Monday was a very important day for me when it comes to the annual pre-draft process thanks to Gil Brandt of nfl.com releasing his Top 150 ranked players for the 2020 NFL Draft. Why do I get so excited about Brandt’s annual top 150 list? Mainly because I think he does a great job of predicting a large portion of the first 100 players to be selected in the draft. I have written quite a bit about Brandt’s top 100 success rates over the years and this year I will lay it all out in table form for all to see.
Before we get to reviewing Brandt’s top 100 track record throughout the years, let’s take a quick look back at how he fared last year with his top 100 players. His top 100 ranked players from 2019 are at the very bottom of this post and that table of picks includes what the pick number wound up being in the 2019 NFL Draft and how far off the rank was from the actual.
Of Brandt’s top 32 players from 2019, 24 wound up being selected within the first 32 picks of the draft. Several of Brandt’s eight misses, were big ones as Montez Sweat, Jawaan Taylor, D.K. Metcalf, Drew Lock, Parris Campbell and Connor McGovern were all off by more than 20 places. Even so, all but McGovern were drafted within the first 64 selections.
Of Brandt’s top 50 players from 2019, a whopping 41 of them wound up being selected within the first 50 picks of the draft. Of Brandt’s top 64 ranked players, 49 were ultimately selected in the first 64 picks of the draft. And of Brandt’s top 100 ranked players in 2019, a stunning 83 of them were ultimately drafted by pick No. 101.
So, how has Brandt done over the years when it comes to accurately predicting the top 100 players in a draft? Quite well. On average, Brandt nails 25 of the first 32 players to be selected annually. When it comes to his top 50 ranked players annually, on average Brandt misses just nine of those for an outstanding 81.1% success rate. He also has posted a roughly 80% success rate when it comes to his top 64 and top 100 ranked players dating back to 2013.
Gil Brandt’s Top 100 Success Rates (2013-2019)
| RANKED | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | AVG | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 32 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 77.7% |
| Top 50 | 41 | 40 | 41 | 43 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 41 | 81.1% |
| Top 64 | 49 | 54 | 51 | 52 | 49 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 80.4% |
| Top 100 | 83 | 80 | 77 | 80 | 82 | 75 | 80 | 80 | 79.6% |
I obviously haven’t compared Brandt’s top 100 results over the years to other major media draftniks as I’ve really never had the need or want to. I suppose I will at some point, however, but in the meantime, I’m totally comfortable using Brandt’s top 100 as my main measuring stick.
So, what about Brandt’s 2020 top 150 when it comes to figuring out which player might be selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 49 overall? Below are the players that Brandt has ranked 41st to 59th and many of them have shown up in quite a few of our own mocks on this site so far this offseason. Several fit what the Steelers usually look for as well. will any of these 19 players wind up being the Steelers first selection in 20290 NFL Draft? We’ll find out in less than two weeks from today.
Gil Brandt’s 2020 Ranked Players 41-59
| RANK | PLAYER | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Neville Gallimore, DT | Oklahoma |
| 42 | Jalen Reagor, WR | TCU |
| 43 | Jordan Brooks, LB | Texas Tech |
| 44 | Lynn Bowden, WR | Kentucky |
| 45 | Tee Higgins, WR | Clemson |
| 46 | Michael Pittman, WR | USC |
| 47 | Cesar Ruiz, C | Michigan |
| 48 | Jordan Elliott, DT | Missouri |
| 49 | Denzel Mims, WR | Baylor |
| 50 | Justin Madubuike, DT | Texas A&M |
| 51 | Ashtyn Davis, S | California |
| 52 | Jake Fromm, QB | Georgia |
| 53 | Jalen Hurts, QB | Oklahoma |
| 54 | Cole Kmet, TE | Notre Dame |
| 55 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB | LSU |
| 56 | Antoine Winfield, S | Minnesota |
| 57 | Bradlee Anae, EDGE | Utah |
| 58 | KJ Hamler, WR | Penn State |
| 59 | Chase Claypool, WR | Notre Dame |
Gil Brandt’s 2019 NFL Draft Top 100 Ranked Players
| GB RANK | PLAYER | ACTUAL Pick # | TM | MISS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Bosa, Edge, Ohio State | 2 | SFO | -1 |
| 2 | Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama | 3 | NYJ | -1 |
| 3 | Josh Allen, Edge, Kentucky | 7 | JAX | -4 |
| 4 | Ed Oliver, DT, Houston | 9 | BUF | -5 |
| 5 | Montez Sweat, Edge, Mississippi State | 26 | WAS | -21 |
| 6 | T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa | 8 | DET | -2 |
| 7 | Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma | 1 | ARI | 6 |
| 8 | Devin White, LB, LSU | 5 | TAM | 3 |
| 9 | Jonah Williams, OG, Alabama | 11 | CIN | -2 |
| 10 | Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson | 13 | MIA | -3 |
| 11 | Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State | 22 | PHI | -11 |
| 12 | Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama | 24 | OAK | -12 |
| 13 | Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida | 35 | JAX | -22 |
| 14 | Devin Bush, LB, Michigan | 10 | PIT | 4 |
| 15 | Rashan Gary, Edge, Michigan | 12 | GNB | 3 |
| 16 | D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi | 64 | SEA | -48 |
| 17 | Daniel Jones, QB, Duke | 6 | NYG | 11 |
| 18 | Clelin Ferrell, Edge, Clemson | 4 | OAK | 14 |
| 19 | Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma | 25 | BAL | -6 |
| 20 | Drew Lock, QB, Missouri | 42 | DEN | -22 |
| 21 | Brian Burns, Edge, Florida State | 16 | CAR | 5 |
| 22 | Noah Fant, TE, Iowa | 20 | DEN | 2 |
| 23 | Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma | 38 | BUF | -15 |
| 24 | Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson | 17 | NYG | 7 |
| 25 | Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State | 15 | WAS | 10 |
| 26 | Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia | 30 | NYG | -4 |
| 27 | Greedy Williams, CB, LSU | 46 | CLE | -19 |
| 28 | Garrett Bradbury, C, N.C. State | 18 | MIN | 10 |
| 29 | Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State | 59 | IND | -30 |
| 30 | Byron Murphy, CB, Washington | 33 | ARI | -3 |
| 31 | Connor McGovern, OL, Penn State | 90 | DAL | -59 |
| 32 | Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State | 19 | TEN | 13 |
| 33 | A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi | 51 | TEN | -18 |
| 34 | L.J. Collier, Edge, TCU | 29 | SEA | 5 |
| 35 | Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama | 50 | MIN | -15 |
| 36 | Kaleb McGary, OT, Washington | 31 | ATL | 5 |
| 37 | Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M | 48 | NOR | -11 |
| 38 | Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple | 34 | IND | 4 |
| 39 | Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State | 27 | OAK | 12 |
| 40 | Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame | 28 | LAC | 12 |
| 41 | Jaylon Ferguson, Edge, Louisiana Tech | 85 | BAL | -44 |
| 42 | Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State | 41 | DEN | 1 |
| 43 | Zach Allen, DE, Boston College | 65 | ARI | -22 |
| 44 | Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina | 36 | SFO | 8 |
| 45 | Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State | 53 | PHI | -8 |
| 46 | Chris Lindstrom, OG, Boston College | 14 | ATL | 32 |
| 47 | N’Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State | 32 | NWE | 15 |
| 48 | David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State | 73 | CHI | -25 |
| 49 | Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware | 60 | LAC | -11 |
| 50 | Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State | 23 | HOU | 27 |
| 51 | Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia | 126 | CHI | -75 |
| 52 | Will Grier, QB, West Virginia | 100 | CAR | -48 |
| 53 | Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia | 63 | KAN | -10 |
| 54 | Taylor Rapp, S, Washington | 61 | LAR | -7 |
| 55 | Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame | 108 | NYG | -53 |
| 56 | Kelvin Harmon, WR, N.C. State | 206 | WAS | -150 |
| 57 | Justin Layne, CB, Michigan State | 83 | PIT | -26 |
| 58 | Ryan Finley, QB, N.C. State | 104 | CIN | -46 |
| 59 | Dre’mont Jones, DT, Ohio State | 71 | DEN | -12 |
| 60 | Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State | 103 | ARI | -43 |
| 61 | Amani Hooker, S, Iowa | 116 | TEN | -55 |
| 62 | Joejuan Williams, CB, Vanderbilt | 45 | NWE | 17 |
| 63 | David Long, CB, Michigan | 79 | LAR | -16 |
| 64 | Anthony Nelson, DE, Iowa | 107 | TAM | -43 |
| 65 | Chase Winovich, Edge, Michigan | 77 | NWE | -12 |
| 66 | Greg Little, OT, Mississippi | 37 | CAR | 29 |
| 67 | Sean Bunting, CB, Central Michigan | 39 | TAM | 28 |
| 68 | Trysten Hill, DT, Central Florida | 58 | DAL | 10 |
| 69 | Jamel Dean, CB, Auburn | 94 | TAM | -25 |
| 70 | Nate Davis, OG, North Carolina-Charlotte | 82 | TEN | -12 |
| 71 | Elgton Jenkins, C, Mississippi State | 44 | GNB | 27 |
| 72 | Chuma Edoga, OT, USC | 92 | NYJ | -20 |
| 73 | Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson | 40 | OAK | 33 |
| 74 | Lonnie Johnson, CB, Kentucky | 54 | HOU | 20 |
| 75 | Jachai Polite, Edge, Florida | 68 | NYJ | 7 |
| 76 | Vosean Joseph, LB, Florida | 147 | BUF | -71 |
| 77 | Cody Barton, LB, Utah | 88 | SEA | -11 |
| 78 | Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama | 155 | CLE | -77 |
| 79 | Andy Isabella, WR, Massachusetts | 62 | ARI | 17 |
| 80 | Michael Jordan, OG, Ohio State | 136 | CIN | -56 |
| 81 | Emanuel Hall, WR, Missouri | UD | CHI | N/A |
| 82 | Germaine Pratt, LB, N.C. State | 72 | CIN | 10 |
| 83 | Renell Wren, DT, Arizona State | 125 | CIN | -42 |
| 84 | D’Andre Walker, Edge, Georgia | 168 | TEN | -84 |
| 85 | Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M | 75 | GNB | 10 |
| 86 | Will Harris, S, Boston College | 81 | DET | 5 |
| 87 | Darnell Savage, S, Maryland | 21 | GNB | 66 |
| 88 | Damien Harris, RB, Alabama | 87 | NWE | 1 |
| 89 | Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor | 67 | SFO | 22 |
| 90 | Darius Slayton, WR, Auburn | 171 | NYG | -81 |
| 91 | Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State | 76 | WAS | 15 |
| 92 | Marquise Blair, S, Utah | 47 | SEA | 45 |
| 93 | Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida | 105 | NOR | -12 |
| 94 | Clayton Thorson, QB, Northwestern | 167 | PHI | -73 |
| 95 | Darrell Henderson, RB, Memphis | 70 | LAR | 25 |
| 96 | Isaac Nauta, TE, Georgia | 224 | DET | -128 |
| 97 | Dawson Knox, TE, Mississippi | 96 | BUF | 1 |
| 98 | Kahale Warring, TE, San Diego State | 86 | HOU | 12 |
| 99 | Jahlani Tavai, LB, Hawaii | 43 | DET | 56 |
| 100 | Miles Boykin, WR, Notre Dame | 93 | BAL | 7 |
