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NFL Draft 2012: Mike Mayock Releases Top 5 Positional Rankings

By Josh Sanchez

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NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock of the NFL Network is one of the best in the business. His rankings are unparalleled and Mayock presents such an informative and educated analysis of ever draft eligible prospect. If there is one guy you need to listen to during draft season, it is Mayock.

That is why it is news when Mayock releases his initial top five positional rankings every year and yesterday, he did just that.

So who does Mayock have as the top five players at each position? There is one way to find out — continue after the jump.

QUARTERBACKS

  1. Andrew Luck, Stanford
  2. Robert Griffin, III, Baylor
  3. Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
  4. TBD
  5. TBD

Mayock left positions four and five open for competition since he does not believe that the second-tier of quarterbacks have established themselves at this point in the process. The guys that Mayock would consider for the last two spots are Arizona’s Nick Foles, Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins, Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State, Brock Osweiler of Arizona State and San Diego State’s Ryan Lindley.

Foles and Cousins would be the conventional choices to round out the top five, but Mayock has proven to be anything but conventional at times. He will review the prospects over the next few weeks and make a decision as to who deserves the fourth and fifth ranking.

RUNNING BACK

  1. Trent Richardson, Alabama
  2. David Wilson, Virginia Tech
  3. Lamar Miller, Miami
  4. Doug Martin, Boise State
  5. LaMichael James, Oregon

Mayock strays from the popular opinion in this group, by ranking David Wilson ahead of Lamar Miller. Miller is believed to be, by many, the second best runner in this year’s draft and the only back other than Richardson who deserves a first-round grade.

One player to watch in this group as the offseason goes on is Doug Martin from Boise State. He could have a huge week at the Senior Bowl and catipult himself up the rankings. Another name not on the list to keep an eye out for is Washington’s Chris Polk.

WIDE RECEIVER

  1. Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
  2. Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
  3. Kendall Wright, Baylor
  4. Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
  5. Chris Givens, Wake Forest

Wright seems to have the most momentum in this class. There are multiple teams that reportedly prefer Wright as the top wideout, even over Blackmon. Wright could have made a big case for himself if he participated in this week’s Senior Bowl, but he opted out as did Floyd. With the two receivers choosing to pass up on the opportunity, the top three rankings seem to be pretty set in stone.

TIGHT ENDS

  1. Dwayne Allen, Clemson
  2. Coby Fleener, Stanford
  3. Orson Charles, Georgia
  4. Ladarius Green, Louisianna-Lafayette
  5. Michael Egnew, Missouri

This group of tight ends is a diverse bunch. You have guys like Allen and Charles that create mismatches in the passing game, while a guy like Coby Fleener is an all-around tight end that can help your offense in every aspect. Green is a lesser known tight end, but he is in Mobile this week and can make up some ground on the top three.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

  1. Riley Reiff, Iowa
  2. Matt Kalil, USC
  3. Jonathan Martin, Stanford
  4. James Brown, Troy
  5. Zebrie Sanders, Florida State

This group provides a bit of a surprise. Matt Kalil is viewed by most as the clear cut top offensive tackle and a potential top-three pick, however, Mayock decided to give Reiff the edge at the position. Surely Mayock has a method to his madness, but he has not explained the decision at this point. One glaring omission from the top five list is Ohio State’s Mike Adams.

Adams is considered a first-round pick, but Mayock gave James Brown of Troy and FSU’s Zebrie Sanders the edge. Again, Mayock will explain his decision at some point this draft season and I am very interested to hear his logic behind this top five list.

GUARDS/CENTERS

  1. David DeCastro, Stanford
  2. Peter Kontz, Wisconsin
  3. Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
  4. Cordy Glenn, Georgia
  5. Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State

There are no big surprises here. DeCastro is clearly the top interior lineman in this draft class and it wouldn’t be a shock to hear his name called in the top ten. It is rare for an offensive guard to receive such praise, but DeCastro has done just that and for good reason. There hasn’t been a pro ready guard as good as DeCastro in recent memory.

Defensive rankings continue on page 2.

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