Post-draft IDP Big Board

The NFL draft came and went in the blink of an eye. As always, DLF has you covered in every way. I’m here to break down all your IDP rookies to prep you for your draft with my initial Big Board.

So here’s how this is going to go. I’m going to run through my rookie ranks for each position grouping (LB, DE, DT, S, and CB), then I’ll reveal my over rankings, the order that I would draft players in my rookie draft. The numbers after the position designations indicate how many players will be ranked. Please note, these ranks do not combine offensive players. In this year’s draft, I would select my first IDP somewhere around 2.08, give or take.

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LINEBACKERS (20)

1. Roquan Smith, Chicago
2. Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo
3. Rashaan Evans, Tennessee
4. Darius Leonard, Indianapolis
5. Fred Warner San Francisco
6. Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas
7. Malik Jefferson, Cincinnati
8. Josey Jewell, Denver
9. Uchenna Nwosu, San Diego
10. Jerome Baker, Miami
11. Micah Kiser, LA Rams
12. Shaquem Griffin, Seattle
13. Harold Landry, Tennessee
14. Lorenzo Carter, NY Giants
15. Christian Sam, New England
16. Shaun Dion Hamilton, Washington
17. Genard Avery, Cleveland
18. Oren Burks, Green Bay
19. Dorian O’Daniel, Kansas City
20. Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Chicago

Roquan Smith has been my LB1 throughout the whole scouting process, so I see no reason to change now. He lands in a really good situation with an excellent coach. Many will think Tremaine Edmunds should own that title, and I can see their point. He’s young and explosive.

The real winner of this group is Darius Leonard. He’s an excellent tackler who NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah compared to Jacksonville’s Telvin Smith. Couple that with very little competition for snaps in Indianapolis.

Malik Jefferson is another riser on this list. He has worlds of talent but never seemed to put it all together at Texas. Generally I think of the Bengals as the team where linebackers with upside go to die, but with Vontaze Burfict suspended (again) Jefferson has a chance to step in early and impress.

DEFENSIVE ENDS (11)

1. Bradley Chubb, Denver
2. Tyquan Lewis, Indianapolis
3. Dorance Armstrong, Dallas
4. Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati
5. Chad Thomas, Cleveland
6. Breeland Speaks, Kansas City
7. Arden Key, Oakland
8. Marcus Davenport, New Orleans
9. Kemoko Turay, Indianapolis
10. Kylie FItts, Chicago
11. Duke Ejifor, Houston

I’m not going to lie, this was the hardest group to rank. Sure Bradley Chubb was a no-brainer then the rest were…lots of brainers? I finally settled on Tyquan Lewis as DE2 as he’s a classic 4-3 run stopper in a really good situation. The same applies to Dorance Armstong, though his chance at snaps is lower. I really like Sam Hubbard’s tape and thought he had a chance to provide some value. Instead he goes to Cincinnati where they drafted three other players last year that do basically the same thing. The Cleveland defense has a ton of really good players and I don’t know if Chad Thomas will see enough snaps to really be worth your time. Everyone from Arden Key on down is a pass rush specialist and probably doesn’t carry the same kind of value.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES (10)

1. Vita Vea, Tampa Bay
2. Harrison Phillips, Buffalo
3. Nathan Shepard, NY Jets
4. Maurice Hurst, Oakland
5. Da’Ron Payne, Washington
6. Taven Bryan, Jacksonville
7. Deadrin Senat, Atlanta
8. BJ Hill, NY Giants
9. Justin Jones, San Diego
10. Derrick Nnadi, Kansas City

Vita Vea is obviously the star of this group. Maurice Hurst should probably be higher, but the heart condition makes me cautious. Harrison Phillips is a very good run defender who sheds blocks extremely well. Couple that with a chance at plenty of snaps and that’s how he landed at DT2. Nathan Shepard came from a small school, but he can play and will anchor the middle and should free up Leonard Williams.

SAFETIES (6)

1. Derwin James, San Diego
2. Ronnie Harrison, Jacksonville
3. Justin Reid, Houston
4. Tracy Walker, Detroit
5. Marcus Allen, Pittsburgh
6. Kyzir White, San Diego

Lots going on in the safety department. Let’s start at the top. Derwin James has been my S1 throughout the whole process. Landing with the Chargers gives a pass rush in front of him that will lead to quarterback mistakes and he plays close enough to the line of scrimmage to pick up plenty of tackles. Ronnie Harrison might not have a ton of value Year 1, but on that Jacksonville defense he has plenty of long-term upside. Justin Reid is in much the same boat. Andre Hal just signed a contract extension in August and the Texans signed Tyrann Mathieu in the off-season. Tracy Walker is a playmaker and the Lions defense needs that on the back end. That brings us to Marcus Allen and why I have him and not first rounder Terrell Edmunds. Basically, Edmunds is more of a free safety, while Allen needs to play closer to the line because his coverage skills are subpar. Why would I also list Kyzir White when I declared new teammate James the best player at the position? Simple, White also needs to play closer and I could see him getting snaps in nickel packages, either as dime linebacker, or as James’ replacement when slides down to play linebacker.

CORNERBACKS (10)

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Miami
2. Josh Jackson, Green Bay
3. Duke Dawson, New England
4. Mike Hughes, Minnesota
5. Donte Jackson, Carolina
6. Isaac Yiadom, Denver
7. Jaire Alexander, Green Bay
8. Isaiah Oliver, Atlanta
9. Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay
10. Denzel Ward, Cleveland

From the top, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s best position is nickel corner. That said, he will play some safety and thus will have more opportunities for tackles and interceptions. From there, cornerback is always a bit of guessing game as to who will be targeted by opposing offenses and then have chances to make plays. The two Packer corners are probably a toss up at this point, but I had Jaire Alexander as the better corner and thereby should be picked on less than Josh Jackson. I am not a fan of Duke Dawson so I think he’ll get targeted plenty, but the Patriots will do a good job covering his weaknesses. Mike Hughes should see some action, especially as the passing attacks in the NFC North continue to improve.

That brings us to the grand finale. I threw all the above names into a randomizer and this is what came out.

Just kidding.

In case that you are new to IDP, linebackers will always be at the top of these rankings. Even last year with Myles Garrett, it was Reuben Foster that came out as IDP1. So here we go.

1. Roquan Smith, Chicago, LB
2. Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo, LB
3. Rashaan Evans, Tennesse, LB
4. Darius Leonard, Indianapolis, LB
5. Bradley Chubb, Denver, DE
6. Fred Warner, San Francisco, LB
7. Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas, LB
8. Malik Jefferson Cincinnati, LB
9. Derwin James, San Diego, S
10. Ronnie Harrsion, Jacksonville, S
11. Vita Vea, Tampa Bay, DT
12. Josey Jewell Denver, LB
13. Uchenna Nwosu, San Diego, LB
14. Tyquan Lewis, Indianapolis, DE
15. Jerome Baker, Miami, LB
16. Ronnie Harrsion, Jacksonville, S
17. Micah Kiser, LA Rams, LB
18. Dorance Armstrong, Dallas, DE
19. Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati, DE
20. Chad Thomas, Cleveland, DE
21. Shaquem Griffin, Seattle, LB
22. Breeland Speaks, KC, DE
23. Harrison Phillips, Buffalo, DT
24. Nathan Shepard, NY Jets, DT
25. Maurice Hurst, Oakland, DT
26. Justin Reid, Houston, S
27. Harold Landry, Tennessee, LB
28. Lorenzo Carter, NY Giants, LB
29. Arden Key, Oakland, DE
30. Marcus Davenport, NO, DE
31. Kemoko Turay, Indianapolis, DE

Minkah FItzpatrick would slot in after Turay. That would be the earliest I would take a cornerback. I am not going to break these into tiers, as Bee Salamat is covering that based on his rankings. As you can see, this list is linebacker-heavy and there are several runs that happen.

Thanks for taking the time to read. Please feel free to comment below or reach out to me on Twitter @BigBoardIDP to discuss these rankings or anyone you think I missed.

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