Tony Pauline from TFYDraftPreview and a draft contributor for PhiladelphiaEagles.com has updated his position-by-position rankings prior to the NFL Scouting Combine which will take place later this month. Here is a look at how the college all-star games affected the draft stock of some of the top prospects starting with the offensive players ...
Quarterback
West Virginia's Geno Smith and USC's Matt Barkley remain as Pauline's top quarterbacks for the 2013 NFL Draft with both players receiving a solid first-round grade. West Chester, Pa. native Ryan Nassib out of Syracuse generated a lot of buzz at the Senior Bowl and has moved from No. 4 to No. 3 above Arkansas' Tyler Wilson. Nassib still has a second-round grade. N.C. State's Mike Glennon also moved up a spot from No. 6 to No. 5 above Tennessee's Tyler Bray. Oklahoma's Landry Jones was the biggest mover in terms of rankings jumping from No. 9 to No. 7, but he has a third/fourth-round grade.
Running Back
North Carolina's Giovani Bernard is still the top running back, but Alabama's Eddie Lacy moved from No. 4 to No. 2. Lacy had a stellar performance in the BCS National Championship Game rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown. It should be noted that neither Bernard nor Lacy has a solid first-round grade. Both players were tabbed by Pauline with a first/second-round grade. Stanford's Stepfan Taylor made the biggest leap going from No. 6 all the way up to No. 3 with an impressive week of practice at the Senior Bowl to earn a solid second-round grade.
Wide Receiver
The only receiver to earn a first-round grade from Pauline is Cal's Keenan Allen. Baylor's Terrance Williams is one of five receivers to get a second-round grade. Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 on Pauline's list. The most notable trend regarding the receivers is how far some of them dropped. USC's Robert Woods went from No. 7 to No. 10 and his grade slipped from a second to a third-round mark. Michigan's Denard Robinson, who is making the transition from quarterback to receiver, went from No. 8 to No. 14 and from a second/third-round grade to a third/fourth-round grade after his performance at the Senior Bowl.
Tight End
Rice's Vance McDonald garnered a lot of attention at the Senior Bowl and Pauline rewarded him by moving McDonald from No. 10 to No. 6. More importantly, however, is that McDonald's grade improved drastically from a fifth-round mark to a third-round grade. Other than McDonald's ascension, Pauline's top-five rankings at the position remained unchanged with Stanford's Zach Ertz and Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert leading the way.
Offensive Line
Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel is Pauline's headliner among a strong crop of offensive tackles. In all, Pauline has 13 tackles graded in the first four rounds. The Senior Bowl solidified the stock of the next two tackles - Central Michigan's Eric Fisher and Oklahoma's Lane Johnson. Fisher and Johnson had first/second-round grades prior to the Senior Bowl, but are now strong first-round talents. At guard, Chance Warmack of Alabama is entrenched as the top prospect ahead of North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper. Pauline has Warmack among his top 10 overall players in the draft. Another Alabama lineman, Barrett Jones, is the top center with a first/second-round grade.
For more NFL Draft insight, check out Tony Pauline's work at TFYDraftPreview as well as on Twitter @TonyPauline*
