With high schools and colleges running more three and four wide receiver sets than ever before, the pool of talent at the receiver position at every level has grown drastically for NFL teams. An increasing number of receivers have made an immediate impact in the NFL over the past five years, and that trend doesn’t look to be dying anytime soon.

However, the key to any receiver unit is finding that true, number one option. Finding a consistently dominant receiver is what separates deep receiving corps from productive ones.

As a redshirt freshman, Johnny Manziel became the first Texas A&M Aggie to win the Heisman trophy. What he’s done for his school and for himself after just two college years is remarkable, and he’s become the new role model for high school athletes hoping to see the “riches” of being a college football star.

Manziel, who has taken full advantage of his national attention to enjoy himself this off-season, has accomplished so much in a short time in his football career. Outside of a national title and a handful of school records, there isn’t much more he can accomplish as a Texas A&M Aggie.

Can Johnny Manziel make it at the NFL level? My evaluations thus far say that he can. But it’s going to be a long road of mental, physical, and technical development before he can reach those dreams.

The 2013 draft class will forever be remembered as the “Year of the Anti-Quarterback”. Teams refused to value the top quarterbacks in the class as franchise-level talents despite multiple showing that ability in college.

With just one quarterback going in the 1^st round and another in the 2^nd, the eight or so quarterback-needy teams delayed the inevitable search for a franchise quarterback in 2013, putting added pressure on the 2014 class. 

Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater’s impressive freshman and sophomore year is what has lead him to be the top draft eligible quarterback in the 2014 class (if he chooses to declare). San Jose State’s David Fales has been the recipient of national exposure in recent weeks, but the non-BCS prospect still has ample work to do before he’s a 1^st round talent.

The NFL Draft is always tremendously difficult to predict. It takes elite sources, perfect understanding of roster evaluations, knowing GM personalities, scheme views, and position values, and your own evaluations to determine who really is a 1^st round prospect and who’s being fluffed up.

This years’ draft, however, is more unique that most. With the top three picks have new GMs (Oakland’s Reggie McKenzie on year two of a massive rebuild), the Eagles and Lions having GMs on the hot seat, and no one having a clue where the quarterbacks end up, team’s picking in the 20s are literally in the same position as fans and media are: clueless.

With that said, I’ve combined the homework I’ve done, the people I’ve spoken with, and my own gut feeling thanks to draft history and my evaluations to give ten Bold (and Informed) predictions on how the 2013 NFL Draft will play out.

By the time draft day hits, evaluations are complete, boards are set, and each team has a firm idea of who they’ll be targeting when it’s there time to pick, even beyond the 1^st round. Head coaches, general managers, and owners are generally in the room as the lead decision makers, with the influence of each varying from team to team.

However, with the rest of the scouting staff in the room, it gives a chance to regional scouts to take a stand, to “Bang the Table” for a prospect. While it has begun to be a bit over-used, in the NFL, if you bang the table for a prospect, your job is all but on the line. As that prospect goes, you go with your job in the organization.

I don’t take that idea lightly. While I won’t be let go by Optimum Scouting (because I’m the man in charge), I still act, and force our evaluators to think this way, as if each grade given, my job is on the line. And I’d be willing to “bang the table” and stake my reputation on these five players.

Each quarterback board is different for every NFL team. Factors such as current roster/quarterback situation, past experiences among decision makers, and scheme fits affect how teams evaluate quarterbacks. Teams adjust their “round grade” on quarterbacks drastically based on these factors, which results in wildly different opinions among teams throughout the league.

While this doesn’t include any insight into exactly what these teams are thinking, I’ve done my best to evaluate how each quarterback-needy team likely evaluates these top quarterbacks.

Recovering from a major knee injury as a running back is an overwhelming undertaking. It takes months of mentally and physically exhausting rehab, detailed work to ensure no hiccups or long-term issues arise, and there’s a strong chance in not returning to pre-injury form.

For South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, he’s forced to overcome TWO major knee injuries from his three year stint in college. After torn ligaments in his left knee in 2011, he suffered ligament damage in his right knee just a year later. After declaring for the 2013 NFL Draft, his road to recovery has been an uphill one, but one that scouts will be eagerly following and likely rooting for. His flashes as a freshman lead him to be touted as a future NFL star.

After his Pro Day workout for NFL scouts  to prove his rehab is on track, Lattimore is confident he’ll be able to return to his elite-running back form as early as the beginning of the 2013 season.

Playing at one of the best universities in this country in terms of football tradition and program prestige, the starting quarterback job at University of Southern California brings many things to those who bear the title: Elite talents abound on both sides of the ball. Some of the best coaches in the country. Treatment as though you suit up for an NFL team. Heisman trophy consideration.

And nowadays, major question marks about your ability to play in the NFL.

The 2008 NFL Draft stands out from the rest of recent draft memory. With just one projected first round quarterback, viewed as a late first round value, and only a handful of “playmakers”, the draft was viewed as heavy on lineman early, both offensive and defensive.

If that sounds familiar at all, it’s becomes it’s remarkably similar to this 2013 draft class. Luke Joeckel may be this class’s Jake Long. Barkevious Mingo may be this class’s Vernon Gholston. And for comparison’s sake, Geno Smith hopes to be this class’s Matt Ryan.

Most didn’t view Matt Ryan as worthy of a top three pick, similar to the sentiments of many about Geno Smith. Despite the criticism, Ryan proved those evaluations wrong, nearly reaching the Super Bowl in his 5^th NFL season. Geno Smith has that same potential. But like Ryan, Smith still has a ways to go to prove those doubters wrong.

Future Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson wanted to play defensive back when he started his high school career. He tried out for the varsity team in 9^th grade, focused on becoming his high school’s starting defensive back. The eventual high school and college star quarterback didn’t get the starting job, but showed to the coaches he was open to doing whatever it took to get on the field at an early level in his football career.

Now, after 47 career games at Michigan and 6,250 career passing yards and 49 career touchdown passes, Denard Robinson will have to be open to doing whatever it takes to get to the NFL. In this case, that means not playing quarterback anymore.

In what has been a sudden transition from Big Ten quarterback to hopeful NFL wide receiver, Robinson’s potential NFL suitors will be closely watching his March 14^th Pro Day for his progression into a new position.