Top 10 defensive players in the NFL Draft

After our Top 10 offensive draft picks , we thought it was high time to do the top defensive draft picks. So here's Alex Ferguson on who the selectors should get defensively…

Top offensive players

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Myles Jack (OL, UCLA)

Myles Jack was such a terrific athlete that he also played running back for the Bruins when they really needed one, and was pretty successful. Unfortunately, a knee injury this year caused question marks about his future. But if Jack stays healthy, he's going to be a bona fide NFL hit.

Joey Bosa (DE, Ohio State)

Described by college football expert Sean Fitz as a "future first round pick", Bosa didn't do anything to make people think differently in his final year. He's the sort of guy who can control offensive lines at the line of scrimmage - although there are questions about how well he turns a corner to get at a quarterback. Still, he's a fine tackler (five sacks, 51 tackles) and was highly thought-of by the college football gods (two All-American selections).

Jalen Ramsey (S, Florida State)

When I first saw Ramsey play in college I thought that he was a future star, and things haven't changed since - apart from his 'production' fell a little bit this year as the ball was thrown away from him towards his other secondary colleagues. He's 6'0'', and has incredible jumping skills. Can't wait for him against the Odell Beckhams of the NFL.

Vernon Hargreaves (CB, Florida)

Like Ramsey, he didn't see a lot of offences go anywhere near him in his final year - but when they did, it was generally a schoolboy error (he had four INTs and earned an All-American spot).

Reggie Ragland (IL, Alabama)

Ragland was the linchpin of Alabama's National Championship victory, and he was a brilliant tackler (102 tackles) and could also get to the quarterback (2.5 sacks). He could also put the pass away (seven passes defended) and was a huge leader on an Alabama team full of leaders. Some teams will be begging Ragland to drop further.

Shaq Lawson (DE, Clemson)

When Lawson was missing for Clemson, you knew it. That was how good Lawson was. Armed with great brights, a 6'3'', 270lbs frame and he led the NCAA in tackles for loss. So he was pretty good at getting through offensive lines, then.

DeForest Buckner (DE, Oregon)

Buckner shone on one of the worst defences in college football (117th out of 128) which gave up 62, 55, and 47 points in just three games. It was that awful defence because the 6'7'', big-handed Buckner was double-teamed all the way through the season and still managed 80 tackles. His biggest game was when it mattered in the showdown with Stanford when he had 10 tackles and a sack in a freakish performance.

Sheldon Rankins (DT, Louisville)

Called an "interior disruptor" by the US media, Rankins' biggest game was against the ACC's best team - Clemson, in which he had eight tackles and a sack. He had five tackles and a sack in the bowl game against one of the next best teams in Texas A&M, too.

Eli Apple (CB, Ohio State)

Another of the very talented players coming from Ohio State, Apple was another cornerback who found himself thrown away from - grabbing just one interception and 33 tackles all season while the year before he had three and 53. He's a physical defender that might need some coaching-up before he's the real thing. But he's still very good.

Robert Nkemdiche (DE, Ole Miss)

Nkemdiche is an intelligent ballplayer who's going to destroy offensive lines when he gets to the NFL. Arguably, he's better than Joey Bosa, but questions over his "character issues" mean that he gets a '5' on talent but a '5' on the 'Worry Factor', too.