4 takeaways from Mel Kiper’s updated 2020 NFL Draft Big Board

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. published his updated 2020 NFL draft Big Board Wednesday and there were quite a few changes since his initial top 25 was released a few months ago.

Most of the NFL draft conversation has been dominated by two quarterbacks: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert. And while there’s a very good chance one of them will be the first overall pick next April, neither blue-chip passer ranked first on Kiper’s list.

Instead, it was a player who’ll be catching passes in the NFL next season.

Here are five takeaways from Kiper’s preseason draft board.

Jerry Jeudy is a consensus stud

It doesn’t take much film study to understand just how dominant Jeudy is as a collegiate wide receiver. His elite route-running and body control are what separates him from the rest of the country’s pass-catchers, and while his straight-line speed may not rank among the top two or three fastest in the nation, he has game-changing and field-flipping ability that NFL teams will line up for at the top of the first round.

He’s Kiper’s No. 1 player, something that appears to be a common thread among draft analysts entering the 2019 college season.

Is Tee Higgins being overlooked?

The 2020 NFL draft is loaded at wide receiver. It will be one of the deepest, if not the deepest positions in the entire draft with as many as seven prospects garnering first-round hype. But rarely is Clemson’s Higgins mentioned as one of the first two or three receivers when next year’s class is discussed. That conversation is reserved for Jeudy, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Colorado’s Laviska Shenault.

According to Kiper’s board, Higgins is the second-best receiver in the land right now. And it doesn’t stop there; Higgins is the 10th-best prospect in the opinion of the longtime draft guru.

I can’t say I agree with Kiper’s take. Higgins, while certainly appealing as a long and rangy target, doesn’t quite have the juice that suggests he’ll be an elite player on the next level, let alone a top-10 prospect.

Is next year’s OT class terribly underrated?

It’s almost as important to NFL teams to have quality offensive tackle prospects available in an NFL draft as it is to have a blue-chip QB or two. We know next year’s draft will have some intriguing passers, but the offensive tackle class isn’t far behind.

Kiper currently has three ranked in his top 15: Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs and Stanford’s Walker Little.

Thomas is the best of the bunch with Wirfs not far behind. Little feels like a bit of a stretch ranked No. 15 overall. He needs significant improvement in 2019 before he can be labeled as a surefire first-round pick. Right now, he grades more as a Day-2 guy for me.

And about those QBs…

Tua Tagovailoa is the odds-on favorite to be the first overall pick and Justin Herbert won’t wait long after that to hear his name called. But neither is among the top-three prospects according to Kiper.

Tagovailoa checks-in at No. 4 while Herbert is eighth-best. The next quarterback to appear on his big board is Georgia’s Jake Fromm, who brings up the rear at No. 25.

I think Fromm’s ranking is a bit generous. If he’s considered the 25th-best player in the country, then he’ll be a surefire top-15 pick next April. And I don’t see any way that happens. Fromm is a solid prospect who has some starter’s traits, but his arm strength isn’t on the level of what’s expected from first-rounders. It doesn’t mean he can’t be a strong Day-2 pick and win a starting job early in his career, but the draft investment won’t match Kiper’s ranking.