With the dust of free agency starting to settle, team needs ahead of the 2020 NFL draft are becoming clearer. Every team has a different set of positions they will be looking at closely and targeting later this month.
So how does each position group look at this point in the process? Who are the top names to know? Here is my ranking of the best prospects at every position, starting with the top 10 quarterbacks who could be taken at the end of April.
Jump to a position:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL
DE | DT | LB | CB | S
See more: Full rankings | Tiers
Quarterback
1. Joe Burrow, LSU
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
3. Jordan Love, Utah State
4. Justin Herbert, Oregon
5. Jake Fromm, Georgia
6. Jacob Eason, Washington
7. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
8. Anthony Gordon, Washington State
9. Nate Stanley, Iowa
10. Cole McDonald, Hawai'i
The top of this list shouldn't be a surprise. Burrow has been the No. 1 quarterback for months, and despite the injury concerns, Tagovailoa isn't far off the lead.
Then you can start to group off QBs. Love and Herbert both have big arms and mobility but also lingering consistency concerns. Fromm and Eason both have upside but a lot of questions about whether they can be true starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Hurts is a wild card who brings a ton of athleticism and a good arm but accuracy woes to the table. And then Gordon, Stanley and McDonald are all dart throws -- later-round finds with a bit of potential.
And for those wondering, Michigan State's Brian Lewerke, Colorado's Steven Montez and Oregon State's Jake Luton are the next three on the board.
Running back
1. D'Andre Swift, Georiga
2. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
3. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
4. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
5. Cam Akers, Florida State
6. Zack Moss, Utah
7. La'Mical Perine, Florida
8. AJ Dillon, Boston College
9. Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
10. Salvon Ahmed, Washington
I love the top four running backs here. Swift, in particular, is just super talented and explosive, and he brings three-down ability. But even beyond those top four backs, Akers and Moss are great value finds on Day 2. Akers is probably the most underrated running back in the class. And though he didn't wow at the combine, Moss has power in his game, and his playing speed is a lot faster than his timed speed (4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis).
Wide receiver
1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
2. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
3. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
4. Justin Jefferson, LSU
5. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
6. Tee Higgins, Clemson
7. Michael Pittman Jr., USC
8. Jalen Reagor, TCU
9. Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
10. Denzel Mims, Baylor
Have I mentioned how deep this wide receiver class is? This list should actually be 20 or 30 names deep. And the talented group starts right at the top with the route-running precision of Jeudy, the ability after the catch of Lamb and the jet speed of Ruggs. But keep an eye on these two names for future NFL success, too: Aiyuk and Pittman. Both are difference-makers.
And since it is such a deep class, I'll give you guys Nos. 11, 12 and 13 on my list. Chase Claypool out of Notre Dame has great size and hands, Devin Duvernay caught 106 balls last season at Texas and Penn State's KJ Hamler has some wheels.
Tight end
1. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
2. Adam Trautman, Dayton
3. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
4. Devin Asiasi, UCLA
5. Hunter Bryant, Washington
6. Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt
7. Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
8. Colby Parkinson, Stanford
9. Mitchell Wilcox, USF
10. Thaddeus Moss, LSU
You won't mistake this for the 2019 tight end class, but there are some potential impact players here. Kmet is the name to know, though he is probably going to have to wait until Day 2 for his name to be called. He has good hands and plenty of size.
One player you'll be hearing about a lot is Trautman. He had a great Senior Bowl week in January, and he has real jump after the catch.
Offensive tackle
1. Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
2. Andrew Thomas, Georgia
3. Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
4. Mekhi Becton, Louisville
5. Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
6. Austin Jackson, USC
7. Josh Jones, Houston
8. Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
9. Lucas Niang, TCU
10. Saahdiq Charles, LSU
There are four excellent tackles at the top of the board who all figure to be first-rounders. But while the class does thin out a bit after No. 4, it does run decently deep. Jones, for instance, could be a really good value on Day 2.
Former Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton pushes a truck in preparation for the 2020 NFL draft.
Guard
1. Robert Hunt, Louisiana
2. Damien Lewis, LSU
3. Jonah Jackson, Ohio State
4. Netane Muti, Fresno State
5. Jack Driscoll, Auburn
6. Logan Stenberg, Kentucky
7. Ben Bredeson, Michigan
8. Solomon Kindley, Georgia
9. John Simpson, Clemson
10. Tremayne Anchrum, Clemson
I just moved Hunt up my board, and he now checks in as the top guard in my rankings. He has great size as a right tackle who will kick inside to guard in the NFL.
Center
1. Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
2. Lloyd Cushenberry III, LSU
3. Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
4. Keith Ismael, San Diego State
5. Matt Hennessy, Temple
6. Nick Harris, Washington
7. Trystan Colon-Castillo, Missouri
8. Zach Shackelford, Texas
9. Darryl Williams, Mississippi State
10. Frederick Mauigoa, Washington State
The strong technique and angles of Biadasz make him a good pick on Day 2. And Cushenberry surprised some people by entering the draft early, but he has a lot of potential. He is really tough to get around in pass protection.
Defensive end
1. Chase Young, Ohio State
2. K'Lavon Chaisson, LSU
3. A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
4. Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
5. Marlon Davidson, Auburn
6. James Lynch, Baylor
7. Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
8. Josh Uche, Michigan
9. Bradlee Anae, Utah
10. Curtis Weaver, Boise State
Much like the tight end group, this isn't the 2019 edge rushing class. Young, of course, is the best of the best. He is the only prospect to have a 95 or better grade from me right now. And Chiasson, Epenesa and Gross-Matos all have the tools to be impact players. But you might see some teams reach at the draft for defensive ends because the drop-off after Young is pretty severe and the depth just isn't there.
Weaver managed 13.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss at Boise State last season, and he was in my top 32 rankings at points during the season. And Lynch out of Baylor is a big riser for me. I really like his game.
Defensive tackle
1. Derrick Brown, Auburn
2. Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
3. Ross Blacklock, TCU
4. Jordan Elliott, Missouri
5. Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
6. Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
7. Jason Strowbridge, North Carolina
8. Raekwon Davis, Alabama
9. Rashard Lawrence, LSU
10. Davon Hamilton, Ohio State
I really, really like the front end of this defensive tackle bunch. The easy-moving Brown is my No. 3 prospect overall, and Kinlaw is a physical freak. I think Blacklock is being significantly underrated by a lot of people, and both Madubuike and Gallimore showed off high-end quickness and athleticism at the combine.
Deeper down the list, Davis jumps off the page with his massive 6-foot-6 frame. And I liked what I saw from Strowbridge in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl two months ago.
Outside linebacker
1. Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
2. Zack Baun, Wisconsin
3. Terrell Lewis, Alabama
4. Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State
5. Troy Dye, Oregon
6. Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
7. Khaleke Hudson, Michigan
8. Malik Harrison, Ohio State
9. Davion Taylor, Colorado
10. Kamal Martin, Minnesota
The odd thing about the first name on this list is Simmons might not even be an outside linebacker. He plays all over and does a little bit -- or more accurately, a lot -- of everything. And he's not considered a true edge rusher.
But there are some pass-rushers who could create a bunch of pressure off the edge listed here, including Baun and Lewis. Baun recorded 12.5 sacks in 2019 with the Badgers.
Insider linebacker
1. Patrick Queen, LSU
2. Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
3. Logan Wilson, Wyoming
4. Markus Bailey, Purdue
5. Shaquille Quarterman, Miami (FL)
6. Jacob Phillips, LSU
7. Mykal Walker, Fresno State
8. Joe Bachie, Michigan State
9. Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
10. David Woodward, Utah State
It's Queen and Murray, and then everyone else. They both have sideline-to-sideline range and high-end tackling ability.
Cornerback
1. Jeff Okudah, Ohio State
2. CJ Henderson, Florida
3. Trevon Diggs, Alabama
4. Damon Arnette, Ohio State
5. A.J. Terrell, Clemson
6. Jaylon Johnson, Utah
7. Jeff Gladney, TCU
8. Kristian Fulton, LSU
9. Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
10. Bryce Hall, Virginia
Okudah is obviously the centerpiece of the cornerback class. Smooth, versatile and quick with good hands, he is likely a top-five pick at the end of the month.
Henderson has smooth speed himself, and Diggs -- a former wide receiver -- displays great ball-hawking ability. Someone else who could be a midround steal is Hall. He missed most of the 2019 season, but he has a big frame and excellent route recognition skills.
Ohio State's Jeff Okudah can cover, catch, hit and tackle and is being called the most complete cornerback in the 2020 NFL draft.
Safety
1. Xavier McKinney, Alabama
2. Grant Delpit, LSU
3. Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
4. Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
5. Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
6. Ashtyn Davis, California
7. Brandon Jones, Texas
8. Geno Stone, Iowa
9. Terrell Burgess, Utah
10. Tanner Muse, Clemson
Watching Winfield play football is just fun. He can step up and make a hit in the running game. He can go up and make a play on the ball. And he can chase down opponents in space. He has the instincts and toughness of his father, Antoine Winfield Sr.
Kicker
1. Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern
2. Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
3. JJ Molson, UCLA
4. Ricky Aguayo, Florida State
5. Chase Vinatieri, South Dakota State
Punter
1. Joseph Charlton, South Carolina
2. Braden Mann, Texas A&M
3. Michael Turk, Arizona State
4. Alex Pechin, Bucknell
5. Arryn Siposs, Auburn
Long-snapper
1. Blake Ferguson, LSU
2. Steve Wirtel, Iowa State