The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone. Held in the virtual world because of Covid19, the annual event attracted millions of viewers and fans. The draft included some big surprises like C. J. Henderson going to the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Dallas Cowboys drafting CeeDee Lamb at number seventeen. Overall, the draft went according to plan for some teams. We took four teams from both the AFC and NFC and left our comments and thoughts.
1. Cincinnati Bengals (Grade: A)
With the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bengals were poised to select college standout Joe Burrow as their franchise quarterback. Based on his college career, the winning quarterback was so coveted that the organization resisted trade offers from other teams to move up to the number one spot. Burrow has been dubbed as the savior of the franchise and the organization hopes he can make them a perennial playoff team. We’ll see!
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (Grade A)
The Jaguars just added one of the top cornerbacks in the draft to their roster. Most draft analysts thought the Jags would go offense, specifically left offensive tackle, with its first pick, but the selection of C. J. Henderson was a major need since they team traded away All Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams for two first round picks. Henderson is considered the best cover corner in the draft. With good size (6’1 / 204lbs) and blazing speed (4.39 40 time), the teams hopes that he’s the answer for their depleted secondary (the team also traded A.J. Bouye to the Denver Broncos). With their second pick, 20th overall (the Jalen Ramsey pick), the Jaguars added another talent to its front seven. K’Lavon Chaisson is graded as the second best edge rusher in the draft behind Chase Young. He’s a multifaceted player who can rush the passer (on passing downs), play strong side linebacker in base downs and he’s excellent in pass coverage. Add the fact that he will be play along side last year rookie stud Josh Allen and pro bowler Yannick Ngoguwe, the team of Duval county will have several options to get to the quarterback. The Jags has the potential to break the team sack record in the upcoming season.
The Jaguars also drafted Lavish Shenault in the second round. Shenault was the highly touted wide receiver with a first round grade before his injury in college. With a first round grade, he was steal for the Jaguars to land in the second round.
3. Baltimore Ravens (Grade: A+)
Drafting Patrick Queen at #28 was a no-brainer for savvy Baltimore Ravens. Most draft experts has Queen last the top insider linebacker in the entire draft. With good speed (4.5 40 time) and excellent tackling skills, he should be in the runnings for defensive rookie of the year. The fact that he will be playing behind Calias Campbell and Derek Wolfe (both should be able to eat up blocks), he will have easy access to the football. It seems that the rich got richer with the Baltimore Ravens.
4. Green Bay Packers (Grade: C)
The Packers shocked the NFL on draft night. They took quarterback Jordan Love at #26. He’s set to the heir apparent to future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. The problem with this pick is that Rodgers is still playing at Pro Bowl level. This move signals the possible end of his career in Green Bay. Assuming Rodgers continues to play well (last year he took the team tot he NFC Championship), Love will not see the field for at least two years. We understand their logic as they will groom Love during that time, but what if Rodgers demand a trade? All NFL analyst pegged Love as a poor man’s Patrick Mahomes, but he will need time to develop. Will this pick ruin the momentum the team had last year? Time will tell.
With this year’s draft having an abundance of wide receiver talent, the team did not take a single wide receiver, which was puzzling to say the least.
The 2020 NFL regular season has the anticipation to be one of the all-time greats. #CantWait
