

Every evaluator worth something has his or her "guys". Prospects that they are higher on than the consensus. If you don't have one or more of those guys you're probably not doing your own work. Who are you willing to defend against the haters?

Next week is the premiere of the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones. One of the most pivotal scenes of the show is in Season 6's Battle of the Bastards. The battle truly begins when the shows main (?) protagonist, Jon Snow faces down an entire cavalry with nothing but his sword. It's an incredible visual (and the featured image for this post). It's how I felt at times last year defending Michael Gallup and Harold Landry.

I don't always get it right, either. I've been waiting for Corey Coleman since the day he was drafted. Some might say I'm still waiting for Corey Coleman. There are guys in every draft that I'll defend until their rookie contracts are up because I believe that much in the process that I use to evaluate them.

Who are my Jon Snow guys in 2019? Let's find out:

Dalton Risner

Risner has the highest floor of any prospect in this class and you cannot convince me otherwise. He was a top-end starter at center for the Wildcats as a freshman and followed that up by being one of the best three or four right tackles in college football for the next three seasons. If you take Risner and plug him in at any spot on the line (with the possible exception of left tackle) you're going to get an above average starter at that spot (at minimum) for the next decade.

Dalton Risner wants to crush you, before and after the whistle pic.twitter.com/MyEoPQJ865 — Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) November 27, 2018

He's also as clean a prospect as there is from a "red flags" standpoint and will be a tone-setter in a locker room the day he arrives. Specifically for Green Bay, Risner would become the top backup at every spot from left guard to right tackle (including center) and allow Spriggs to focus on backing up Bakhtiari. If Bulaga is allowed to leave following the 2019 season Green Bay just decides between Risner and Billy Turner as to which one plays right guard and which one plays right tackle. Easy peasy.

Risner is a top 12 player in this class for me.

Brian Burns

Burns is not some behind-the-scenes prospect, and I certainly understand that. Frankly, he's one of those prospects that a lot of really insightful Twitter users and internet commenters swear up and down won't be available at 12. Even with all that said, I've found that I'm higher on Burns than most (but not all). I believe Burns is EDGE2 and a top five player in this entire class.

If you leave this wonderful website for just a moment and sift through the above thread you'll find all of the traits that I found that make him as close to a sure-fire quarterback hunter as you'll find.

Run defense doesn't matter. There, I said it.

Deebo Samuel

Samuel might be viewed as a "slot" receiver, I simply do not care. He's a smooth and as polished a route runner as you'll find in this class, and beyond that he's an elite athlete, coming in with an RAS just a shade under 9, well above the "threshold" of 8.4 I established for the Packers here. He's a hands catcher, which is so important to me as an evaluator.

Ridiculous TD by Jake Bentley to Deebo Samuel pic.twitter.com/SblbWQpKlq — Saturday Down South (@SDS) September 2, 2017

Samuel is competitive as hell, too, and profiles as a player that can run with the ball. He's a Randall Cobb clone with significantly higher athletic upside and ultimately is my #2 WR in this class behind DK Metcalf. He's going to be a useful offensive weapon in this league for years to come.

Easton Stick

In the last two seasons, with Green Bay having a perceived need at wide receiver, I've spent a lot of time scouting receivers. What I've found is that most college quarterbacks are #bad. Just being not #bad is a big friggin' deal. Bad quarterbacks get drafted all the time. One got drafted in the top 10 last year. It's likely that one backs up Aaron Rodgers right now.

Fortunately for Easton Stick, he is actually #good. One of the most overrated traits to scout for quarterbacks is arm strength. You either have enough of it to make NFL throws or you don't, and he does. That extra throw-it-through-a-piece-of-plywood hose stuff is largely unimportant, especially if you're inaccurate. **cough** Josh Allen **cough** Joe Flacco **cough** Drew Lock. OK, I'll find a lozenge. The reality is that Stick can make all the throws.

How about a little Easton Stick NFL Throw of the Week™? This one's a little far hash 13 yard out on 3rd and 5 in a National Semifinal. Defender never had a chance. pic.twitter.com/08mcwLaeSL — Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) December 15, 2018

Here's your Easton Stick NFL Throw of the Week ™: 35 yards from the opposite hash on the slot fade. pic.twitter.com/RqyiGK3zv4 — Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) October 17, 2018

This is SUCH a special throw from Stick. He's getting absolutely blasted by the defender and just rips about a 54 yard handoff down the right sideline. This throw screams NFL. pic.twitter.com/D1qjDMzVCd — Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) January 8, 2019

Stick ran a pro-style offense at North Dakota State, and while he might not have the upside of Carson Wentz, he is just as pro-ready. He's also an all-time level athlete at the quarterback position. If for whatever reason he doesn't work out as a signal caller you can do weird Taysom Hill things with him and keep his excellent leadership in your locker room.

Khalen Saunders

Hell, let's stay in the exact same FCS conference. Khalen Saunders has been a problem in the Missouri Valley Football Conference since the day he arrived. He's an absolute athletic freak. A bowling ball of a man, Saunders is such a fantastic athlete that the 'Necks played him standing up on the edge despite measuring in at 6000 and 324 pounds.

Also Khalen Saunders, who flashed for me last year in Fargo when everyone was talking about Brett Taylor, might be a pro. pic.twitter.com/OC6sylbmDA — Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) October 17, 2018

He's a top 90 player in this class and I'm not convinced everyone else is willing to go that far. He's a three-down defensive lineman with pass rush upside. Those guys are worth that kind of pick.

Blake Cashman

Who else is a top 90 player that maybe not everyone is paying attention to? Blake Cashman. Blake's stellar combine performance sent me back to the tape and boy did I like what I found.

Cashman is a well-rounded prospect who from both a production and a testing standpoint profiles as a plus-level starting inside linebacker and an awesome special teamer. If you can find that in the early fourth round, I think you have to be absolutely ecstatic.

Devin Bush

Devin Bush? Well, Devin Bush is LB1.

Amani Oruwariye

"Amani O" as I call him because I can't spell that last name the same way more than two times in a row, is a good cornerback in a class full of #bad cornerbacks. As my friend Jon Ledyard would tell you, the good corners in this class can't run and the fast ones can't play. Oruwariye is a rare exception. He was borderline dominant at the Senior Bowl.

Penn St CB Amani Oruwariye has good read and react skills. Anticipates the throw and breaks in time pic.twitter.com/jTQYmINFkP — Billy Marshall (@BillyM_91) March 24, 2019

At 6015, Amani O has the length you would desire in an outside cornerback. I think he's a top 20 prospect in this draft based on athleticism, tape and the scarcity of really good players at his extremely important position.