2013 NFL Draft: The Top 100 Big Board

We're only one week away from one of the biggest events that takes place in the offseason. Next Thursday the 2013 NFL Draft will kick off with the Kansas City Chiefs on the clock. The draft has become a special time of year and event for football fanatics because it not only offers a chance for you're favorite team to acquire more talent, it also offers everyone the opportunity to put in their own two cents and analyze potential draft prospects.

One of my calling cards here on BTB has been draft coverage. Since joining BTB I've done the best to diversify my writing to cover multiple aspects of the Dallas Cowboys, but my knowledge and passion of the NFL Draft is what got me to the front page. I love covering the draft and about three years ago I started assembling my own big board.

Over the years and updates, the board has morphed into something more than just player rankings. The board now covers the needs of the Cowboys', actual grades are listed and of course include some of my own personal feelings that push or pull some prospects up or down the board. This new and last update of the year includes an idea that was given to me by the other writers here on the staff. On the previous versions we just saw rankings, but CotySaxman suggested to place the players into groupings. His idea really took off when OCC and rabblerousr pushed me forward with taking the big board and making it into more of a science.

If a prospect is missing, they either fell in after the 100 ranking or I didn't have enough tape or information to accurately give them a grade. The needs of the Cowboys do come into play, but I did my best to rank players according to their talent level. There are cases where a certain position (tight end, quarterback, cornerback) fell down the board because the team doesn't have a need for the those positions high in the draft. Players with injuries did take a drop in the rankings. If not for their injuries, players like Marcus Lattimore and D.J. Hayden would be rated much higher.

One last thing to consider with this board is that character is important, but it did not prevent me from ranking players with troubled backgrounds. At the end of the day, this board is designed to sit in the imaginary war room and be used as a tool to properly evaluate prospects and get an understanding of how talented a player on the board is.

The 2010, 2011 and 2012 draft classes were much easier to evaluate and get a feel for. This was one of the hardest classes I've ever had to evaluate and rank. This draft doesn't have a great first round, but the depth between the end of the first round until the end of the third round is pretty amazing.

Anyway, have at it in the comment section and tell us if the board is on par with what talent this draft has to offer. Whether it's positive or negative, feedback is welcome. Feel free to offer some constructive criticism and give us your opinion on the best 100 prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Top 100