Revised 2018 Draft Board: Secondary

Things have changed again, well sort of. The original way I looked at the stats and adjusted my draft board really only favored the factors I used to remove players from my boards. Those factors are still the same and if you want to view who those players are, I will include the links to the original articles at the bottom. The reason why I’ve updated my draft boards once again is because of how I was ranking the players who remained on it before.

See, prior to me going back through I was ranking them by comparing their stats and combine performances to every player (between 08 and 2017) that had been invited to the combine. I’d take all of their stats and break it down by players selected in the 1st-3rd rounds and those who weren’t. That was all well and good, but it was really only determining whose athleticism and production matched other players who had been chosen early.

With the new method I still use each player’s college stats and their combine results, but I compare the players from 08-17 that were considered successful to those who weren’t. By this I can give each player coming in a score and rank them based off that score.

There were a few other factors I considered with the round grade they were given:

-If a player played at the FCS level or lower, they were dropped two round ranges, unless there was already significant hype surrounding them heading into the pre-draft process. (i.e. Dallas Goedert)

-If a player played in the MAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, or are one of the “lower end” independent teams they were moved down one round range, unless again they were someone with significant hype surrounding them heading into the pre-draft process. (i.e. Will Hernandez)

You’ll notice that the MWC and AAC, both excluded from the “Power 5 conferences”, are not listed. That’s because I believe both conferences are on the same level as the PAC 12 and most of the ACC.

I did not take into consideration injuries. If it did not impact their stats or combine performances on its own, then it didn’t impact their score. That isn’t to say that I wouldn’t have dropped them down my draft board if I was a GM for a team, but I didn’t want to lower one player’s ranking while forgetting about someone else. A prime example of this you’ll see on the CB board. Jaire Alexander dealt with injuries throughout his final season at Louisville, but his score had him at #6 on the CB board, so he stayed put. It’s a little different for Offensive Lineman, but I’ll cover that in their article. Here are the boards, with the scores included.

My CB Draft Board

Players College Score Round Grade Round Selected In
Parry Nickerson Tulane 22.4 First-Second Sixth
Denzel Ward Ohio State 22.1 First-Second First
D.J. Reed Kansas State 20.9 Second-Third Fifth
Avonte Maddox Pittsburgh 20.6 Second-Third Fourth
Josh Jackson Iowa 19.5 Second-Third Second
Jaire Alexander Louisville 19.0 Second-Third First
Mike Hughes UCF 18.9 Third-Fifth First
Grant Haley Penn State 17.9 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Quenton Meeks Stanford 17.8 Third-Fifth Undrafted
M.J. Stewart North Carolina 17.7 Third-Fifth Second
Andre Chachere San Jose State 17.7 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Rashard Fant Indiana 17.6 Third-Fifth Undrafted
J.C. Jackson Maryland 17.4 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Jordan Thomas Oklahoma 17.3 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Levi Wallace Alabama 17.2 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Nick Nelson Nebraska 17.2 Third-Fifth Fourth
Carlton Davis Auburn 17.0 Third-Fifth Second
Chandon Sullivan Georgia State 18.0 Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Darius Phillips Western Michigan 17.8 Fourth-Sixth Fifth
Henre Toliver Arkansas 16.6 Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Holton Hill Texas 15.6 Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Michael Joseph Dubuque 18.9 Fifth-Seventh Undrafted
Taron Johnson Weber State 18.0 Fifth-Seventh Fourth
Danny Johnson Southern 17.4 Fifth-Seventh Undrafted
Isaiah Oliver Colorado 13.4 Fifth-Seventh Second
Duke Dawson Florida 13.4 Fifth-Seventh Second

My Safety Draft Board

Players College Score Round Grade Round Selected In
Troy Apke Penn State 27.8 First Fourth
Justin Reid Stanford 23.9 First Third
Godwin Igwebuike Northwestern 23.9 First Undrafted
Joshua Kalu Nebraska 23.0 First Undrafted
Tarvarius Moore Southern Miss 25.0 First-Second Third
Terrell Edmunds Virginia Tech 22.6 First-Second First
Derwin James Florida State 22.3 First-Second First
Natrell Jamerson Wisconsin 21.5 First-Second Fifth
Dane Cruikshank Arizona 20.8 Second-Third Fifth
Dominick Sanders Georgia 19.1 Second-Third Undrafted
Siran Neal Jacksonville State 21.0 Third-Fifth Fifth
Ronnie Harrison Alabama 18.9 Third-Fifth Third
Jessie Bates Wake Forest 18.8 Third-Fifth Second
Jordan Whitehead Pittsburgh 18.7 Third-Fifth Fourth
Stephen Roberts Auburn 18.7 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Minkah Fitzpatrick Alabama 18.6 Third-Fifth First
Tre Flowers Oklahoma State 18.4 Third-Fifth Fifth
Damon Webb Ohio State 18.0 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Sean Chandler Temple 17.7 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Deshon Elliott Texas 17.6 Third-Fifth Sixth
Quin Blanding Virginia 17.5 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Kameron Kelly San Diego State 17.2 Third-Fifth Undrafted
Marcell Harris Florida 17.2 Third-Fifth Sixth
Tracy Walker UL Lafayette 18.8 Fourth-Sixth Third
Marcus Allen Penn State 16.8 Fourth-Sixth Fifth
Armani Watts Texas A&M 16.4 Fourth-Sixth Fourth
Rashaan Gaulden Tennessee 15.2 Fourth-Sixth Third

Click here to view the previous CB and S Draft Board