USA TODAY International Edition
Burrow, Young top 2020 draft list
The revamped LSU offense has helped quarterback Joe Burrow transform his NFL draft stock from gamemanaging, trustworthy upperclassman to potential franchise cornerstone.
Burrow has already set every single- season program record for passing and is on pace to set the Football Bowl Subdivision record for completion percentage.
As the face of the Tigers’ offensive reinvention and the star of the nation’s top- ranked team, Burrow has positioned himself as the strong contender to go first overall, especially if the quarterback- hungry Bengals end up on the clock.
That is, unless the Bengals, or another of the NFL’s worst teams, end up leaning toward defense.
In that case, there’s an immediate impact player for the taking. Ohio State defensive end Chase Young has been so effective that he’s in contention to become the rare defender to earn a trip to Manhattan in December as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
With five months to go before NFL teams make their picks, here’s a primer on which college stars are in contention for the top of the 2020 draft.
LSU QB Joe Burrow: His stock has soared as LSU’s offense has entered another stratosphere. As little as three months ago, Burrow was seen as a caretaker- like quarterback with great intangibles but had no tape to really suggest he had the ability to be the franchise guy. That’s no longer the case. Burrow is completing 78.9% of his throws, averaging 10.9 yards per attempt and seemingly getting better every week.
Ohio State DE Chase Young: Young
has been seen as the likely No. 1 pick for most of the regular season, especially as his ability to dictate the tempo and feel of a game began to rival even the top tier of quarterback prospects. It’s very unlikely that NFL teams put any stock whatsoever into his two- game suspension; it’s also unlikely the same suspension keeps Young from collecting every meaningful piece of postseason hardware. Young is the complete package who fits comfortably into what NFL teams are looking for at the top of the draft and will enter the next level expected to produce at a high level from the start.
Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa: Much hinges on how Tagovailoa bounces back from his recent hip injury, with early reports from Alabama’s medical staff suggesting the junior will make a complete recovery. If so, the book has been written: Tagovailoa is one of the most productive passers of this era of offensive explosiveness. He has great touch and vision. His timing, smarts and quick delivery have allowed the Alabama offense to take flight behind a ridiculously talented group of wide receivers.
Oregon QB Justin Herbert: Coming back for his senior season might not move Herbert any higher in the draft than he might have been had he come out last season, when it’s likely he would have been in the running for the pick the Giants used on Daniel Jones. This season has found Herbert mostly at his best, however, and increases the chances that he will be capable of playing as a rookie in 2020. Once a threestar recruit, Herbert has also shown
NFL teams that he can stay healthy after struggling with injuries in 2018.
Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons: The Tigers’ defensive MVP isn’t a contender for No. 1 overall but has shown the flexibility NFL teams covet from the back seven. He arrived at Clemson as a safety, somewhat lightly recruited out of Kansas, and has shown that speed and range in coverage. But he’s developed into a linebacker with the strength to play the run and the ability to rush the passer. He fills the box score for a Clemson defense that has again been one of the nation’s best.
Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy: He’s the best route runner in college football. Even if you subtracted all of Jeudy’s other physical gifts, his ability to run crisp and clean routes against all manner of coverage would get him a shot at the NFL. But there’s also speed, agility, elusiveness, length and the wiggle to make would- be tacklers miss in a phone booth. Jeudy might look smaller than the prototypical No. 1 receiver but he’s the complete package, even if his percatch numbers have taken a slight dip from his breakout 2018 season.
Ohio State CB Jeffrey Okudah: Okudah has developed into a stopper on the outside for a fantastic pass defense and one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. The question: How much of Okudah’s production – and the production of the entire OSU pass defense, which ranks first nationally in yards allowed per game and second in quarterback- efficiency defense – has to do with players such as Young up front. It probably doesn’t hurt. But NFL teams covet length at cornerback and Ohio State products. Okudah checks the boxes.
Auburn DT Derrick Brown: Like Herbert, Brown could’ve come out last season and found a spot somewhere in the first round. Deciding to come back has been good for Auburn, which has played well on defense, and provided a boost to Brown’s draft stock. While his draft class has a number of impressive edge rushers, Brown is somewhat unique as a gifted interior lineman who is developing his pass- rush skills to go with his unquestioned strength and disruptive push in defending the run.
LSU DB Grant Delpit: There’s no doubt that he looks the part. No other college safety has the combination of size and speed to effectively defend huge swaths of space, though Delpit has shown more consistency stepping up against the run than defending the pass. Whether he can be an asset in coverage against NFL offenses is the biggest question Delpit will face during the draft process. But whether he has the athletic gifts to be an effective starter on the next level isn’t in doubt.
Iowa DE A. J. Epenesa: The rare Iowa five- star recruit has more than lived up to his billing; check out how Epenesa chewed up Minnesota’s beefy offensive front in the Hawkeyes’ 23- 19 victory Nov. 16. Those moments of dominance more than offset the dip in production compared to his 2018 campaign, when he led the Big Ten in sacks as a part- time starter. Young is the top end and overall defender across the board, but Epenesa’s strength and first step have him in contention for one of the top 10 picks, should he leave after his junior season.