Justin Herbert and the 5 most overrated players in the 2020 NFL Draft

2. Brandon Aiyuk, Wide Receiver, Arizona State

One of the more baffling ‘risers’ on draft boards of late is Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk is a 6-foot-0, 200-pound wideout with 4.5, 40-yard dash speed and no ‘above-average’ traits.

He does stand out in 2019 film, though. He flashes big playmaking ability and extreme downfield potential…against Pac 12 opposition. Teams will look at his film, and his 18.7 yards per catch average in 2019, and be excited about his potential as an outside receiver in the NFL.

But, everything you need to know about Aiyuk likes in the fact it was only this year when the former Sun Devil started to break out as a legitimate NFL prospect. That was the result of former teammate N’Keal Harry being drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft by the New England Patriots.

Harry was injured much of 2019 but managed only 12 receptions in seven games for New England. As a first round pick. For a team with a Hall of Fame quarterback and a desperate need at wide receiver. Harry overshadowed Aiyuk for years at Arizona State, but now we’re supposed to believe all of a sudden Aiyuk has surpassed him?

This is most baffling because of the prognosticated depth of the 2020 receiving class. It does not make sense that Aiyuk could find himself as the fifth receiver taken in a draft this deep. And yet, several analysts have made that projection.

Because of draft boards and the perceived depth of this class, Aiyuk is likely to be taken by the end of the draft’s second round. Seemingly inevitably, the team that takes him will get fourth or fifth round production out of him and wonder where it all went wrong. This one is almost too easy to see.