2020 NFL Draft: Ranking the 13 blue-chip prospects available

The 2020 NFL Draft features dozens of talented players, but these 13 blue-chip prospects stand head and shoulders above the rest.

The way things stand, the 2020 NFL Draft should set a high standard for college prospects later in the decade. This incredible class boats superb depth at the wide receiver, offensive tackle, and defensive tackle positions. Assuming experts’ projections hold true, it could be five years before we see another draft class like this one.

Every draft class possesses layers or points where the level of talent begins to drop off. The top layer contains what scouts refer to as blue-chip players. They stand out atop red-chip prospects, who make up most of the upper to middle rounds of the draft. Every draft generally contains ten to fifteen blue-chip prospects.

Not all blue-chip prospects turn into first round picks. For instance, NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks tagged Washington safety Taylor Rapp as one of his top prospects in 2019. Rapp didn’t hear his name called until the second round. However, Brooks also highlighted Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins as one of his top players. Not all blue-chip prospects turn into stars. The labeling system is prone to producing busts, just like any other draft big board.

By my count, the 2020 NFL Draft contains 13 blue-chip prospects. We’ll get to those players in a minute, but I wanted to begin by acknowledging some honorable mentions.

Georgia’s Andrew Thomas played a significant role in D’Andre Swift‘s success. He should hear his name called in the top 15 selections. Safeties Grant Delpit and Xavier McKinney also almost cracked the blue-chip level. Regardless of concerns about either player, the top two safeties in the draft could become Pro Bowlers within their first three years in the NFL.

But they aren’t the focus today. Instead, we’re looking at the 13 blue-chip prospects available in the 2020 NFL Draft and what they bring to the table.