Now that we are past the halfway mark of the college football season, most NFL personnel executives have had a chance to see the top prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft. We've been hearing for the past few weeks about the potential depth of the upcoming quarterback class. Will that be the deepest position in the draft? I reached out to five executives and asked them the following question: From what you've seen so far this season, which position will be the deepest in the upcoming NFL draft? Here are their answers:
Executive No. 1: Cornerback
"I've seen a lot of good cornerbacks this fall. Guys like (Aaron) Colvin (Oklahoma), (Lamarcus) Joyner (Florida State), (Justin) Gilbert (Oklahoma State) and (Jason) Verrett (TCU) are all really good players. There's also a bunch of talented underclassmen that could come out early."
Executive No. 2: Cornerback
"Linebacker is pretty deep but the cornerback depth is the best I've seen in a while."
Executive No. 3: Offensive line
"This is going to be another great year for offensive tackles. Jake Matthews (Texas A&M) and Taylor Lewan (Michigan) are both top-10 guys and there several other potential first-round guys. I've also seen some quality interior linemen."
Executive No. 4: Offensive line
"The quarterback position could be really deep if all of these underclassmen come out. Right now, offensive line is the deepest position for the senior class."
Executive No. 5: Wide receiver
"That's a tough one. I would probably go with the wide receiver position. I've also seen a lot of athletic tight ends. The worst position is an easy answer. The running back depth is very thin."
Verdict: Two votes for cornerback, two votes for offensive line and one vote for wide receiver.
Conclusion: There wasn't a consensus among these executives and I was a bit surprised that quarterback didn't receive any votes. I think they will be hesitant to go with that position until they find out which underclassmen actually declare for the draft. It is shaping up to be a great draft for teams in need of offensive linemen and cornerbacks. Also, there figures to be plenty of wide receiver depth, as well. Last year's class lacked star power, but there was a very deep pool of NFL starter-caliber players. This year's class should match that depth while also providing some big-name talents at the top of the first round.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter @MoveTheSticks.
