To get a glimpse of the 2020 NFL season, we asked over 50 leaders, coaches, scouts and league players to help us stack the top 10 players in 11 different 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:
This week: ends tight (July 7); quarters (July 8); running backs (July 9); wide receivers (July 10); offensive tackles (July 11)
Next week: 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)
When looking back, youth may count more than any other position. Eight of the game’s first tailbacks are 24 or younger, cutting and slicing their way to a big contract before the legs are gone.
The best runners in the game can be separated into levels, each with incredibly close arguments for who is the best. The top three – Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott – traded 1-2-3 points throughout the process.
The next level included an Alvin Kamara-Derrick Henry tale from the gang that was juicy for his different styles. Towards the rear, an aging rusher is trying to find his place against more explosive players.
Here, league leaders, coaches and players try to separate fact from fiction, which results in some major surprises along the way.
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