Who are the top 10 players from the 2020 NFL Draft?

You can typically gauge how a player’s NFL career will shape out after five seasons. By then, most players have either signed their second contracts with the team that drafted them, scored a deal in free-agency or moved on via trade, or flamed out of the league entirely.

As the 2020 NFL Draft is five years old, several players from that class have left their mark on the NFL already. That class produced arguably the strongest group of quarterbacks in recent memory. It also gave us a pair of receivers who might be on the fast track to the Hall of Fame, while several other defensive players from that draft class have turned into stars.

Five years later, let’s rank the 10 best players in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

10 best players from 2020 NFL Draft

Unlike most of the other players you’ll see on this list, Madubuike wasn’t a star or even a major contributor for the Ravens right away. The third-round pick only had 8.5 sacks through his first three seasons, playing in roughly half of Baltimore’s defensive snaps over that time. But he broke out in 2023, recording 56 total tackles and 13 sacks to go with 65 pressures (fourth-most among all defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus). Madubuike earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for his play that season. He also received a four-year, $98 million deal following that season, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackles. Madubuike had another strong year in 2024, recording 43 total tackles, 6.5 sacks and 56 pressures (fourth-most among all defensive linemen, per PFF).

Following a strong college career at Wisconsin, Taylor has continued to run with the same force in the NFL. He’s rushed for at least 1,100 yards in three of his first five seasons and, in the two years he didn’t reach that threshold, he missed time due to injury. Following a strong rookie season (1,169 rushing yards, five yards per carry, 11 rushing touchdowns), Taylor made a strong case for Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. He rushed for 1,811 yards on 5.5 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns that year, finishing second in Offensive Player of the Year voting as he nearly dragged the Colts into the playoffs. Taylor bounced back in 2024 after two injury-riddled campaigns in 2022 and 2023, rushing for 1,431 yards on 4.7 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns to earn his second Pro Bowl nod.

Like father, like son, the younger Winfield has emerged as a top defensive back in the NFL. A second-round pick in 2020, he immediately contributed to the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning team that season. Winfield had 94 total tackles and an interception during the regular season that year, before recording an interception in Super Bowl LV that helped the Buccaneers separate themselves from the Kansas City Chiefs. While Tampa Bay hasn’t won a Super Bowl since, Winfield is a big reason why the Buccaneers have won four straight NFC South titles. He was arguably the game’s best safety in 2023, recording 122 total tackles and a league-leading six forced fumbles to be named first-team All-Pro. 

Love has only been a starter for two years, but it’s not difficult to see that he’s the Packers’ next franchise quarterback. He’s led Green Bay to the playoffs in both of the years he’s been its starting quarterback, throwing for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2023. His numbers took a slight dip in 2024, partly due to injury, but he was still effective (3,389 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions). He’s also found success with a less-than-stellar wide receiver corps as he’s yet to have a 1,000-yard receiver. So, even though Love might not have a track record of success as long as some of his draft peers, the early returns are pretty impressive. 

Lamb has inserted himself into the debate for the title of the NFL’s best wide receiver over the last couple of years. The last time his starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, was healthy, Lamb was arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver. He led the league in receptions (135), was second in receiving yards (1,749) and third in receiving touchdowns (12) in 2023. He was also pretty productive when he was catching passes from backup quarterbacks for half of the season in 2024, recording 101 receptions for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns. Lamb has recorded at least 900 receiving yards and five touchdowns in each of his first five seasons in the league. 

Jefferson has been a star since he made his debut in 2020, immediately setting records as a rookie. At the time, his 1,400 receiving yards were the most ever by a rookie, with former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase breaking that record a year later. But Jefferson still holds some records as he’s currently the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards per game (96.5) over his career. He holds that record, in large part, thanks to a strong year in 2022, when he led the NFL in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,804) en route to winning Offensive Player of the Year. Jefferson had another strong year in 2024, recording 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns to earn his second first-team All-Pro nod (fourth total) and fourth Pro Bowl honors.

Just like Winfield, Wirfs immediately contributed to the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning squad in 2020. He played right tackle that season, allowing just one sack all year. He continued to play at a high level over the next two seasons, giving up six sacks over that time. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2021 and second-team All-Pro in 2022. Wirfs moved from right tackle to left tackle in 2023, providing Baker Mayfield with the same level of protection that he did for Tom Brady. He didn’t allow a single sack in 2024, earning first-team All-Pro honors for the second time and a Pro Bowl nod for the fourth time in his career. He is the only player ever to be named a firs-team All-Pro at both left and right tackle, and is also the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history— with his contract exceeding $140 million. 

Just like many others on this list, Herbert produced right away as a rookie. He threw for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions that year, with his passing touchdowns and completions (396) still being the most ever for a rookie. Even though Herbert’s played for an up-and-down Chargers team, he’s continued to play at a high level since his rookie year. He was second in passing yards (5,014) and passing touchdowns in 2021 (38). Herbert’s volume stats took a little bit of a dip in 2024, but he was in the top 10 in passer rating for the first time in his career. He was also in the top 10 in yards per attempt, throwing the ball efficiently under Greg Roman’s run-heavy offense to help Los Angeles get back to the playoffs.

Hurts didn’t become the Eagles’ full-time starting quarterback until his second season, but since then, he’s helped Philadelphia reach the playoffs on an annual basis. He made a case to be the game’s most versatile quarterback in his second season as a starter in 2022, throwing for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns to finish second in MVP voting. He also led the Eagles to the Super Bowl that same season, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. After leading Philadelphia back to the playoffs in 2023, Hurts avenged his Super Bowl loss in 2024. Following another strong regular season, Hurts scored 10 total touchdowns in the playoffs and won Super Bowl LIX MVP in the Eagles’ win over the Chiefs. 

It takes a lot to be listed ahead of a Super Bowl MVP, but Burrow has done a lot in his career. The two-time Pro Bowler has statistically been one of the best passers in each of the three years he’s finished a season healthy. He’s placed in the top six in passing yards three times, including leading the league in passing in 2024, and has placed in the top eight in pass touchdowns three times, highlighted by a league-leading 43 touchdowns in 2024. While Burrow hasn’t reached the postseason heights that Hurts has, he did surprisingly quarterback the Bengals to a Super Bowl in his second season in 2021. He became the second quarterback to beat Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game that year, joining Brady. So, Burrow has certainly shown the upside that he can be a quarterback for a championship-contender while putting up the stats of an elite quarterback, making him the surefire No. 1 player on this list. 

Honorable mention 

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