The Big 12 has produced some of the league’s most electric players. Patrick Mahomes, Adrian Peterson, and Earl Thomas have all been produced from this legendary conference. With an exciting year edging ever closer, who are the elite Big 12 draft prospects you should familiarize yourself with for the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, how do they stack up against each other, and who comes up on top?
This 2020 class has the potential to be exceptional at the next level. It doesn’t boast a quarterback on the caliber of Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, or Kyler Murray, but there are lots of available talent all over the field in this conference.
Notable omissions
I left off two quarterbacks from this list in Oklahoma transfer Jalen Hurts and Texas’ Sam Ehlinger. I left off Hurts because he is an unknown at the moment and can be revisited after the season. Ehlinger was left off because he isn’t an NFL prospect as of this moment.
Players 1-5
- 1. OC Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
- 2. WR Ceedee Lamb, Oklahoma
- 3. OT Lucas Niang, TCU
- 4. WR Jalen Reagor, TCU
- 5. RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State
Creed Humphrey is one of the best offensive linemen in America and should be a top-10 pick. Ceedee Lamb has been a star for the Sooners since he stepped on the field as a freshman and is a candidate to be the top wide receiver prospect in the entire class. I listed Niang as the best prospect on the TCU roster next to WR Jalen Reagor due to Niang’s pass protection chops.
Reagor is an electric playmaker in the mold of D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel and carried the TCU offense last season. Hubbard is a dynamic runner with elite athletic ability. Each of these players is a guy I would not be surprised to see land in the first round come the 2020 NFL Draft.
Players 6-13
- 6. TE Grant Calcaterra, Oklahoma
- 7. WR Denzel Mims, Baylor
- 8. S Brandon Jones, Texas
- 9. IDL Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
- 10. Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
- 11. OC Zach Shackelford, Texas
- 12. RB Sewo Olonilua, TCU
- 13. WR Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
This list of guys are players that I would not be surprised to see drafted in the first round, but still need some work to get there. Grant Calcaterra is an athletic mismatch tight end that the NFL will love. Denzel Mims is a budding star and far too disrespected nationally. Brandon Jones is a hard-hitting freak athlete that the NFL will fall in love with. Oklahoma’s Neville Gallimore and Kenneth Murray are gifted athletes who could be big-time under new DC Alex Grinch.
Shackelford is one of the best centers in the country and is an anchor for the Texas offense. Olonilua is a powerful churner at RB with surprising burst and elusiveness at 230 pounds and should be a force for TCU this year. Tylan Wallace is another stud receiver from Oklahoma State who is a contested-catch phenom and a surprisingly good route runner. All of these guys I’m firmly expecting will go before the 4th round. The Big 12 conference boasts some tremendous defensive talent as well and is starting to turn the corner on that side of the ball.
Players 14-20
- 14. CB Jeff Gladney, TCU
- 15. DE JaQuan Bailey, Iowa State
- 16. WR Devin Duvernay, Texas
- 17. RB Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma
- 18. WR T.J. Vasher, Texas Tech
- 19. RB Trey Sermon, Oklahoma
- 20. WR Collin Johnson, Texas
Jeff Gladney is reported to have run a 4.39 40 yard dash and his tape backs that up. He is one of the Big 12’s defensive players and a lockdown defender for the Horned Frogs. Jaquan Bailey is a phenomenal pass rusher and is third in the country in tackles for loss which I’m excited to take that next step as a senior. Devin Duvernay remains one of the most underrated players in CFB and should be a better pro than college player usage-wise.
Brooks and Sermon are an excellent complementary RB duo for the Sooners who would be a valuable addition to any running back committee in the NFL. Vasher is a raw player, but he’s a toolsy, athletic freak at 6’6 who hopefully develops under new HC Matt Wells. Collin Johnson is a big body athlete who excels in contested situations but not much else. I want to see him become a complete player before I move him higher.
These prospects are good players that will go Day 2-early Day 3 in the 2020 NFL Draft and will be a good value for the teams that draft them. The Big 12 churns out offensive talent every year, and this class is no different.
Players 21-25
- 21. CB Raleigh Texada, Baylor
- 22. OT Terence Steele, Texas Tech
- 23. OT Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
- 24. DB Bryce Torneden, Kansas
- 25. OT Scott Frantz, Kansas State
Raleigh Texada is another athletic coverage corner in the Big 12. He didn’t allow a single touchdown last season and led the Bears in INTs last season. He’s been timed at a 10.24 100m, and his track resume is impressive. Steele is an athletic tackle who has all the tools to succeed, and his coaches love him. Colton McKivitz is a better technician at tackle than former teammate and now New England Patriot Yodny Cajuste from the 2019 NFL Draft. He’ll be a nice player at the next level.
Bryce Torneden is a good ballhawk and could be the next DB to shine in the NFL from Kansas. Scott Frantz is a player I could see rise up above the number twenty-five spot as he’s got some great power in his frame. All of these players are guys I expect will be Day three picks but have serious upside to go higher than that come the 2020 NFL Draft. The Big 12 has a ridiculously deep draft class if these guys are at the bottom.
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