Akron Beacon Journal

● By Chris Easterling
The NFL draft starts Thursday night in Detroit. By the time it ends sometime late Saturday afternoon, 256 players will hear their names called as they realize the first step of their pro football dreams. Here's the Beacon Journal's top 300 list of prospects heading into the draft, starting with a former Heisman Trophy winner as the consensus No. 1 overall pick for the first round Thursday.

Top Players Not Included

These players appear in the top 100 of our

Consensus Big Board

, but do not show up on this big board.