NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah has updated his Top 50 rankings of the 2015 NFL Draft's best prospects, and some players moved up as many as seven spots. Jeremiah's Top 50 list isn't a mock projection of where players will be selected in the draft, but rather a value ranking of prospects unrelated to where clubs pick and what their needs are.
Here are five key takeaways from Jeremiah's latest assessment:
1. Gregory, Green-Beckham slip
Two players of whom NFL scouts have character concerns were notable sliders from the last Top 50: Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory and wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. Gregory moved from No. 6 to No. 11, and Green-Beckham moved from No. 19 to No. 24. After Gregory admitted to failing a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was at least his third failed test including two at Nebraska, Jeremiah said he expected him to slip out of the draft's top 10 picks. Unlike Gregory, Green-Beckham hasn't made the news with any new problems regarding his character. But Green-Beckham also finds himself part of, arguably, the deepest position in the draft class, which can make a player's draft projection all the more volatile -- especially when character questions are afoot.
2. Corners climb
After posting a blistering 4.36 40-yard dash at UConn's pro day earlier this week, cornerback Byron Jones jumped seven spots in the Top 50, to No. 37. There is no doubt Jones is a workout freak after turning the NFL Scouting Combine on its ear with some shocking results in February. Cornerback isn't considered an especially strong position in this draft class, but Jones is doing his part to validate the depth. Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson made a similar leap, climbing seven spots, from No. 49 to No. 42.
3. McKinney falls
While Gregory and Green-Beckham's drops in the Top 50 were the most notable, they weren't the steepest. Mississippi State inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney dropped six spots, more than anyone else, from No. 38 to No. 44. Once considered a potential first-round pick, McKinney's value now falls squarely in the middle of Round 2. So which NFL clubs have both a need at inside linebacker and a mid-second-round pick? According to NFL Media's Lance Zierlein, they include the Houston Texans (No. 51), Atlanta Falcons (No. 42), and the San Francisco 49ers (No. 46).
4. Fisher in, Davis out
Oregon offensive tackle Jake Fisher cracked the Top 50 for the first time, coming in at No. 46. Said Jeremiah: "He's a skilled pass blocker, and the more I studied his game the more impressed I was with Fisher's ability in the running game." To make room for Fisher, of course, someone had to wave goodbye. Exiting the Top 50 is Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis, who had been in Fisher's new spot at No. 46
5. Other notables
A few other notables from Jeremiah's latest Top 50:
» There were no changes in the top five, which include USC DL Leonard Williams, West Virginia WR Kevin White, Alabama WR Amari Cooper, Florida DE Dante Fowler, Jr. and FSU QB Jameis Winston.
» Oregon QB Marcus Mariota held steady at No. 7.
» The top two rushers in the draft, Georgia's Todd Gurley and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, flopped positions, with Gurley rising to No. 12 and Gordon settling at No. 13.
» Two wide receivers rose from high second-round to low first-round value. UCF WR Breshad Perriman, whose pro day 40-yard dash was timed under 4.3, moved from No. 34 to No. 30, while USC's Nelson Agholor jumped from No. 37 to No. 32.
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