The NFL scouting combine is the ultimate look-ahead event in sports. College football stars descend on Indianapolis hoping to improve their position for the NFL draft in April while pro personnel evaluators assess each player's value for the next five to 10 years.
If you're curious about this year's combine, which begins this week at Lucas Oil Stadium, there's no shortage of information available. But this story isn't about the 2019 combine. It's about the 2020 combine. That's right, we're looking ahead to next year's look-ahead event.
Here are some names you'll likely be hearing a lot about before the 2020 draft:
The QB conversation starts with: Oregon's Justin Herbert
Herbert actually appeared on last year's look-ahead story, as just about everyone expected him to be in Indianapolis this week. But after a solid-but-not-spectacular 2018 campaign, Herbert opted to remain in his hometown for a final season with the Ducks. He should enter the fall as the most-discussed quarterback prospect in the draft, as he boasts the frame (6-foot-6, 233 pounds) and varied skill set to project well at the next level. He must improve his accuracy (59.4 percent in 2018) and should get more help from a wide receiver group that underperformed last fall. ESPN's Mel Kiper already has noted Herbert will be at the top of the 2020 draft class. Kiper had Herbert at No. 1 on his list of 2019 draft-eligible quarterbacks (and No. 6 overall on his Big Board) before Herbert announced his decision.
The QB conversation continues with: Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, Georgia's Jake Fromm, Stanford's K.J. Costello, Washington's Jacob Eason, Michigan's Shea Patterson
There are some fascinating connections with the top 2020 quarterback prospects. Fromm and Tagovailoa already have shared a field for the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff National Championship. Fromm's emergence after Eason's injury early in the 2017 season eventually prompted Eason to transfer to Washington. Eason has played only one full season in 2016 but would be eligible for the draft after the 2019 campaign. He still looks the part of the NFL quarterback and can boost his stock with a good year in coach Chris Petersen's offense. Eason will match up with both Herbert and Costello, who enters his third year as Stanford's starter after recording the second-highest single-season totals in team history for both passing yards (3,540) and 300-yard passing games (7) last year. All four quarterbacks could return to college in 2020, but expect most or all to be in Indianapolis next February. Patterson, meanwhile, might need to make the biggest jump of the group, but he should be helped by a new offensive play-caller (Josh Gattis) who will focus more on the downfield passing game.
The top defender on draft boards will be: LSU safety Grant Delpit
Former LSU safety Jamal Adams went No. 6 overall in the 2017 draft, despite being viewed by many as the safest pick for pro stardom. Adams made his first Pro Bowl in 2018 and should headline the New York Jets defense for years to come. Delpit, who plays the same position for the same college team, could be viewed the same way in the 2020 draft. As a sophomore, Delpit earned unanimous All-America honors and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award. The SEC's interceptions leader with five also had 14 pass breakups. Although the NFL places higher value on pass rushers and cornerbacks, Delpit is too talented to pass up and should generate a ton of interest at the 2020 combine.
The freakish pass rusher: Ohio State's Chase Young
At this point, the 2020 defensive line group doesn't appear to be as deep as the one in Indianapolis this week. Then again, who had Alabama's Quinnen Williams as a top-five pick at this time last year? Prospects will emerge, but it's a safe bet Young will be very much in demand following his junior season at Ohio State. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Young looks the part of a classic edge rusher and last year led Ohio State with 10.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and nine quarterback pressures, to go with two forced fumbles and five pass breakups. If he improves against the run as a second-year starter, he should be one of the more coveted prospects at next year's combine.
Other defensive linemen to watch: Auburn's Derrick Brown, Alabama's Raekwon Davis, Iowa's A.J. Epenesa, Michigan State's Kenny Willekes, LSU's Rashard Lawrence
Herbert's staying in school might have been the biggest surprise of this year's draft cycle, but Brown's remaining at Auburn also registered as a shock of sorts. He's a multiyear starter on a Tigers line loaded with talent and has 115 career tackles, including 21 for loss and nine sacks to go along with three forced fumbles. Brown is a consistently disruptive player who competes in an elite conference and should be near the top of many draft boards in 2020. Davis is another lineman many had pegged for the 2019 draft before the 2018 season, but he returns to Tuscaloosa and could emerge as a force as a senior. Those seeking pass rushers likely will look to the Big Ten, as Epenesa and Willekes combined for 19 sacks and 37 tackles for loss in 2018.
Don't forget about: Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses, Florida cornerback CCJ Henderson, Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson, Clemson safety/linebacker Isaiah Simmons
Few would be surprised if Moses turns out to be Alabama's most coveted draft prospect in 2020. After starting two games and earning SEC All-Freshman honors in 2017, he was a second-team all-league selection last fall, his first as a full-time starter. He can play both the inside and outside linebacker positions and will be among the favorites for the Butkus Award after being a finalist last fall. Henderson is the type of talent who could blow up as a junior for Florida, where he has started 18 games in his first two seasons. He plays a premier draft position, and the 2020 cornerback group doesn't look overly deep at this stage. Johnson also should be in that elite cornerback mix after leading the Pac-12 in interceptions (4) and interception return yards (126) in 2018. He can play both the field and boundary corner spots. Clemson's defensive spotlight shifts toward the back end in 2019, where Simmons should once again shine at the nickel/strong-side linebacker spot. He emerged as a playmaker last fall with three forced fumbles, a pick-six, 9.5 tackles for loss and seven pass breakups.
Wide receivers galore: Alabama's Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma State's Tylan Wallace, Colorado's Laviska Shenault Jr., Clemson's Tee Higgins, Texas' Collin Johnson, Notre Dame's Chase Claypool
If all of the rising juniors enter the draft, the 2020 wide receiver class could be the best we've seen in years. It's easy to envision wide receiver in 2020 becoming what defensive line is in 2019. Jeudy is the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner after a 1,300-yard season. He beat out Wallace, who had even more impressive numbers for Oklahoma State (89 receptions for 1,491 yards and 12 touchdowns). Shenault was on his way to Biletnikoff consideration with a dominant first half, before a toe injury slowed him in October. Lamb will be Oklahoma's featured receiver after recording 111 receptions in his first two seasons. Higgins led Clemson in receptions (59) and touchdowns (12) as a sophomore and should continue to grow alongside quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Texas got a nice boost when Johnson, ranked No. 8 among Mel Kiper's list of draft-eligible receivers, opted to return for another year despite a 68-catch season in 2018. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound Claypool should be quarterback Ian Book's top target at Notre Dame after a strong sophomore season.
Running backs galore: Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor, Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins, Arizona State's Eno Benjamin, Clemson's Travis Etienne, Alabama's Najee Harris, Florida State's Cam Akers, Georgia's D'Andre Swift, Florida's Lamical Perine, Boston College's AJ Dillon, UCLA's Joshua Kelley, Arizona's J.J. Taylor
NFL teams seeking running backs in 2020 will have plenty of good options, big and small, speedy and powerful. Most of these players will be underclassmen in 2020, but almost all will be multiyear starters, too, making the draft a likely destination. Taylor could be among the most productive three-year college running backs in recent memory, as he already has 606 carries and 4,171 rush yards. Dobbins could flourish as Ohio State's featured back this coming season, while Benjamin, J.J. Taylor and others come off of prolific performances in 2018. Some backs with less flashy numbers, such as Alabama's Harris, Florida State's Akers, Georgia's Swift and Florida's Perine, might project better to the NFL and should garner a lot of draft attention. The 245-pound Dillon is a throwback power runner, while Kelley, a transfer from UC Davis, emerged to give UCLA six 100-yard performances despite only nine starts in 2018.
Top of the [offensive] line: Georgia's Andrew Thomas and Stanford's Walker Little
The 2017 recruiting class was loaded with top offensive tackle prospects, as 30 players appeared in the ESPN 300 that year. Thomas and Little, ranked Nos. 7 and 8, respectively, have quickly developed into strong NFL candidates. Thomas earned second-team All-America honors as a sophomore last season and will anchor Georgia's line this fall. Little, who in 2017 became the first Stanford freshman to start at left tackle in 17 years, earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors this past season. Both players are built for the next level and play in pro-style offenses that should accelerate their development as juniors.
FCS stock watch: Montana linebacker Dante Olson, UC Davis quarterback Jake Maier and tight end Wesley Preece, Jacksonville State safety Marlon Bridges
If you really want to impress your draftnik buddies, study up on FCS players who could factor in the 2020 draft conversation. Olson earned All-America honors in 2018 after leading all of Division I in tackles with a team-record 151. He likely will enter the 2019 season as the favorite for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top FCS defender, after being a finalist last year. Maier is a two-time All-Big Sky selection who ranked fourth in the FCS in passing average (302.4 ypg) in 2018. He'll once again be targeting Preece, an FCS All-America candidate who has nine touchdown catches in each of the past two seasons. Bridges earned second-team AP All-America honors in 2018 and should boost his NFL stock if he can stay healthy for his entire senior season at Jacksonville State.