The 2020 NFL Draft is officially over and it is now time to look at each team's body of work. From Joe Burrow going No. 1 overall on Thursday night to Tae Crowder closing things out on Saturday afternoon, the draft was full of surprises.
It is unfair to judge draft picks until year three in the league, but it is human nature to judge players before a game has been played. Teams have spent plenty of time scouting players to see who will fit in best. For these five teams, draft weekend was a big success.
5. Washington Redskins
The Redskins are a team that never does anything right in the public's eye. This draft is no different. Washington is not being discussed much but truth be told, they filled a lot of needs and got great value on picks.
First, the Redskins added the best player in the draft. Chase Young was taken No. 2 overall and will now be terrorizing professional quarterbacks as Washington's premier pass-rusher. The team did not have a second round pick because they set it to the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 so they could trade back in the first round for Montez Sweat. Washington used their third rounder on Memphis weapon Antonio Gibson.
News came out early on Saturday that the Redskins would send Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers. They drafted a possible replacement in Round 4 in LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles. Their best value pick came in Round 5 when they took Liberty receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden.
The Redskins filled needs all over the field and even kept it going after the draft when they signed Thaddeus Moss as an undrafted rookie free agent. The Ron Rivera era is off to a dazzling start.
4. New York Jets
Is anyone shocked that the Jets are on this list? That makes two of us. There has been no team worse in the draft over the last 50 years than Gang Green, but Joe Douglas did his best to change history.
The Jets had two glaring needs coming into the draft — wide receiver and offensive line. They addressed both of those needs in the first two rounds with Mehki Becton at No. 11 and Denzel Mims at No. 59. Looking at the later rounds, the Jets added Swiss Army knife back La'Mical Perine out of Florida. It is no secret that head coach Adam Gase is not fond of Le'Veon Bell.
Fast forward to Round 5 and New York got a steal in Virginia corner Bryce Hall. Value, skill, depth and potential replacements: The Jets checked every box in the 2020 draft.
3. Denver Broncos
What a weekend for John Elway. The Broncos were another team that came in with a glaring need at a certain position and they did not waste time addressing it. Safe to say, Drew Lock will be a very happy quarterback come training camp.
Denver was patient in round one and watched arguably the best receiver in the class to fall to them. They took Jerry Jeudy at No. 15 and laughed all the way to the bank. Round 2 saw them add Penn State speedster KJ Hamler. After taking two big receivers, they added Tyrie Cleveland, who had a great career at Florida, in the seventh.
Value was there for the Broncos as well. Lloyd Cushenberry III was viewed as a second-round talent, and the Broncos got him in the third. McTelvin Agim was climbing up draft boards and Denver grabbed him late in the third round.
The Broncos will be a threat next season on both sides of the ball. Unrelated: They will certainly be an exciting Madden team with the addition of their wide receiving weapons.
2. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens will once again be Super Bowl contenders in 2020. They made some moves in the draft to make sure that they don't suffer another shocking loss in the Divisional round.
It began with linebacker Patrick Queen in the first round. He was viewed by many as the top linebacker in the draft and he fell to No. 28. Baltimore averaged 206 yards on the ground last season. They got another steal in the second round that will help keep the run game chugging along. J.K. Dobbins will now be a part of the Ravens' dynamic backfield. Lamar Jackson will have some new weapons in Dobbins and receiver Devin Duvernay.
The Ravens entered the draft as one of the best teams in the league. They are leaving as a better team that will be near the top of the AFC once again.
1. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have been disappointing for a long time now. It is the same song and dance every season where they are expected to win, never do, and the world laughs. And after this draft, the expectations will be as high as ever.
Looking at the draft at its conclusion, it is still surprising that CeeDee Lamb fell to Dallas at No. 17. Their offense was finalized with that pick and it was time to move onto the defense. The Cowboys got another steal at No. 51 with Trevon Diggs. Many thought that he could be an option for them in the first round. They then put the cherry on top with Oklahoma defensive lineman Neville Gallimore in Round 3.
With those three picks alone, the Cowboys won the draft. They will be expected to contend for it all once again in 2020 and there will be plenty of critics waiting to see if they fail after such an impressive draft haul.
Follow Us
Subscribe