A months-long stretch of pontificating and speculating and guessing is about to end. Soon, the 2013 NFL Draft will begin; soon we'll know exactly where each hotly debated prospect will be for the next phase of his football life. Until then, though, all the questions we've asked and projections we've made remain up in the air.
We've talked about this draft class extensively since the final whistle blew in Super Bowl XLVII -- and even before that. Through the NFL Scouting Combine and the pro-day circuit, we've hashed 'em out and mashed 'em up -- and frankly, there isn't much more to say.
My final Hot 100 reflects that. As you'll see when comparing this list to the previous edition, little has changed since earlier this month. Cordarrelle Patterson dropped from No. 8 to No. 21, while Justin Hunter jumped from No. 57 to No. 33. But other than that tandem of Tennessee receiver prospects, few players moved much. Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher are still the best offensive talents; Ziggy Ansah and Dion Jordan are still the most promising defensive prospects.
Again, these prospects are ranked according to the grades they received using time-tested benchmarks. Also, as I did with my final Hot 100 before last year's draft, I've extended the list to include an extra 25 prospects -- a bonus, if you will, before the draft begins.
*NOTE: Rankings from the previous edition of The Hot 100 are in parentheses. *
1) Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M (1)
2) Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah, DE, BYU (2)
3) Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon (3)
4) Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida (4)
5) Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan (5)
6) Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama (6)
7) Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia (7)
8) Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma (11)
9) Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU (10)
10) Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State (9)
11) Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama (13)
12) Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina (14)
13) Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri (15)
14) Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah (22)
15) D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama (16)
16) Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame (12)
17) Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia (17)
18) Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina (18)
19) Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia (19)
20) Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame (20)
21) Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee (8)
22) Matt Barkley, QB, USC (21)
23) Menelik Watson, OT,
Florida State (23)
24) Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas (24)
25) Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama (25)
26) Bjoern Werner, DE,
Florida State (26)
27) EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State (27)
28) Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia (28)
29) Kawann Short, DT, Purdue (36)
30) Desmond Trufant, CB,
Washington (30)
31) Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State (31)
32) Margus Hunt, DE, SMU (29)
33) Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee (57)
34) Robert Woods, WR, USC (34)
35) Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford (33)
36) Eric Reid, S, LSU (35)
37) Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State (38)
38) John Jenkins, DT, Georgia (39)
39) Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M (32)
40) Kyle Long, OG, Oregon (40)
Rapoport: Latest draft buzz
Ian Rapoport has the inside scoop on teams that could trade picks, plus two players earning excessive praise from scouts. **More ...**
41) Cornellius "Tank" Carradine, DE, Florida State (42)
42) DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson (37)
43) D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston (51)
44) Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor (48)
45) Keenan Allen, WR, Cal (41)
46) Vance McDonald, TE, Rice (72)
47) Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State (44)
48) Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin (46)
49) Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin (45)
50) Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse (50)
51) Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut (49)
52) Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU (47)
53) Matt Elam, S, Florida (54)
54) David Amerson, CB, N.C. State (58)
55) Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (52)
56) John Cyprien, S, Florida International (53)
57) Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse (59)
58) Brian Winters, OG, Kent State (64)
59) Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State (55)
60) Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M (56)
Brandt: Need-to-know no-names
As the draft nears, Gil Brandt finds 13 prospects with little name recognition but plenty of big-time pro potential. **More ...**
61) Kevin Minter, LB, LSU (61)
62) Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State (69)
63) Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State (63)
64) Dallas Thomas, OT, Tennessee (65)
65) Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma (66)
66) Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU (62)
67) Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State (70)
68) Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama (67)
69) Barrett Jones, OG/C, Alabama (73)
70) Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn (74)
71) Mike Glennon, QB, N.C. State (76)
72) Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers (77)
73) Kiko Alonso, LB, Oregon (60)
74) Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State (79)
75) Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern State (84)
76) Jamie Collins, LB, Southern Miss (83)
77) Robert Alford, CB, Southeastern Louisiana (80)
78) Datone Jones, DE, UCLA (92)
79) Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson (81)
80) D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina (78)
81) Quinton Patton, WR,
Louisiana Tech (75)
82) Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky (91)
83) Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State (82)
84) Stedman Bailey, WR,
West Virginia (88)
85) Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA (NR)
86) Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia (68)
87) T.J. McDonald, S, USC (71)
88) Dwayne Gratz, CB, Connecticut (43)
89) A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State (85)
90) Michael Buchanan, DE, Illinois (98)
91) Kevin Reddick, LB,
North Carolina (96)
92) Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas (99)
93) Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford (87)
94) Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas (89)
95) Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State (86)
96) Tharold Simon, CB, LSU (94)
97) Matt Scott, QB, Arizona (90)
98) Stansly Maponga, DE, TCU (95)
99) William Gholston, DE, Michigan State (97)
100) Sio Moore, OLB, Connecticut (NR)
101) Alex Okafor, DE, Texas (NR)
102) Emmett Cleary, OT, Boston College (NR)
103) Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee (NR)
104) Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State (NR)
105) J.J. Wilcox, FS, Georgia Southern (NR)
106) Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers (NR)
107) Sanders Commings, CB, Georgia (NR)
108) David Bakhtiari, OT, Colorado (NR)
109) Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina (93)
110) Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina (NR)
111) Michael Mauti, ILB, Penn State (NR)
112) Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M (NR)
113) Levine Toilolo, TE, Stanford (NR)
114) Dion Sims, TE, Michigan State (NR)
115) Denard Robinson, WR, Michigan (NR)
116) Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon (NR)
117) Cornelius Washington, OLB, Georgia (NR)
118) Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State (NR)
119) Khaled Holmes, C, USC (NR)
120) Hugh Thornton, OG, Illinois (NR)
121) Alvin Bailey, OG, Arkansas (NR)
122) Bennie Logan, DT, LSU (NR)
123) John Simon, DE, Ohio State (NR)
124) Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall (NR)
125) Jeff Locke, P, UCLA (100)
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