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Here it is! The culmination of hundreds of hours watching roughly 500 game film cut-ups over the past five months. The first note I want to make is that I am projecting how I expect these players to rank by the end of their second season. It isn’t just how I predict they will be as rookies. It is how I think they will be by the end of their second year and beyond. To give a quick breakdown of how I grade, the majority of my grade is from game film. From there I will slightly adjust the score based on injury history, off the field concerns, and any other pertinent information that may come out but those adjustments are pretty minimal. As a couple of examples, Tua’s injury history moved him from 7th to 14th overall, and Antoine Winfield Jr.’s injury history moved him from 13th overall down to 19th overall.
After my Top 50, you will see my rankings for the Top 10 Players by Position. I wanted to include this because there are several positions that are barely mentioned in the Top 50 alone. With the further breakdown of each position, I can bring you even more names as we anticipate Thursday’s kickoff of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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Tier 1: High-End Starters
This tier is the can’t miss players. The franchise cornerstones. These players should all be in constant consideration for Pro Bowls/All-Pro voting for years to come. Each one of these players should have a huge part in the outcome of their teams’ seasons if they reach their maximum potential and be considered near the top of their position by the end of their rookie contracts or earlier.
1. Chase Young (Edge – Ohio State)
2. Jeff Okudah (CB – Ohio State)
4. Jedrick Wills Jr. (OT – Alabama)
5. Isaiah Simmons (LB – Clemson)
6. Derrick Brown (IDL – Auburn)
8. CeeDee Lamb (WR – Oklahoma)
10. Henry Ruggs III (WR – Alabama)
11. Javon Kinlaw (IDL – South Carolina)
Tier 2: Significant Starters
This tier is made up of players who have the traits and ceiling to perform with the same impact as the players in tier one, but there is one aspect of their game that holds them out of the High-End Starter tier. Those aspects can range from overall amount of experience and production, one specific trait doesn’t grade out well enough, boom/bust or lack of position versatility holds them back, and injury history are all reasons why the prospects in this tier can’t make the jump to Tier 1. Besides their one issue holding them back, these prospects are some of the best at what they are able to do. Scouting is more about what a player can do, not what they can’t. These Tier 2 prospects can do almost anything their position requires and do it to a significant or even elite level.
12. Andrew Thomas (OT – Georgia)
13. Kenneth Murray (LB – Oklahoma)
14. Tua Tagovailoa (QB – Alabama)
15. Mekhi Becton (OT – Louisville)
17. Kristian Fulton (CB – LSU)
18. CJ Henderson (CB- Florida)
Tier 3: Solid Starter Level Players
Most years this tier is much smaller and I usually have four or even five tiers overall. However, the depth of this draft is so much so that every player from 19-50 on this list I have graded out to where I fully expect each one to have a consistent starting role and noticeable weekly impact by their late second- early third season in the league. These players will be the building blocks to ensure consistent future success for teams.
19. Antoine Winfield Jr. (S- Minnesota)
20. K’Lavon Chaisson (Edge – LSU)
21. Justin Madubuike (IDL – Texas A&M)
22. Jonathan Taylor (RB – Wisconsin)
25. Noah Igbinoghene (CB – Auburn)
26. Justin Jefferson (WR – LSU)
27. D’Andre Swift (RB – Georgia)
28. Trevon Diggs (CB – Alabama)
29. A.J. Terrell (CB – Clemson)
30. A.J. Epenesa (Edge – Iowa)
31. Xavier McKinney (S – Alabama)
32. Tee Higgins (WR – Clemson)
33. Yetur Gross- Matos (Edge – Penn State)
34. Cam Akers (RB – Florida State)
35. Justin Herbert (QB – Oregon)
36. Damon Arnette (CB – Ohio State)
37. J.K. Dobbins (RB – Ohio State)
40. Ross Blacklock (IDL – TCU)
41. Laviska Shenault (WR – Colorado)
42. Eno Benjamin (RB – Arizona State)
43. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – LSU)
44. Cole Kmet (TE – Notre Dame)
45. Zack Baun (Edge/LB – Wisconsin)
46. Ezra Cleveland (OT – Boise State)
48. Brandon Aiyuk (WR – Arizona State)
49. Van Jefferson (WR – Florida)
50. Cesar Ruiz (IOL – Michigan)
Top 10 By Position
Quarterbacks
- Joe Burrow- LSU
- Tua Tagovailoa- Alabama
- Justin Herbert- Oregon
- Jordan Love– Utah State
- Jacob Eason– Washington
- Jake Fromm– Georgia
- Jalen Hurts– Oklahoma
- Anthony Gordon– Washington State
- James Morgan– FIU
- Jake Luton– Oregon State
Wide Receivers
- Jerry Jeudy- Alabama
- CeeDee Lamb- Oklahoma
- Henry Ruggs III- Alabama
- Jalen Reagor- TCU
- Justin Jefferson- LSU
- Tee Higgins- Clemson
- Denzel Mims- Baylor
- Laviska Shenault- Colorado
- Brandon Aiyuk- Arizona State
- Van Jefferson- Florida
Running Backs
- Jonathan Taylor- Wisconsin
- D’Andre Swift- Georgia
- Cam Akers- Florida State
- J.K. Dobbins- Ohio State
- Eno Benjamin- Arizona State
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire- LSU
- Ke’Shawn Vaughn– Vanderbilt
- Darrynton Evans– Appalachian State
- Zack Moss– Utah
- Antonio Gibson– Memphis
Tight Ends
- Cole Kmet- Notre Dame
- Adam Trautman– Dayton
- Josiah Deguara– Cincinnati
- Thad Moss- LSU
- Brycen Hopkins– Purdue
- Harrison Bryant– FAU
- Colby Parkinson– Stanford
- Hunter Bryant– Washington
- Albert Okwuegbunam– Missouri
- Jared Pinkney– Vanderbilt
Offensive Tackles
- Jedrick Wills Jr.- Alabama
- Tristan Wirfs- Iowa
- Andrew Thomas- Georgia
- Mekhi Becton- Louisville
- Josh Jones- Houston
- Ezra Cleveland- Boise State
- Lucas Niang- TCU
- Matt Peart– Connecticut
- Austin Jackson– USC
- Isaiah Wilson– Georgia
Interior Offensive Line
- Cesar Ruiz- Michigan
- Robert Hunt– Louisiana- Lafeyette
- Lloyd Cushenberry III- LSU
- Jonah Jackson– Ohio State
- Tyler Biadasz– Wisconsin
- Matt Hennessy– Temple
- John Simpson– Clemson
- Netane Muti– Fresno State
- Ben Bredeson– Michigan
- Nick Harris– Washington
Interior Defensive Linemen
- Derrick Brown- Auburn
- Javon Kinlaw- South Carolina
- Justin Madubuike- Texas A&M
- Ross Blacklock- TCU
- Neville Gallimore– Oklahoma
- Marlon Davidson– Auburn
- Jordan Elliott– Missouri
- James Lynch– Baylor
- Raekwon Davis– Alabama
- Davon Hamilton– Ohio State
Edge Defenders
- Chase Young- Ohio State
- K’Lavon Chaisson- LSU
- A.J. Epenesa- Iowa
- Yetur Gross- Matos- Penn State
- Zack Baun- Wisconsin
- Josh Uche– Michigan
- Julian Okwara– Notre Dame
- Terrell Lewis– Alabama
- Bradlee Anae– Utah
- Kenny Willekes– Michigan State
Linebackers
- Isaiah Simmons- Clemson
- Kenneth Murray- Oklahoma
- Patrick Queen- LSU
- Willie Gay Jr.- Mississippi State
- Malik Harrison– Ohio State
- Akeem Davis- Gaither- Appalachian State
- Jordyn Brooks– Texas Tech
- Troy Dye– Oregon
- Logan Wilson– Wyoming
- Markus Bailey– Purdue
Cornerbacks
- Jeff Okudah- Ohio State
- Kristian Fulton- LSU
- C.J. Henderson- Florida
- Jeff Gladney- TCU
- Noah Igbinoghene- Auburn
- Trevon Diggs- Alabama
- A.J. Terrell- Clemson
- Damon Arnette- Ohio State
- Bryce Hall– Virginia
- Jaylon Johnson– Utah
Safeties
- Antoine Winfield Jr.- Minnesota
- Xavier McKinney- Alabama
- Grant Delpit– LSU
- Jeremy Chinn– Southern Illinois
- Ashtyn Davis– California
- Kyle Dugger– Lenoir- Rhyne
- Terrell Burgess– Utah
- K’Von Wallace– Clemson
- Antoine Brooks Jr.- Maryland
- Brandon Jones– Texas
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Mark Johnson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mark, check out his archive and follow him @MJ_NFLDraft.