In less than a month from now, the infamous 2020 NFL draft will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the events that football fans and enthusiasts are waiting for. However, because of the current situation faced by every state and nation due to the Corona Virus or Covid-19, the said event to be held on April 23 to 25 will be closed to the public.
But, despite this pandemic, sports experts and football insiders still manage to have their NFL draft betting lines and rankings for the 85th NFL Draft. Additionally, as the event is approaching, there are more and more speculations about who among the players will make it on the draft day.
Here are the top five of them.
Ohio State Buckeyes’ Chase Young
Weighing 265 pounds with a height of 6 ft. 5 inches, Chase Young finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting and is the number one prospect for this year’s NFL Draft. Young is an excellent pass rusher with 16.5 sacks, which broke the single-season record of the Buckeyes.
As a pass rusher, he blows off the ball and gains ground in haste. During the game, Young sets the edge easily and uses his quick moves to slip blocks that can create chaos at the back of the scrimmage’s line. Aside from that, he also uses fast swipe actions and can control the wrists of the blockers. Above all, he can turn speed into power, which is very useful on loops and games.
Louisiana State University Tigers’ Joe Burrow
Standing 6 ft 4 inches, weighing 216 pounds, John Burrow has ideal size for the quarterback position and possesses a lot of elite qualities. He is extremely accurate, intuitive, and efficient as he played out of the gun in the Louisiana State University spread attack.
In fact, Burrow throws the ball with anticipation and can naturally layer it over and under his coverage. Though he doesn’t have a splendid arm strength to drive the ball beyond the numbers, his play relies more on touch and timing.
Overall, Joe Burrow may lack in arm strength, but the combination of his accuracy, poise, and toughness is more than enough to own one of the top spots on the 2020 NFL draft ranking.
Ohio State Buckeyes’ Jeff Okudah
With Jeff Okudah’s height of 6 ft 1 inch and weight of 205 pounds, he has solid size, length, as well as the competitiveness and twitching for the cornerback position. He is capable and comfortable doing both press and off coverage.
He is also doing great in staying on top against vertical routes and can find the football down the field. On top of that, Okudah is gifted with agility that allows him to mirror underneath. And in off coverage, he blows out of his plant and becomes a dependable open-field tackler.
Clemson Tigers’ Isaiah Simmons
Standing 6 ft. four inches, weighing 238 pounds, Isaiah Simmons has the ideal body built that the NFL teams are looking for in a three-down linebacker for the upcoming games. Aside from his size, he also has the unique speed to run on the field, chasing down tailbacks as well as the athletic ability to cover tight ends in the slots.
In the past season, he had 104 tackles, three interceptions, seven sacks and 16 total tackles for loss. Even though Isaiah Simmons struggles at times, taking blocks on edge but overall, he has the agility and speed to combine with top-level tight ends and backs underneath.
Alabama Crimson Tide’s Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa stands a height of 6 ft and weighs 217 pounds. Though he doesn’t have ideal height for the position as a quarterback, he has quick eyes, feet, and release. Tua throws off a robust platform and spins the football really well. Aside from that, he can also place balls in tight windows even though he doesn’t have a very strong arm.
Some of the good qualities that Tua Tagovailoa has is that he understands how to manipulate and hold safeties with the use of his eyes, and he makes wise decisions during the RPO game.
Unfortunately, last November 2019, Tagovailoa dislocated his right hip during the game and also suffered a posterior wall fracture in the injury. Because of this, he didn’t perform at the combine. However, with the overwhelmingly positive reports regarding his dislocated hips, he manages to enter the NFL draft and even became one of the top prospects on the draft day.
Takeaway
Despite the chaos brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of football fans still hope that this pandemic will end very soon and that the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft will start and end smoothly. The five players mentioned above have the qualities that NFL teams are looking for in a teammate, and with their exceptional skill set, they can be the next football professional players that everyone should watch out for.
