Each year a few positions are loaded, while others fall short. In 2019 the defensive ends and defensive tackles led the class, while offense as a whole was fairly week.
This season’s draft is no different, with a few positions leading the way.
I considered a number of factors when ranking the best positions in the 2020 draft, including the number of star players, how many players are expected to go in the first 3 rounds, how many players have a draftable grade, and even deep depth that extends into free agency. I attempted to balance each of these factors below.
What are the best position groups in the 2020 NFL Draft?
1. Wide Receiver
A lot has been said about this wide receiver class, and it is certainly warranted. After writing about the lack of superstar talent following a great 2014 class, this group finally delivers.
Led by two true stars in Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, the class offers an outstanding variety of players including elite speedsters like Henry Ruggs and Jalen Reagor, and big receivers like Tee Higgins, Denzel Mims, Michael Pittman, and Chase Claypool.
The top 8 players in my 2020 wide receiver rankings have 1st round potential, and over 20 players are good enough to be top-100 picks in the average draft class.
The class isn’t top heavy or mid-round heavy either. Legitimate NFL prospects can be found even outside my top 50 receivers.
We’ll likely see only a few more receivers than average be drafted, but 3rd round caliber players will be dropping to the 5th and 6th rounds. It should be fun to watch who finds a good fit.
2. Cornerback
No class comes particularly close to the receiver group, but the corners are a very strong class in their own right.
If you asked me this question at the start of the college season, CB would’ve been near the middle. As the season went on, more and more players earned 2nd-3rd round grades and strengthened the class.
Okudah is a legitimate star at the top, with Henderson being a great consolation prize. The first round doesn’t have particularly great depth, but at least a dozen corners should be picked between the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
Day 3 (rounds 4-7) is only average for corners, but there’s a number of deep sleepers with some potential. I expect at least one really good corner to end up going undrafted because there’s a flood of players with at least one NFL trait.
3. Quarterback
It’s a great year to go up and get your franchise quarterback.
QB’s always have the highest value due to their importance on the field, and when you have a chance to get a star you don’t want to miss out.
Joe Burrow is coming off the most successful season in the history of college football, Tua has undeniable talent, and Herbert and Love have traits similar to superstar quarterbacks.
Beyond the 4 players with superstar potential, 3 more quarterback offer great value as a 2nd round option; Jake Fromm, Jacob Eason, and Jalen Hurts.
We see a pretty notable dropoff after the top 7, but plenty more quarterbacks have something to offer as a day 3 pick. Deep draft is what holds this class back the most, as few players have the potential to excel outside the top 20.
The guys at the top still have a chance to make this look like a great class.
4. Offensive Tackle
The offensive tackle class doesn’t have a high end superstar like some years, but 4 players have definite 1st round grades; Wills, Wirfs, Thomas, and Becton.
There’s a significant dropoff after the top 4, but a number of players have some good potential due to their size and athleticism combination. The mid rounds are nothing special with a lot of boom-or-bust prospects, but that generally looks good a few years later when you’re re-evaluating a class.
The deep depth is above average, with relatively few players expected to require a transition inside at the next level. A lot of players have great height and length, which is one of the uncoachable skills that makes for a solid class.
Right tackles are better in the class than left tackles in my view, which devalues the number of solid players by a little bit. The top 4 guys in the class all have experience protecting the blindside, as Wills played both sides, Wirfs had a lefty QB, and Thomas/Becton played on the left side.
5. Punter
I know punter isn’t the most important position, and certainly not the most flashy. No more than a few with be drafted, but these rankings are more about how the positions relate to the average draft class. And this year, I think 4-6 punters have a good chance to be playing in the NFL next season.
For a position where only 32 active punters exist and many are signed after bouncing around free agency for a couple years, that is very impressive.
Joseph Charlton, Alex Pechin, and Braden Mann have extremely powerful legs, and Charlton is the best at translating power into distance and hang time. Hofrichter is extremely accurate and doesn’t allow returns, while Turk and Townsend each have NFL traits.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see 4 drafted, which would just the 2nd time that’s happened since 2000, with 2018 being the other year. There’s also solid depth in this year’s draft.
One interesting note for the punters is there’s multiple Australians who are in the 27-31 year old range, which should be interesting to evaluate their stock.
6. Defensive Tackle
The interior defensive linemen are an unusual class. While there weren’t too many that excelled during the regular season, they were the most athletic group of DT’s in the history of the combine. Athleticism and strength are vital to evaluating potential and fitting in today’s faster NFL, and this group is perfect for it.
Derrick Brown didn’t measure well at the top, but his size, strength, and over skills make him the #1 player. There’s a dropoff from that point, but many players with elite athleticism fall into the late 1st round-early 2nd round part of the draft. This includes Javon Kinlaw, Justin Madubuike, Marlon Davidson, Neville Gallimore, and Ross Blacklock.
More great players fill out the early-mid rounds, with athletic freaks like Khalil Davis mixed in with extremely productive players like James Lynch.
The 7th round and undrafted depth is either average or above average, with athleticism permeating throughout the class.
7. Center
The offensive tackles and good and the guards are horrible, while the centers are modestly above average.
One could certainly argue they should be higher on the list, but the centers are always pretty good with a lot of 4 year starters and successful blockers.
The reason they’re down at 7 is because there’s no one who is a surefire star in my eyes, and nobody I see with a 1st round grade (which is the case some years).
Undrafted depth doesn’t look as good as usual right now, but it’s likely that less players will be drafted here than people expect (which usually happens at center).
One thing’s for certain with this class: There’s a lot of players who are good enough to man the pivot at the NFL level. Most centers offer some position versatility which should help them stick around even if they aren’t good enough to start at center right away.
Overall
Every other position group in this year’s class is either average or below average. The worst positions in the draft are likely guard, fullback, kicker, and defensive end.
If you have any opinions you’d like to share, feel free to leave a comment below with your own positional rankings.
You can see my full 2020 NFL Draft Rankings here.
