BayRaider 2020 Top 75 Draft Prospect Rankings 3.0 (Final Version)

[BayRaider]

2020 Draft Prospect Rankings 3.0

https://thedraftnetwork.com/bigboard/wZxJsYuZWh

Tiers:

1-3: Generational Prospects

4-9: Blue Chip Prospects

10-15: Upper Tier Prospects

16-31: 1st Round Grade

32-63: 2nd Round Grade

64-75: 3rd Round Grade

31 First Round graded players in total.

I explained most of my rankings in the previous thread, but I'll go over some of the "surprises". Also, when you see most ranking lists on the internet, you see they are 95% the same. Why is this? Because they all look at other ranking lists to get an idea for their ranking list and get heavily influenced. Human psychology. I don't do that.

I also ask that you guys respect these rankings, and while constructive criticism and disagreements are welcome, there is no reason to get emotional, sensitive, and/or rude.

Explanations:

Going to explain mostly the uncommon rankings.

- Let's start out on the first notable. Yetur Gross-Matos. I think Gross-Matos has been heavily slept on and I think he's a Pro Bowl 4-3 End at the next level. He reminds me of a Aldon Smith clone, a little less twitch and a little more power but has plenty of both. He's uber athletic, still adding pass rushing moves, good size/speed, VERY violent hand movement, relentless motor, and unreal twitch for a guy his size. Once he learns how to use his athleticism and power more, he could be one of the best investments from this draft. And he has consistently improved and added technique over his college career. That shouldn't change in the pros. He may be that surprise Top 10 EDGE pick this year like Ferrell last year. I don't expect much from Gross-Mato's rookie season, but whoever drafts this guy is possibly in for a very nice surprise!

- I think Burrow, Tua, and Chase are all rare Generational Prospects. Obviously I'm very high on Tua. His accuracy, even in tight windows, is otherworldly, his 3rd down accuracy is fantastic, he has mobility, escaping pressure magician, insane awareness, insane football IQ, 0% INT pass rate on 3rd down while also being fearless. I love Tua. I don't think I need to explain Burrow being #1, everything he does is fantastic. Although Burrow and Tua are neck and neck for me.

- Julian Okwara. I'm much higher on him than most are. He has to go to a 3-4 team. As a 3-4 EDGE, he has a tremendous skill set. He can rush the passer in a variety of ways and from a variety of angles, he can cover and has excellent range, and I love his instincts. Okwara is a 1st Round talent all day long to me.

- A little higher on Blacklock than most. For a 3T, the first thing I look for is that quick first step and bullrush. Those two things. Along with his muscular compact body type. These three combined things are usually the three main ingredients into becoming a great 3T in the NFL. That's if he can refine his technique in the NFL, but he's an excellent prospect and exactly what you want in a 3T.

- I think Derrick Brown is a monster and do not agree with him "falling" in the draftnik community. He's not a pure NT. He reminds me of Suh. Super athletic, and absolutely ridiculously over-the-top powerful. It sure wouldn't be shocking if Brown was the best Non-QB from the class.

WR's:

- I think Jeudy is a blue chip prospect. Route running, especially the way he bursts off the top of a route, is the best in this class by far. He has solid speed, He's aggressive catching the football and also has Amaris YAC ability and overall elusiveness. He will defeat press in the NFL, and some nitpick that he may have issues with that. He's a stud imo. Comp: 75% Chad Johnson 25% Amari Cooper. He's Chad's skill set without the ball and Amari's skill set with the ball.

- Henry Ruggs III grows on me more daily. So we have 4.2 speed and he's way way more well rounded than people give him credit for. He's a solid route runner, he has some of the best sure-handed hands in the draft class, he's aggressive at getting the football (we're talking close to Lamb/Pittman type of aggressiveness), and Ruggs rarely makes mental mistakes like running the wrong route. He is one of the most intelligent receivers of this class. You also have to consider who would be the biggest nightmare among WR's in this class for DC's to game plan for? They'd all say Henry Ruggs III. Comp: Tyreek Hill.

- You see Lamb at 24 and may assume I hate him. Not sure why people think that. To me he's a 1st Round talent all day long. He just happens to me my 4th Ranked WR in one of the most stacked WR classes ever and 24th Ranked Player in a very good draft. Lamb is very well rounded and very physical. He'll be the best WR of this class to beat press coverage and the best 3rd down converter of this class in my opinion. A very reliable target in crucial situations. To me though, I don't see Lamb is a massive playmaker. Much of that in college was designed by scheme, he will not be anywhere near that open in the NFL. And he's not ripping huge gains with his speed. Lamb has average speed. Not good, but certainly not bad. Lamb's level of speed is usually fine for bigger guys, but Lamb is not a bigger WR by any means. I'm not sure why people think that. His body is very similar to Stefon Diggs (and so is a lot of of his tape). Though, he's much slower than Diggs. I don't have a "Hard Comparison" for Lamb, but I think the Hopkins comparisons are overdone and lazy. To me he's a much less faster, but more physical Diggs.

- I'm much higher on Brandon Aiyuk than other fans (although similarly ranked on media scouts ranking lists). He has a limited route tree like most WR's in this class (outside of Jeudy, Lamb, and Jefferson) but the routes he does run, he's absolutely excellent at, he's solid at pinpointing the ball, solid hands, solid on all three levels of the field and a dynamic weapon. Also, his ability to change direction so fluidly is outstanding. He is the best at changing directions in this class, bar none. Great game-tape speed and a 42" vertical at the combine which is ridiculous. He is a fantastic deep threat but his best route by far is the skinny post. Think of a 8-12 yard type of post basically. And what he does with that route after catching is he can keep going right, go forward, or completely go in the opposition direction with absolutely no effort or delay (once again, best at changing direction in the class). He isn't the most physical guy in the world which is a concern but I have hopes this will improve at the next level. He needs to add strength to defeat press in a huge way. Which is why his rookie season may not be the greatest but he may light the league on fire in 2021. 

- KJ Hamler is a very explosive slot WR and can also play outside. Well rounded (I know.. this class is full of "well rounded" WRs) and doesn't really have many flaws in his game overall, he is very refined. Obviously he is small at 5'9" and will be limited on what he can do in the NFL. However, to me, he is Desean Jackson. Literally plays exactly like him.

- I don't see Shenault as a 1st Round talent like some of the draftnik community does. He's severely overrated as a play maker, lacks speed, elusiveness is not as good as people claim, and his overall skill set leaves me bewildered. He's not great at anything. He's not even all that good at one thing. However, he does show flashes of being a weapon, which is why I have a Late 2nd Round Project grade on him. I've always thought he's going in the 2nd Round, injuries or no injuries. And the injury history could push him into the Early 3rd. My comp for Shenault is Cordarrelle Patterson. It irritates his fans, but that's what I see. And surprisingly, what a lot of people see. Seems to be a very popular comparison.

Jordan Love:

- You guys know I like Jordan Love quite a bit. He's your classic boom or bust pick. He'll either be a Top 10 QB in this league or a complete bust. No middle ground. And you'll know by the end of Year Two. I personally think he'll boom, but I can't say that with confidence.

Pocket Presence: A

Mobility: B

Escape: B-

Play Extension: B+

Processing Speed: C+

Understanding of Defenses: C (This is how majority of his INTs happen, also understanding of defenses is the most correctable thing at the next level).

Arm: A

Under Pressure: B+

Toughness: A

Release: A-

Mechanics: B+

Short/Medium Accuracy: B+

Deep Accuracy: B-

Rare Trait: Can throw from multiple arm slots and from multiple body angles. No other QB in this class can do that.

 

Jake Fromm:

Someone I'm higher on more than most. Don't get me wrong, I think Fromm probably is a 20-22ish ranked QB in the league on most NFL Teams. However, like almost QBs, it all depends what system and offense they play in. Jake Fromm was born to play in a timing scheme like the Colts, Saints, Patriots, or a WCO like the the Raiders. I think on these four football teams, Fromm could be a Top 13-14 QB. Nothing spectacular, but an Upper Tier Middle of the Pack type QB in these Four Schemes specific schemes. The Colts would be wise to invest Pick 75 in him. Fromms arm being weak is blown out of proportion. Dalton, Burrow, and Fromm all have similar arms in my honest opinion. Are you gonna have a vertical offense with Fromm? God no, that'd be suicide. But in the offenses I mentioned, he's an ideal fit. Fromm is almost on par with Burrow with Football IQ, but the edge goes to Burrow on that one. Fromm has the best pocket presence in this class. Literally A+ Pocket Presence. And he's a tremendous leader with tons of charisma. Players will love this guy. He's also very accurate, as long he's not throwing into a tight window.

Justin Herbert:

I see Herbert as a slightly lesser version of Josh Allen. He's mobile, laser arm, and can look fairly good when he's "on". But there are way way too many red flags for me. Major accuracy issues, questionable mechanics, average pocket presence and will require a Top 5 OL, and is bad under pressure. These last two flaws were masked by Oregon having one of the best Offensive Lines in the history of the NCAA. Will Herbert be a flat out bust? No, he has a pretty safe floor honestly, but that floor is around 20th to 24th best QB in the NFL. Herbert is like Mariota/Winston where he will put your franchise back 5 years. He will show flashes for 5 years, and play below average but not utterly horrible to the point you can cut him. However, you let him go after the 5 year contract.

Jacob Eason:

Needs a lotttt of work. Rocket arm, nicest velocity in the entire draft. However, he makes bad decisions throughout his entire college career (at least Love's 2018 was full of great decision making), average pocket presence, and even though he has a rocket arm, he's horrible at using "touch" unlike Love and Herbert. It's mostly non-stop fastballs. I like Eason in the Late 2nd-Early 3rd as a project. Massive project, that is. Higher ceiling than Herbert for sure. Although the floor is the least of any of these guys.

D'Andre Swift:

Swift is by far my favorite RB in this draft. He's actually my favorite RB to come out in a while, more so than Jacobs last year. Great three down back in every sense of the word and a great pure RB as well. Some team is gonna get massive value with Swift, as the first RB probably comes off the board early in the 2nd Round.

Patrick Queen:

I really like Queen a lot in any scheme. He's gonna be very solid in coverage, has great instincts, good tackler, extremely athletic, and fantastic range. Not quite the size as Murray but this is today's prototypical NFL linebacker.

Cornerbacks:

- CJ Henderson is the second best coverage guy of the draft next to Okudah. However, I do feel his coverage has been overrated, many times he's been beat and catches up due to his 4.3 speed to barely get a swat. I also  think he's very soft/not physical and avoids contact (blame it on injury all you want, I don't see it that way), and his press coverage isn't as good as people claim. I think he's first round talent still, and my CB #3 overall, because his coverage ability/speed combination is still very, very good. However, not the type of player I'd want on my team.

- Jaylon Johnson is being slept on in the draft process. He's a 1st Round talent to me all day long. Rock Ya-Sin 2.0 from last year, playing better competition, and a higher ceiling. He's super thick and muscled, very very physical, solid coverage and shuts down most games, plays tremendous press coverage, best instincts in the class outside Okudah, and a solid tackler. Johnson would be a great fit on a Press team that plays a mixture of Cover 3 and Cover 1 and prefer physical corners. 49ers, Colts, Seahawks, Raiders, all come to mind.

- Kristian Fulton has been overrated the entire media process in my opinion. He's fundamentally very sound but he's not that great in coverage. He consistently gets beat, then tries to play catch up in a mass panic hysteria, and he also rarely ever turns his head around unless it's the very last millisecond. I think Fulton would be a Top-Tier Nickel Corner in the NFL due to his physical skill set. As a outside corner? No thanks.

- AJ Terrell: Solid coverage. He’s definitely no Okudah or Henderson in coverage... but he’s better than Fulton and Gladney. A lot better than Fulton. People give Terrell too much flak for the National Championship. He also has great size, 4.4 speed, and one of the most important aspects: He’s a great tackler. He’s probably the best CB in this class when it comes to defending the screen. He snuffs that out with a tackle for no-gain almost every time

- Trevon Diggs I see as a pure zone corner and a man cover guy on big slow WRs and TEs. Not a bad thing. I think in a zone scheme like Carolina he'd be absolutely excellent and one of the better corners  in the league.

Safety's

- Grant Delpit's tackling has been a little overblown in my opinion. Even with that flaw, he's the ball skills and coverage safety in this class. His range is insane, along with his coverage, single-high, instincts, ball skills, and ability to make a positive play. And just because he has tackling woes doesn't mean he's not physical. He's very physical. If he cleans up his tackling technique, this guy could be a Top 5-7 player from this class. No joke.

- Xaiver McKinney: Not a 1st Round talent to me but the first second round talent and my 32nd Ranked Player. To me, McKinney is worse and slower version of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from last year. Their skill sets are literally identical. Almost everyone had CGJ graded as a Early 2nd Rounder (although he somehow fell to the 4th). Don't be surprised when McKinney drops out of the 1st Round come April 23rd.

- Love me some Winfield Jr and Ashtyn Davis in the Early-Mid 2nd. Two phenomenal 2nd Round Safety Prospects. Winfield is the ultimate play maker with a very well rounded game, and could potentially be one of the steals of this draft. As for Davis, he's solid in coverage and very physical. He'll be a nice Free Safety at the next level. Not the most athletic guy in the world but insane instincts, and also finds his way to the ball no matter what. Reminds me a lot of Troy Polamalu in that sense.

 

That's about all the player write ups I'm gonna do. Hope you guys enjoyed one way or the other. Can't wait for the draft!

Edited March 29, 2020 by BayRaider

[BayRaider]

Sorry accidentally posted it twice in the same post and butchered the formatting. Fixed.

[Scoundrel]

I really want to like Jaylon Johnson but that Oregon game he looked like he didn’t even want to be out there. 

[Awsi Dooger]

I agree with you much more often than not. With Gross-Matos I use a simple reference point as opposed to caring about any details in his game: Alabama and Clemson jumped in and tried to recruit him late. I have noted that previously, especially with Alabama, that if they realize late in the game they were too low on somebody and then try to pry him away, normally the player is legit. 

Jerry Jeudy absolutely has that burst at the top of the route. Immediate separation at just the crucial juncture. He really knows how to time it and prioritize it. Light years the best of any receiver in this class in that trait and will rate highly among the top NFL guys. If he links with a top quarterback with excellent touch they will feast on those routes. 

[BayRaider]

3 minutes ago, Awsi Dooger said:

I agree with you much more often than not. With Gross-Matos I use a simple reference point as opposed to caring about any details in his game: Alabama and Clemson jumped in and tried to recruit him late. I have noted that previously, especially with Alabama, that if they realize late in the game they were too low on somebody and then try to pry him away, normally the player is legit. 

Jerry Jeudy absolutely has that burst at the top of the route. Immediate separation at just the crucial juncture. He really knows how to time it and prioritize it. Light years the best of any receiver in this class in that trait and will rate highly among the top NFL guys. If he links with a top quarterback with excellent touch they will feast on those routes. 

Thanks man. Yeah, a lot of people don’t know Clemson/Alabama went all-in late on Gross-Matos. 

[big_palooka]

11 hours ago, BayRaider said:

My comp for Shenault is Cordarrelle Patterson. It irritates his fans, but that's what I see.

We've been over this. It's an absolutely lazy comparison based on Shenault's role at CU. Shenault has great hands, catches away from his body. plucks the ball out of the air effortlessly.

Patterson is a body catcher. He never had hands or ability to play the ball.

[badgers0821]

18 hours ago, Awsi Dooger said:

I agree with you much more often than not. With Gross-Matos I use a simple reference point as opposed to caring about any details in his game: Alabama and Clemson jumped in and tried to recruit him late. I have noted that previously, especially with Alabama, that if they realize late in the game they were too low on somebody and then try to pry him away, normally the player is legit. 

Jerry Jeudy absolutely has that burst at the top of the route. Immediate separation at just the crucial juncture. He really knows how to time it and prioritize it. Light years the best of any receiver in this class in that trait and will rate highly among the top NFL guys. If he links with a top quarterback with excellent touch they will feast on those routes. 

What does a players recruiting from high school have to do with how he is going into the NFL? For as many top 50 recruits that pan out there are as many that don’t. 
JJ Watt wasn’t recruited but anyone and is one of the best defenders in the history of the NFL. 
Sorry but this is a terrible argument as to why someone should be ranked high as an NFL prospect.

[BayRaider]

11 minutes ago, badgers0821 said:

What does a players recruiting from high school have to do with how he is going into the NFL? For as many top 50 recruits that pan out there are as many that don’t. 
JJ Watt wasn’t recruited but anyone and is one of the best defenders in the history of the NFL. 
Sorry but this is a terrible argument as to why someone should be ranked high as an NFL prospect.

This had no bearing on my ranking. It was an interesting point he made though.