The Cream of the Crop: Evaluating the WR Draft Class
The 2020 NFL Draft is coming up, and a position that seems to be particularly loaded is the wide receiver class. Whether it is the top of the line prospects, the middle of the pack, or the sleeper picks, the list of quality receivers is long and talented. Let’s look and evaluate the receivers in this year’s class.
Cream of the Crop
To start this off, let’s talk about the three receivers that have caught most of the media’s attention: Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma) and Henry Ruggs III (Alabama). The top receiver out of these three in many people’s eyes is Jerry Jeudy. Coming from Alabama, Jeudy had a dominant college career, catching 159 passes for 2,742 yards and 26 touchdowns. In 2018, he earned the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver, and was a 2018 Consensus All-American. What most scouts are saying about Jeudy is less about his athleticism, and more about his polished receiver IQ, clean route running ability and reliable hands. Next, we have CeeDee Lamb of Oklahoma. Lamb, who can also be argued as the best receiver in this class, had a nice career as a Sooner, in which he caught 173 passes for 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns. Scouts are saying Lamb is the complete package, with his ability to run sharp routes, explode off the line and break tough tackles. Scouts worry about his laziness in run blocking, but this should not stop a team from drafting a receiver at the quality of CeeDee Lamb. Last, but not least, we have Henry Ruggs III out of Alabama. If Ruggs’ running mate wasn’t Jerry Jeudy, his stock would have gone a lot higher a lot faster. While sometimes overlooked, Ruggs’ has been seen as the most athletic out of the three receivers, and his combine performance really put his athleticism on display. He ran a 4.27 40-yard dash, which was the best time of the combine. He also had a vertical jump of 42 inches and a broad jump of 131 inches to finish. His combine score was 6.72, which ranked 11th out of all prospects. These three receivers are the cream of the crop and will all go in the first round. It is just a matter of who is going to go first.
Right Below the Top
Besides the top three receivers, the receiver class extends much deeper with some first-round talent still around. Probably the two guys who are known besides the top three are Clemson receiver Tee Higgins and LSU receiver Justin Jefferson. In any other year, these two receivers might’ve had the talent to be ranked in the top three at their position. Let’s start with Tee Higgins, who enjoyed a very decorated career at Clemson with Trevor Lawrence throwing to him. Over the past two seasons, the former Tiger had 1,884 yards and 23 touchdowns, as well as a national championship. From what I have seen, Higgins is a complete receiver with a big frame. His height, complemented with quality route running and what scouts are calling “natural” hands, Higgins can be compared to a player like A.J. Green. While Higgins won the championship in 2018-19, the 2019-20 winner was Justin Jefferson and LSU. Jefferson took a major step forward in his junior and final year in Baton Rouge. With a little help from projected first overall pick Joe Burrow, Jefferson put together a season of 1,207 yards and 14 touchdowns. While lacking burner speed, Jefferson has good hands and a physical frame, making him a reliable red-zone threat and possession receiver.
Sleepers
Outside the top five, there is still a load of receivers that may not be the number one receiver, but be a very valuable number two. Some names that come to mind are guys like Laviska Shenault Jr. out of Colorado, or Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State. Shenault Jr. would fit a team that can get him the ball in multiple ways like screen passes, option plays, or even lining up in the slot or the outside. On the other hand, Brandon Aiyuk is more of a traditional receiver, and would thrive in an offense where he is not going to be the first option. Let him win his one-on-one battles, and he will be extremely valuable to a passing offense. Other names that come to mind are guys like Michael Pittman (USC), Jalen Reagor (TCU), and Denzel Mims (Baylor). While Pittman is more of a physical, possession receiver, Reagor and Mims are known for their burner speed and can fit a team to be a player like Desean Jackson or Will Fuller V, someone that stretches the field. While not the top options, these guys will definitely find homes in the first two to three rounds in this year’s draft.
Predictions
Jerry Jeudy – Las Vegas Raiders (12th)
Henry Ruggs III – San Francisco 49ers (13th)
CeeDee Lamb – Denver Broncos (15th)
Justin Jefferson – Philadelphia Eagles (21st)
Tee Higgins – Indianapolis Colts (34th)
Brandon Aiyuk – Miami Dolphins (39th)
Laviska Shenault – Chicago Bears (43rd)
Jalen Reagor – Atlanta Falcons (47th)
Michael Pittman Jr. – New York Jets (48th)
Denzel Mims – Los Angeles Rams (57th)
Statistics from profootballreference.com
Player evaluations from cbssports.com
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