The Most Likely Week 1 Starters in the 2020 NFL Draft

Like those before it, the 2020 NFL draft features a handful of surefire Week 1 starters. 

A year ago, standouts like Kyler Murray and Nick Bosa put in big playing time in the opening week and beyond. This year, a handful of new arrivals figure to follow suit.

Players selected here are considered likely Week 1 starters and should also put up 50-plus percent of their teams' snaps throughout their debut seasons. Pro-readiness based on production and development, as well as team need and fit, were considered, while positional duties also play a part. 

The following players will have the traits necessary to start in Week 1 and remain in the lineup throughout the season. 

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Honorable Mentions

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

Some players have the traits of a Week 1 starter with three-down potential, but actual playing time will hinge on fit more than most. 

The term "start" keeps evolving just as "base defense" does. The following honorable mentions might technically "start" the season but will have highly variable roles and attendance sheets. 

Isaiah Simmons, LB/S: Simmons is a prototypical Swiss Army knife player who will see his role change on a week-to-week basis. How and why will center on what the coaching staff wants, but he isn't a lock to hit 50 percent of snaps Week 1 or over the course of a season. 

Patrick Queen, LB: The accusation of being undersized will chase Queen into the pros, and with Queen at 6'0" and 229 pounds, it is a fair one. But he still projects well, even if he's limited to coverage matchups and blitzing for most of his work. 

Kenneth Murray, LB: There's something of a similar story for Murray, who could have some problems against the run but still be a fun chess piece for defensive coordinators. 

Yetur Gross-Matos, Edge: Much for Gross-Matos will hinge on scheme and plan of attack. He could find himself targeted by opposing offenses in the running game, which could restrict him to a specialized role in Year 1. 

Zack Baun, LB: Like others listed here, Baun could have a huge impact on a limited basis in the right scheme. If he's putting up efficient pressure on less than 50 percent of the snaps, teams won't complain about the investment cost. 

Chase Young, EDGE

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Chase Young can't go unmentioned here. 

This year's Nick Bosa—if not better—figures to hardly come off the field regardless of scheme.

Bosa ended up playing 76 percent of the San Francisco 49ers' snaps last year, and at 6'5" and 264 pounds, Young won't be constrained by scheme or fit anywhere. He's got perennial All-Pro upside after elite collegiate production and the obvious traits he flashed on film. 

While it would be silly to throw out a "generational" tag that gets often overused, praise like this from Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash doesn't go out often: 

"Without question, Chase Young the top defensive prospect we have ever seen here at PFF. He broke the record for the highest overall grade we have ever handed out to a defensive player (96.1) and made opposing offensive tackles want to quit the game as a pass-rusher. Young finished the season owning a 96.5 pass-rush grade and unreal 27.2% win rate on his 300-plus pass-rush reps."

Teams aren't drafting Young to go out in a rotational role—he's a centerpiece from Day 1 and likely one of the first two players off the board in late April. 

Joe Burrow, QB

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Joe Burrow doesn't carry many questions into the draft after one of the best seasons by a passer in collegiate history. 

Burrow put up 5,600-yards and 60 touchdowns against six picks during a Heisman Trophy-winning sprint en route to a national title. Given the performance and valuation of the position, he's a surefire lock at No. 1 for the Cincinnati Bengals (and the Ohio kid homecoming narrative doesn't hurt). 

Compared to the other top passers, Burrow is far and away the likeliest to start Week 1 and never come off the field. Tua Tagovailoa will land in an unpredictable locale and likely be brought slowly along given his injury history. Justin Herbert has plenty of experience but isn't guaranteed to land with a competition-free team, and there are questions about his tapering off over the past few years. 

Burrow, the probable top pick, will be out there right away even if something unexpected does end up happening at the top of the draft, and if the fit is right, he'll understandably be the favorite for some individual awards. 

Derrick Brown, DT

Julie Bennett/Associated Press

Here's the difference between an Isaiah Simmons and Derrick Brown—team fit, weekly matchup and other factors don't matter. He's a three-down starter.

Brown isn't getting sexy headlines like some of his fellow top-five prospects, but he could be just as impactful, if not more so. 

So it tends to go for a 6'5", 326-pound SEC powerhouse who posted a 90.0 grade at PFF last year with 35 pressures, 36 stops and no missed tackles on just 650 snaps. 

Brown is a mauler in the middle with a wicked burst off the snap, which allows him to position his frame in a way that eats up running lanes. He's an anchor with power to drive opponents back and collapse pockets. 

Brown isn't coming off the field in most scenarios or schemes, as his win rate in all phases projects too highly. 

Jeff Okudah, CB

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The value of a blue-chip corner in the first round shouldn't go understated. 

Even though corner is one of the more difficult positions for collegiate players to make a quick pro transition to, even Deandre Baker, the first corner off the board last year, played 87 percent of his team's snaps despite massively struggling his way to a 48.4 PFF grade. 

Jeff Okudah has a big advantage over any corner taken last year, though—he's got an incredibly high floor. He's a big 6'1" and 205 pounds and has proven production. According to PFF, he allowed the second-lowest yards per coverage snap in 2019 with 0.49. He's also comfortable in press or in zone, and his elite athleticism and agility helped him keep up with anyone he encountered. 

There's a reason B/R's Matt Miller noted that Okudah has been getting comparisons to Patrick Peterson and Jalen Ramsey. Technique, skill, size and more suggest instant solid play, not to mention untold upside at one of the premium positions in the pros. 

Jerry Jeudy, WR

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

An Alabama wideout who torched the SEC and has all the traits of a No. 1 pro wideout?

Jerry Jeudy should play often and early as a rookie.

Jeudy, 6'1" and 193 pounds, put up 1,100-plus yards in consecutive seasons with 24 total receiving touchdowns over that span. He averaged at least 15 yards per catch each season, too.

While some wideouts have problems adjusting to the pro level (they aren't blazing past outmatched opponents...ever), Jeudy has a robust route tree and—more importantly—can work inside or out. A team taking him high in the draft intends to use him all over the field right away, and his versatility, routes and athleticism will demand attention from safeties, not just corners.

Even if Jeudy somehow falls into a situation where he's the third option in a passing attack, it's hard to imagine him actually coming off the field much, helping to make him one of the most surefire starters on this list. 

Mekhi Becton, OT

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Mekhi Becton doesn't carry questions into the draft. Where Jedrick Wills spent time at right tackle and Tristan Wirfs could end up at guard, Becton is a mammoth left-edge prospect with strong marks in pass protection. 

At 6'7" and 364 pounds with only 17 percent body fat, Becton is a massive tackle prospect who edge-rushers understandably have a hard time getting around. His 5.10 40 time at the NFL combine was the third-fastest by a player weighing 340 pounds or more since 2006. 

Sprinkle in good technique and a solid foundation for upside, and there's a reason NFL Network's Brian Baldinger considers him an elite left tackle prospect. 

Whereas offensive line-needy teams might grab other prospects and kick them inside to guard, Becton's physical traits and baseline readiness mean he'll be on an edge and starting right away. He's not a draft-for-competition player—he's a protect-the-big-quarterback-investment player.

Grant Delpit, S

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Grant Delpit isn't going to last long on the draft board, and it is unlikely he watches many snaps from the sidelines, either. 

The LSU star is one of the most versatile, impressive secondary defenders in the draft this year. He's a hybrid player the NFL has placed a premium on—he can line up in the slot, play deep or even emulate the role of a linebacker in certain packages. 

That means he isn't coming off the field. At 6'2" and 213 pounds, few matchups are too big for Delpit. The production agrees, as last year he had a forced incompletion percentage of 18.2 at PFF, with the next-highest safety coming in at 9.1. 

Maybe the biggest knock on Delpit is his tackling angles, but an NFL team investing in him will assuredly improve him in that area. Everything else screams instant starter in a premium spot, which lends itself to a starting role with little downtime. 

Justin Herbert, QB

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Justin Herbert doesn't carry the flair of Joe Burrow, but his background means a team won't feel too uncomfortable trotting him out right away. 

Hebert, after all, was a four-year player at a big program like Oregon and attempted more than 800 passes, completing 64 percent of them with 10,541 yards and 95 touchdowns against 23 interceptions. 

It was a little curious Heisman hype never fully materialized after Herbert decided to go back to school. But besides the experience, he's got a massive arm, good mobility and quality measurables (6'6", 236 pounds), not to mention the ability to fully read the field. 

The team jumping on Hebert if Burrow is off the board (potentially doing so over the injury question mark that is Tua Tagovailoa) won't hesitate to get him out there. Instant production could hinge on the surrounding pieces more than anything else, but once he's out there a front office and coaching staff won't pull the plug given the circumstances. 

Prospect info via NFL.com.