41. Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson — A.J. Green
Among all receivers in the 2020 draft class — and it’s certainly a loaded group — Higgins has proven to be one of the best deep receivers, and he has no equal as a contested catch receiver. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Higgins also has a freaky catch radius that brings A.J. Green to mind — especially at his peak, when Green was bringing in all of Andy Dalton’s errant fastballs.
42. A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson — Darius Slay
It’s unfortunate that Terrell is remembered mostly for the nightmare game he had against LSU in Clemson’s national championship loss, when Tigers receiver Ja’Marr Chase demolished him, and he allowed five catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. In truth, Chase ate up just about every cornerback he faced last season, and outside of that game, Terrell showed an aggressive style and positive catch removal plan that brings Slay to mind.
43. Clyde Edwards-Helaire — Ray Rice
First, we’ll have to set Rice’s off-field stuff aside for just a second. Edwards-Helaire compares to Rice on the field only, and he does so because he is able to do all the things Rice was able to do for a while in a relatively small package. Not only can Edwards-Helaire run power impressively for his size (5-foot-8, 207 pounds), but he’s also a good receiver, and he’s been working on his blocking with LSU coach (and former Patriots stalwart) Kevin Faulk. He’s an ideal complement to a complex offense in which the running backs are asked to do many things.
44. Cesar Ruiz, IOL, Michigan — Maurkice Pouncey
It’s a relatively weak class for interior offensive linemen, but there’s no way you can watch Ruiz’s tape and leave him off any top 50 list. The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Ruiz is as flawless and plug-and-play as any center or guard you’ll see in this class. The Steelers took Pouncey in the first round of the 2010 draft in part because he also was impressively free of flaws, and was thus able to have a positive effect right away at a very tough position.
45. Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia — Trent Brown
At the scouting combine, the 6-foot-6, 350-pound Wilson said that veteran tackle Trent Brown was the main guy he watched, citing Brown’s “vicious punch.” It’s an apt comparison for the power tackle. Selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the 49ers, the 6-foot-8, 355-pound Brown overcame concerns about his size/agility mix and lack of collegiate experience to become a solid player for the 49ers (2017), Patriots (2018), and Raiders (2019) in consecutive seasons.
46. Jordan Elliott, DL, Missouri — Jurrell Casey
The Titans took Casey out of USC in the third round of the 2011 draft, and over time, he became one of the NFL’s best and most underrated multi-gap ends — able to rush with authority from nose tackle to end. At 6-foot-4 and 302 pounds, and with estimable quickness for his size, Elliott has already proven at the collegiate level that he can win up and down the line.
47. Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor — Josh Gordon
With a background in basketball and track, it’s no surprise that Mims shows the ability to run past defensive backs and make impressive vertical catches. He needs work to bring a more consistent catch rate to the field, and his route tree is limited at best, but he brings Gordon to mind — another Baylor receiver who made the NFL his own personal playground for a while before substance abuse issues derailed his career. Mims, with no such issues, could be a remarkable investment over time.
48. Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne — Kam Chancellor
Dugger got no offers from major programs and took the one offer he got, from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. Over five seasons, he totaled 237 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, 36 passes defensed, and 10 interceptions — mostly against schools like St. Augustine’s, Tusculum, Mars Hill, Limestone, and Catawba. He showed up nicely at the Senior Bowl to prove his edge against better competition.
Dugger has more range than Chancellor did — there were those who thought Chancellor should be a linebacker when he came out of Virginia Tech. But Chancellor landed in the perfect spot — Pete Carroll’s Cover-1/Cover-3 defense — and became the Legion of Boom’s shot-caller and enforcer. Dugger shows the same toughness and competitive temperament. It will be fascinating to see how he adapts to the NFL, but the building blocks are certainly there.
49. Willie Gay Jr., LB, Mississippi State — Cory Littleton
Off-field issues and team suspensions will have NFL teams looking twice when going beyond Gay’s tape, but on the field, he’s one of the ideal sideline-to-sideline linebackers, just as adept when in coverage as he is when he’s asked to chase down a running back. Littleton, an undrafted free agent in 2016, turned his own athleticism into Pro Bowl-level talent with the Rams, and a three-year, $35.25 million contract with the Raiders this offseason.
50. Jordan Love, QB, Utah State — Jay Cutler
At the scouting combine, Love referred to the 17 interceptions he threw in the 2019 season as “17 learning moments.” Love also said that “I’m going to be me,” which spoke more to his personal being when interviewing with NFL teams, but it could also describe his mentality as a very talented, but raw, thrower of the football who will try to make plays with his arm that the rest of the NFL might be very eager to exploit. Through Jay Cutler’s NFL career, that was always his primary negative issue — his belief in his prodigious talent had him making enough ill-advised throws to be a reliable frustration. We’ll have to wait and see how much Love learns from those “learning moments.”