We're two days away from the 2014 NFL Draft, and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, one of the more respected draft analysts around, has released another batch of pre-draft rankings. We've been following Mayock's rankings since before the NFL Scouting Combine.
Mike Mayock’s NFL Draft rankings: Kony Ealy falls for 1st time
Kony Ealy has consistently been labeled the No. 2 defensive end in this draft, but he’s falling in favor of Stephon Tuitt in Mike Mayock’s latest rankings.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Mock Draft
Typically, his rankings come in the form of a top five at each position, and it’s always interesting to note which positions have changed since the last time around. The most noteworthy position for him, at this point, is quarterback. That’s primarily due to Teddy Bridgewater, the consensus No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback prior to his pro day, whose draft stock has taken a beating in recent weeks.
In fact, Bridgewater's fall has been a topic of conversation around here, as has Mayock's choice of words and ranking. Whatever the case, Mayock's ranking of Bridgewater remains the same from last time -- he's tied for fifth with Zach Mettenberger of LSU.
Here’s a look at some of the more interesting rankings, with the full list here:
Quarterback
| Pre-combine | Post-combine | Post-Pro Day | Pre-Draft 1 | Current |
| Teddy Bridgewater | Bridgewater | Manziel | Manziel | Manziel |
| Johnny Manziel | Manziel | Bortles | Bortles | Bortles |
| Blake Bortles | Bortles | Bridgewater | Carr | Carr |
| Derek Carr | Carr | Carr | Garoppolo | Garoppolo |
| AJ McCarron | McCarron/Garoppolo | McCarron/Garoppolo | Mettenberger/Bridgewater | Mettenberger/Bridgewater |
There are no surprises here and no changes. Bridgewater just barely gets the mention at No. 5 with Mettenberger, a player who likely won't end up in the first round and could even fall out of the second. Keep in mind: Bridgewater was being considered a top-10 pick at the beginning of this process, potentially even going first overall to the Houston Texans. The latest talk suggesting the Texans are concentrating on someone like Johnny Manziel isn't shocking, but there are people talking about Bridgewater falling to the back end of the round or even into the second.
Defensive End
| Pre-combine | Post-combine | Post-Pro Day | Pre-Draft 1 | Current |
| Jadeveon Clowney | Clowney | Clowney | Clowney | Clowney |
| Kony Ealy | Ealy | Ealy | Ealy | Tuitt |
| Dee Ford | Ford | Ford | Ford | Ford |
| Scott Crichton | Crichton | Crichton | Crichton | Ealy |
| Trent Murphy | Stephon Tuitt | Tuitt | Tuitt | Crichton |
Mayock’s defensive end rankings only underwent one major change: the subtraction of Stanford defensive end Trent Murphy and the addition of Stephon Tuitt of Notre Dame. But Mayock shook things up again on Tuesday by moving Tuitt up from No. 5 to No. 2, displacing Missouri’s Kony Ealy for the first time. Dee Ford remains at No. 3 while Scott Crichton falls a spot to No. 5.
Mayock has been plenty complimentary of all of these guys at one time or another. In early April, Mayock did say that Tuitt was a “borderline first-round guy,” as noted by NFL.com. Tuitt struggled with his weight while at Notre Dame, but has continually weighed in below expectations throughout the offseason. After being listed at 313 pounds at the start of the 2013 season, Tuitt carried a playing weight of 322 pounds but showed up to the combine weighing 304 pounds. Maybe it’s those measurements that have prompted Mayock to go all-in on Tuitt.
Defensive Tackle
| Pre-combine | Post-combine | Post-Pro Day | Pre-Draft 1 | Current |
| Louis Nix III | Donald | Donald | Donald | Donald |
| Timmy Jernigan | Jernigan | Jernigan | Hageman | Jernigan |
| Aaron Donald | Nix | Nix | Jernigan | Nix |
| Ra'Shede Hageman | Hageman | Hageman | Nix | Hageman |
| Dominique Easley | Kelcy Quarles | Daniel McCullers | Easley | Easley |
One thing is certain: Mayock can’t make a concrete decision on defensive tackles. From the beginning on, he didn’t get from one set of rankings to the next without changing something. He removed Dominique Easley after the first one, replacing him with Kelcy Quarles, who was replaced with Daniel McCullers. Eventually, he brought Easley back in place of McCullers. The other four stayed the same, though the positioning frequently changed, with Timmy Jernigan, Louis Nix and Ra’Shede Hageman exchanging spots No. 2 through No. 4.
NFL Draft Odds
The one constant was Aaron Donald, who moved to No. 1 after the first set and has now made it all the way through at No. 1. Donald has appeared at the top of defensive tackle rankings around the Internet and is considered a surefire first-round pick at this point.
See More:
