How the experts rank prospects ahead of the NFL scouting combine
Ranking the prospects for the NFL draft is both science and art, and it's something we actually originated at Pro Football Weekly over 50 years ago.
Obviously, independent draft rankings have evolved over the years, but there are four basic steps to coming up with accurate and worthwhile rankings.
The first is watching tons of tape of as many college football stars as possible. The process begins about the middle of the college football season and continues right up until draft weekend.
It is from watching tape that we have arrived at these initial rankings for the 2020 draft. From our own evaluations, we have ranked all the Day 1 (first round) prospects and Day 2 (second- and third-round) prospects.
All of our Day 4 (fourth through seventh round and priority free agent) prospects are listed in alphabetical order because we still have a lot more work to do on them before we can attempt to rank them accurately.
These rankings will be adjusted regularly and repeatedly as we work through the next 8½ weeks leading up to the draft.
Step 2 begins this coming week at the combine as we are able to plug in actual heights, weights, speed, strength and agility measurements from the combine, interview as many of the top 300 prospects as we can get to in a tightly condensed schedule and work as many of our sources as possible to find out things they may have learned from medicals and team one-on-one interviews with most of the top prospects.
Following all of that - probably by Friday, March 6 or the Monday or Tuesday of the following week - we will have our most significant reordering of our rankings in the first three rounds and we will rank all of the Day 3 prospects, while adding a number of additional players to these lists as well.
Many of these players will move up or down rounds and even days in our rankings.
We will also add all of their measurements and test results from the combine to these rankings.
In step three, we will continue to work as many sources as possible, as well as attending pro days for a number of players to begin to assess what various NFL teams draft boards look like and make further adjustments to our rankings based on a consensus of what NFL teams are thinking about these prospects.
A big part of this step will be getting back to the tape and now looking with a more critical eye at each prospect trying to identify things we have or have not learned from the combine and/or their pro days to try and give them final "football grades."
Lastly we will begin mock drafting, in part just entertainment for our readers but also because by getting a sense of what each team's needs are and what they might be looking for each time they're on the clock, we realize players we might have a slightly lower grade on than others could be drafted higher or lower than they should because of great depth at their position, or a lack of depth, and that could cause us to adjust our rankings accordingly.
At the end of the day we do our best to get you as much information as possible about every player your favorite club might end up with or pass on, but for now, here are our initial rankings to give you an idea of which young men you may want to focus on most closely going into and coming out of this week's combine.
Draft day options
<b>QUARTERBACKS</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Joe Burrow, LSU
2. Tua Tagovoila, Alabama
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon
4. Jordan Love, Utah State
5. Jacob Eason, Washington
Day 2 Prospects
6. Jake Fromm, Georgia
7. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
8. Anthony Gordon, Washington State
<b>RUNNING BACKS</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. D'Andre Swift, Georgia
2. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
3. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Day 2 Prospects
4. Cam Akers, Florida State
5. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
6. Zack Moss, Utah
7. Eno Benjamin, Arizona State
<b>WIDE RECEIVERS</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
2. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
3. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
4. Justin Jefferson, LSU
5. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
6. Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
7. Tee Higgins, Clemson
8. Jalen Reagor, TCU
Day 2 Prospects
9. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
10. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
11. K.J. Hamler, Penn State
12. Denzel Mims, Baylor
13. K.J. Hill, Ohio State
14. Van Jefferson, Florida
15. Michael Pittman Jr., USC
<b>TIGHT ENDS</b>Day 1 Prospect
1. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
Day 2 Prospects
2. Hunter Bryant, Washington
3. Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
4. Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
5. Thaddeus Moss, LSU
6. Adam Trautman, Dayton
7. Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt
8. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
<b>OFFENSIVE TACKLES</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
2. Jedrick Wills, Alabama
3. Mekhi Becton, Louisville
4. Andrew Thomas, Georgia
5. Austin Jackson, USC
6. Josh Jones, Houston
7. Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
Day 2 Prospects
8. Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
9. Lucas Niang, TCU
10. Saahdiq Charles, LSU
11. Ben Bartch, St. Johns
12. Trey Adams, Washington
13. Matthew Peart, Connecticut
<b>OFFENSIVE GUARDS / CENTERS</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin
2. Lloyd Cushenberry III, LSU
Day 2 Prospects
3. Robert Hunt, Louisiana-Lafayette
4. Solomon Kindley, G. Georgia
5. Cesar Ruiz, Michigan LSU
6. Netane Muti, G, Fresno State
7. Jake Hanson, C, Oregon
8. Matt Hennessy, Temple
9. Nick Harris, C, Washington
10. Ben Bredeson, G, Michigan
11. Shane Lemieux, G, Oregon
12. Damien Lewis, G, LSU
DEFENSIVE TACKLES & 5-TECHNIQUES
Day 1 Prospects
1. Derrick Brown, Auburn
2. A.J. Epenesa, 5-Tech, Iowa
3. Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
4. Raekwon Davis, Alabama
Day 2 Prospects
5. Ross Blacklock, TCU
6. Jordan Elliott, 5-Tech, Missouri
7. Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
8. Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
9. James Lynch 5-Tech, Baylor
10. Larrell Murchison, North Carolina State
11. Rashard Lawrence, LSU
12. Leki Fotu, Utah
<b>EDGE RUSHERS</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Chase Young, Ohio State
2. Yetur Gross-Mantos, Penn State
3. Curtis Weaver, Boise State
4. Jordan Elliott, Missouri
5. Marlon Davidson Auburn
Day 2 Prospects
6. Terrell Lewis, Alabama
7. Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
8. Jonathan Greenard, Florida
9. Bradley Anae, Utah
10. Josh Uche, OLB, Michigan
11. D.J. Wonnum, South Carolina
12. Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
13. Darrell Taylor, Tennessee
14. Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
15. Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame
<b>LINEBACKERS OLB & ILB</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Isaiah Simmons, OLB/S, Clemson
2. Kenneth Murray, ILB, Oklahoma
3. Patrick Queen, ILB, LSU
Day 2 Prospects
4. Zack Baun, OLB, Wisconsin
5. Troy Dye, ILB, Oregon
6. Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech
7. Akeem Davis Gaither, OLB, Appalachian State
8. Jordan Mack, OLB, Virginia
9. Malik Harrison, ILB, Ohio State
10. Evan Weaver, ILB, California
<b>SAFETIES</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Xavier McKinney, Alabama
2. Grant Delpit, LSU
Day 2 Prospects
3. Ashtyn Davis, California
4. Shyheim Carter. Alabama
5. Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
6. Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
7. Khaleke Hudson, Michigan
8. Brandon Jones, Texas
<b>CORNERBACKS</b>Day 1 Prospects
1. Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State
2. C.J. Henderson, Florida
3. Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
4. Jaylon Johnson, Utah
5. A.J. Terrell, Clemson
6. Kristian Fulton, LSU
7. Trevon Diggs, Alabama
Day 2 Prospects
8. Damon Arnette, Ohio State
9. Jeff Gladney, TCU
10. Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn
11. Bryce Hall, Virginia
12. Troy Pride Jr., Notre Dame