Inter-Class Rankings: Combining the 2019 to 2021 NFL Draft Classes

Has it really been over a year since the first edition of this article ran?  The class of 2020 has been everything we had hoped for, with future stars landing in some excellent spots.  Despite the strength of the 2020 class, some of the potential 2020 stars decided to return to school and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.

The exercise of inter-class rankings is an important one that I think more dynasty owners should try their hand at inter-class rankings.  Why?  I do this exercise every year to see what is the true value of my rookie picks.  As your rookie drafts approach, the value of that year’s rookie picks increase, and reach their max value when you are on the clock.

Should you take the best available player every year?  Or should you trade that current year’s pick to next year?  I dug out my old notebooks and found my rankings for 2019 and 2020, and for the first time, I am publishing my 2021 rankings. Take a look at my inter-class rankings from 2019, 2020, and 2021 classes.

Looking Back At My 2019 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Kyler Murray
2. Dwayne Haskins
3. Daniel Jones
4. Drew Lock
5. Will Grier

Kyler Murray looks like a home run, but with hindsight being 20/20, I should have leaned on Daniel Jones’ athleticism a bit more, instead of the raw numbers and ability of Dwayne Haskins.  Drew Lock flashed last season and has a chance to explode in 2020 with the weapons in Denver.  If I could make this list again, Gardner Minshew II would be the QB5.

Running Backs

1. Josh Jacobs
2. David Montgomery
3. Miles Sanders
4. Darrell Henderson
5. Damien Harris

Josh Jacobs looks the part of a bell cow, but will the Raiders utilize him in the passing game? Montgomery should see the volume, but abysmal QB play has doomed the Bears back. Miles Sanders is the hottest name in dynasty right now, but I would still prefer Josh Jacobs to Sanders. Henderson and Harris both saw extremely limited touches in 2019, and outside of the top three, this class appears to be nothing more than handcuffs (Tony Pollard, Benny Snell Jr).  Although I believe Devin Singletary can be the lead back in Buffalo.

Wide receivers

1. N’Keal Harry
2. Deebo Samuel
3. A.J. Brown
4. D.K. Metcalf
5. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

I fell in love with the idea that Harry would be able to provide some red-zone ability for the Patriots, but he seemed to fall out of favor with Tom Brady and missed most of the year with an injury.

Samuel continued his playstyle from South Carolina with the 49ers and was an exciting player.  His recent foot injury is scary, but Deebo appears to be a fixture for dynasty owners for years.

A.J. Brown landed in a “bad spot.”  Foolish of me to weigh his situation over his talent.  Can Brown replicate his 2019 stats with limited receptions?  Metcalf grew as a receiver in 2019 and proved me wrong with just how good he is at what he does well: being the most fascinating physical specimen on the field.  JJAW has a lot to prove in 2020, and the Eagles added Jalen Reagor in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Notable snubs: Terry McLaurin (although I was a big proponent of snagging him in the late second round of your rookie drafts), Preston Williams (the undrafted player with character red flags appears to have straightened out his priorities), and Mecole Hardman (very raw, great team, great QB, great coach).

Tight end

1. T.J. Hockenson
2. Noah Fant
3. Irv Smith, Jr.
4. Jace Sternberger
5. Josh Oliver

Hockenson dealt with the loss of his starting QB and injury. However, in 13 games played, he put up similar numbers to Tony Gonzalez’s rookie year. I am not worried about Hockenson at all.

Fant was a great addition to the Broncos offense but is now facing competition from 2020 first-round pick Jerry Jeudy, 2020 second-round pick K.J. Hamler, free agent signing Melvin Gordon, and 2020 fourth-round pick Albert Okwuegbunam.

Smith, Jr. is a player who should benefit from the departure of Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph aging, but the Vikings selected Justin Jefferson, a premier slot player in the 2020 NFL Draft first round.  The rest of this class is still a bunch of unknown entities, but keep an eye on Sternberger, Dawson Knox, and Foster Moreau in their second seasons.

2020 RANKINGS

Quarterbacks

1. Joe Burrow
2. Tua Tagovailoa
3. Justin Herbert
4. Jordan Love
5. Jalen Hurts

Burrow appears to be in for a solid start to his career with the talent of the Bengals skill players, but can his offensive line hold up?  Tagovailoa may redshirt in 2020, but the Dolphins appear to be on track for a turnaround.

Herbert may also be a slow starter in 2020, but I expect him to be the Chargers starter for the next decade. I was shocked to see Jordan Love go to the Packers, but he may be a quality starter in two seasons once Aaron Rodgers either leaves Green Bay or retires. Jalen Hurts has talent, but will he ever get a chance in Philadelphia?

Are CEH And Joe Burrow Being Overvalued In Seasonal Leagues?

Running backs

1. Jonathan Taylor
2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
3. D’Andre Swift
4. J.K. Dobbins
5. Cam Akers

Taylor has competition from Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines, so his receiving work could be capped.  I believe that Taylor has a real chance to be a top-five dynasty running back behind that offensive line.  Edwards-Helaire landed in the best spot with the Kansas City Chiefs.

If he had landed elsewhere, he would likely be my RB5 in this class. Nonetheless, he’s attached to Patrick Mahomes for five years and can be an RB1 as soon as this season. Swift was the second RB selected and was hand-chosen by Lions offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell. Kerryon Johnson has consistently struggled to stay healthy, and Swift is a much better receiver than Johnson.  Dobbins is the heir apparent to Mark Ingram and is attached to Lamar Jackson and their prolific rush attack. Can Akers unseat Darrell Henderson?

Wide receivers

1. Jerry Jeudy
2. CeeDee Lamb
3. Jalen Reagor
4. Denzel Mims
5. Justin Jefferson

Lots of mouths to feed in Denver, but playing as the WR2 could benefit Jeudy.  Lamb was a surprise pick for the Cowboys, but Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense should be able to spread the ball around.

Reagor was selected to be the alpha in Philadelphia, and with the only young challenger to Reagor being 2019 bust Arcega-Whiteside, Reagor has a shot to be a top 24 WR in 2020.  Mims profiles to be the alpha in New York, but will Adam Gase hold him and Sam Darnold back?  Jefferson played 99% of his final season at LSU from the slot, can he and prominent slot man Adam Thielen coexist?

Tight ends

1. Cole Kmet
2. Adam Trautman
3. Albert Okwuegbunam
4. Dalton Keene
5. Devin Asiasi

There is much left to be desired from this group.  No clear cut starters, with maybe the exception of Kmet (although Chicago has nine other TEs on the roster currently).  Albert O has the most talent but is surrounded by high-end talent in Denver. I hope you punted your TE needs to 2021.

2021 NFL Draft Class Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Trevor Lawrence
2. Trey Lance
3. Justin Fields
4. Brock Purdy
5. Tanner Morgan

Heavy at the top, teams can expect the top three QBs to make impacts from the start. Keep an eye on Brock Purdy making a leap in 2020.

Running backs

1. Travis Etienne
2. Chuba Hubbard
3. Kenneth Gainwell
4. Najee Harris
5. Max Borghi

Etienne, Hubbard, and Harris could have all cracked my top five rookie backs in the 2020 class, but decided to return to school.  Gainwell falls in line with a recent string of NFL RBs from Memphis, and Max Borghi profiles as an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Wide receivers

1. Rondale Moore
2. Ja’Marr Chase
3. Rashod Bateman
4. Jaylen Waddle
5. Devonta Smith

Moore is an animal. I compare him to Tyreek Hill. Can Chase replicate his 2019 season dominance with a different QB and different offensive coordinator?  Bateman profiles as a true alpha and has dominated since stepping on campus at Minnesota. Waddle and Smith produced despite having two 2020 first-round picks from Alabama. This class is scary good.

Tight ends

1. Brevin Jordan
2. Pat Freiermuth
3. Kyle Pitts
4. Matt Bushman
5. Jeremy Ruckert

Jordan profiles as an elite move player who should play more of an Evan Engram type roll.  Everyone loved Mike Gesicki coming out of Penn State, but Freiermuth is better and more athletic.  Pitts also fits the move TE role but is more than adequate inline.

And now, the inter-class rankings.

2019, 2020, and 2021 INTER-CLASS RANKINGS

QB

1. Trevor Lawrence (21)

2. Joe Burrow (20)

3. Tua Tagovailoa (20)

4. Kyler Murray (19)

5. Trey Lance (21)

6. Justin Fields (21)

7. Daniel Jones (19)

8. Dwayne Haskins (19)

9. Drew Lock (19)

10. Justin Herbert (20)

11. Brock Purdy (21)

12. Jordan Love (20)

13. Tanner Morgan (21)

14. Jalen Hurts (20)

15. Will Grier (19)

RB

1. Jonathan Taylor (20)

2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (20)

3. Josh Jacobs (19)

4. Miles Sanders (19)

5. Travis Etienne (21)

6. D’Andre Swift (20)

7. Chuba Hubbard (21)

8. Kenneth Gainwell (21)

9. J.K. Dobbins (20)

10. Najee Harris (21)

11. Cam Akers (20)

12. David Montgomery (19)

13. Max Borghi (21)

14. Darrell Henderson (19)

15. Damien Harris (19)

WR

1. Jerry Jeudy (20)

2. Rondale Moore (21)

3. Ja’Marr Chase (21)

4. Rashod Bateman (21)

5. A.J. Brown (19)

6. CeeDee Lamb (20)

7. Deebo Samuel (19)

8. D.K. Metcalf (19)

9. Denzel Mims (20)

10. Justin Jefferson (20)

11. N’Keal Harry (19)

12. Jalen Reagor (20)

13. Jaylen Waddle (21)

14. Devonta Smith (21)

15. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (19)

TE

1. T.J. Hockenson (19)

2. Noah Fant (19)

3. Brevin Jordan (21)

4. Pat Freiermuth (21)

5. Kyle Pitts (21)

6. Irv Smith, Jr. (19)

7. Cole Kmet (20)

8. Matt Bushman (21)

9. Adam Trautman (20)

10. Albert Okwuegbunam (20)

11. Dalton Keene (20)

12. Jeremy Ruckert (21)

13. Devin Asiasi (20)

14. Jace Sternberger (19)

15. Josh Oliver (19)

These rankings were truncated to only include the top-five across each class. It does not include my sixth-ranked WR from any class, despite the potential for the sixth-best WR in 2020 to be better than the fifth-best in either 2019 or 2021. These composite rankings do not take into account the growth of a player. I try to use these composite rankings to see the potential of these picks. Essentially, if you were excited about A.J. Brown, you should be ecstatic about Rondale Moore.

Hope you enjoyed this technique of mine!

Make sure to follow @ffbigcat

2020 PRESEASON RANKINGS |QB| RB |WR | TE |

DYNASTY RANKINGS | QB | RB | WR | TE | 1QB ROOKIES | SF ROOKIES