EAGAN, Minn. – When the 2020 NFL Draft kicks off tonight, there's no telling exactly how the evening will unfold.
Analysts and experts have spent the past several weeks and months projecting how the draft could play out and publishing multiple mock drafts (click here for the final tracker of 2020). It's impossible, however, to predict with certainty which teams will select which players and when.
What is a common consensus, however, is the depth at wide receiver and cornerback in this year's draft class.
ESPN's College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit spoke with media members via conference call earlier this week and said if there's a run on any position groups on Day 2, it would likely be those two.
"The obvious thing is to think wide receiver because there's so much depth there. If you look at that spot, there seems to be five or six guys, seven guys, that everybody's talking about, and then there's a little bit of a drop," Herbstreit explained. "Depending on who you want, are you willing to wait? And are you willing to wait to that third, fourth or fifth round to get a guy?"
View every Vikings first round draft pick through the years.
He added that cornerback is "an interesting spot" because the game has evolved so much over the years.
"Go back to when John Elway or Dan Marino played versus what's going on today. I think that with every year that passes, it's more and more about the perimeter. It's more and more about the 1-on-1 matchup," Herbstreit said. "While [there's Jeff] Okudah and [CJ] Henderson and [Jeff] Gladney and [Trevon] Diggs, there's names up there that are probably going to be first-rounders, [but] what happens when you get into that late first round into the second round, and you still need a corner?
"I think you may see people start to pull the trigger on that spot, as well," he continued. "So I think wide receiver and corner, you might see a string of players selected in the second and third round."
Herbstreit was asked to highlight a handful of specific players at those positions that he believes teams could find value in.
He first pointed to TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor, whom he said didn't get to fully strut his stuff for the Horned Frogs.
"He is a guy that is a bit undersized, but I think the system that he played in didn't necessarily allow him, because of the quarterback play, to show what he can be," Herbstreit said. "Super explosive player. Going back again to that theme of winning 1-on-1s, this kid's gonna do that. … [He has] an electrifying skill set."
Herbstreit mentioned Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool as "another guy who stands out," in addition to Baylor's Denzel Mims, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds (third-fastest among his position group) at the combine.
"If you get him matched up against certain defensive backs and system to play a ton of man [coverage], I think he's going to win a lot of battles," Herbstreit said of Mims.
Moving to cornerbacks, Herbstreit had plenty of praise for Auburn's Noah Igbinoghene.
He called Igbinoghene "just a tremendous player" who came in as a receiver but transitioned to corner under Auburn Defensive Coordinator Devin Steele.
"I think he has a chance to surprise a lot of people and be a big-time player," Herbstreit said.
He then offered takes on additional corners who may be Round 2 options that could make a difference:
"A.J. Terrell, even though he didn't necessarily play his best on that big stage in the national championship, there's a lot to like about him and his length at 6-1, 195 pounds," he said. "I really think he has a chance to be outstanding. I think Damon Arnette at Ohio State. With all the talk about Jeffrey Okudah, I think he has the chance to really … be a guy you put out on island and hold his own on 1-on-1 coverage.
"And Kristian Fulton [out of] LSU is a guy that also could be a second-round corner that a lot of people get excited about," Herbstreit added.