Top Players To Watch On LSU & Clemson In The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship

Top NFL Draft prospects in the college football championship

The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night between No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will feature a number of top prospects for April’s NFL Draft. It is a last impression – on the field at least – for several players who are likely to be taken early in the NFL Draft. 

And while the NFL Combine as well as Pro Day and individual workouts will help shape the draft boards of teams, this is a chance for players to help (or hurt) their case in front of teams. 

The Jets hold the No. 11 pick in April's NFL Draft. Most mock drafts have the Jets adding to their offense with the pick, often with a tackle or a wide receiver. With four picks among the top 80 selections of the draft, the Jets can add a couple of immediate contributors as well as some quality depth with their first two days of picks.

On pure individual talent, LSU is a juggernaut. LSU ran through the regular season undefeated, including a tough gauntlet of SEC games, with a team that has the most individual talent in all of college football. In a recent CBSSports.com mock draft, five LSU players were taken in the first round compared to just two Clemson athletes. 

And while that isn’t necessarily indicative of overall talent level between these two teams – consider that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a sophomore and not draft eligible -  it is still clear that LSU has stockpiled talent. Three LSU players are among the top 16 players according to the NFL Draft Bible’s ‘Overall Big Board’ which ranks college prospects regardless of draft status or availability. 

Lawrence, who is likely to be the top pick in the 2021 draft, is the No. 2 prospect in all of college football according to the NFL Draft Bible. So it isn’t exactly true that Clemson is over-matched in terms of pure talent. 

But in terms of this April’s NFL Draft, here is a look at the top prospects in tonight’s national championship, according to their NFL Draft Bible ranking: 

3. Joe  Burrow  QB LSU SR 

12. Grant Delpit  SS LSU, JR 

23. Isaiah Simmons, OLB CLE JR 

50. Lloyd Cushenberry, OC LSU JR 

52. Kristan Fulton,  CB LSU JR 

53. Travis Etienne, RB CLE JR 

Of the six names on the ‘Overall Big Board’ who are draft eligible (the list is compiled by the NFL Draft Bible’s founder Ric Seritella) four are on the LSU roster. Two other players (Lawrence at No. 2 and LSU cornerback Derek Stingley at No. 16) are underclassmen and not eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft. 

Burrow is the big name, having won both the Heisman and the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player in college football.