We’re just days away from an NFL Draft that promises to be more memorable than most of its predecessors. While we don’t know what the production will look like on Thursday night, we do know the depth of the wide receiver class that is going to be drafted. That is why today, we’re going through my final 2020 NFL Draft rankings and grades of fifty wide receiver prospects.
I always like to point out that WR is the position we all played growing up on the playground. I fell in love with it then and that love translated into playing WR at the high school and college level, eventually coaching at both levels as well.
I’ve poured myself into the position over the past year to come up with these rankings and analysis. But I want to quickly go over my process and scale before diving into them.
On average, around 33-34 wide receivers will be drafted each year. With the strength and depth of this class, the amount of draft-able grades given out was about ten more than that. It’s always important to remember that the round grades are more important than the numerical ranking, in order to get a better idea of the prospect from a historical perspective.
I prefer not to force pro comparisons. I want them to be as realistic as possible. If a name doesn’t come to mind when evaluating, I won’t give that prospect a comparison. That’s why you’ll see some prospects with player comparisons and others without them.
Grading Scale
Here is my grading scale and a layman’s terms explanation of the prospects in those tiers:
First round – Upside of a number one WR or leading target for their team.
Second round – Upside of a number two WR. Good starter but ultimately the secondary option.
Third round – Upside of a number three WR. Starter but a complimentary passing option.
Early day three – Upside of a number three WR / Overall number four target. Could become a starter but ideally an ancillary passing option.
Mid day three – Upside of a number four WR/ Overall number five target. Would only play in certain personnel groups.
Late day three– Upside of a depth WR. Would only play in limited personnel groups, needs versatility to stick.
Finally, here are the rankings of my top 50 wide receivers for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Undrafted free agents
50. Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt (6-0, 207, 4.57s)
49. Cedric Byrd, Hawaii (5-9, 175)
48. Cody White, Michigan State (6-3, 217, 4.66s)
47. Nick Westbrook, Indiana (6-3, 219)
46. Kirk Merritt, Arkansas State (6-0, 216)
45. Omar Bayless, Arkansas State (6-1, 212, 4.62s)
44. Malcolm Perry, Navy (5-9, 186, 4.63s)
Late day three grades
43. Juwan Johnson, Oregon (6-4, 230, 4.58s)
42. Marquez Callaway, Tennessee (6-1, 205, 4.55s)
41. Freddie Swain, Florida (6-0, 197, 4.46s)
40. Quez Watkins, Southern Miss (6-0, 185, 4.35s)
39. Jalen McCleskey, Tulane (5-11, 165)
38. Joe Reed, Virginia (6-0, 224, 4.47s)
37. Tyrie Cleveland, Florida (6-2, 209, 4.46s)
36. Dezmon Patmon, Washington State (6-4, 225, 4.48s)
35. Aaron Fuller, Washington (5-11, 188, 4.59s)
Mid day three grades
34. Binjimen Victor, Ohio State (6-4, 198, 4.60s)
33. Aaron Parker, Rhode Island (6-2, 209, 4.57s)
32. John Hightower, Boise State (6-1, 189, 4.43s)
31. Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin (6-1, 202, 4.73s)
30. Darnell Mooney, Tulane (5-10, 176, 4.38s)
29. Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty (6-4, 223, 4.60s)
28. Quartney Davis, Texas A&M (6-1, 201, 4.54s)
27. Lawrence Cager, Georgia (6-5, 220)
26. Gabriel Davis, UCF (6-2, 216, 4.54s)
Top-25 wide receivers on the next page