For more than a year, Jerry Jeudy was seen as the best wide receiver prospect in the 2020 draft class.

The Alabama star is a great route-runner with exceptional feet and the speed to be a consistent vertical threat in the NFL. Most expect Jeudy to be either the first or second receiver taken off the board later this month, with the Raiders (No. 12 overall pick) and 49ers (No. 13) both seen as realistic landing spots.

But while the public and most trusted draft experts love Jeudy, Chris Simms -- who doesn't have Jeudy in his top five -- claims the NFL isn't as high on the young receiver.

"To my four or five closest friends in the NFL, I sent them my top wide receiver list," Simms said on the latest episode of the "Chris Simms Unbuttoned" podcast. "You know, I got very positive feedback, actually. I really did. I had a few go, 'Hey, Jeudy's not in your top five. Are you doing this on your top five or who you think is going to go in the first round?' I went, 'No, I'm going with what I think is the top five.' And they were all, 'Oh, OK. That's good.'

"You know, everyone thinks Jeudy's going in the first round. But I will say, from some of my close friends and the conversations I've had with them, I don't think Jeudy is as loved by the whole NFL as everybody thinks he is."

Simms, of course, is close friends with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, so it's possible that's one of the guys Simms reached out to. However, given Jeudy's skill set, versatility and talent, it's hard to see a guru like Shanahan not frothing at the mouth to draft the crafty receiver.

To Simms, a guy like LSU's Justin Jefferson, who had a phenomenal 2019 season with Joe Burrow and passing game coordinator Joe Brady, has better NFL upside than Jeudy.

"Let's look at a guy like Justin Jefferson," Simms said. "Right now, everyone has Jeudy as one of the first two receivers off the board. I want to go, tell me why you'd take Jeudy over Jefferson. That doesn't make sense to me. Jefferson's bigger. He's faster. He has way better film, better catches in traffic, better yards and plays after the catch."

For the record, I like Jefferson a lot. He tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine and put up crazy numbers primarily working out of the slot for LSU last season. However, he rarely faced press coverage and a number of his big plays were schemed open by the immense amount of talent surrounding him, like Biletnikoff winner and future top receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft, Ja'Marr Chase.

To be sure, Jefferson has all the traits NFL teams want in a wide receiver, and he'll likely be the fourth one off the board, but he doesn't have the track record of consistently stellar play that Jeudy does.

Jeudy didn't test great at the combine, but at this point, he's more of a victim of over-analysis than anything else. He's got exceptional twitch and route nuance, making him difficult for NFL corners to get a hand on when he's aligned in the slot. His stop-start ability gives him an added weapon to help set up defensive backs and allows him to wreck pursuit angles.

[RELATED: Why 49ers are well-equipped to trade No. 31 pick]

It feels like Simms' NFL friends might be trying to fuel a Jeudy slipping narrative so they can have a crack at one of the top receivers in the draft class.

With Shanahan and the 49ers sitting there at No. 13 needing a wide receiver, I'd expect them to snap up Jeudy without a second thought if he's available.