NFL Draft: Early look at where draft eligible Tigers stand on draft boards

With just one game left in LSU's season, it's almost time to turn our attention to where some of the draft eligible LSU Tigers will land in the NFL Draft.

A lot of NFL Draft analysts are putting out mock draft and big boards ranking this years NFL prospects, so I thought it would be fun to go through and see where different outlets have some of the Tigers prospects ranked.

So, without further ado, let's hop right into it.

ESPN released their NFL top-100 draft prospects, and LSU currently has three prospects ranked on their big board.

Malik Nabers: Nabers is atop of the rankings for LSU players, coming in as the seventh best NFL prospect according to ESPN. He is the No. 2 ranked receiver on the list behind Marvin Harrison Jr. who is ranked as their top overall prospect. He's also slotted one spot ahead of Rome Odunze.

Nabers' play this season has rocketed him up the NFL big boards, so don't be surprised if he's a top-10 pick come April.

Jayden Daniels: Daniels is another LSU Tigers who's seen his name rise rapidly up NFL big boards and ESPN has him ranked as the 17th best prospect this year. He's currently the third highest graded quarterback behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye with JJ McCarthy five spots below him.

With the quarterback position being as important as it is, Daniels will likely hear his name called in the top-10 despite being the 17th ranked prospect. If that happens, LSU could have two players selected in the top-10 for the first time since 2017.

Brian Thomas Jr: I hate to sound like a broken record, but Thomas has also seen his name shoot up the big boards this season, potentially even more so than Nabers and Daniels. Thomas had a breakout season and is rightfully ranked as a top-30 prospect by ESPN. He's currently their 30th ranked prospect and 5th ranked receiver. If he can find his way into the end of the first round, the Tigers could find themselves with three first round picks this year.

CBS currently has five LSU Tigers in their top-100 prospects, but there is one ranking that is quite shocking to see.

Malik Nabers: Once again Malik Nabers tops the rest of the Tigers on CBS's big board. He's the 11th ranked prospect according to CBS and is the second highest ranked receiver behind Marvin Harrison Jr.

Jayden Daniels: Daniels follows closely behind Nabers, ranked as the 14th best NFL prospect by CBS. He is once again the third highest rated quarterback behind both Williams and Maye.

Maason Smith: Smith, who had a very disappointing 2023 season for the Tigers, still finds himself inside the top-100 according to CBS. He's the 65th ranked prospect and is their fifth highest ranked defensive tackle. Despite his play on the field, you're not going to find many guys as big as him that can move as well as he does, so that's why I think he's still ranked this high.

Brian Thomas Jr: This is where CBS gets a bit crazy...They have Brian Thomas Jr. ranked as their 77th best NFL prospect and their 16th best receiver. I have seen one of their experts project him as a first round pick in his mock draft, so I don't really know what to make of this ranking, but it feels quite disrespectful.

Mekhi Wingo: Wingo finds his way into the top-100 on CBS's big board, coming in as their 82nd ranked prospect. After a great start to the season, Wingo had season ending surgery, but could still play in the bowl game. I think Wingo is a bit of a wildcard, because I believe he could return to LSU for the 2024 season, but he hasn't announced his decision quite yet, so for now he's on a few NFL big boards.

Like CBS, PFF also has five LSU Tigers in the top-100, but they have them in a slightly different order. Remember, take PFF's rankings with a grain of salt because they're rankings are based around grades, but they also have a bit of personal opinion as well.

Malik Nabers: PFF has Nabers inside the top-10, coming in as their 8th ranked prospect. He is once again the second ranked receiver on their board behind Harrison, but this time, Harrison is the 2nd ranked prospect on this board.

Jayden Daniels: Daniels is PFF's 22nd ranked prospect, which is the lowest you'll find him on any of the major big boards. He's currently the QB4 behind Williams, Maye and...Bo Nix. Doesn't make much sense to me, but that's why you have to take PFF's rankings with a grain of salt.

Brian Thomas Jr: PFF ranks Thomas more fairly than CBS did, but he's still only the 52nd ranked prospect on their board. He's PFF's 11th ranked wide receiver behind guys such as Xavier Lagette, Xavier Worthy, Ladd McConkey and Ja'Lynn Polk. Again, don't take PFF's rankings too seriously because I don't see how he could possibly be ranked behind any of those guys.

Mekhi Wingo: On this board, Wingo jumps Maason Smith as the Tigers highest rated interior defender, coming in as their 67th ranked prospect. He's PFF's fifth ranked interior defender after posting a 79.3 defensive grade this season, and I think this is about the right spot for him on a big board.

Maason Smith: Smith finds his way into another top-100 and is PFF's 89th ranked prospect. I was a bit surprised to see him here because his 64.7 grade ranked 535th out of 899 interior defenders this season, but his physical attributes once again reign supreme to his play on the field this season.

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