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)
Finding good offensive tackles is not as simple as dropping bags or committing penalties. There is the context of calls, pre-snap protections, elite quarters that can escape traffic, patterns that mask blocking deficiencies. There is good pressure and bad pressure, five blockers who have to work in unison.
The really good ones stand out. That’s why a 38-year-old free agent (Jason Peters) got the No. 1 vote from a veteran pass out of pure respect.
Other renowned players in this position have not yet lost their fastball, preventing ascending players from taking their place.
We asked leaders, coaches and players from across the league to fix everything.
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