It would not be the NFL draft without controversy. Thursday night began the 2020 NFL Draft and the first two picks were already penciled in. Joe Burrow and Chase Young went No. 1 and 2 without any drama. Jeff Okudah to the Detroit Lions was predictable. The New York Giants made the first surprising move at No. 4.
New York opted to take Andrew Thomas and the excitement officially began. This set the stage for a lot of value picks by teams that needed to upgrade. These are the biggest steals from the action on Thursday night.
5. Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were able to take advantage of teams in front of them reaching for linebackers. The Los Angeles Chargers traded back into the first round to take Kenneth Murray at No. 23. Four picks later, the Seattle Seahawks passed on Queen to take Texas Tech product Jordyn Brooks.
This allowed the Ravens to select the best linebacker in the draft. Queen is an athletic player in the middle of a defense. He will fit in perfectly on the Ravens.
4. Jeff Gladney, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota made two great value picks in the first round. First, Justin Jefferson fell right into their lap at No. 22 and he was too good to pass on. Next, the Vikings landed Gladney out of TCU after trading down to No. 31.
The Vikings gave up the No. 25 pick to the San Francisco 49ers for their No. 31 pick and two selections in later rounds. So, the Vikings got the guy they were most likely going to take at No. 25 — only they got him six slots later and added two additional picks.
3. Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
The Broncos needed a wide receiver and everyone in the football world knew that. Drew Lock needed a new weapon in the offense for next season. There were talks of Denver having to trade up for one of the top receivers or they would take Henry Ruggs III at No. 15. Neither one happened.
The Las Vegas Raiders shocked the draft by making Ruggs the first receiver off the board. San Francisco opted not to take a receiver so this allowed Jeudy to fall. Denver has to be extremely happy with the way the draft played out.
2. Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have a 43-year old, future Hall of Fame quarterback. It is important to protect Tom Brady during his time in Tampa. Thomas was a name linked to the Bucs because he was viewed as the fourth-best lineman. It turns out the Giants wanted him early.
The Bucs sat back and watched Jedrick Wills go to Cleveland and Mekhi Becton land in New York with the Jets. Did the Bucs just get the best offensive lineman at No. 13? The Brady effect seems to have followed him from New England to Tampa Bay.
1. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Throw needs out the window. Anyone criticizing the Cowboys for taking Lamb at No. 17 because they need help on defense is silly. Jerry Jones had to be shocked when he saw that Lamb was still on the board when his team was on the clock. It made his decision easy.
Lamb was arguably the best receiver in this draft. Ruggs going to Vegas set the stage for Jeudy or Lamb to fall and it ended up being the Oklahoma product. Lamb will join an offense of Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper. The Cowboys have plenty of time to build their defense, but with this pick, they made their offense even stronger and got the steal of the first round.
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