2018 NFL Draft: Pound the Table Prospects
With this being the week of the 2018 NFL draft, who are some players you are willing to pound the table and say that they will be a great NFL player
We hear it all the time. “I cannot believe he went that low, he would have a been an X round pick in my eyes.” Everyone has those players. Mine is Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints. Michael Thomas being better than Laquan Treadwell will never be a surprise to me because I would have pounded the table to take Michael Thomas over Laquan Treadwell. He was my pound the table prospect of that the 2016 NFL Draft.
So, Chicago Bears aside, this is a straight NFL Draft discussion. We all know football. I decided to conduct a list of my pound the table prospects who, at a certain point, or compared to a certain prospect seems like a steal. Comment with your pound the table prospects. Not just players you are pounding the table for the Bears to draft, but players who you watched on Saturday and you know that they will be good. For each position, I chose an early, middle and late round player that I would pound the table for.
Quarterback
Early: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
I seem to be in a minority in thinking that Jackson is the much superior prospect to Josh Allen. In fact, every conversation that is had about Josh Allen to be drafted in the top five, I feel should be used for Jackson to be drafted in the top five. Lamar Jackson is a pocket passer and a good one as well.
Yes, he is lighter in weight. However, he is faster, more agile and an elite athlete in space. His ability to extend plays to pass rather than run is superior to Allen and affects him not getting banged up, and his athleticism overall just makes his accuracy mechanics less of a concern. I could not take Josh Allen over Lamar Jackson.
Middle: Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
I think that between Kyle Lauletta from Richmond at his draft slot, he will be a better value than Mason Rudolph at his draft slot. Rudolph gets hyped up for his deep field accuracy, but most his passes are great adjustments made by James Washington and Marcel Ateman.
Kyle Lauletta does not have great arm strength, but he has a quick release, and smooth feet to maneuver the pocket. He has a bit of a check down mentality, and his upside in the NFL is an Alex Smith type of asset. Still, his floor of a smart and savvy backup makes me buy into what he can be.
Late: Chase Litton, Marshall
Litton is a big quarterback, with a big arm, and the ability to extend the play outside of structure. While I would not take him over Josh Allen, he is a poor man’s version of Allen at nowhere near the cost with projections to go in round five or later.
Running back
Early: Derrius Guice, LSU
I think the Saquan Barkley vs. Derius Guice debate will end up being closer than some think. Most can agree that Guice uses power as a runner more, but what is underrated about Guice is his quick area elusiveness and agility.
Barkley is a better pass-catching threat and there is no doubt about that at this point. However, Guice did show at his Pro Day that this is in his arsenal. Guice is a round one running back prospect.
Middle: Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
Ballage is interesting because he is the size of Adrian Peterson, but runs with the elusiveness of a Reggie Bush. Ballage does not have great vision and is better out of the slot than he is between the tackles at this point. However, there is a huge ball of clay here and with the right system and the right coaching, he could be a better pro than college player.
Late: Justin Jackson, Northwestern
It is surmising why Jackson hasn’t received any hype at this point. He runs decisively with speed, balance, and power. If you were to declare a Jordan Howard of the draft, it is Justin Jackson.
Wide Receiver
Early: D.J. Moore, Maryland
D.J. Moore is my wide receiver one. He suffered through four quarterbacks, but still, put up ridiculous stats at Maryland. His tape matches the stats with yards after the catch, contested catches and a large catch radius. On top of that, he is one of the younger prospects in the class and had one of the best combines. Tape, measurements, statistical production, and age are all on the side of Moore.
Middle: Michael Gallup, Colorado State
Gallup is not as fast as Calvin Ridley out of his breaks, but he is just as nuanced and precise with his movements and is more physical of a route runner. His contested catch rate was much higher, and he produced at a better clip at a younger age. I am not saying it is a lock that Michael Gallup will be better than Calvin Ridley. I am saying I would draft Gallup over Ridley.
Late: Cedrick Wilson Jr., Boise State
Cedrick Wilson will have a better career than his father. Wilson led the country in adjusted catch rate. He wins in the air and down the field. He also returns punts. Wilson is going to find a home in this league and on the outside. An upside projection for Wilson would be Marvin Jones, which is a great bet at this point in the draft.
Tight End
Early: Dallas Goedert, North Dakota State
I am not overly high on this draft class. I do think Dallas Goedert is easily the top tight end in this class. Hayden Hurst is getting hype but is almost two full years older. Mike Gesicki proved more athletic. but Goedert passed the athletic thresholds and is a better route runner and blocker. He should be the best.
Middle: Chris Herndon, Miami
Herndon waited behind David Njoku but served in his role well. He is the same style of receiver and athlete, and due to his inexperience, but athletic upside, he is almost guaranteed to have a better NFL career than college.
Late: Tyler Conklin, Central Michigan
Conklin played through a foot injury in 2017, but his 2016 tape is a high upside tight end in the earlier rounds. He is a box out tight end who can stretch the field over the middle and make plays in the red zone. He can come in and instantly provide depth but has upside as a stretch tight end.
Offensive line
Early: Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
I do not even know what position he is. I do know that Quenton Nelson aside, Wynn is the top offensive line prospect. His only issue is his size, and projection, but his play at multiple positions on tape has been excellent and provides high upside.
Related Story: Isaiah Wynn Draft Profile
Middle: Tony Adams, North Carolina State
I tend to differ to Lance Zierlein when it comes to offensive line prospects. He knows his stuff. He sees Adams as a great bet who can overcome reach issues due to his physical play and athletic profile. I trust that.
Late: Brandon Parker, NC A&T
A high upside athletic tackle. I think a starter could be found here, and if he is around in the sixth or seventh round he is a great bet.
Defensive Line
Early: Maurice Hurst
I do not have the medical records from his combine. I do know he passed his combine re-check after a heart issue emerged months earlier. Medicals aside, he is my top defensive lineman in the class. Over Vita Vea and Da’Ron Payne. Hurst is an upfield penetrator who dominated NFL prospects in the interior to put up 13 tackles for loss and five sacks last season. Pending his medical, he will be the top prospect from this class.
Middle: Foley Fatukasi, UCONN
UConn has been producing high upside athletes and Fatukasi is another added to the list. He is another upfield penetrator who is going to shut things down in the backfield. He is not great laterally, but that is not what I am drafting him for.
Late: Kentavius Street, NC State
This weekend is going to be a great weekend for the NC State defensive line. Bradley Chubb will go high and Justin Jones and B.J. Hill will follow. However, do not forget Kentavius Street. Street tore his ACL working out for a team and is likely a wash for his first season. Still, he should get drafted. He helped those three as much as they helped him and he would have been a third-round pick.
Edge Rusher
Early: Harold Landry
I seem to be alone in thinking he is a real option at pick number eight. I would certainly take him over Marcus Davenport and think he is not far off of Bradley Chubb. He played injured in 2017. He still exploded in moments and even more at the NFL combine. He is not a run stuffing savage. He is an elite pass rusher, which is the most important role on the defensive side of the field. If he only played on third downs, and he forced more punts than the year before, he did his job.
Middle: Josh Sweat, Florida State
More talk is going around that the medical questions of Josh Sweat combined with lack of production are going to cause him to fall. However, if he shed his knee brace this offseason, and absolutely blew up the combine. If you look at how Sweat was used in college, his college production is not surprising. When using projection with his tape and athletic upside, Sweat is going to be a steal in this class if he is not a round two 2018 NFL Draft prospect.
Late: Joe Ostman, Central Michigan
Ostman was not a combine invite but led the country in sacks and dominated his pro day. He has short arms, but is a nuanced pass rusher and plays until the whistle. He provides special teams value, and is going to be a name that remains in the NFL.
Linebacker
Early: Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
Roquan Smith is the safe call and gets honorable mention. However, the ceiling of Vander Esch may even be higher. He is the athlete of an edge rusher roaming sideline to sideline and defending tight ends. Vander Esch is going to be the start of a new wave of linebackers and is going to give athletes a whole new look in the NFL.
Middle: Shaquem Griffin, Central Florida
We all know his deficiencies. I am going to bet on the kid. Shaquille Griffen was a player I was very high on and would have made this last season. It is the same combination of technicality and athletic qualities that gives me hope. Griffen has played with his deficiency for his entire life and has adjusted around it. His speed, ferocity and understanding is going to make him an ace on special teams and could give him and edge to get on the field on defense.
Late: Jack Cichy, Wisconsin
If healthy, Jack Cichy would be a consensus top five linebacker joining the names of Vander Esch, Smith, Tremaine Edmunds and Rahsaan Evans. However, he ended his past two seasons with separate injuries.
Still, he tested excellent athletically and was fully healthy without a need for a medical re-check at the combine. On tape, he was one of the most instinctive players with run stuffing ability and range in coverage. A second-round pick falling late in the draft due to a lost 2017 makes for a great case to add him to the team.
Cornerback
Early: Denzel Ward, Ohio State
This is just to reassure people that I have Ward on a tier of his own. Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson are strong options but are not quite in the same discussion as Ward.
Related Story: Denzel Ward film room
Middle: Isaac Yiadom, Boston College
There is strong a middle class of cornerbacks in this draft, and Isaac Yiadom seems to be slipping through the cracks. Yiadom is long, he plays light on his feet and is smart to jump routes and stay square to keep receivers boxed in front of him. His technical abilities make him a high upside bet in the middle rounds.
Late: Avonte Maddox, Pitt
Maddox is undersized but he is going to get a chance in the NFL. He plays big with a “my-ball” mentality and ability to fight at the line of scrimmage. He is a player I highlighted as a great slot option and anywhere after round five he should be a value.
Safety
Early: Derwin James, Florida State
I think you can make the case that we will look back five years from now and Derwin James will be the best defensive player in the 2018 NFL Draft class. He can do it all from playing deep to a linebacker role to blitzing off of the edge. James is a game changer.
Middle: Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech
All of the hype surrounds Tremaine Edmunds, the younger brother of Terrell, but Terell is an excellent prospect of his own. A broken collarbone hurt a lot of his buzz, but he is a great athlete, a feisty tackler and a speedy deep field threat. Some see him in the Deone Buchannon role, but one thing is for sure, he can make it in the NFL.
Late: Damon Webb, Ohio State
NFL.com has Webb as a seventh-round bet in the 2018 NFL Draft but I would look into Webb in portions of the third round. He is a bit slower than you would like, but he is a commander in the back end of the defense. He started multiple years, and played beside Malik Hooker and came up with Denzel Ward. Webb can play deep, in the box, in the slot, and outside. His smarts and versatility make him a great bet.