By Jack McNicholas

February 21, 2020

#5 Tee Higgins, Clemson 

Higgins is no stranger to winning. Being apart of the Clemson team that won the College Football National Championship. His height creates a mirage or sorts that he is not a speed based receiver. His footwork and body control put him as the number five receiver on my list. Trevor Lawrence throws a great football as we all know. When the pass is short or even risky as it is thrown into tough coverage Higgins is there with his 6’4 frame to come down with the difficult catches. Higgins will drop because this class of receivers could be the best since the star studded 2014 class. Higgins will find his way onto a team that will use him properly. I see a lot of Alshon Jeffery in him. A goal line threat that has great route running ability. He could slip to the top of the second but if there is a high demand for recievers in the first round expect to hear Higgins name called on day one. As his 25 touchdowns in the past two years are impressive. On top of 118 receptions which resulted in 1167 yards this season. Higgins is my number five but could be a team’s future number one. 

#4 Laviska Shenault, University of Colorado 

Laviska Shenault is an offensive Swiss-army knife that can break tackles and lines up all over the field. I haven’t seen a mock draft yet where he is going outside of the first round. There are many teams that could utilize him to his top potential. His receptions and touchdowns took a dip from his sophomore year to his junior year but he has had games where he was the star. His 6’2 frame he is built like a running back. Shows a high evidence of burst to use his speed to break for big runs where he also has matured in his routes over the past year. I believe he will fall to the bottom of the first round but could see the Buffalo Bills or the Denver Broncos being a team where he would plug right into their offense. 

#3 Henry Ruggs III, Alabama 

We saw in Super Bowl 54 in which the Chief utilized the speed of Tyreek Hill to get him open and make big plays, he was doing it all season. Ruggs III has been compared by many analyst to Tyreek Hill due to his frame and incredible speed. In a game this past season Ruggs III was running at a speed clocked at 23.4 MPH. This could be a plug and play receiver into any offense that needs someone who can get a lot of yards after catch as well as the deep ball. Ruggs is impressive as some short receivers would be placed in the slot but Henry Ruggs III does not shy away from the outside he can matchup with anyone. Teams will be very interested to see if he runs a low 4.3 high 4.2 in the combine. Alabama had some of the best receiving and quarterback talent this year and Ruggs found a way to make a true name for himself this season and could find his way as high as the top 15.

#2 CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma  

My second top ranked receiver heading into the combine for the 2020 NFL draft is Oklahoma Sooners Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb. I have seen CeeDee Lamb play the past three seasons in college football but he has had some great quarterbacks throwing the ball to him. Both in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). Who was number one picks in their respective classes and Heisman winners. He had senior transfer Jalen Hurts throwing him the ball in what was his most successful campaign yet. This year his 21. Yards per catch have been the most eye popping stat. In his three years he caught 173 catches for 3292. Lamb stretches the field using the different tools he possesses to make himself successful. 

#1: Jerry Jeudy, University of Alabama

Jerry Jeudy has at this point in the year solidified himself over CeeDee Lamb in my rankings. He is in line to follow in the footsteps of recent NFL star receivers such as Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley. His route running is superb, his ability to create space against some of the best competition (SEC) in college football. It may seem like a tough task to be the top receiver when Alabama has one of the best receiving cores this past season that college football has ever seen. Jeudy has the speed, hands and ability to play all over the field. Tua’s favorite target in this crowded receiving corp, 145 catches over the past two seasons as a full starter for the Crimson Tide. 2478 yards to go along with those grabs and 24 touchdowns. This could be one of the best receiving classes in years and Jerry Jeudy sits on top of the ranking going into the 2020 NFL Draft.