To preview the 2020 NFL season, we asked over 50 leaders, coaches, scouts and league players to help us stack the top 10 players in 11 positions (sorry, special teams). The results may surprise you. They surprised me.
Here’s how it worked: the voters gave their best 10 to 15 players to a position, and then we compiled the results and ranked the candidates based on the number of votes in the top 10, the composite average, interviews and the research. We had several links, so we broke them by isolating the meeting for two with additional votes and follow-up calls. Each section is filled with voter quotes and nuggets about every guy – even honorable mentions.
The goal is to identify the best players right now for 2020. It is not a five-year projection or a success prize. Who is the best today? Simple enough.
We will deploy one position per day over the next 11 days. Here is the schedule:
Week 1: ends tight (July 7); quarters (July 8); running backs (July 9); wide receivers (July 10); offensive tackles (July 11)
Week 2: domestic offensive linemen (July 12); Edge Defenders (July 13); interior defensive linemen (July 14); off-line linebackers (July 15); half corner (July 16); security (July 17)
The home defensive line – which was essentially a run for second place, thanks to Aaron Donald – was complicated by age. Several players over 30 still play at a high level, leaving little room for newcomers.
We have tried to separate players who live off rep (not a lot) from those who properly repel the rest of the competition (a lot).
Place # 2 required a tiebreaker. Place n ° 10 also required one. And somewhere in the middle is one of the biggest superstars in the game who desperately wants to shake off sustainability issues. This classification includes all defensive tackles, as well as the defensive ends in a 3-4 line-up.
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