Four LSU Football Players Land on NFL's Top 25 Rookies Midway Through 2020 Season

LSU has proven over the last decade to be one of the programs that consistently propels players to the NFL. Through player development and production on the field, perhaps the Tigers have not sent more talent than this past April in the 2020 NFL draft.

With 14 draft selections, including five first round picks, it wasn't a matter of if some the top players on LSU's championship roster would contribute, but when. At the midway point of their rookie season, four LSU players have stood out above the rest and this week were recognized for their performances.

NFL.com senior writer Daniel Jeremiah released his top 25 rookie rankings list at the halfway mark of the season and Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Patrick Queen and Clyde Edwards-Helaire made the cut.

Joe Burrow (No. 2)

"Burrow continues to display accuracy, playmaking ability and toughness. He's getting better every week."

The No. 1 overall pick has garnered many accolades in his short stint with the Cincinnati Bengals but perhaps most impressive of all is how he's put his team in position to win most of its games this season. That's difficult to ask of a rookie quarterback on a team that went 2-14 a season ago.

In eight games, he's tossed for 2,272 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 67% of his passes. He's eighth in the entire NFL in passing yards at the moment (coming off a bye week) and is on pace to break the rookie record in yards passing currently held by Andrew Luck.

"I'm just scratching the surface on where I can be and where I can go," Burrow said told reporters over the bye week. "So, that's the most exciting thing for me."

Justin Jefferson (No. 6)

"Jefferson is a detailed, precise route runner and he has provided big plays for the Vikings."

The first round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings took a few weeks to get in the swing of things but after a week three explosion saw him record 175 yards and a touchdown, Jefferson hasn't looked back. He's No. 15 in the NFL in receiving yards (627) which leads all rookies.

Jefferson told Complex that he and the other first round rookies keep in contact throughout the season.

"I'm a rookie too and I want to compete for the Rookie of the Year. I've been seeing him every week killing it, seeing his highlights, and me, him, Clyde, P. Queen and K'Lavon Chaisson, we all are in a group message, and every week, we're saying, "Congratulations," or, "Good luck this week. Kill it." So we've all been kind of motivating each other each week. We just really want to see each other come out on top, to be honest," Jefferson said.

Patrick Queen (No. 10)

"Queen is always around the ball for the Ravens. He leads the team in tackles and he's been effective as a blitzer."

Queen is on a short list of players up for Rookie Defensive Player of the Year after a stellar start to his season. In eight appearances for one of the top defenses in the country, Queen has recorded 52 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and four tackles for a loss.

Perhaps his most impressive performance of the season was against his former teammate Burrow, forcing a fumble and recovering another which he returned for a touchdown. He earned Defensive Player of the Week in the AFC for that performance.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (No. 11)

"The Chiefs haven't relied on the running game in the past few weeks, but Edwards-Helaire still finds ways to impact the game. He should get more touches down the stretch. "

Since his week one breakout performance on Thursday Night Football where he rushed for 138 yards, Edwards-Helaire has had a tough time replicating that effort. He's still No. 4 in the league in rushing yards with 586 and is averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

With the team adjusting course and signing Le'Veon Bell a few weeks back, his carries have dropped significantly over the last three games but he's been a big part of the passing attack and should be a fine contributor in the Chiefs quest for a second straight Super Bowl win.