Mike Mayock's Top 5 Prospects by Position

Out of all the draft analysts and prognosticators out there, Mike Mayock is one of the most respected.  He does have his detractors, and sometimes makes some odd rankings(Zeke Motta a top 5 safety?  Notre Dame bias), but he is considered one of the best talent evaluators in the business.  Mayock spends a lot of time studying film and generally has a good grasp of the talent level of the players in each draft.  Mayock has released his first Top 5 positional rankings for this draft season, and there are some interesting ones for the Redskins here.

I'm going to highlight 4 areas for this article, and they will be the areas that are most commonly projected for the Redskins to take at #5 in this year's draft.  The occasional safety(Landon Collins), wide receiver(Amari Cooper), and quarterback(Jameis Winston) have shown up in early mocks, but pass rusher, defensive line, and offensive line are the most common positions, and fit some of the many needs on the team.

Interior Offensive Linemen

1. Brandon Scherff, Iowa
2. Cameron Erving, Florida State
3. Laken Tomlinson, Duke
4. A.J. Cann, South Carolina
5. Tre' Jackson, Florida State

Mayock has Scherff listed as an interior lineman(guard) here, and the best player in this year's group.  Scherff has been listed as an offensive tackle by the majority of draft sites, but there are legit questions about his role at the next level.  Commence the debate on why Scherff is versatile enough to be a tackle and worthy of the 5th overall pick.

Offensive Tackle

1. T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh
2. Andrus Peat, Stanford
3. La'el Collins, LSU
4. Ereck Flowers, Miami (Fla.)
5t. Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M
5t. D.J. Humphries, Florida

T.J Clemmings is going to be a surprise as the top tackle for a lot of people as he is considered raw and more of a mid 1st-early 2nd round prospect.  D.J. Humphries is also a surprise in the top 5(6) OTs.

Interior Defensive Linemen

1. Leonard Williams, USC
2. Danny Shelton, Washington
3. Malcom Brown, Texas
4. Arik Armstead, Oregon
5t. Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma
5t. Eddie Goldman, Florida State

Not much surprise here.  Leonard Williams is considered the best prospect in the draft by many and Danny Shelton has been creeping up draft boards and into the top 10 for many people.  Malcom Brown is another player that is rising(our own Steve Shoup mocked him to the Redskins at #5 this week).

Edge Rusher

1. Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida
2. Randy Gregory, Nebraska
3. Shane Ray, Missouri
4. Vic Beasley, Clemson
5. Bud Dupree, Kentucky

A lot of familiar names on this list, as the top 4 players have all been mocked to the Redskins at #5.  Randy Gregory has been the most popular with Shane Ray close behind him.  Dante Fowler has seen his draft stock rise recently, and Mayock lists him as his top Edge rusher in the draft.  Combine testing impacts this position more than certain others, and this list will likely change multiple times before the draft.