2020 NFL Draft: Chase Young tops Dane Brugler’s preseason big board

Chase Young sits atop Dane Brugler’s preseason 2020 NFL Draft big board. How does the rest shake out?

With the college football season right around the corner, more 2020 NFL Draft big boards from the heavyweights in the industry are starting to hit the masses. Dane Brugler of The Athletic is one of the best and most respected draft analysts in the industry. When he has a take on a player, we all listen. Everyone should take note of his 2020 NFL Draft big board going live on Wednesday.

In his preseason big board (subscription required), Brugler places Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young as his top 2020 NFL Draft prospect. Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Iowa edge rusher A.J. Epenesa, Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah and LSU safety Grant Delpit round out the top five.

“Despite battling ankle injuries last season, Young posted 10.5 sacks and led the nation with 77 quarterback pressures,” Brugler wrote. “A dominant presence, his combination of athleticism, power and technical skill are why he is the early favorite to be the first non-quarterback drafted.”

Young at the top of Brugler’s board is not much of a surprise. He is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in college football and a legitimate threat to go first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Young is a freaky athlete on the edge, showing fantastic burst off of the snap and around the edge. He can bend around the edge with ease, use his combination of quickness and power to beat offensive tackles and close on the quarterback quickly. Young has had a tendency to take plays off at times and needs to work on his technique against the run a bit. However, his upside as an NFL edge rusher is undoubtedly massive.

The most shocking part of Brugler’s big board to me was the ranking of Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy is considered by most to be the best wide receiver in a loaded class at the position. Some even consider him to be the top overall 2020 NFL draft prospect.

While there is certainly time for change, as of now, Brugler has Jeudy as the third-best receiver in the class. Brugler places Jeudy as the 12th best prospect in the class, behind Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr. and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb. Shenault and Lamb are both big-time prospects, but seeing them ranked ahead of Jeudy was surprising.

Another ranking of note was Utah State quarterback Jordan Love at number 10 overall. Brugler has the talented, but raw quarterback prospect as the third quarterback in the draft, trailing only Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert.

Obviously, it is too early to take these rankings too seriously. We still have an entire season of college football ahead of us to determine which prospects should be at the top. That being said, it is still an interesting exercise to see how a guy like Brugler has the 2020 NFL Draft prospects ranked.