47, Akers is 55, Edwards-Helaire is 58, Jonathan Taylor is 62 and JK Dobbins is a small jump down to 74

as a pure downhill runner, Taylor might be the best of them right now but that's not the only thing in the evaluation
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the RBs. You certainly correct on assessing the pass catching abilities
of your top three, especially Swift. Akers is hard to judge because his offensive line was horrific. I have watched
some on Akers’ tape and he made some of the best three yard runs you will ever see.
 
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Ellicottraven

Ravens Ring of Honor
I'll probably start getting more and more into posting positional rankings, top 50s and eventually the fully stacked big board (and maybe some mocks - albeit not sure about whether i'll do any mocks this year).

But to start with here are my top 5 rankings for all the positions as it stands pre-free agency for the 2020 class...

BEHOLD!

QB
  1. Joe Burrow
  2. Tua Tagovailoa
  3. Jordan Love
  4. Justin Herbert
  5. Jake Fromm/Jacob Eason
RB
  1. D'Andre Swift
  2. Cam Akers
  3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
  4. Jonathan Taylor
  5. JK Dobbins
TE
  1. Cole Kmet
  2. Brycen Hopkins
  3. Adam Trautman
  4. Stephen Sullivan
  5. N/A (I have only watched 4 TEs this year so far)
WR
  1. Ceedee Lamb
  2. Henry Ruggs III
  3. Jerry Jeudy
  4. Denzel Mims
  5. Justin Jefferson
OT
  1. Jedrick Wills Jr
  2. Mekhi Becton
  3. Andrew Thomas
  4. Austin Jackson
  5. Josh Jones
OG
  1. Tristan Wirfs
  2. Robert Hunt
  3. Netane Muti
  4. Shane Lemieux
  5. Damien Lewis
C
  1. Cesar Ruiz
  2. Lloyd Cushenberry III
  3. Matt Hennessey
  4. Tyler Biadasz
  5. Darryl Williams
ATH (thought I'd include this for fun this time around because there's a few options this year but all bar one I have in the WR rankings)
  1. Laviska Shenault Jr
  2. Lynn Bowden Jr
  3. Antonio Gibson
  4. Malcolm Perry
  5. N/A
DL
  1. Derrick Brown
  2. Javon Kinlaw
  3. Justin Madubuike
  4. Ross Blacklock
  5. Marlon Davidson/Neville Gallimore
EDGE
  1. Chase Young
  2. K'Lavon Chaisson
  3. Jonathan Greenard
  4. AJ Epenesa
  5. Khalid Kareem
LB
  1. Isaiah Simmons
  2. Patrick Queen
  3. Zach Baun
  4. Troy Dye
  5. Willie Gay Jr
CB
  1. Jeff Okudah
  2. CJ Henderson
  3. Kristian Fulton
  4. Bryce Hall
  5. AJ Terrell/Noah Igbinoghene/Damon Arnette
S
  1. Xavier McKinney
  2. Grant Delpit
  3. Ashtyn Davis
  4. Kyle Dugger
  5. Antoine Winfield Jr
Feel free to bash, question and argue with me... and if you vehemently disagree with some of these feel free to ask and I'll try and elaborate why I have certain players ranked in certain spots.

For me it's

Jeudy
Lamb
Mims
Jefferson
Ruggs

I can’t get with the notion that lamb is better than jeudy, and I can’t get with your hype on greenard, I like him, just far less than you lol, I certainly wouldn’t have him over Curtis weaver let alone epenesa, but we have our preferences there and I just respectfully disagree.

also I can’t put becton over thomas, I still think thomas and wills are the top 2 tackles and becton is a lot more hype than substance atm, his pass pro came in a really small sample size and proportionately it was god awful compared to the rest of the class, I admit I’m leaning on pff some here but I have watched film on becton and I actually came to this conclusion prior to hearing any of their thoughts on him, they just strengthened my thoughts on him.

I'm in awe of all of you game tape watchers! But, I'll digest all the knowledge you so gracefully impart to the farts among us! laugh out loud!
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
I'm in awe of all of you game tape watchers! But, I'll digest all the knowledge you so gracefully impart to the farts among us! laugh out loud!
Take what I say with a grain of salt, I have watched very little film this year and am mostly talking out of my ass and/or leaning on people like Rossi and Edgar and others and just cross referencing what they say with a grand total of maybe 3 hours of film study. For reference this is probably less than 1/10th of the film study I did in 16, 17, and 18.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
also I can’t put becton over thomas, I still think thomas and wills are the top 2 tackles and becton is a lot more hype than substance atm, his pass pro came in a really small sample size and proportionately it was god awful compared to the rest of the class, I admit I’m leaning on pff some here but I have watched film on becton and I actually came to this conclusion prior to hearing any of their thoughts on him, they just strengthened my thoughts on him.

you know what @JoeyFlex5 - this post sent me back to the andrew thomas tape and i think i just forgot about how good his feet are because he was the first one i watched - you were absolutely right about thomas vs becton - i still like becton around the top 15 but thomas is the better tackle + as a benefit for the ravens thomas looks like processing-wise he might be a fit at Guard if he ever made it close to the ravens pick
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
you know what @JoeyFlex5 - this post sent me back to the andrew thomas tape and i think i just forgot about how good his feet are because he was the first one i watched - you were absolutely right about thomas vs becton - i still like becton around the top 15 but thomas is the better tackle + as a benefit for the ravens thomas looks like processing-wise he might be a fit at Guard if he ever made it close to the ravens pick
Agreed on all fronts. I’d love to see the hype around becton, wirfs, and wills push Thomas down to us lol, it will never happen because TDNs mock generators mean fuck all in real life, but man that would be sweet. I see thomas as an elite tackle on either side and an elite guard as well. He’s just an ideal OL, he has the skill set and intangibles already in place, and hits all the prerequisite numbers in terms of length and weight etc. there’s literally no downside to him and I thought this when I was watching his tape LAST year.

If there’s any position where I just don’t give a shit about flashy athleticism and combine numbers, it’s OL.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Agreed on all fronts. I’d love to see the hype around becton, wirfs, and wills push Thomas down to us lol, it will never happen because TDNs mock generators mean fuck all in real life, but man that would be sweet. I see thomas as an elite tackle on either side and an elite guard as well. He’s just an ideal OL, he has the skill set and intangibles already in place, and hits all the prerequisite numbers in terms of length and weight etc. there’s literally no downside to him and I thought this when I was watching his tape LAST year.

If there’s any position where I just don’t give a shit about flashy athleticism and combine numbers, it’s OL.

if we're talking about these guys in terms of who id want the ravens to draft to move inside im still probably taking wirfs over thomas because i think he fits better inside - his biggest issue is his kick slide footwork (which is definitely fixable) but it leaves him weak when rushers get depth and then convert to power - at guard he's less likely to be ending up perpendicular to the line of scrimmage which is when he's weakest (despite his crazy athleticism numbers) and would allow his strengths to be maximised

but either of them would be no brainers if they got even close to 28
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
if we're talking about these guys in terms of who id want the ravens to draft to move inside im still probably taking wirfs over thomas because i think he fits better inside - his biggest issue is his kick slide footwork (which is definitely fixable) but it leaves him weak when rushers get depth and then convert to power - at guard he's less likely to be ending up perpendicular to the line of scrimmage which is when he's weakest (despite his crazy athleticism numbers) and would allow his strengths to be maximised

but either of them would be no brainers if they got even close to 28
Oh I’d totally prefer wirfs because I think he’s a guard first, tackle second, Thomas is the opposite and I was only saying thomas is the best tackle in the class and that I’m hoping the athleticism of the others helps push thomas To is
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Oh I’d totally prefer wirfs because I think he’s a guard first, tackle second, Thomas is the opposite and I was only saying thomas is the best tackle in the class and that I’m hoping the athleticism of the others helps push thomas To is

i see - i still think jedrick wills is probably the better tackle prospect in this class but i see what you mean

in general this offseason probably has the best options for a team to acquire a tackle in recent memory between the draft and free agency:

available vets: Jack Conklin, Trent Williams (via trade), andrew whitworth, jason peters, bryan bulaga and some others
available draft picks: jedrick wills, andrew thomas, tristan wirfs, mekhi becton, austin jackson, josh jones, lucas niang, prince tega wanogho, isaiah wilson, matt peart and some other guys potentially before we even get to day 3

unfortunately the interior options are much less bountiful
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
i see - i still think jedrick wills is probably the better tackle prospect in this class but i see what you mean

in general this offseason probably has the best options for a team to acquire a tackle in recent memory between the draft and free agency:

available vets: Jack Conklin, Trent Williams (via trade), andrew whitworth, jason peters, bryan bulaga and some others
available draft picks: jedrick wills, andrew thomas, tristan wirfs, mekhi becton, austin jackson, josh jones, lucas niang, prince tega wanogho, isaiah wilson, matt peart and some other guys potentially before we even get to day 3

unfortunately the interior options are much less bountiful
I just have this natural preference for technicians, wills is the highest ceiling in the entire class imo, but I feel thomas is the highest floor OT I’ve seen really since Stanley. For example of my preference, I preferred Stanley to tunsil all the way up until I took the bait on Stanley being “lazy” like 2 weeks before draft night lol
 

Sami84

Ravens Ring of Honor
I was one of the few people who preferred Stanley as he was more fundamentally sound than tunsil

however, I said say Tunsil COULD HAVE the higher ceiling because of his athletic gifts

Right now he's almost as good as stanley but not quite as he's not taken his fundamentals to Stanley's level.
 
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