Who are the best players still on the board after the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft?
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CFN 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Greatest NFL Draft Picks From Each School
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
32 Greatest Draft Picks of All-Time
Full 2020 NFL Draft Order
32. DT Leki Fotu, Utah
The idea of the run-stopping 330-pound defensive tackle doesn’t really move the first round needle like it should in the first round. Fotu is athletic enough to get into the backfield once in a while, but he’s mostly a foundation brick piece for a line.
31. OT Joshua Jones, Houston
He’s everything you could want looks-wise in an NFL offensive tackle, but he’s not quite the sure thing many would like. He has to be more consistent, but he’s got the tools most of the tackles in the draft are missing. Don’t be stunned if Cincinnati grabs him at the 33 to protect Joe Franchise.
30. DE Curtis Weaver, Boise State
Blow off that he’s only 6-2. You like pass rushers, NFL, right? You like guys who always seem like they’re in the backfield, right? He’s not going to look the part, and he might drop to the third round because of it, but he’ll be the star of someone’s camp.
29. WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
The lack of flash is going to knock him down a bit, but he’s a big body target who could turn into a go-to No. 1 receiver on the right team. He’d be an ideal fit for Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay.
28. RB AJ Dillon, Boston College
He’s too much of a throwback for a position that covets pizazz. If you want your thumper who also happens to run a 4.5, here you go. Give him the ball, and then give it to him again. And then again.
27. WR Michael Pittman, USC
The only way to describe him is a professional wide receiver. He’s not going to do anything with jazz hands, but he’ll do everything you want, including block. He’ll make a fabulous No. 2 option.
26. DT DaVon Hamilton, Ohio State
He might be a wanted man early on Friday. Only two defensive tackles – Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw – were selected, and Hamilton is a different type. He’s the big body you work around – some defensive coordinator will want him as the team’s anchor.
25. LB Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
While his final year actually turned out to be solid, he still never blew up into the devastating pass rusher it seemed like he’d be. The top 20 overall talent and tools are there to take a no-risk flier in the late second round.
24. RB Cam Akers, Florida State
There’s a real chance he’ll turn out to be one of the draft’s biggest steals. He never had any room to work at Florida State, and there’s a shot he blows up now that he gets to operate behind an NFL offensive front.
23. S Ashtyn Davis, Cal
The NFL is dogging the position, not the man when it comes to safeties. There’s no real knock on Davis other than that he played a position that doesn’t get any love. He’s as good a tackling defensive back as there is in the draft.
22. DE Raekwon Davis, Alabama
You’re not going to get a bajillion sacks, but he’s an Alabama defense lineman – he’s big, he’s sound, and he’ll bring everything in the toolbox as an instant factor in the rotation.
21. QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
This is going to be fun. At some point around the mid-50s, someone will hit that moment when it’ll be time to take the home run cut. He might not be a perfect NFL passing fit, but with a creative offensive coordinator, Hurts might just find a role.
NEXT: Top 20 NFL Draft Prospects Still On The Board
Top 20 NFL Draft Prospects Still On The Board
20. RB J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
In hindsight, it’s possible to see what Kansas City passes on Jonathan Taylor or D’Andre Swift for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Dobbins would’ve been an even better fit. He’s the all-around back who would’ve blown up with the Chiefs.
19. LB Malik Harrison, Ohio State
There’s a real possibility he slides into the third round, but there’s also a real possibility that he’ll lead the team he goes to in tackles. He was as productive at what he did for the Ohio State D as any of the top-pick superstars.
18. WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
It’s not stunning that he wasn’t a part of the first round wide receiver run, someone will be doing cartwheels at the value in the second round for a guy who could’ve been a top 15 overall pick.
17. DT Jordan Elliott, Missouri
There’s nothing wrong with building the infrastructure. He’s not going to be the pocket-collapser that everyone wants, and he won’t do much that will show up on a stat sheet, but any NFL defensive coordinator worth his salt will figure out what Elliott brings to a line.
16. WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
Blame this on the glut of receivers. It might have been a big first round for wideouts, but Shenault got brushed aside because of injury issues and partly because he just doesn’t quite look the part. He’ll be a good value get in the second.
15. LB Josh Uche, Michigan
Flip a coin on whether or not he’s being undervalued here or way, way overvalued. There’s upside as a high-end pass rusher, but he’s a boom-or-bust in the top 50. At the end of the second round, okay – that’s about right.
14. CB Kristian Fulton, LSU
There were about 50 guys who wouldn’t have been crazy as a first round section, but Fulton has to be breaking something tasteful that Damon Arnette and Noah Igbinoghene were taken in the top 30 and he wasn’t. His problem is his tweener traits – he might project to be a safety.
13. S Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
Throw Winfield into the bucket of unappreciated safeties. He doesn’t have the tools of the other top guys, but he’s a very fast baller’s baller who’ll be snapped up in the middle of the second round.
12. S Xavier McKinney, Alabama
Okay, so this is probably too low. If he’s not the first player off the board on Friday, he won’t be far off. When you have Nick Saban stumping for you – he doesn’t automatically gush over his former players – something mist be right. Safeties simply aren’t valued in this draft.
11. DT Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
It was a deep first round, and it wasn’t a total stunner that he fell out of the top 32, but he’s a 304-pound defensive tackle who runs a sub-4.8. He’s the athletic option everyone wants in their interior rotation.
NEXT: Top Ten NFL Draft Prospects Still On The Board
Top Ten NFL Draft Prospects Still On The Board
10. LB Zack Baun, Wisconsin
Just how much do you believe in his askew whiz test at the combine? He’ll be a chance worth taking as a great value pick in the second round. If he falls out of the top ten picks on Friday, then you’ll know exactly what the concern is. If everything was normal, he’s have gone in the top 20 on Thursday.
9. DT/DE Ross Blacklock, TCU
It’s a bit stunning that he didn’t somehow slip into the final few picks of the first round. His versatility and drive will make him a top 15 pick on Day Two. Watch out for someone to trade up for him.
8. S Grant Delpit, LSU
He’ll be a fascinating after-the-fact pick – how far will he fall, if at all, behind the ultra-athletic safeties on the board? This is a top ten overall prospect coming into the 2019 season who’ll be had for a bargain-basement price.
7. CB Bryce Hall, Virginia
Injury issues with a bum ankle will cause him to drop big. Ankles heal. He might be a tweener, but he’s an elite ball-hawker who’ll be an instant starter somewhere in a secondary once he’s 100%.
6. RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
Part of the issue is that he doesn’t bring a whole lot of power. He’s not going be an every down back, but he’s the type of runner who’ll be devastating in a good rotation. He’s not going to be unemployed for long on Friday.
5. DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
He’ll drop a bit because he doesn’t quite fit the NFL type, but he’s an athletic interior presence with a motor that doesn’t stop. He might fall to the third round, but some defensive coordinator will pound his fist to demand him.
4. RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
It’s interesting to hear the knocks on him now. Does he have fumbling issues? Yeah, but Georgia’s D’Andre Swift has the same problem. Clyde Edwards-Helaire feels like the right fit for Kansas City, but Taylor is a franchise back who someone will love in the second.
3. DE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
He’s a first round talent who won’t last long on Friday. He still needs a little polish, but give him a year to figure it out and he’ll become a devastating playmaker in the backfield.
2. CB Trevon Diggs, Alabama
Las Vegas reached WAY too much for Ohio State’s Damon Arnette, and Clemson’s AJ Terrell at the 16 to Atlanta wasn’t the value Diggs will be on Day Two. He’s not the most physical of tacklers, but he’s a ready-made starting NFL cover-corner.
1. DE AJ Epenesa, Iowa
There isn’t one thing he does at the highest of levels, but he’s a starting defensive lineman who can be a rock-solid starter – and nasty tone-setter for the next decade. He’s the tough guy defensive end no one wants to deal with.
CFN 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Greatest NFL Draft Picks From Each School
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
32 Greatest Draft Picks of All-Time
Full 2020 NFL Draft Order
