2017 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock Updates His Position Rankings

NFL Media’s draft guru Mike Mayock has released the third iteration of his latest positional rankings for the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft.

QUARTERBACK

Mayock’s quarterback list went unchanged between his last version and the his first version from about a month ago, but this latest one basically shows DeShone Kizer falling off a cliff with the rest of the ranked players moving up in the same order. Deshaun Watson now tops Mayock’s list, followed closely by Mitchell Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes.

Mayock has Kizer dropping all the way back to fourth on the list of signal-callers:

Quarterback

1. Deshaun Watson, Clemson

2. Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina

3. Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech

4. DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame

5. Davis Webb, California

Rise: Watson (2), Trubisky (3), Mahomes (4)

Fall: Kizer (1)

That’s an interesting development as we inch closer to the draft. I’d be just fine with seeing Kizer fall to Houston in the first round, especially after this positive scouting report from our own Matt Weston combined with the football IQ Kizer demonstrated at a whiteboard session with Steve Mariucci.

In my opinion, DeShone Kizer has shown quite a bit of maturity for such a young player, as illustrated by this recent quote supporting his college coach’s comments last week about Kizer needing more time to develop before being ready for the NFL:

"It's honestly the truth," Kizer told the Kap and Co. radio show in Chicago, per transcription from NBC Sports. "I have two more years available (of college eligibility). I'm only 21 years of age. There is a lot of growth for me. There's a lot of growth for everyone in this draft. There's a lot of guys out there who had to make big adjustments as they move into the NFL, and I know it. That's why I'm not the No. 1 quarterback guaranteed walking into this draft as we speak."

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

There was also significant movement in Mayock’s ranking of offensive tackles:

Offensive tackle

1. Cam Robinson, Alabama

2. Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin

3. Garett Bolles, Utah

4. Taylor Moton, Western Michigan

5. Antonio Garcia, Troy

Rise: Robinson (previously No. 2 interior OL), Moton (T-5)

Fall: Ramczyk (1), Bolles (2), Garcia (3), Roderick Johnson, Florida State (4), Jermaine Eluemunor, Texas A&M (T-5)

Then there is this tweet, which further underscores the general uncertainty that many scouts, analysts and fans have about finding starters and depth for the offensive line in this draft:

As much as I would love to see Houston add an offensive tackle as soon as possible, this draft just doesn’t look very good for that outcome. At this point, I’d prefer they get a quarterback or safety with their first pick of 2017.

There you have it! Take a read of Mayock’s full rankings and then chime in with your thoughts below.