INDIANAPOLIS -- Nick Bosa? Kyler Murray? Josh Allen? Perhaps Quinnen Williams?

They’re the leaders in the clubhouse to go first overall in next months’s draft.

But Michigan’s Rashan Gary says not so fast.

“I’m the best player in this draft,” the defensive lineman said Saturday as he arrived at the combine in Indianapolis. “Offensively and defensively. Period.”

The remark drew some snickers from assembled reporters, who had just spoken with Bosa minutes earlier, and Murray the day before. Gary is really good, and has a really good chance to go in the top five. But best player in the draft? Really?

Pressed on why he thinks he’s the best, he wasn’t backing down.

“Why do I think," he said, "or why do I know?”

Alrighty then.

Nobody disputes the athleticism. Gary was the No. 1 player in the country when he was coming out of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic High School, and often looked the part while anchoring Michigan’s face-punching defense the last three seasons. But his production didn’t always match the hype, and he battled a shoulder issue last year that caused him to miss three games and parts of two others.

Gary finished with just 23 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks at Michigan, and 74 quarterback pressures the last two years. That’s OK production for an interior lineman, but not exactly elite for an edge guy. And therein’s the rub for a lot of NFL people.

Is Gary an inside player, or an outside player?

At 6-foot-4 and 277 pounds, there is some dispute. If teams view him more as a tackle, he could slip outside the top 10. But if he’s viewed as a future EDGE, he could go in the top five, and some analysts believe he could go as high as fourth overall to Oakland, which drafted former teammate Maurice Hurst last season.

“Man, if I had the opportunity to be a Raider, I love it," Gary said. “I miss my man Mo. I would love playing with him again. If I get the opportunity to, that would be good.”

The Lions could also be a possible landing spot if he’s still on the board at eighth overall, but the fit is unclear. He’s an athletic force up front, but his game is unrefined. He’s not really built to play full time on the outside in Matt Patricia’s scheme, and Detroit is already stocked with inside players like Snacks Harrison, Da’Shawn Hand and A’Shawn Robinson.

But the raw talent is an undeniable draw, and it could be difficult to pass on a top-five talent.

“I’ve been in Michigan the past three years, it’s a second home to me," Gary said. “If the Lions ended up drafting me, just to make my Michigan fans and the Detroit fans happy, it would be good. It’s my second home.”

Gary will be one of the most-watched players Sunday when defensive linemen participate in field events at Lucas Oil Stadium. His athletic gifts should make him one of the stars. But the question has always been whether he’s more athlete than football player, and blowing up stopwatches won’t change that.

“That’s for you guys to decide,” Gary said. "I’m working every day to be the best player I can. I know what I’m capable of. The team that gets me is going to see it.

“My best years of football are still to come. I’m still learning the game and I can’t wait.”