2020 NFL Draft: Top 40 wide receiver rankings and analysis
This second tier of 2020 NFL Draft wide receiver prospects is still a very talented bunch. While they may not have quite the versatility, ceiling or readiness to play as the top group, they are still very viable starting options in the NFL.
6. Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty
Antonio Gandy-Golden is one of my favorite players in the 2020 NFL Draft. His combination of height, strength and speed will make him a nightmare even for NFL cornerbacks.
AGG was pretty much the entire Liberty offense. The defense knew it, but he still managed to put up mighty impressive numbers. AGG was open more times than he got the ball thrown accurately to him and will be a quarterback’s best friend at the next level.
He has a good release at the line of scrimmage to give him the positioning he needs to shield off defenders with his big frame. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s nearly impossible to bring down without letting him stride forward for another handful of yards, no matter where he catches the ball and how closely defended he is.
Already a solid route runner, if Gandy-Golden expands his tree and continues to develop his nuances and techniques, the sky’s the limit for him as a prospect.
7. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
Brandon Aiyuk does just about everything well as a wide receiver prospect. He is a sound route runner who gets good separation at all levels of the field. He has outstanding hands to snag balls out of the air.
He is very effective after the catch with good elusiveness and contact balance, often used in the quick game on short routes. He is a viable deep threat with good ball skills and 4.50 speed and 40-inch vertical jumping ability.
Also a very effective return man, Aiyuk should be very impactful for an NFL team early on in his career and could find his way into the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
8. Van Jefferson, Florida
Van Jefferson is an outstanding route runner, getting the best of some of the best corners in college football. He lined up on the outside often at Florida but is likely to find a home in the slot at the next level.
He has great hands and is good with the ball in his hands, but his shiftiness as a route runner is really going to be his draw as a pro. Jefferson’s father is a wide receivers coach in the league, so he is clearly a very smart and well-versed player at the position that could make a big impact right away coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft.
9. Denzel Mims, Baylor
His measurables alone make Denzel Mims a very intriguing wide receiver prospect. 6-foot-3, around 210 lbs, almost 34-inch arms and nearly 10-inch hands, Mims has an NFL receiver body. Furthermore, his 4.38 40 time and 38.5-inch vertical jump shows his incredible athletic ability.
He doesn’t have the most diverse route tree in the 2020 NFL Draft, running primarily go’s, slants, posts, fades and occasionally outs, but he does show flashes of route running capability. He still has a long way to go in that regard, typically relying on his large frame to shield off defenders.
Mims is a great jump-ball receiver, using that big body in the red zone and deep down the field. I’d like to see a higher motor out of Mims, occasionally running very lazy routes not really trying to get open. But when Mims is all in, he is a dangerous weapon. He has true WR1 capabilities with his frame, hands and athleticism and could develop into a top NFL receiver with some time.
10. Jalen Reagor, TCU
Throughout his time at TCU, Jalen Reagor was their offense, particularly in the passing game. They knew it and opposing teams knew it, and he was still able to get open.
The problem, especially in 2019, the quarterback couldn’t get him the ball to save his life. Reagor got the ball in a variety of ways, mostly with quick throws around the line of scrimmage (throws that the QB could actually make). But Reagor can win at every level of the field.
He is a burner with top-end speed to take the top off of the defense. He’s not the most nuanced or diverse route runner but his speed and agility allow him to separate in man coverage. He is very shifty and elusive in the open field and is a very talented returner as well.
It’s kind of hard to fairly evaluate Reagor at this point with his shotty QB play, but he definitely shows the flashes you look for in a first-round receiver prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.
11. K.J. Hill, Ohio State
K.J. Hill is an outstanding route runner. He has great wiggle at his release off the line scrimmage, uses effective fakes and footwork throughout his route and is incredibly crisp at the stem of his route to come open and lose his defender. Outside or inside, at all three levels, Hill finds ways to get open.
He has very reliable hands and has enough speed and elusiveness to win in the open field. Following in the footsteps of some very successful Buckeye wideouts before him, K.J. Hill should be the next in line in terms of productive pros to come out of THE Ohio State University in the 2020 NFL Draft.
12. Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
Likely no one helped themselves out more at the 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Combine than Chase Claypool. At 6-foot-4 and nearly 240 lbs, many teams wanted to see Claypool move to tight end. After running a 4.42 40 and putting up a 40.5 inch vertical, there was immediate buzz for Claypool as a first-round receiver prospect. Believe it or not, I don’t think that is too crazy.
Obviously, at that size, you expect Claypool to be strong and physical both attacking the ball in the air and with the ball in his hands. He does both extremely well, but he will surprise you with how quick and fast he is. He can take a short pass and turn it into a big gain with good burst and then the contact balance and strength to not go down easy.
He has impressive hands and is actually rather shifty at the line of scrimmage. Claypool is a great blocker and has experience on special teams, making him very valuable to NFL teams in the 2020 NFL Draft.
13. Michael Pittman Jr., USC
Michael Pittman Jr. is a big-body receiver (6-foot-4 and 220lbs) who has very reliable hands. He is a solid route runner at all levels of the field and uses his frame well to shield off defenders.
Pittman is a great jump ball receiver, going up and making plays down the field. Once he catches the ball, he is very tough to bring down, using his long arms to keep defenders away. He has good speed for a guy his size but isn’t all too agile laterally.
Overall, Pittman has the tools to be a viable starting receiver at the next level but still has room to grow and develop coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft.
14. Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
When Laviska Shenault Jr. was on the field, Colorado found a ton of different ways to get him the ball. He lined up outside, in the slot, on the end of the line, in the backfield and even received direct snaps. Shenault does have a major history of injury, even pulling up with a possible hamstring problem during his 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Combine. That is definitely something that will greatly affect his draft stock, especially this year with the virus affecting the draft process.
But when Shenault has the ball in his hands he is very tough to bring down. He has the contact balance and shiftiness of a running back and is a very solid route runner with good hands as a receiver. He has a nose for the end zone and suffered from some poor quarterback play in college. Shenault is also a real deep threat who tracks the ball incredibly well. In the hands of a creative offensive coordinator, Shenault could have an impactful role right away.
He will likely have to take some time to prove that he can stay healthy and show that he can be a true route-running receiver (like he was in 2018) before seeing a ton of playing time on the outside, but he has a lot of potential as a high ceiling, low floor prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.
15. Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State
With a 6-foot-4, 210 lb frame, Isaiah Hodgins uses his size wonderfully and should have a 99 Madden rating in “spectacular catch”. Hodgins is an outstanding jump-ball receiver who always seems to find a way to come down with the ball and keep his feet down in the end zone.
He is far from a nuanced route runner and has a pretty bare tree, but he is very effective down the field and in 50/50 situations. If he doesn’t have to jump, Hodgins has some of the stickiest hands I’ve seen this year, plucking the ball out of the air.
Once he gets the ball he uses his long arms and big body to shield off defenders and fights for extra yards. He doesn’t have the release at the line of scrimmage to get space early in his route and doesn’t have the high-end speed to create it later, leading to his prowess in contested catch situations.
If Hodgins develops as a route runner and creates more space for himself at the next level, he could turn into a legit number one receiver coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft.
16. K.J. Hamler, Penn State
K.J. Hamler is a little guy with big speed and big-play ability. Simple little fakes and cuts during his routes allow him to get the space he needs to make plays. He excels with double moves and leaves defenders in the dust if they make even one misstep. I
f the defender is able to stay with him, that is when he can get in trouble with his height disadvantage and lack of jump-ball ability. He isn’t really a hands catcher, especially down the field, allowing everything to come into his body to secure the grab. He is very shifty with the ball in his hands and you can get it to him in a variety of ways.
Also a returner, Hamler will be impactful early in his career but his hands worry me as a potential every down, every situation receiver.
17. Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky
For some players, people say they “do it all” for an offense. Lynn Bowden Jr. literally did it all for the Kentucky Wildcats this season. Primarily lining up at receiver, Bowden shows a lot of positive traits as a shifty route runner with great hands and solid footwork. What makes Bowden interesting is that his team asked him to play quarterback for the last eight games of this past season. Oh, and did I mention he ran for nearly 1,500 yards in 2019?
As a runner, Bowden displays incredible contact balance with his low center of gravity. Earning most of those rushing yards as a quarterback, Bowden rarely ran traditionally between the tackles, but he displayed great vision, burst and finishing speed on his runs. And he can throw! From back shoulder fades in the red zone to dimes 50 yards down the field, Bowden cut the ball loose and wasn’t just a gimmick wildcat QB.
Whereas Antonio Gibson projects to a Deebo Samuel role as a receiver, I see Bowden filling a Taysom Hill role at the next level. Not utilizing his clear versatility and pigeonholing him as a slot receiver would be a shame. Wildcat QB that excels as a runner and is a legitimate passing threat, productive return man and a viable starting slot receiver, Bowden should have no trouble making an impact early and often in the NFL if given the chance.