There are always surprise picks in the draft and these teams are all dark horses to address these position groups early in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Every NFL franchise has a consensus of team needs in the 2020 NFL Draft compiled by experts and fans alike. We know the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers are angling to take a quarterback with their first pick.
We’ve also heard many rumors about the New York Giants and Washington Redskins taking defensive players early on, while the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals are likely to target offensive linemen in the first round.
Yet, there are also teams who make a draft selection that no one sees coming. Last year, many people were shocked to see T.J. Hockenson go to the Detroit Lions at No. 8 overall, despite them having signed Jesse James to a four-year, $25 million deal in that free agency period.
The previous year, the New England Patriots surprised everyone by drafting a running back with their first-round pick, given that position had been extremely replaceable in Foxborough.
Team needs are rarely fully transparent, as many general managers plan multiple years ahead and have different priorities than the fan consensus. In a year where training camp and OTAs will very likely be condensed, we could see several teams draft a position that takes the league by surprise.
Let’s take a look at each positional group and identify which team could be a sleeper to draft that position with an early-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.