Bucky Brooks is always an interesting analyst to follow leading up to the draft, as his opinions are usually a bit outside the box and based on a lot of studying.
2013 NFL Draft: Bucky Brooks defensive position rankings
Bucky Brooks has delivered his first list of defensive rankings for the 2013 NFL Draft.
Ed Zurga
Brooks recently released his defensive rankings for the 2013 NFL Draft, listing his top five players at each position. Let’s take a look at how he ranks these players and compare it to our own set of rankings here at Mocking the Draft.
At defensive end Brooks lists his top five as follows:
1. Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
2. Bjoern Werner, Florida State
3. Barkevious Mingo, LSU
4. Dion Jordan, Oregon
5. Ezekial Ansah, BYU
That top five is nearly identical to Mocking the Draft's, the biggest difference being that we ranked Mingo as an outside linebacker, allowing Sam Montgomery to slip into the top five in the defensive end rankings.
The defensive end rankings can be hard to peg down, because each of these players has a different skill set and fits into a certain scheme. Like most years, scheme fit will be crucial for teams looking to add an impact pass rusher.
Also read: Mocking the Draft's NFL Draft rankings
Brooks’ defensive tackle ranking have an interesting twist to them. He ranks them as follows:
1. Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
2. Star Lotulelei, Utah
3. Sharrif Floyd, Florida
4. Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State
5. Sylvester Williams, UNC
Brooks’ rankings have quite a few discrepancies with Mocking the Draft’s. For starters, he lists Richardson as his top tackle ahead of Lotulelei. And while Brooks lists Johnathan Hankins and Sylvester Williams among his top five, we included John Jenkins from Georgia and Jesse Williams of Alabama among our top five at the position.
The Defensive tackle crop this season is as deep as any position in the draft. As many as five players could come off the board in the first round, and a handful of potential starters will be available on the draft’s second day.
Also read: Mike Mayock's defensive position rankings
Linebacker is another position where things get interesting in Brooks’ rankings, due to which positions he ranks certain players at. Here are his top five outside linebackers.
1. Jarvis Jones, Georgia
2. Alec Ogletree, Georgia
3. Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
4. Arthur Brown, Kansas State
5. Sio Moore, UConn
Due to the fact that we ranked Ogletree and Brown as inside linebackers instead of outside backers. We listed Barkevious Mingo, Chase Thomas and Brandon Jenkins among our top five as a result. But with the differences in 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, it's not uncommon for rankings to vary.
Brooks’ inside linebackers rank as follows:
1. Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
2. Kevin Minter, LSU
3. Kiko Alonso, Oregon
4. Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
5. Jon Bostic, Florida
At Mocking the Draft, we listed Brown and Ogletree as inside linebackers, occupying two spots in our top five. Nico Johnson of Alabama was also thrown in the top five, creating a much different mix of players. Kiko Alonso is ranked a bit high by Brooks, as he comes in at No. 8 in Mocking the Draft’s inside linebacker rankings.
Cornerback is the position where Brooks’ rankings resemble Mocking the Draft’s the closest. Still there are a few disagreements. Here is Brooks’ top five.
1. Dee Milliner, Alabama
2. Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
3. Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
4. Desmond Trufant, Washington
5. Logan Ryan, Rutgers
The top three is identical to that of Mocking the Draft. But where Desmond Trufant cracks Brooks' top five, Jordan Poyer of Oregon State makes the cut here at Mocking the Draft. Still, Trufant comes in at No. 6, so the rankings are close to one another.
Moving on to safeties, here are Brooks’ top five players at the position.
1. Kenny Vacarro, Texas
2. Matt Elam, Florida
3. Eric Reid, LSU
4. Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
5. John Cyprien, Florida International
The top two remain unchanged in Mocking the Draft's safety rankings, but Tony Jefferson of Oklahoma and Shawn Williams of Georgia replace Cyprien and Thomas in the top five at the position.
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