To preview the 2020 NFL season, we asked more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top 10 players at 11 different positions (sorry, special-teamers). The results might surprise you. They surprised me.
Here's how it worked: Voters gave their best 10 to 15 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews and research. We had several ties, so we broke them by isolating the two-man matchup with additional voting and follow-up calls. Each section is packed with quotes and nuggets from the voters on every guy -- even the honorable mentions.
The objective is to identify the best players right now for 2020. This is not a five-year projection or an achievement award. Who's the best today? Pretty simple.
We'll roll out a position per day over the next 11 days. Here's the schedule:
Week 1: tight ends (July 7); quarterbacks (July 8); running backs (July 9); wide receivers (July 10); offensive tackles (July 11)
Week 2: interior offensive linemen (July 12); edge defenders (July 13); interior defensive linemen (July 14); off-ball linebackers (July 15); cornerbacks (July 16); safeties (July 17)
Youth matters more at running back than perhaps any other position. Eight of the game's premier tailbacks are 24 or younger, cutting and slashing their way to a big contract before the legs go.
The game's best running backs can be separated into tiers, each of which includes incredibly close arguments for who's better. The top three players -- Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott -- traded 1-2-3 spots throughout the process.
The next tier featured an Alvin Kamara-Derrick Henry tale of the tape that was juicy for its differing styles. Toward the back, an aging rusher tries to find his place against more explosive players.
Here, league execs, coaches and players try to separate fact from fiction, resulting in a few major surprises along the way.
1. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Age: 23 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 6
One opposing offensive coach was on the sideline last season, watching his tablet between series, when he just had to look up for a few seconds. Saquon Barkley was about to take the field, and "he's a player you have to catch a glimpse at," he said.
"Can score from anywhere on the field, and you feel that," one NFC exec said. "That's rare. Can generate more big plays than anyone."
In a tight race between the three top backs on this list, Barkley earned the most first-place votes, which helped break the tie.
"You have at least four guys worrying about him every snap," said a veteran NFL linebacker.
The Giants' poor offensive line and supporting cast must be considered in the Barkley discussion, several evaluators said. The roster around him was bad, plus the high ankle sprain didn't help. His production isn't there yet -- a two-game midseason stretch of 29 rushing yards on 27 attempts was alarming -- but the Year 3 explosion seems inevitable.
"Cutting ability, vision, contact balance -- he's got it all," said an AFC exec. "Nothing he doesn't do."
2. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
Age: 24 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 4
That McCaffrey sits at No. 2 is an issue for many coaches.
"He's one of the best players in football, let alone running back," said one coordinator.
He's right. Becoming the third tailback in history to post 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the season earns that label. That kind of production pays, as it paid McCaffrey with a four-year, $64 million extension signed this offseason.
Only Lamar Jackson had more yards before first contact than McCaffrey's 901, highlighting his elusiveness and burst. His receiving ability will keep him relevant for a long time.
"He can pass-protect, run the rock, routes as receiver, could be a full-time slot, great feet, crazy fast, lateral quickness off the charts," the coordinator said.
But some had trouble putting McCaffrey atop this list. He received a lot of second- and third-place votes.
"Not as sturdy as Saquon," an AFC exec said. "Not the same speed-and-power combo. That affects what you do a little bit more, even though both are great."
3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Age: 24 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 11
Elliott garnered several first-place votes for being maybe the best pure rusher in the lot. From his downhill running to acceleration, some would prefer to build a team around him more than anyone else.
"Probably the best natural traits -- speed, power, balance," said one NFL personnel evaluator.
Elliott's body of work -- including 5,405 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns since entering the league in 2016 -- has earned him elite pay. He signed a six-year, $90 million extension last September.
But in holding out through training camp to secure that deal, Elliott appeared to lose some of his explosion and conditioning last year, several evaluators noted. Elliott produced four runs of 20-plus yards in 301 attempts (one per 75.25 attempts), by far the worst among the top five, and a surprising rate behind a premium offensive line.
"Very few breakout runs, doesn't look as strong anymore," said one NFL offensive coach who voted him outside of the top 10. "Feels like he's about 60 to 70% of what he was."
His receiving production was down 26%, from 579 to 420 yards year-over-year. One coordinator said Elliott is serviceable as a pass-catcher, but doesn't often cross people up in the open field.
None of those factors deterred from the bottom line: That Elliott was awfully close to earning a first- or second-place spot here. And there's no holdout to worry about now. Elliott will be fresh for training camp, prepared to capitalize on prime years left.
4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Age: 24 | Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 9
Kamara squeaks out a tight race with Derrick Henry, as both were tied up for most of this process. Kamara is like Barkley in that the production wasn't stellar last year but the ability is obvious -- to the point several voters took Kamara at No. 2, above McCaffrey.
Kamara's total touchdowns dropped from 18 to six year-over-year, but he was playing hurt.
"You can play any type of football with Kamara -- power football, get him in space," an NFC exec said. "He can make you miss but also go through you."
Evaluators laud his contact balance, and he's fast enough to get 3.01 yards per attempt before he gets hit, second to McCaffrey on this list.
"He just kind of bounces off people," one coordinator said. "Doesn't take flush hits. Every time he gets hit, he rolls and spins. Combine that with the route running on choice routes and teams don't have somebody who can cover him."
5. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Age: 26 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 9
Perhaps the most feared runner in the league is a true closer.
"He's so tough to tackle over four quarters," said one longtime NFL defensive coach. "Completely wears you down and takes over games."
Henry fell to No. 5 on this list, but to many evaluators who prefer a true workhorse, he belongs much higher. Henry led the NFL in rushing attempts (106) and yards (572) against boxes of eight or more defenders. The next-closest was Adrian Peterson, with 324 yards.
"Personal preference, but I'd rather see good running backs running for yards and taking time on the clock and keeping my defense on the sideline," said one NFC exec. "The guy from Tennessee does that better than anyone."
Henry fell on many ballots because of his paltry 57 receptions and 578 yards for his four-year career, a tough sell in a pass-first league. But Tennessee hasn't given him the chance to do much of that, either.
6. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
Age: 24 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 8
Cook plays in a wide-zone scheme that has featured many productive backs over the years; But make no mistake, Cook could thrive just about anywhere.
Jeremy Fowler breaks down NFL executives' reasoning behind ranking Saquon Barkley the top running back over Christian McCaffrey.
"Damn, Cook can play," said one NFC exec who voted Cook No. 1. "Contact don't bother him. You've got to get him down. He'd be better than Zeke in Dallas."
Cook gets knocked for durability, missing 19 games in three seasons. But he still finished in the top nine among backs in carries, receptions, touches, scrimmage yards and touchdowns despite missing two full games and parts of others. Cook had 15 carries inside the 5-yard line and scored in 11 of 14 games.
"What makes him scary is pushing off the perimeter and hitting that cutback," an NFC exec said. "That system allows him to do that, and he's best in that setup."
7. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Age: 24 | Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 11
Chubb should only build on his 1,494-yard sophomore campaign thanks to a Browns offense with outside zone plays and multiple tight ends.
"He's 225, 230 pounds and runs through arm tackles," said a veteran NFL defensive coach. "Kind of like Derrick Henry -- you'd think you can catch him but can't. And he can power through you. Just a pure runner of the football."
Many evaluators grouped Chubb and Henry together because of their powerful running styles. An example of Chubb's strength: He produced 115 carries and 427 rushing yards on carries when taking at least three seconds before crossing the line of scrimmage, ranking second and first in the league, respectively.
Pro Football Focus loves him (88.7 grade in 2019), but one NFC exec sees a player "not as big and strong as Henry, but good."
8. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Age: 23 | Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: 14
Mixon was the Bengals' best player in the second half of 2019, rushing for 817 yards and five scores over the final eight games. A few execs compared his build to Saquon's, without the same explosion.
"Underrated, and the O-line is not doing him any favors," said a veteran NFL linebacker. "An all-around guy, catching screens and flare routes, big guy for DBs to take down. Power and balance, run people over and make people miss. Reminds me of Marshawn [Lynch], but not as wide. Super quick."
Mixon produced 29 carries of 10 or more yards, eighth in the NFL. Like Henry and Chubb, he gets knocked for a lack of production in the passing game -- "Isn't a sudden, make-you-miss guy off the pass," one coordinator said -- but don't be surprised if the Bengals use him more in that area.
9. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Age: 22 | Highest ranking: 7 | Lowest ranking: Off the ballot
Much of the league is impressed with what Jacobs did as a rookie and where he'll be on this list next year.
"He'll be top-5 soon," said one coordinator. "Never gets tackled by first guy, smoothness is pretty unique. Really good back."
Jacobs was the only rookie in the top 10 in yards after first contact, ranking seventh, with 545. He produced 1,055 rushing yards on first and second downs, 10th in the NFL.
Evaluators say Jacobs will be a 40 catches-per-year guy soon enough, and with Jon Gruden's affinity for running the football, the numbers will be there.
"Not elite speed but so tough and balanced overall that he can make big plays happen," said an NFC exec.
10. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets
Age: 28 | Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: 15
Bell and Aaron Jones were tied at the end of the voting -- Jones had more top-10 votes, Bell had the highest composite average and more top-5 votes. A head-to-head tiebreaker with 10 new votes resulted in a Bell win, 6-4.
Despite a miserable season in which Bell failed to record a 20-yard rush and averaged 3.2 yards per carry, Bell still had 52 carries of 3-plus yards after first contact, tied for 10th in the NFL.
One NFC scout said Bell -- who's probably lost a half-step in speed -- would still be wildly productive in Green Bay's offense, with better quarterback and offensive line play and a good zone-running scheme.
Though Bell's diminishing speed is something to watch in 2020, evaluators say, there's reason for optimism after the Jets replaced a bad offensive line with several new starters, spending nearly $80 million on blocking in free agency and drafting massive tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round.
"Still a problem out of the backfield in terms of coverage," an NFC exec said. "Didn't run the ball as well as capable."
Added an AFC exec: "Great hands, a load, strong, tough in pass pro."
Honorable mention
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers: "Home run hitter. He's got a little more juice [than Bell]. Kind of came out of nowhere. Nobody expected him to do what he's doing." -- NFL offensive coach
Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks: "Really good in short yardage, disruptor, three-down player. Just not really a dynamic big-play back." -- NFC exec
James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers: "Talented guy, two-phase player. He's just been hurt." -- NFC exec
Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos: "I think you'll see a resurgence from him in Denver. It's clear they needed a back who could help rushing and receiving. Not as dynamic as those in the top 10 but still really solid." -- NFL coordinator
Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars: "Talent isn't the issue. He's had a lot of problems in that locker room." -- NFL offensive coach