The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft came and went, and as usual, there's a plethora of top prospects from the redshirt sophomore and junior ranks who have declared.
Highlighted below, by position, are the top underclassmen draft prospects, along with a one-sentence scouting report of each, which is much more difficult than it looks but something I've found to be a useful exercise during the pre-draft process.
Quarterbacks
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Inexperienced, super-talented, full-field reader with highly efficient passing ability from the pocket and tendency to get anxious against pressure.
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
Small, athletic marvel with tremendous pocket patience, good accuracy, and plenty of arm strength.
Daniel Jones, Duke
Tall, traditional pocket passer with tendency to make ill-advised, off-balanced throws yet works the quick-passing game well and has the athleticism to be utilized as a runner.
Tyree Jackson, Buffalo
Imposing physical specimen with nice touch downfield, big arm, and serious athleticism who's raw reading coverages and going through his progressions.
Also declaring: Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
Listen to Ryan Wilson and Will Brinson break down the 2019 NFL Draft on the Pick Six Podcast:
Running Back
Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
Super-elusive home-run hitter with devastating cutting ability and explosion through the second level of the defense and plus contact balance.
David Montgomery, Iowa State
Insanely agile, low-center-of-gravity back with good vision and the best contact balance of any running back in class.
Benny Snell, Kentucky
Big but springy feature back who's quicker than fast and will run through weak arm-tackle attempts.
Justice Hill, Oklahoma State
Fluid, lose-hipped air back who can make defenders look silly in space and will find small creases through the second level.
Elijah Holyfield, Georgia
Compact, between-the-tackles back who's quicker than fast and has outstanding jump cut ability, vision, and natural power through contact.
Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma
Dynamic, one-cut back with plus receiving ability, deceptive long speed, and vision to find the cutback lane.
Josh Jacobs, Alabama
Compact, twitchy, lower-the-boom back capable of stopping on a dime and exploding in the opposite direction.
Darrell Henderson, Memphis
Linearly explosive, compact home-run hitter with scary long speed and some lateral cutting skills.
Also declaring: Alex Barnes, Kansas State, Jordan Scarlett, Florida, Kerrith Whyte, Florida Atlantic, Mike Weber, Ohio State, Darwin Thompson, Utah State, Travis Homer, Miami, Alex Mattison, Boise State, Miles Sanders, Penn State, Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M, Damarea Crockett, Missouri, LJ Scott, Michigan State
Wide Receiver
N'Keal Harry, Arizona State
Physically imposing, high-point, ball-skills specialist with sneaky athleticism.
A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
Well-built, yards-after-the-catch monster with good contested-catch skills.
Kelvin Harmon, NC State
Tall, long, athletic back-shoulder stud with surprising downfield speed.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
Tall, muscular rebounder who dominates at the catch point and has deceptive linear explosiveness.
D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss
Freaky size/speed/athleticism specimen who can high-point if need be.
Hakeem Butler, Iowa State
Tall, lanky-ish, muscular "my ball" receiver with awesome balance after the catch.
Marquise Brown, Oklahoma
Small, ultra-twitchy speedster who can run nuanced routes and accumulate big gains after the catch.
Also declaring: Anthony Ratliff-Williams, North Carolina, Jazz Ferguson, Northwestern State, Preston Williams, Colorado State, Greg Dortch, Wake Forest, Jakobi Meyers, NC State, Dillon Mitchell, Oregon, Darius Slayton, Auburn, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Texas, Mecole Hardman, Georgia, Dredrick Snelson, UCF, Riley Ridley, Georgia, Tony Pollard, Memphis, Antoine Wesley, Texas Tech, Tyron Johnson, Oklahoma State, Miles Boykin, Notre Dame, Jalen Guyton, North Texas, John Ursua, Hawaii, Diontae Johnson, Toledo
Offensive Tackle
Jonah Williams, Alabama
Strong, athletic but somewhat undersized technician with barely any fundamental deficiencies.
Greg Little, Ole Miss
Freaky specimen with stretches of brilliant play and lapses of off-balanced play.
Jawaan Taylor, Florida
Dancing bear with plus lateral movement skills and power.
David Edwards, Wisconsin
Above-average athletic talent but at times overwhelmed tackle with adequate strength.
Bobby Evans, Oklahoma
Good-sized tackle with light feet who must get more sand in his pants and better balance in pass protection.
Also declaring: Ryan Bates, Penn State, William Street, North Carolina, Tyler Roemer, San Diego State
Interior Offensive Line
Cody Ford, Oklahoma
Fleet-footed, balanced, wide-bodied mauler with tackle/guard versatility.
Connor McGovern, Penn State
Fundamentally sound, good-sized guard with quality anchor lacking lateral movement skills and power.
Also declaring: Michael Jordan, Ohio State, Nate Herbig, Stanford, Venzell Boulware, Miami, Erik McCoy, Texas A&M, Andre James, UCLA
Tight End
Noah Fant, Iowa
Plus athlete with outstanding receiving skills and dynamic run-after-catch ability who lacks as a blocker at times.
T.J. Hockenson, Iowa
No-nonsense field-stretcher and contested-catch specialist who has tremendous grip strength and leg churn as a blocker.
Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M
No-wasted-movement, effortless athlete who runs the entire route tree, has soft hands, and is very effective after the catch due to powerful leg churn and good acceleration.
Irv Smith Jr., Alabama
Fluid mover with above-average explosiveness after the catch and some experience in-line as a blocker.
Kaden Smith, Stanford
Essentially a large receiver who's unafraid and highly effective when needing to make catches down the seam outside his frame.
Caleb Wilson, UCLA
Productive, yards-after-the-catch tight end with plus athleticism who's best split out from the formation.
Keenen Brown, Texas State
Extraordinarily fluid mover with H-back size and running-back like balance and agility after the catch.
Also declaring: Isaac Nauta, Georgia, Zach Gentry, Michigan, Dawson Knox, Ole Miss, Alize Mack, Notre Dame, Dax Raymond, Utah State, Kahale Warring, San Diego State
Edge-Rusher
Nick Bosa, Ohio State
Complete package with speed, explosiveness, bend, pass-rushing moves, power, and length.
Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
Long, bendy, superb athlete who, at times, is capable of smartly planned pass-rushes to the quarterback and sets a sturdy edge.
Jachai Polite, Florida
Smaller, speed demon around the corner with intense flattening-to-the-quarterback skills and some pass-rushing moves.
Brian Burns, Florida State
Tall, lanky, flexible speed-rusher with a good inside counter and some pass-rushing moves who lacks weight.
Also declaring: Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan, Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois, Jordan Brailford, Oklahoma State, Byron Cowart, Maryland, Anthony Nelson, Iowa, Darryl Johnson, North Carolina A&T,
Defensive Line
Ed Oliver, Houston
Somewhat smaller defensive tackle with ridiculously, Aaron Donald-ian burst off the ball, natural athleticism, and low-center-of-gravity strength.
Quinnen Williams, Alabama
Hand-work master with plus athleticism, non-stop motor, and impressive power.
Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
Gargantuan nose tackle with penetrating defensive tackle ability with his hands and a relatively quick first step.
Rashan Gary, Michigan
Super athlete with ability to convert speed to power and occasionally bend the edge who lacks in the pass-rush move department.
Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
Leans on his long arms and developed hand work to win consistently at the point of attack.
Dre'Mont Jones, Ohio State
Fluid lower half and excellent variety of pass-rushing moves but can get pushed around in the run game.
Also declaring: Kevin Givens, Penn State, P.J. Johnson, Arizona, Trysten Hill, UCF, Amani Bledsoe, Oklahoma, Edwin Alexander, LSU, Shareef Miller, Penn State
Linebacker
Devin White, LSU
Hair-on-fire linebacker who packs a serious punch, is relentless getting to the football, and is an outstanding blitzer but possesses slower-than-normal play-recognition skills and tackling reliability.
Devin Bush, Michigan
Very compact, twitchy close-to-the-line roamer who excels as a blitzer and is quicker than fast and not much of a play-maker in coverage.
Mack Wilson, Alabama
Athletic but hesitant linebacker with decent coverage skills who lacks true play-making ability or refinement against the run or pass.
Also declaring: David Long, West Virgina, Tre Lamar, Clemson Joe Giles-Harris, Duke, Jeff Allison, Fresno State, Quart'e Sapp, Tennessee, Josiah Tauaefa, UTSA, Vosean Joseph, Florida, Tyrel Dodson, Texas A&M
Cornerback
Greedy Williams, LSU
Long, smooth athlete with plus speed and stellar ball skills who lacks bulk.
Byron Murphy, Washington
Smaller, super-twitchy, hyper-aware corner who plays with aggression against the run and knows what to do when the ball arrives.
Trayvon Mullen, Clemson
Springy but at times stiff-hipped press man cornerback with good, not great ball skills.
Julian Love, Notre Dame
Smaller, zone cornerback who lacks in the athleticism department but makes up for it with quick route-recognition skills, awareness, and ball skills.
Also declaring: Saivion Smith, Alabama, Hamp Cheevers, Boston College, David Long, Michigan, Joejuan Williams, Vanderbilt, Jamel Dean, Auburn, Justin Layne, Michigan State, Xavier Crawford, Central Michigan, Sean Bunting, Central Michigan, Ryan Pulley, Arkansas, Clifton Duck, Appalachian State, Kendall Sheffield, Ohio State
Safety
Deionte Thompson, Alabama
Highly athletic defensive back with solid willingness to make an impact against the run but lacked production at Alabama.
Taylor Rapp, Washington
Smaller-framed, springy safety who converts speed to power on contact and flashed the ability to make game-changing plays early in his college career.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida
Safety-cornerback hybrid who reads plays quickly and has the athleticism to get to the football in a hurry against the run or pass.
Amani Hooker, Iowa
Crafty freelancer with impressive twitch in his step and zone savvy to get his hands on a lot of footballs.
Also declaring: Malik Grant, Marshall, Mike Bell, Fresno State
