The 2020 NFL Draft season is in full peak. We have made it through the Senior Bowl and we are now fast approaching the Scouting Combine.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be releasing my Pre-Combine position rankings. No score is final because of the lack of athletic testing data. This data will come after combine and pro days are completed.
Today, we will look at the wide receiver position. I have watched tape on 44 WR prospects to this point. This WR class is special. Based on the abundance of talented prospects you can expect some to drop into the middle rounds that in a normal year would not.
| OR | PR | NAME | SCHOOL | CLASS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | TAPE | PROD. | TOTAL |
| 8 | 1 | CeeDee Lamb | Oklahoma | Jr | 6’1 | 189 | 8.87 | 10 | 6.822 |
| 9 | 2 | Jerry Jeudy | Alabama | Jr | 6’0 | 192 | 9.07 | 9 | 6.792 |
| 25 | 3 | Tee Higgins | Clemson | Jr | 6’3 | 210 | 8.53 | 9 | 6.468 |
| 34 | 4 | Denzel Mims | Baylor | Sr | 6’2 | 206 | 8.43 | 9 | 6.408 |
| 42 | 5 | Bryan Edwards | South Carolina | Sr | 6’2 | 205 | 8.13 | 10 | 6.378 |
| 54 | 6 | Tyler Johnson | Minnesota | Sr | 6’1 | 200 | 8 | 10 | 6.3 |
| 55 | 7 | Gabriel Davis | UCF | Jr | 6’2 | 212 | 8 | 10 | 6.3 |
| 56 | 8 | Michael Pittman | Southern Cal | Sr | 6’4 | 219 | 8.2 | 9 | 6.27 |
| 61 | 9 | Brandon Aiyuk | Arizona State | Sr | 5’11 | 201 | 7.93 | 10 | 6.258 |
| 62 | 10 | Chase Claypool | Notre Dame | Sr | 6’4 | 229 | 7.93 | 10 | 6.258 |
| 65 | 11 | Jalen Reagor | TCU | Jr | 5’11 | 195 | 8.13 | 9 | 6.228 |
| 66 | 12 | Justin Jefferson | LSU | Jr | 6’1 | 185 | 8.13 | 9 | 6.228 |
| 69 | 13 | Henry Ruggs, III | Alabama | Jr | 6’0 | 193 | 8.6 | 7 | 6.21 |
| 79 | 14 | Antonio Gandy-Golden | Liberty | Sr | 6’3 | 222 | 7.8 | 10 | 6.18 |
| 80 | 15 | K.J. Hamler | Penn State | Jr | 5’9 | 174 | 7.8 | 10 | 6.18 |
| 97 | 16 | Laviska Shenault | Colorado | Jr | 6’2 | 220 | 8 | 9 | 6.15 |
| 98 | 17 | Devin Duvernay | Texas | Sr | 5’10 | 202 | 7.7 | 10 | 6.12 |
| 111 | 18 | James Proche | SMU | Sr | 5’10 | 196 | 7.6 | 10 | 6.06 |
| 139 | 19 | Jauan Jennings | Tennessee | Sr | 6’3 | 206 | 7.4 | 10 | 5.94 |
| 150 | 20 | Isaiah Hodgins | Oregon State | Jr | 6’4 | 209 | 7.3 | 10 | 5.88 |
| 172 | 21 | K.J. Hill | Ohio State | Sr | 6’0 | 192 | 7.9 | 7 | 5.79 |
| 179 | 22 | Quintez Cephus | Wisconsin | Jr | 6’1 | 207 | 7.1 | 10 | 5.76 |
| 206 | 23 | Collin Johnson | Texas | Sr | 6’5 | 221 | 7.7 | 7 | 5.67 |
| 207 | 24 | Kalija Lipscomb | Vanderbilt | Sr | 6’0 | 202 | 7.2 | 9 | 5.67 |
| 209 | 25 | Lynn Bowden | Kentucky | Jr | 6’1 | 199 | 7.4 | 8 | 5.64 |
| 218 | 26 | John Hightower | Boise State | Sr | 6’1 | 185 | 7.07 | 9 | 5.592 |
| 221 | 27 | Darrell Stewart | Michigan State | Sr | 6’0 | 215 | 7.3 | 8 | 5.58 |
| 233 | 28 | Quartney Davis | Texas A&M | Jr | 6’1 | 199 | 7.2 | 8 | 5.52 |
| 243 | 29 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | Michigan | Jr | 6’1 | 208 | 7.6 | 6 | 5.46 |
| 249 | 30 | Van Jefferson | Florida | Sr | 6’1 | 197 | 7.3 | 7 | 5.43 |
| 250 | 31 | Dezmon Patmon | Washington State | Sr | 6’4 | 219 | 7.53 | 6 | 5.418 |
| 251 | 32 | K.J. Osborn | Miami (FL) | Sr | 5’11 | 205 | 7.27 | 7 | 5.412 |
| 279 | 33 | Malcolm Perry | Navy | Sr | 5’9 | 182 | 7.4 | 5 | 5.19 |
| 283 | 34 | Juwan Johnson | Oregon | Sr | 6’4 | 222 | 7.1 | 6 | 5.16 |
| 285 | 35 | Marquez Callaway | Tennessee | Sr | 6’1 | 199 | 6.6 | 8 | 5.16 |
| 287 | 36 | Lawrence Cager | Georgia | Sr | 6’4 | 220 | 6.8 | 7 | 5.13 |
| 303 | 37 | Stephen Guidry | Mississippi State | Sr | 6’3 | 191 | 6.67 | 7 | 5.052 |
| 313 | 38 | Austin Mack | Ohio State | Sr | 6’1 | 212 | 7 | 5 | 4.95 |
| 314 | 39 | Josh Hammond | Florida | Sr | 6’0 | 192 | 6.93 | 5 | 4.908 |
| 318 | 40 | Isaiah Wright | Temple | Sr | 6’2 | 220 | 6.6 | 6 | 4.86 |
| 319 | 41 | Johnathan Johnson | Missouri | Sr | 5’7 | 170 | 6.6 | 6 | 4.86 |
| 325 | 42 | Kendrick Rogers | Texas A&M | Jr | 6’4 | 204 | 6.5 | 6 | 4.8 |
| 327 | 43 | A.J. Taylor | Wisconsin | Sr | 5’11 | 201 | 6.7 | 5 | 4.77 |
| 329 | 44 | Tyrie Cleveland | Florida | Sr | 6’2 | 205 | 6.43 | 5 | 4.608 |
TOP GUYS
CeeDee Lamb currently resides in my top spot. He is electric in the open field. Lamb is super quick and is a beast after the catch. Jerry Jeudy was one of four ultra-talented Alabama wideouts. Jeudy and Devonta Smith (2021 WR) took the bulk of the production. His feet are ridiculously good allowing him to almost never be covered. Jeudy can cut on a dime in the open field. Tee Higgins has a huge frame and can high point with the best of them.
WRs I LIKE MORE THAN MOST
Denzel Mims shot up rankings after he dominated Senior Bowl practices. Mims’ route running was flawless. He was able to separate from nearly every corner there. Bryan Edwards set nearly every South Carolina receiving record. His size and route running are excellent. Edwards is faster than he is given credit for.
WRs I LIKE LESS THAN MOST
Henry Ruggs is going to run sub 4.3 at the Combine and will likely go in the top 20. What I see from Ruggs is a so-so route runner with average production. Donovan Peoples-Jones is another I just don’t get it with. In the games I saw him play this season he ran lazy routes and put forth little effort. DPJ production was also below average.
LATE ROUND PROSPECTS TO TAKE A FLIER ON
Lynn Bowden was a terrific HS QB that moved to WR at Kentucky. Kentucky moved him back to QB this season after injuries wrecked their depth chart. Bowden is a first-class athlete with the ball in his hands. Malcolm Perry is similar to Bowden in many ways except he has never really played WR. Perry is great in the open field but is all projection. Can he catch? The combine will go a long way in his evaluation when he gets to run drills there.
Next time out, we will look at the TE class.
