Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Oliver Connolly on the best five players available tonight:
Note: these are the most talented players available, not a prediction of the order in which they will be picked.
1) Nick Bosa, edge, Ohio State
Questionable social media strategy aside, Bosa is widely considered the best player in this year’s draft class on either side of the ball. Bosa missed most of this junior year after undergoing a core-muscle surgery. Yet his place atop draft boards was already assured thanks to a dominant sophomore campaign, in which he had the highest “pass rush wins” percentage in all of college football. Bosa finished the season with 25 hurries, 15 hits, nine sacks and three batted passes. It was a non-stop highlight package. Bosa will be really, really good, really, really fast. No one is a can’t-miss prospect, but Bosa is about as close as you can get.
2) Quinnen Williams, defensive line, Alabama
Pass rushers and pass blockers, that’s what this draft is all about. Either get someone who can hit the other team’s quarterback or grab someone who can protect your guy. Watch Williams play, and you will instantly be awed by the sheer spectacle of someone so big being able to move so fast. He is damn-near unstoppable off the snap. Talent wise, he would be a top-five pick in anyyear.
3) Josh Allen, edge, Kentucky
Yes, Allen is an excellent pass rusher. But he’s so much more than that. He is a defensive chess piece who drifts between a bunch of different positions and makes plays all over the field. He has a turbocharged get-off and has been compared to Chicago’s Khalil Mack.
4) Ed Oliver, defensive line, Houston
If you listen hard enough, you can hear the sound of 32 NFL defensive coordinators cajoling their general manager to find any way possible to grab Oliver in the upcoming draft.
Thanks to the dominance of Aaron Donald, small, twitchy, defensive linemen are all the range. The 287lbs Oliver is still considered small by the Donald-standard. He was even asked to perform linebacker drills by the Titans at this year’s combine. “I’d ask myself to play linebacker too,” Oliver said at the time. He will play inside, outside, and stood up on Sundays. And he will be a potent force for years to come.
5) Kyler Murray, quarterback, Oklahoma
The likely No1 pick is the most electric player in the draft, regardless of position. He is the only quarterback in 20 years who comes close to matching the athleticism of Michael Vick. In the right offense, he can be a special weapon.
Two of the major concerns about Murray have been answered: his commitment; his slender frame. He spurned baseball to concentrate on being a quarterback full-time and he turned heads at the combine turning up at a bulked up 207lbs.
There’s no disputing his on-field performance or production. He wasn’t as methodically brilliant as Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma but his highs were just as high – “wow” throws delivered from the most bonkers of body positions; game-breaking runs. Someone will take him first overall. Will it be the Cardinals or the Raiders?
