2020 Positional Rankings: Chris and Invictus react to each other’s offensive rankings

A week from now we will be talking about the offensive line and tight end performances from the first day (night) of the 2020 NFL Scouting combine. We will likely be talking about which of the top offensive tackles solidified themselves at the top of the positional rankings and which one the New York Giants should draft. We’ll also looking ahead to when the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs take the field on Friday.

So before the Combine comes along and potentially reshuffles the big board, we thought it would be a good time to compare our respective positional rankings as they stand right now.

(A note from Chris: I cannot express just how thrilled I am to welcome a former contributor back to the front page of BBV. For those of you newer to the site, Invictus is a LONG TIME member of the BBV family. He and I joined the BBV staff at the same time way the hell back in 2013 and I’m proud to call him a friend. Welcome back, bud!)

Quarterback

Invictus

1) Joe Burrow
2) Tua Tagovailoa
3) Justin Herbert
4) Jalen Hurts
5) Jordan Love

Chris’ reaction: Can’t say I have any big disagreements here. I’m particularly glad to see Jalen Hurts get some love here, because coaches are going to love his character and athleticism. Some head coach and GM is going to fall for Jordan Love, so I would not be surprised to see him be one of the first five quarterbacks drafted.

Chris

1) Joe Burrow
2) Tua Tagovailoa
3) Justin Herbert
4) Jalen Hurts
5) Jake Fromm

Invictus’ reaction: For your quarterbacks, they are quite similar. I actually have Love and Fromm ranked pretty closely. Fromm was one of my top 3 QBs to start the year but as meteoric Joe Burrow’s rise was, the opposite was true of Fromm’s stock. His arm strength and ability to make big time throws is merely “OK” relative to the others on this list, and for me, Love’s upside won out.

Offensive Tackle

Invictus

1) Andrew Thomas
2) Jedrick Wills
3) Mekhi Becton
4) Tristan Wirfs
5) Josh Jones

Chris’ reaction: I’m a bit surprised to see Becton over Wirfs before the Combine, but I also can’t say that I’d be surprised to see him up there after the Combine. Jones is definitely a player to watch going forward. He should have a good day, but he could be a polarizing prospect too.

Chris

1) Jedrick Wills
2) Andrew Thomas
3) Tristan Wirfs
4) Mekhi Becton
5) Lucas Niang

Invictus’ reaction: As far as offensive tackles go, if you need one...or two...or three, this is the draft to do it. At the top, I have no problem with you placing Wills first. I, myself, was splitting hairs when looking at Wills and Thomas. In my eyes, Thomas is near perfect as a run blocker and Wills is near perfect as a pass blocker. What had me rank Thomas higher is that Thomas is damn good as a pass blocker too, and he’s only got a few technical flaws that can be fixed before being *really good* in that respect.

Guard

Invictus

1) Netane Muti
2) Shane Lemeiux
3) Damien Lewis
4) Ben Bredeson
5) Solomon Kindley

Chris’ reaction: I really like Muti on the field, but I can’t get behind him as the top guard simply because he’s so rarely on the field. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have many issues if things worked out like this.

Chris

1) Shane Lemeiux
2) Damien Lewis
3) Robert Hunt
4) Ben Bredeson
5) Netane Muti

Invictus’ reaction: Our biggest difference appears to be at guard. I’ll be honest, I don’t like this guard class at all. Muti is my top guy because of his athleticism and effort, but I’ll be honest, I can’t get on you too much for like Lemeiux, who is an underrated player in his own right.

Center

Invictus

1) Cesar Ruiz
2) Tyler Biadasz
3) Lloyd Cushenberry
4) Nick Harris
5) Matt Hennessey

Chris’ reaction: This is going to be a fascinating depth chart to see shake out. Harris and Biadasz came into the season battling to be the top of the heap. They haven’t had the seasons expected and Harris hasn’t had a great draft process.

Chris

1) Lloyd Cushenberry III
2) Tyler Biadasz
3) Cesar Ruiz
4) Nick Harris
5) Matt Hennessey

Invictus’ reaction: At center, we’ve swapped Ruiz and Cushenberry. I can’t seem to find much fault in Ruiz’s game. He plays with aggressiveness and effort. Very good zone blocker. Probably not as strong as some of the other centers but he’s a first rounder in my book. Cushenberry had an up and down Senior Bowl in my eyes. Biadasz probably can’t justify staying at No. 2 after a regression this year but I’ve got him there simply because of his upside and technique.

Wide Receiver

Invictus

1) Jerry Jeudy
2) CeeDee Lamb
3) Laviska Shenault Jr.
4) Henry Ruggs
5) Tee Higgins

Chris’ reaction: I think you could make an argument for either Lamb or Jeudy to be the top receiver. Ruggs and Shenault are going to blow up the Combine. Who rounds out the top five is going to be one of the things to watch over the coming weeks.

Chris

1) CeeDee Lamb
2) Jerry Jeudy
3) Laviska Shenault
4) Henry Ruggs III
5) Justin Jefferson

Invictus’ reaction: I also cant find much fault in your skill position rankings. I think you can justify CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy as your No. 1. I see a bit of Odell in Jeudy’s game, especially with his footwork and stop/start ability. Meanwhile, Lamb is basically Nuk Hopkins, so pick your player. I’m glad to see both of us placed Laviska Shenault over Henry Ruggs. Throughout this process, Shenault has been criminally underrated whilst Ruggs has been overrated and no doubt will continue to be overrated once the combine is done. Don’t get me wrong, both are first round caliber players, but I just see a little too much Tavon Austin/John Ross in Ruggs’ game. Shenault plays like a prototype X.

Tight End

Invictus

1) Hunter Bryant
2) Cole Kmet
3) Brycen Hopkins
4) Thaddeus Moss
5) Albert Okwuegbunam

Chris’ reaction: I think the main takeaway here is that this is not a good year to need a tight end. I think we could, probably even “should” see these more athletic tight ends going higher than the less-athletic blocking tight ends. Teams will probably be looking for the next Travis Kelce or George Kittle.

Chris

1) Adam Trautman
2) Cole Kmet
3) Brycen Hopkins
4) Hunter Bryant
5) Thaddeus Moss

Running Back

Invictus

1) D’Andre Swift
2) J.K. Dobbins
3) Jonathan Taylor
4) Clyde Edwards-Helaire
5) Zack Moss

Chris’ reaction: Yeah, I don’t have any problems here and I can’t make any criticisms. This class has some good running backs, and I like all of these guys.

Chris

1) D’Andre Swift
2) J.K. Dobbins
3) Jonathan Taylor
4) Clyde Edwards-Helaire
5) James Robinson

Invictus’ reaction: Finally, the only other thing I’d want to address is your omission of Zack Moss. I know you’re not a huge fan, but c’mon now! Look at that contact balance! He looks a bit like David Wilson with the way he bounces off tackles and can stay on his feet. Similar to David Wilson, he’s got those smooth change of direction abilities. The only reason he’s not higher on my list is that lack of breakaway speed which is definitely really important.