2020 Top 32 Big Board: Post Bowl Edition

Hello again everyone! AskQuestionsLater here and welcome back to another edition of my Top 32 Big Board Rankings! This time, we shall be focusing on all prospects that will be declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft now that the 2019 NCAA FBS Champion has been crowned in the Louisiana State University Tigers. Now though that the 2019 NCAA FBS Football Season has concluded, it is time for those who will enter their proverbial hat in the ring to showcase their athletic talents at the 2020 NFL Regional Scouting Combine! To determine the best of the best, here is a list of the updated Big Board. Before we begin and, as always, a disclaimer;



These written statements by the author do not reflect nor are shared opinions of members of TheSteelersFans Message Board, Staff Members and/or Site Administrator.




With some players like Travis Etienne, Dylan Moses and others returning to school, some players will receive a higher rating than others due to the some of the aforementioned players going back. As such, this means that the Big Board has changed in a big way. How big though will be something we shall get to soon! I hope you all are ready for these updates as there are some immense changes.



With that all now out of the way, let us begin the list shall we?!?!


2020 NFL Big Board: Post Bowl



1.) Chase Young: EDGE from Ohio State University

2.) Joe Burrow: Quarterback from Louisiana State University

3.) Isaiah Simmons: Hybrid Defender from the University of Clemson

4.) Jeffery Okudah: Cornerback from Ohio State University

5.) Derrick Brown: Defensive Tackle from the University of Auburn

6.) Andrew Thomas: Offensive Tackle from the University of Georgia

7.) Jerry Jeudy: Wide Receiver from the University of Alabama

8.) Tristan Wirfs: Offensive Tackle from the University of Iowa

9.) CeeDee Lamb: Wide Receiver from the University of Oklahoma

10.) Jedrick Willis: Offensive Tackle from the University of Alabama

11.) Tyler Biadasz: Center from the University of Wisconsin

12.) Xavier Mckinney: Defensive Back from the University of Alabama

13.) A.J. Epensea: EDGE from the University of Iowa

14.) K'Lavon Chaisson: EDGE from Louisiana State University

15.) Creed Humphrey: Center from the University of Oklahoma

16.) Kristian Fulton: Cornerback from Louisiana State University

17.) Tua Tagovailoa: Quarterback from the University of Alabama

18.) Javon Kinlaw: Defensive Tackle from the University of South Carolina

19.) Yetur Gross Matos: EDGE from Penn State University

20.) Trevon Diggs: Cornerback from the University of Alabama

21.) Henry Ruggs III: Wide Receiver from the University of Alabama

22.) C.J. Henderson: Cornerback from the University of Florida

23.) Grant Delpit: Safety from Louisiana State University

24.) Laviska Shenault Jr.: Wide Receiver from the University of Colorado

25.) J.K. Dobbins: Running Back from Ohio State University

26.) Kennith Murray: Linebacker from the University of Oklahoma

27.) Justin Herbert: Quarterback from the University of Oregon

28.) Tee Higgins: Wide Receiver from the University of Clemson

29.) D'Andre Swift: Running Back from the University of Georgia

30.) Antonie Winfield Jr.: Safety from the University of Minnesota

31.) Terrell Lewis: EDGE from the University of Alabama

32.) Solomon Kindley: Offensive Guard from the University of Georgia



Massive changes abound. Quite a bit to get into as we have some newcomers to the list as well! That said, let us begin breaking down many of the changes with the final notes.



Final Notes:



- Let us kick this off with some of the omissions. To start, I did have Johnathan Taylor as a Round One player for the majority of this time. However, there is a big concern I have with him. The concern with him though is the amount of touches he already has on the body; 968 total. That is a lot of wear and tear on the body; a sub 6 foot body doubly so and no less. While I do not doubt he has Round One capabilities, I doubt he has Round One durability especially by Running Back standards.



- Unlike Taylor, my issues with the likes of Jalen Hurts, Jalen Raegor and Neville Gallimore is that, despite their tremendous athletic abilities, they are not polished enough to be warranted into the first round; Hurts most notably. He definitely has the tools but he will need time on the bench, preferably behind an experienced veteran player. As in regards to Julian Okwara, his issue stems from the aforementioned discussion regarding specific players returning to school. Due to these circumstances, Solomon Kindley, a newcomer, who not only has Round One athleticism but also Round One polish, supercede the likes of Okwara as Okwara is still not fullt polished yet in his repitore as other EDGE players on the list.



- Regarding some of the newcomers, to those of you wondering why I did not include Jedrick Willis from the previous list, I initially believed that there were only two worthy players who warranted a First Round grade as Offensive Tackles. Well, I was wrong. I still do not like how well Jedrick holds up in the running game, making him position limited out of the gates, as well as his limited athleticism but his technics and power more than make up for it. It is quite unusual to have a Right Tackle so high on the list as that position is often used for the mauling aspect of the running game yet lack the ability, lateral explosiveness and reaction speed like a Left Tackle; something many players are in this draft from what I have seen thus far. That said, studying Jedrick Willis was a joy and I am glad I did.



- As for the other newcomers, Laviska Shenault Jr. is essentially a twin turbocharged JuJu Smith Schuster. Everything I liked about JuJu coming out is magnified with Shenault. So... why such a low ranking?! Lack of production... big time. Keep in mind he already has two major injuries though; one being a turf toe and the other a torn labrum. Continuing on with the injury theme we have Terrell Lewis from Alabama. I have little to no doubt he will show off at the combine but those medicals will be vital for him. Back to back season ending injuries is a serious concern. While I will be unable to pass on the information as to him being cleared on his medicals, there is no denying the physical talent and skillset.



- Finally, the final newcomer, Solomon Kindley. I have honestly been leaving him out of the Top 32 not because he has done anything wrong but this year's crop of EDGE, Offensive Tackles and both Tyler Biadasz and Creed Humphrey have made it difficult to opt him in. Among the pure Offensive Guards in the class, he stands out as the best. Nevermind his immense size but his tremendous athleticism is something that can improve when he drops weight once he enters the league; something that will be recommended to him anyway. Should that happen, he will easily be one of the best Interior Offensive Lineman from the class.



- Before we get to the final aspect of the final notes, I want to talk about Isaiah Simmons here. Not so much talk about him in terms of what he can do but, in all honesty, what can he not do?! Seriously though, what position can he not play?!?! Sure, he definitely does not have the hips of a Jeffery Okudah or the power of a Derrick Brown but he is the ultimate "Jack of All Trades" player. Some say he compares favorably to Tremaine Edmunds but I have to disagree a bit with this one. Tremaine was colossally talented but also colossally raw coming out of Virgina Tech. Namely, his overall coverage abilities at a man of his size is what made Tremaine so special as nothing like him had been seen before in a linebacker of his stature. However, Isaiah Simmons breaks this mold completely as he is consistent no matter where he goes. He seemingly does not have a weakness as a defensive player. Such a phenomenon leads me to this conclusion that I ended up after the end of the 2019-2020 NCAA FBS Football Season; Chase Young generates greater impact but Isaiah possess greater opportunities. Had it not been for Joe Burrow's legendary season, we are looking at a 1a. and 1b on the Big Board; something I have NEVER done. What I can state for Isaiah is this.



Isaiah Simmons is what I would constitute as a "Halo Prospect". What this means is that, outside of being an Interior Defensive Lineman or Outside Corner, there really is not anything he cannot do. That said, the best way to use such a player is to line him up in the most oppurtune position to wreak havoc.


- To finish off these final notes, I want to talk about both K'Lavon Chaisson and Justin Herbert; the current "Boards Biggest Riser" and "Boards Biggest Faller". Let us start with Justin Herbert. There is no denying the NFL qualities he possesses as a Franchise QB. Great Arm, great accuracy, very good mobility and above average mechanics. The main concern though I have had with him in all of 2019 has been the intangibles. For example, while QBs like Joe Burrow are just consistent game in, game out, Justin Herbert is very hit or miss. Some drives, he really looks like a QB that can take one to the promised land. Other times he looks like an average starter. Another big issue is pocket presence. Oregon's big matchup against Auburn is a prime example of what Herbert needs to work on as, again, his overall feell in the pocket is either elite or average. My biggest concern though has been his lack of leadership. I am not asking for a "rah rah" type of QB but I am asking my QB to galvanize the team when the odds are slim or encourage them more to keep up the attack. Herbert..... really does NOT do this. Why?!?! I do not know. Whatever the case may be, Herbert is likely to get drafted much earlier than he should. Just do not expect him to start very early barring extreme circumstances.



- Now, onto K'Lavon Chaisson. Remember Bud Dupree and how crazy athletic he was?! Remember how crazy athletic Brian Burns was as well?! Take the best of both those players and that is why K'Lavon Chaisson is the biggest riser in this update. 3-4 OLB, 4-3 DE or even 3-4 ILB as we saw in some points against the likes of Clemson, this kid seemingly has NO LIMIT. As I said before in the final Pre Bowl Edition, only Isaiah Simmons surpasses him in terms of overall versatility and freakish abilities. Here in lies the major issue. Unlike Isaiah, K'Lavon is not nearly as polished. He has a great initial attack plan but that is it. Oddly enough, he is good when it comes to counters but does not have any follow up moves when he goes on the offensive. Despite such quibbles, K'Lavon is someone many people need to be watching as we approach the NFL Scouting Combine.




That is all for the notes everyone! As promised, quite a bit of change on the Board. Now, time to wrap this up!!



Conclusion:


Initially, when I heard the likes of Marvin Wilson, Dylan Moses, Travis Etienne and others return to school, my heart was hurting. Quite a bit of firepower taken out of a class that, while very talented, is also very inconsistent overall. That said, players like Chase Young, Isaiah Simmons, Derrick Brown and Jerry Jeudy more than make up for it. Best of all, the Interior Offensive Lineman make a triumphant return after being left out in the cold in 2019 for me. While other positions like the QB position sans Joe Burrow have some serious issues, other positions like the EDGE or even Safety can have their shine.




Well everyone, that will do it for this edition of the Top 32 Big Board. Now that the College Football Season had crowned its newest Champion, creating this list was much easier for me as Bowl Weel brought forth a number of logistical issues from my end; lack of memory on my phone to actually watch all the games and limited supplies via Notebooks being chief among them. Despite those shortcomings, I was thrilled putting this list together as some surprises shocked even me.



That said, I cannot wait as to what is in store after the conclusion of the Senior Bowl Week as that will be the next update. As such, please stay tuned for that as I am sure there will be movement on this Big Board again!



Now, before we go, I would like to let you readers know that I have two annoucements to make! The first as that the Top 5 Positional Rankings return Monday!! Much like this list, a massive number of changes for certain. What those changes are and who has moved up, down or even got omitted from the list will be discussed... but for a later time, so stay tuned!



The second is the beginning of my Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft! Best of all, that also will be up on Monday but later on in the day. Have to complete some fine tuning in regards to the later rounds but it will be worth it in the end. Who made the cut?! You will have to wait and see!





Once again though everyone, thank you for reading! I hope you liked it and hope you enjoyed! Until the conclusion of Senior Bowl Week, that will do it for this edition of the 2020 Big Board. Please take care everyone and I will see you again next time!!






Go Steelers!!!!

 

Sorry everyone! Big mistake here.


Creed Humphrey has returned to school. Cannot believe I missed that. Will update this list with the next update!!


Stay tuned!!