NFL Draft Coverage: Offensive Skill Position Rankings (QB, RB, WR, TE)

The NFL Draft is just over three weeks away, and now that college basketball is finally finished, it's time to start breaking down who's going when and who's going where. 
We'll start by looking at the most visible players on the field. The offensive skill position players are the most recognizable names on the draft board, and on the second day of the draft, the names on this list may be the only familiar names still left on the board. This is how AmStat ranks the best quarterbacks, runners, and pass-catchers that will be joining the NFL this year.

Quarterbacks
1. Blaine Gabbert - Missouri
2. Ryan Mallett - Arkansas 
3. Jake Locker - Washington 
4. Cameron Newton - Auburn
5. Christian Ponder - Florida State
6. Colin Kaepernick - Nevada
7. Andy Dalton - TCU
8. Jerrod Johnson - Texas A&M
9. Pat Devlin - Delaware [pictured]
10. Mitch Mustain - USC
11. Ricky Stanzi - Iowa
12. Nathan Enderle - Idaho
13. TJ Yates - North Carolina
14. Tyrod Taylor - Virginia Tech
15. Taylor Potts - Texas Tech

Running Backs
1. Mikel Leshoure - Illinois [pictured]
2. Mark Ingram - Alabama
3. Ryan Williams - Virginia Tech
4. Kendall Hunter - Oklahoma State
5. DeMarco Murray - Oklahoma
6. Jordan Todman - Connecticut
7. Shane Vereen - California
8. Jacquizz  Rodgers - Oregon State
9. Daniel Thomas - Kansas State
10. Dion Lewis - Pittsburgh
11. Noel Divine - West Virginia
12. Derrick Locke - Kentucky
13. Delone Carter - Syracuse
14. Bilal Powell - Louisville
15. Roy Helu Jr. - Nebraska
16. Jamie Harper - Clemson
17. Darren Evans - Virginia Tech
18. Da'Rel Scott - Maryland
19. Mario Fannin - Auburn
20. Evan Royster - Penn State
21. Nic Grigsby - Arizona
22. Alex Green - Hawaii [pictured]
23. Brandon Saine - Ohio State
24. Anthony Allen - Georgia Tech
25. Graig Cooper - Miami FL
26. Allen Bradford - USC
27. Stevan Ridley - LSU
28. Damian Berry - Miami FL
29. Vai Taua - Nevada
30. Josh Nesbitt - Georgia Tech (QB)

Wide Receiver 
1. AJ Green - Georgia
2. Julio Jones - Alabama
3. Torrey Smith - Maryland
4. Jonathan Baldwin - Pittsburgh
5. Leonard Hankerson - Miami FL
6. Randall Cobb - Kentucky
7. Titus Young - Boise State
8. Greg Little - North Carolina
9. Tandon Doss - Indiana
10. Edmund Gates - Abilene Christian [pictured]
11.  Jerrel Jernigan - Troy
12. Terrence Tolliver - LSU
13. Austin Pettis - Boise State
14. Greg Salas - Hawaii
15. Stephen Burton - West Texas A&M
16. Jeremy Kerley - TCU
17. Dwayne Harris - East Carolina
18. Ronald Johnson - USC
19. Niles Paul - Nebraska
20. Vincent Brown - San Diego State
21. Cecil Shorts - Mount Union
22. Denarius Moore - Tennessee
23. Darvin Adams - Auburn
24. DeAndre Brown - Southern Miss
25. Tori Gurley - South Carolina
26. Armon Binns - Cincinnati
27. Dane Sanzenbacher - Ohio State
28. Ryan Whalen - Stanford
29. Jeff Maehl - Oregon
30. Aldrick Robinson - SMU
31. Kealoha Pilares - Hawaii
32. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos - Iowa
33. Mark Dell - Michigan State
34. James Cleveland - Houston
35. Vidal Hazelton - Cincinnati
36. Terrell Zachery - Auburn
37. Jock Sanders - West Virginia
38. DeMarco Sampson - San Diego State
39. Jamere Holland - Lindenwood
40. David Gilreath - Wisconsin
41. Kris Durham - Georgia
42. Andre Holmes - Hillsdale [pictured]
43. James Kirkendoll - Texas
44. Chris Mathews - Kentucky
45. Terrence McCrae - Ohio

Tight End
1. Kyle Rudolph - Notre Dame
2. Lance Kendricks - Wisconsin
3. Luke Stocker - Tennessee
4. DJ Williams - Arkansas
5. Charles Clay - Tulsa
6. Jordan Cameron - USC
7. Charlie Gantt - Michigan State
8. Virgil Green - Nevada
9. Rob Housler - Florida Atlantic
T-10. Julius Thomas - Portland State [pictured]
T-10. Weslye Saunders - South Carolina

The NFL Draft starts April 28th in prime-time (7pm) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. For the second year, it's a three day event.

Huskies Take the Title

The Connecticut Huskies took home the 2011 National Title after defeating the Butler Bulldogs 53-41 in the lowest scoring championship game ever. The Huskies got off to a slow start, but went on a 20-3 run in the second half to eventually pull away and take the title. Butler shot a tournament record-low 18.8% from the field in route to the disappointing defeat.
The Bulldogs led at halftime but could not seem to score in the second half, allowing UConn to take control of the game. Jeremy Lamb sat for most of the first half with foul trouble, but Lamb took over the game in the second half scoring all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes, while Kemba Walker delivered his usual breathe-taking performance throughout.
Shelvin Mack hit a deep three pointer to send Butler to the locker room with a three point edge at the half, but Butler returned to the court with no answer for the Huskies on both ends of the court. Matt Howard, who has been one of the faces of Butler basketball for the past four years, may have played his worst game at the worst possible time. The normally reliable forward was a woeful 1 of 13 from the field. He was bothered all night by the size and strength of UConn's rugged front line, struggling to convert inside and rushing his shots from outside. 
The Huskies' championship run concludes an improbable season that saw the Huskies go undefeated in all non-conference games, and undefeated in all tournament games. UConn won the Maui Invitational in November to burst onto the national scene, then subsided to a 9-9 record in the Big East, but rekindled their magical season by winning the Big East Tournament. Their run at the Garden included an unprecedented five wins, and tabbed them as one of the hottest teams going into the Big Dance. From there, the Huskies knocked off Bucknell, Cincinnati, San Diego State, Arizona, and Kentucky in the Final Four. Their journey ended today with a third championship celebration. Head coach Jim Calhoun has been the coach for all three of those championships. At 68, he became the oldest coach to win a national title, and he fittingly did it with one of his youngest teams.