NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock released his final set of positional rankings Tuesday and when it comes to the two positions that the Pittsburgh Steelers need the most in the upcoming 2015 NFL Draft, he has made some notable changes.
In his edge-rusher rankings, Mayock has now moved Kentucky’s Alvin Dupree up to the second spot behind Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr. after previously having him ranked fourth. That jump resulted in Nebraska’s Randy Gregory falling from second to fourth in the rankings. Untouched were Clemson’s Vic Beasley (ranked 3rd) and Missouri’s Shane Ray (ranked 5th).
Should Mayock’s final edge-rusher rankings wind up being exactly right, it could result in either Gregory or Ray, or even both, falling to the Steelers, who own the 22nd overall selection. Both players have character concerns attached to them that the Steelers have probably researched thoroughly by now.
The Steelers also have a need for a cornerback early this year and Mayock’s latest rankings for that position also includes a few changes.
For starters, Mayock now has Wake Forest product Kevin Johnson as his second-ranked cornerback behind Michigan State’s Trae Waynes. Johnson was previously ranked fourth by Mayock in his last set of rankings, so I wonder why he has jumped him one spot ahead of Washington’s Marcus Peters, who remains ranked third.
Johnson’s rise came at the expense of LSU’s Jalen Collins, who is now ranked fourth overall. A report surfaced last week that Collins tested positive for marijuana while in college, so his character concerns were likely the reason why Mayock dropped him two spots.
Connecticut’s Byron Jones is now all alone at the fifth spot in the cornerback rankings as Mayock has dropped Utah’s Eric Rowe completely out of his top five.
Now it’s your turn. In the comments below, show me your top-5 rankings for the edge-rushers and cornerbacks.
