The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is complete and some teams made improvements while others whiffed on the opportunity.
Night one of the 2020 NFL Draft is complete. Unlike other years, the draft was virtual this year and we did not get anything near the pageantry we have seen in recent years.
Despite this, the opening night was still entertaining and we did see some teams leave the process happy. We also saw others make some curious moves and seemingly fail to make the impact they could have.
In the immediate context of need, value, talent and the picks in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, let’s dive quickly into the winners and losers from Day 1.
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals
Although it was a foregone conclusion, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted a franchise quarterback at No. 1 when they selected Joe Burrow from LSU.
Burrow had perhaps the best individual season in college football history against some of the stiffest competition. For the Bengals, this gives them the opportunity for a fresh start with the most important position in the NFL. Even if Burrow doesn’t completely pan out, the Bengals can now move forward without having to worry about the quarterback position for at least the next three seasons.
If he is everything we all expect, the Bengals should be set at the position for at least the next 8-10 years.
Loser: Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons came into the draft needing help at cornerback and addressed the need by drafting A.J. Terrell from Clemson. Unfortunately for Atlanta, this was a big reach as many believed Terrell would fall to the second round.
Drafting him at No. 16 just seemed egregious. The Falcons were probably not able to trade down, but they could have addressed another area of need such as K’Lavon Chaisson on the edge. This is the second year in a row where the Falcons stuck with need over the talent available. This may be why the team has struggled so much over the last two seasons.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have spent much of the current offseason trying to fix the defensive front that could not stop Derrick Henry in last season’s playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans. They were fortunate and did not control the board but they were able to draft Patrick Queen from LSU.
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Queen is a three-down linebacker who is fast and attacks the run. His biggest weakness is his size, but with the space-eating defensive linemen the Ravens have been adding recently, Queen should be more protected in the Baltimore defense than many others.
The Ravens may have finally been able to plug the hole C.J. Mosely left when he departed in free agency during last year’s offseason.
Loser: Dallas Cowboys defense
The Dallas Cowboys had one of the best value picks when CeeDee Lamb dropped to them at No. 17. Lamb is a great wide receiver prospect but was definitely a luxury for an offense with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Ezekiel Elliott.
I do not fault the pick and no one should but the defense still needs improvement and this did not help. Hopefully they can just outscore everyone — or they are fortunate enough to have a highly rated talent on that side of the ball drop to them in the second round.
Loser: Aaron Rodgers
It’s not just that the Green Bay Packers gave up a fourth-round pick to trade up to No. 26 to draft quarterback Jordan Love. This was probably difficult enough news for Aaron Rodgers since Love will be his presumptive successor. The other issue is that the Packers sacrificed two picks they could’ve used to help Rodgers win now to address the quarterback situation for the future.
Many assumed Green Bay may trade up but everyone thought it would be for a wide receiver to help Rodgers out as Davante Adams is his only proven pass-catcher of consequence. Instead, they have begun the process of turning the page.
Winner: Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins went into the night with three first-round picks and they took the long view and drafted on athletic potential rather than drafting safe. For a team showing promise to end last season and no real threat to go to win-now mode, this may have been the right view. The Dolphins were able to draft Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 and, despite injury concerns, this must have felt like a win for him.
The team has Ryan Fitzpatrick under contract for next year so Tagovailoa can sit, heal and learn during his rookie season if it is needed. He went into the last college season as the sure No. 1 pick and had earned the moniker “Tank for Tua”. Miami was supposed to have wanted him as far back as last season’s training camp and were rumored to be attempting to trade up to No. 3 just to ensure they could draft him.
In the end, Miami was able to take him without giving up other picks and, four years from now, people might be wondering how he did not get drafted sooner. Along with Tua, the Dolphins also drafted offensive tackle Austin Jackson at No. 18 and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene after trading down from No. 25 to No. 30.
Both Jackson and Igbinoghene need some time to develop, but with patience and coaching, they may be viewed as steals three years from now. All of this while adding two additional picks later in the draft for them to make more moves if they would like to.
Winner: Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers were able to draft their quarterback of the future in Justin Herbert at No. 6 and, no matter what you think about Herbert, he was pretty good value where the Chargers drafted him. He may need time to develop but coach Anthony Lynn is a big fan of Tyrod Taylor so the Chargers will give Herbert the time he needs.
They were also able to trade back into the first round and add a player to their defense. A talented unit added more with Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Murray fills a hole and should develop into an every-down difference-maker for the Chargers.
Loser: Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders did a fine job with their two picks on night one but both of them felt like a bit of a reach. They drafted Henry Ruggs III as the first receiver taken in the draft. Ruggs is fast but he is less polished than Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb. Maybe the Raiders just wanted his speed element in their offense or maybe they channeled their inner Al Davis. It feels like with Jon Gruden, they could have really taken advantage of the skillset of Lamb and Jeudy even more.
The Raiders also drafted Damon Arnette at No. 19. He is another character first-round pick to go with some of the picks the team had in last year’s draft. He felt like a reach but maybe it works out for them. It just felt like there were more talented cornerbacks on the board.
Loser: Carolina Panthers
There were many rumors and mock drafts declaring Derrick Brown was the guy the Carolina Panthers wanted. This was an ok pick and many teams like to solidify the line of scrimmage when drafting.
Unfortunately for Carolina, it looks like there may have been more impact still available on the board rather than a primarily run-stuffing defensive tackle. The Panthers could have drafted Isaiah Simmons to help ease the loss of Luke Kuechly or even C.J. Henderson to fill the loss of James Bradberry.
Brown felt like more of a safe pick, but at no. 9 the Panthers might have wanted to go for more impact.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars fans have not had many things to route for during this offseason, but the team rebounded nicely in the first round of the draft. They drafted C.J. Henderson at No. 9 to restock their cornerback group and this was a great pick. Henderson was the second-rated corner in this draft and there was a huge drop off after him. He has the skills and tools to develop into a shutdown corner in the future and he may have gone much higher in other years.
Later, the Jags were also able to draft K’Lavon Chaisson at No. 20. Chaisson has the potential to be an absolute beast off of the edge for Jacksonville and offers enough versatility to drop into coverage when needed. Pairing him along with last year’s top pick Josh Allen off of the edge could have the Jaguars forgetting about Yannick Ngakoue in the next couple of seasons.
With Henderson, Allen and Chaisson, the Jaguars may have the foundation for a dominant defense once again.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings were able to draft Justin Jefferson at No. 22 which was great value and, after trading back from No. 26 to 31 and adding an extra fourth-round pick, they were able to draft Jeff Gladney out of TCU. Jefferson fills a big need at wide receiver and he was one of the more talented receivers in the second tier of talent in this draft.
Gladney has great physical talent and man coverage skills and he will now get to work with Mike Zimmer who is considered to be a bit of a cornerback whisperer. These were two areas of need for the Vikings and they did a good job of plugging the holes with guys who can be starters for them as soon as next season.
Loser: New England Patriots fans
The New England Patriots went into the draft slotted with the 23rd pick. Patriots fans are used to the team trading down or out of the first round but this year felt different. It’s probably due to the Brady-less era they are about to embark on but Patriots fans wanted to see more. It also didn’t help that the Patriots made their fans stay up to around 11 before trading out again.
Since the team has a big need at linebacker, it also didn’t help fans to see Kenneth Murray drafted with their No. 23 pick by the Chargers and then Patrick Queen get drafted by AFC rival Baltimore. Hopefully the team can do something with the five picks they have set for Friday to move up and down the board for some impact players.