Fantasy football rookie rankings change a lot during the pre-draft process. Just two weeks ago, we released our pre-Combine rookie fantasy football rankings. That initial list gave us our bearings heading into the Combine, but after the festivities in Indy we now have more data points to incorporate.
While the on-field testing at the Combine doesn’t have a dramatic impact on rankings, we did move some players up and down based on what we saw.
[Editor's note: Get ready for the 2020 NFL Draft with PFF's 2020 NFL Draft Guide and PFF's 2020 NFL Draft Big Board.]
1. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin – Cemented himself as the top rookie in this year’s class after an impressive Combine performance.
2. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama – Averaged 17.2 yards per catch and 7.3 yards after catch in his three seasons at Alabama.
3. Ceedee Lamb, Oklahoma – Ranked fourth in the nation in yards per route run (3.99) this past season and finished his career north of 3.0 at 3.01.
4. D'Andre Swift, Georgia – Showed he could create after contact with an average of 3.83 yards after contact per attempt in his college career.
5. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State – Averaged 6.2 yards per carry and found the end zone a combined 43 times over the last three years.
6. Tee Higgins, Clemson – Over the course of his career, he saw an average depth of target of 16.11, which is one of the highest in this year’s class.
7. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU – Disappointing 40 time at the Combine, but forced 84 combined missed tackles and averaged a healthy 3.65 yards after contact per attempt in 2019.
- Sep 21, 2019; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) eludes Southern Miss Golden Eagles defensive back Ty Williams (7) and goes in for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
8. Henry Ruggs III, Alabama – Polarizing prospect but has a game tailor made for fantasy production in the NFL.
9. Cam Akers, Florida State – Stock is on the rise after a productive Combine.
10. Justin Jefferson, LSU – Caught 111 balls last season and ran in the low 4.4s at the Combine.
11. Zack Moss, Utah – The on-field production is impressive, but Moss’ pre-draft testing numbers don’t impress.
12. Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado – Had a career 3.25 yards per route but was targeted an average of just 9.5 yards from the line of scrimmage.
13. Jalen Reagor, TCU – Didn’t run as fast as we hoped at the Combine, but showed up absolutely jacked.
14. Joe Burrow, LSU – Burrow’s hand size got negative buzz at the Combine, but that didn’t seem to impact him last year.
15. Michael Pittman Jr., USC – Committed only five drops in his college career.
- Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver KJ Hamler (1) runs with the ball after a catch for a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
16. KJ Hamler, Penn State – Didn’t run at the Combine, so his pro day results will impact his fantasy stock.
17. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama – Threw a touchdown pass on 12.7% of his college throws, which actually trumps the 11.4% Burrow posted in 2019.
18. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State – He saw just 19 deep-ball targets but posted 384 yards on those targets (which ranked 38th in the nation).
19. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina – A four-year starter with 234 receptions in his college career.
20. AJ Dillon, Boston College – Massive and off-the-charts athletic. Dillon could make an instant impact.
21. Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt – Flashed upside in 2018 with 17 runs of 15-plus yards.
22. Adam Trautman, Dayton – Posted the second-highest single-season grade (94.2) among tight ends in the PFF era (the highest grade came from Dallas Goedert (94.9) in 2017).
23. Hunter Bryant, Washington – Despite the Evan Engram comps, Bryant ran a disappoint 40 at the Combine.
- Nov 23, 2019; Tempe, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert warms up prior to the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
24. Justin Herbert, Oregon – Tossed 95 touchdown throws and over 10,000 passing yards in four years at Oregon.
25. Denzel Mims, Baylor – Mims is screaming up the board after an impressive showing at the Combine.
26. Tyler Johnson, Minnesota – Excelled on contested balls with 39 catches on 76 career contested targets.
27. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame – He did very little in his first two seasons with the Irish, but Kmet posted a solid 43 catches for 515 yards and six scores in 2019.
28. Harrison Bryant, FAU – He ranked second to Adam Trautman in targets (94) and receptions (65) and led the nation's tight ends in receiving yards with 1,004.
29. Anthony McFarland Jr., Maryland – His numbers took a big hit last year, but don’t read too much into them. He battle a high-ankle sprain during the season.
30. Brycen Hopkins, Purdue – Over his college career, he averaged over 7.0 yards after catch per reception.
31. Jordan Love, Utah State – The 17 picks last season are concerning, but Love is one of the most buzzed about prospects outside of the top names.
32. Eno Benjamin, Arizona State – Was one of the most elusive backs in the nation in 2018 with 99 combined forced missed tackles.
33. Chase Claypool, Notre Dame – Forget the big slot comps. Claypool tested extremely well and improved his stock at the Combine.
34. Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty – Ranked third in the nation with 37 deep-ball targets last season.
35. Michael Warren II, Cincinnati – Last year, he proved especially elusive with 75 forced missed tackles as a runner to go along with 15 runs of 15-plus yards.
36. Lamical Perine, Florida – Forced just 31 missed tackles in 2019.
37. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma – Has the potential to be a Tyrod Taylor-like fantasy option if he’s given the opportunity to start.
38. Jacob Eason, Washington – Flashed a big arm last season, tying for 23rd in the nation in deep ball attempts with 70.
39. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri – He led all tight ends at the Combine in the 40-yard dash with an impressive 4.49.
- Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) signals at the line during the second quarter against the Baylor Bears at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
40. Jake Fromm, Georgia – Athletic limitations have Fromm moving down the board for fantasy purposes.
41. C.J. O'Grady, Arkansas – His 12 career touchdowns was more than fellow Razorback tight ends Hunter Henry and Jeremy Sprinkle.
42. Salvon Ahmed, Washington – His 3.47 yards after contact per attempt suggests he can create after contact, but his 57.8 elusive rating is one of the lowest in this year’s class.
43. DeeJay Dallas, Miami – Averaged a solid 5.8 yards per carry and 3.7 yards after contact per attempt over his career.
44. Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State – An explosive back who posted 22 runs of 15-plus yards in 2019.
45. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan – He improved his stock with an impressive Combine that included a massive 44.5-inch vertical jump.
46. Devin Duvernay, Texas – Forced 23 missed tackles in 2019.
47. Patrick Taylor Jr., Memphis – Isn’t the most elusive back with just 3.00 yards after contact per attempt over the last three seasons.
48. Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt – His breakout came two years ago in 2018 when he posted 50 catches for 770 yards and seven scores.
49. Anthony Gordon, Washington State – Put up 5,563 passing yards and 48 scores in the Air Raid offense last year.
50. Cole McDonald, Hawai'i – He threw for over 8,000 yards and 69 passing scores over the last two seasons in the Hawai’i run-and-shoot offense.
51. Thaddeus Moss, LSU – Don’t expect him to be heavily involved as a receiver at the pro level.
52. LeVante Bellamy, Western Michigan
53. Darius “Jet” Anderson, TCU
54. K.J. Hill, Ohio State – Ran a slow 4.60 at the Combine.
55. Steven Montez, Colorado
56. Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky
57. Omar Bayless, Arkansas State
58. Antonio Gibson, Memphis
59. Raymond Calais, Louisiana-Lafayette – Flashed major speed at the Combine but lacks size.
60. Colby Parkinson, Stanford
61. Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State
62. Javon Leake, Maryland
63. J.J. Taylor, Arizona
64. Joshua Kelley, UCLA
65. Gabriel Davis, UCF
66. Devin Asiasi, UCLA
67. Charlie Taumoepeau, Portland State
68. James Robinson, Illinois State – Impressed at the Combine. Robinson is a deeper name to know.
69. Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin
70. James Proche, SMU
71. Quartney Davis, Texas A&M
72. JaMycal Hasty, Baylor
73. Shea Patterson, Michigan
74. John Hightower, Boise State
75. Van Jefferson, Florida
76. Collin Johnson, Texas
77. Jauan Jennings, Tennessee
78. Jacob Breeland, Oregon
79. Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame
80. Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt.
81. Cody White, Michigan State
82. Aaron Fuller, Washington
83. Nate Stanley, Iowa
84. Benny LeMay, UNC-Charlotte – A rough Combine performance tanked LeMay’s fantasy stock.
85. Marquez Callaway, Tennessee
86. Stephen Sullivan, LSU
87. Josiah Deguara, Cincinnati
88. Darrell Stewart, Michigan State
89. Binjimen Victor, Ohio State
90. Aaron Paker, Rhode Island
91. Joe Reed, Virginia
92. Scottie Phillips, Ole Miss
93. Stephen Guidry, Mississippi State
94. Isaiah Coulter, Rhode Island
95. Austin Mack, Ohio State
96. Mitchell Wilcox, South Florida
97. Sewo Olonilua, TCU
98. Quez Watkins, Mississippi State
99. Darnell Mooney, Tulane
100. Sean McKeon, Michigan
101. Rico Dowdle, South Carolina
102. Malcolm Perry, Navy
103. Kendrick Rogers, Texas A&M
104. Juwan Johnson, Oregon
105. K.J. Osborn, Miami
106. Lawrence Cager, Georgia
107. Tyrie Cleveland, Florida
108. Brian Herrien, Georgia
109. Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech
110. Dominick Wood-Anderson, Tennessee
111. Brian Lewerke, Michigan State
112. Kelly Bryant, Missouri
113. Reggie Corbin, Illinois
114. Trishton Jackson, Syracuse
115. Jeff Thomas, Miami
116. Chris Finke, Notre Dame
117. Joey Magnifico, Memphis
118. Tyler Huntley, Utah
119. Josh Love, San Jose State
120. Kevin Davidson, Princeton
121. Dezmon Patmon, Washington State
122. Charlie Woerner, Georgia
123. Jake Luton, Oregon State
124. James Morgan, Florida International
125. Kyle Markway, South Carolina
126. Freddie Swain, Florida
127. Mason Fine, North Texas
128. Tony Brown, Colorado
129. Ty'Son Williams, BYU
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.