2020 Round One Draft Recap
#1: Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
The Bengals took the obvious answer. They listened to trades but in the end, it was never good enough to take the local kid who led the LSU Tigers to a perfect season. His hard work led to a great season where he dominated in big moments. Burrow has pinpoint accuracy and that will serve him in a long career in the NFL. The question is: can the Bengals build a team around him?
#2 Washington Redskins: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
There have been many times where the #1 pick was predictable, but this is the rare occasion where the #2 pick is also easy to guess. The Redskins need a pass rusher and will get by far the best pass rusher in this draft. Now the Redskins will have two high pedigree, young edge rushers in Chase Young and Montez Sweat.
#3 Detroit Lions: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
I thought the Lions were going to trade this pick, but it looks like they kept the pick. I did think if they kept the pick, they would take Jeff Okudah. He is a great man and zone corner. He has the size and speed that you want as well. This pick reminds me of the Patriots taking the shut-down corner. You can scheme for a lot of things, but a shutdown corner makes the defensive coordinator’s job easy. Matt Patricia is still trying to do what Bill did in New England.
#4 New York Giants: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
You know Dave Gettleman loves to win the line of scrimmage. I think he can’t go wrong with Andrew Thomas. He is the best pass blocker in this draft. Thomas is the left tackle of the future and now it puts Nate Solder’s job in question. Does Solder become the right tackle? Do they just cut him outright. Either way, Daniel Jones will be safer with Andrew Thomas protecting his blind side.
#5 Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
The Dolphins begin rebuilding taking Tua Tagovailoa. This is a remarkable recovery coming from hip surgery. He may not be 100% when the season starts, but he is the quarterback of the future in Miami. The connection was there and now the Dolphins have their guy. I respect that the Dolphins didn’t waste draft capital moving up to take Tua. Tagovailoa had a great three years at Alabama and now it’s his job to turn the Dolphins around. This is a pick with great upside.
#6 Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
This is a great pick for the Chargers. They got rid of Phillip Rivers early in the offseason, but they find his replacement. Tyrod Taylor may start week one, but Herbert will win the job in 2020. He has all the tools to become a star quarterback in the NFL. I think Los Angeles is a nice fit because the Chargers have some talent on offense. Herbert has a big arm and can hit moving targets. He stays on the West Coast with this pick and so Los Angeles will at least be somewhat familiar.
#7 Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown, DE, Auburn
The Panthers made the pick early and for good reason. He was a great defensive tackle at Auburn who often took on double teams. He is the #7 pick in this draft and he would have been a top 10 pick in 2018. He has good character to go along with his good film at Auburn. He also has the pass rushing ability to play on the outside of the defensive line.
#8 Arizona Cardinals: Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson
This is another play who is very deserving of being a top 10 pick. He may be the best coverage linebacker to be drafted ever. They say he can play a lot of positions, but I think Mack linebacker is the role he will play. He will be asked to cover tight ends and stop the run for the Cardinals. I think he might also be able to play that hybrid role in a dime.
#9 Jacksonville Jaguars: CJ Henderson, CB, Florida
The Jags needed a corner after trading Jalen Ramsey. They got their replacement with CJ Henderson. Henderson was a combine warrior and had coverage skills to boot. This is the second-best corner in this draft and so it makes sense that he is the second corner off the board. It seems every year the Jags pick a defensive player in the first-round. This year they needed a defensive player more than most years.
#10 Cleveland Browns: Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
This might be the best lineman in the draft. I think Wills has a lot of upside and is still pretty young. The Browns needed an offensive tackle and so this pick makes sense. I know he was a right tackle at Alabama, but he was behind Alex Leatherwood. I think he is very capable of being the Browns’ left tackle week one. Baker Mayfield has little excuse not to perform now.
#11 New York Jets: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
The Jets get someone to protect Sam Darnold’s blind side and that service is sorely needed. I think back to that Monday Night game against the Patriots where Darnold was seeing ghosts. Becton has the potential to give him time to throw and develop as a quarterback. Becton has good tape and the frame to scare anybody. The question is can he live up to his potential as a left tackle.
#12 Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
Ruggs may not have the best tape but he has great upside. The combine put him as the first receiver off the board. I also think he has great potential as a route runner. I am kind of surprised this was the first receiver taken though with Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb on the board. This pick is a sign that the Raiders will stick with Derek Carr.
#13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
The Bucs are doing everything to put together a good offense for Tom Brady. The Bucs have two great receivers and Rob Gronkowski to throw to. They also are now building up their line for the aging Tom Brady. They traded with the 49ers to move up one spot for this pick. Wirfs is a great athlete who lit up the combine. I think he fits well into the Bucs offense as a right tackle. Now I think the Bucs have an offense to be admired.
#14 San Francisco 49ers: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
The 49ers traded DeForest Buckner and got a younger replacement. Kinlaw has a lot of explosive and quickness as a pass rusher. I think Kinlaw had a weak Senior Bowl, but I still think this is the right area to take him. This is also a rags to riches story with Kinlaw growing up very poor. The thing I like about Kinlaw is his compact frame and quickness to go along with competitive size for the position.
#15 Denver Broncos: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
John Elway was smiling when he made this pick. I think it’s because he got the best receiver in this draft. This is a great route runner who can stretch the field. He was highly productive at Alabama. The Broncos needed a receiver to complete their offense which lost Emmanuel Sanders. There was speculation the Broncos would trade up for this pick, but they stayed home, and I think got their guy.
#16 Atlanta Falcons: AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson
The Falcons like to draft corners and they get a good one here. I think this might be a little early to take Terrell, but you can never have too many good cover corners. Corner was a need with Isaiah Oliver on one side, and Terrell now on the other side. I think Terrell will be a day one starter with the need at corner for the Falcons.
#17 Dallas Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
The Cowboys just got Dak Prescott a very good #3 receiver and now it should be time for Prescott to sign his contract. The Cowboys have loaded their offense with big contracts and high draft picks. I think CeeDee Lamb could have gone higher, but I think this whole draft is full of bargains at receiver. Receiver wasn’t a huge need for the Cowboys with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup on the roster.
#18 Miami Dolphins: Austin Jackson, OT, USC
Roger Goodell said it best when he said we’ve got good news for Tua. Austin Jackson has great tape and can be the Dolphins left tackle of the future. The Dolphins are slowly rebuilding their offense with these two picks. Jackson is also a great person for donating bone marrow to his sister. He would have been a top 10 pick in a draft that isn’t as heavy at the offensive tackle position.
#19 Las Vegas Raiders: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
This pick totally shocked me. Arnette was the corner opposite Jeffrey Okudah. I think this was a huge reach at a position group that has a lot of talent. This is a guy who quit at Ohio State before being told he needed to stay in school. I think this was a guy that should have been picked on day two. The Raiders have been making some questionable picks in the first round in recent years. This pick reminds me of Kolton Miller.
#20 Jacksonville Jaguars: K’Lavon Chaisson, OLB, LSU
The Jags draft defense again. Chaisson is a great pass rusher and that is why he is a first-round pick. He would have been a good outside linebacker in a 3-4 but it looks like he will be a defensive end in a 4-3. The Jags now have two high pedigree guys on the edge with Chasson and Josh Allen. This is a team that could convert to a 3-4 if they had to.
#21 Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Raegor, WR, TCU
The Eagles roll the dice with a combine warrior in Jalen Raegor. I respect taking a receiver here, but I would have gone a different direction. He will add speed and punt returning ability to the Eagles. I thought he was more of a second-round value and that is after his great combine numbers.
#22 Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
The Vikings added a good receiver here. He is probably a better slot receiver than the guy taken right before him. He was Joe Burrow’s main target in 2019 and was electric at times. He deserves some of the credit for the run LSU had in 2019. Now there is a run on wide receivers, and this is a position that has a lot of depth.
#23 Los Angeles Chargers: Kenneth Murray, ILB, Oklahoma
The Chargers traded with the Patriots to pick here. Kenneth Murray is a great athlete and will be a tackling machine in the NFL. The Chargers are off to a nice start getting Herbert and now some help at linebacker. There are linebackers with better tape, but this inside linebacker is the best athlete in his position group.
#24 New Orleans Saints: Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan
I didn’t see on tape why he was a first-round value. I think other centers had better tape. The interesting thing is that I think he will be a guard for the Saints. The Saints drafted Erik McCoy last year who is a good center. This isn’t a great center class; so, moving Ruiz to left guard makes some sense.
#25 San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
This pick kind of surprised me. I think he is more of a day two or day three pick. I think the Niners like Aiyuk because of his incredible reach. The 49ers didn’t have to trade up for Aiyuk with so much mid-round talent at receiver. They could have gotten two receivers of equal value for the price of Aiyuk.
#26 Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
The Packers surprised a bit trading up to get Jordan Love. Love is the same age as Aaron Rodgers when the Packers drafted him behind Brett Favre. Love is an intriguing prospect, but I like other quarterbacks better here. Love is a bit raw and so this is strategic to have him sit behind Rodgers. There had to be one team that was loving Jordan Love and that team ended up being the Green Bay Packers.
#27 Seattle Seahawks: Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
The Seahawks surprised me again taking Jordyn Brooks. His tape didn’t jump out at me like he did for other analysts. The Seahawks have a very unique scouting department who seem to value measurables over tape. I don’t understand their draft philosophy, but they seem to win football games and so it’s hard to criticize.
#28 Baltimore Ravens: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
The Ravens made a good pick here with Patrick Queen. They have needed to get a guy in the middle to replace CJ Mosley for about a year and now they have their replacement in Patrick Queen. Queen is my number two inside linebacker and the clear cut first-rounder. The Ravens are one of the best in the business at drafting players.
#29 Tennessee Titans: Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia
This was a good pick by the Titans. Wilson was the right tackle at Georgia because they had Andrew Thomas. That is also the reason he lasted this long. He is fully capable of becoming an NFL starter. I actually liked the Titans offensive line coming into the draft, but good franchises know to draft best player available.
#30 Miami Dolphins: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
Green Bay traded with the Dolphins and gave up this pick to take Jordan Love. I think they made a good pick here taking Noah Igbinoghene. He was one of my underrated corners and so I liked his tape. I think this guy flew under the radar because he is a slot guy, but he was worthy of the 30th pick in my opinion. Good night for the Miami Dolphins.
#31 Minnesota Vikings: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
Gladney is a decent corner, but I think you could have gotten him on day two. I don’t hate the pick as much as where they took him. The Vikings were not very aggressive tonight; so, it will be interesting to see how they do the rest of the draft. They seem to love taking corners in the first round but at some point, you have to go for starters at other positions.
#32 Kansas City Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU
I was surprised to see him be the first running back taken, especially with Jonathan Taylor and JK Dobbins on the board. I think teams are becoming very mindful of workload for running backs. Had this been ten years ago, this pick would not have been a surprise and Taylor, Dobbins and Swift would have already been off the board.
