NFL.com analyst/draft expert Mike Mayock has released his first list of his top five players at every position going into the 2013 NFL Draft. Over the years, Mayock's opinions have been a bit different from the consensus, and this year is no exception. . .particularly at one of the bigger positions of need for the Vikings.
The biggest surprise, in my opinion, is at the defensive tackle position. Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei has been a consensus Top 5 selection in the draft since the season ended, but Mayock actually has Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as his top-rated defensive tackle. Floyd is mocked to the Vikings three time in our most recent update to the Mock Draft Database, and if Mayock thinks he's the best defensive tackle available this year, getting him at #23 would be a huge steal.
There's a slightly milder surprise in the wide receiver rankings. Two players that have been mocked to the Vikings at that position, Tennessee's Justin Hunter and Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins, aren't in Mayock's Top 5. He has Tennessee's Cordarrelle Patterson and California's Keenan Allen in the top two spots, followed by Terrance Williams of Baylor, Tavon Austin of West Virginia, and Louisiana Tech's Quinton Patton.
Here are Mayock's full rankings at this point. Obviously these are subject to change with the Combine and individual workouts coming soon.
Quarterback
1. Geno Smith, West Virginia
2. Matt Barkley, USC
3. Mike Glennon, NC State
4. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
5. Landry Jones, Oklahoma
Running Back
1. Eddie Lacy, Alabama
2. Montee Ball, Wisconsin
3. Andre Ellington, Clemson
4. Giovani Bernard, North Carolina
5. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
Wide Receiver
1. Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee
2. Keenan Allen, Cal
3. Terrance Williams, Baylor
4. Tavon Austin, West Virginia
5. Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
Tight End
1. Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
2. Zach Ertz, Stanford
3. Gavin Escobar, San Diego State
4. Travis Kelce, Cincinnati
5. Jordan Reed, Florida
Center
1. Travis Frederick, Wisconsin
2. Brian Schwenke, Cal
3. Barrett Jones, Alabama
4. Khaled Holmes, USC
5. Braxston Cave, Notre Dame
Guard
1. Chance Warmack, Alabama
2. Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina
3. Larry Warford, Kentucky
4. Kyle Long, Oregon
5. Brian Winters, Kent State
Tackle
1. Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
2. Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
3. Lane Johnson, Oklahoma
4. D.J. Fluker, Alabama
T-5. Menelik Watson, Florida State
T-5. Justin Pugh, Syracuse
Defensive End
1. Bjoern Werner, Florida State
2. Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
3. Ezekiel Ansah, BYU
4. Sam Montgomery, LSU
T-5. Datone Jones, UCLA
T-5. Margus Hunt, SMU
Defensive Tackle
1. Sharrif Floyd, Florida
2. Star Lotulelei, Utah
3. Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
4. Sylvester Williams, North Carolina
T-5. Kawann Short, Purdue
T-5. Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State
Outside linebacker
1. Dion Jordan, Oregon
2. Jarvis Jones, Georgia
3. Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
4. Barkevious Mingo, LSU
5. Arthur Brown, Kansas State
Inside linebacker
1. Alec Ogletree, Georgia
2. Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
3. Kevin Minter, LSU
4. Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
5. Kiko Alonso, Oregon
Cornerback
1. Dee Milliner, Alabama
2. Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
3. Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
4. Desmond Trufant, Washington
5. Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
Safety
1. Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
2. Matt Elam, Florida
3. Johnathan Cyprien, Florida International
4. Eric Reid, LSU
5. Zeke Motta, Notre Dame