The 2013 college football season is just around the corner and, although the season has yet to be played out, it doesn’t stop our thoughts turning towards the top NFL prospects come Draft Day in 2014.

Top of most peoples’ rankings at the moment would be South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. If he had been eligible, he would have been the top pick in this year’s draft. He has all the attributes to be a top class defensive end in the NFL with a rare blend of size, athleticism, upper-body power, and playmaking instincts. Clowney was very difficult to block or stop at all last season when he was at full strength and his game against Georgia last year was one of the most dominant and complete defensive performances in recent years.

This year’s draft was not a vintage one for quarterbacks but the NFL Betting is suggesting that Teddy Bridgewater may reverse that trend next year. The Louisville Cardinals signal-caller has a quick release and accurate passing style and is fairly quick on his feet. He’s probably best in the pocket but he does have good vision and has the main attribute that is needed to be an NFL ready quarterback and that is toughness.

Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater

The rest of our current top five draft prospects consists of a nose tackle, wide-receiver, and an offensive tackle – a very eclectic and mixed bag.

Louis Nix III is the nose tackle in question and he has massive size and strength. It will be interesting to see how he develops this year with Notre Dame; he certainly did not look out of place against Alabama in the national title game.

Wide receivers are always a commodity that is sought after in the NFL and Marqise Lee from USC has speed to burn. He will be interesting to teams that need a quick vertical route runner and he’s also been noticeably good against double coverage. Lee is the top draft-eligible wide receiver prospect entering the 2013 season and projects as a top-10 pick.

Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio rounds out our top five; he developed well last year but still has room for improvement, which he is expected to make this year. Given his size, ability, and scope, we would expect him to follow his former teammates, Chance Warmack (Tennessee Titans), and D.J. Fluker (San Diego Chargers), who were selected 10th and 11th overall, respectively, in the 2013 draft.

Of course, there is time and room for changes to be made in this pecking order by the time the draft rolls around but, as things stand, it would be surprising to at not least see the majority of these prospects go in the first round in the 2014 draft.