NFL Draft 2020: A Recap

As usual (I say usual, I didn't do one last year), I'm going to have a look back on last night's first round from the NFL Draft, delving specifically into one or two picks, as well as handing out a few awards. For the first time, there's also a section where I've asked friends to offer up some bold predictions, as well as who they think their teams will take in the first round.

Bold Predictions

I asked my friends and colleagues Tom, Sam, and Maria for some bold predictions ahead of the first round, and even came up with three of my own to see how good our crystal-ball-staring is.


Tom
1. The Miami Dolphins go OT before QB
2. Tua Tagovailoa falls outside the top 20
3. Four OTs are taken in the top 10 picks

- Unfortunately for Tom, a Dolphins fan, none of his predictions came true, although the 'Fins were able to get Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson, and Noah Igbinoghene, as well as trading back to pick up more draft capital.

Sam
1. The Miami Dolphins don't take a QB in the top 10
2. The Philadelphia Eagles trade up to draft a WR
3. Jacksonville Jaguars go QB in the first round

- Sam almost got prediction number two correct as the Eagles selected WR Jalen Reagor 21st overall, but they didn't have to trade up to do it. Meanwhile, the Dolphins took Tua fifth overall, and the Jags decided to bolster their defense, selecting both CB CJ Henderson, and DE K'Lavon Chaisson.

Maria
1. Cam Akers is the first RB off the board in the first round
2. The Indianapolis Colts take Jordan Love with the 27th overall pick
3. Tua Tagovailoa drops outside the top 15

- Maria's claim that Cam Akers would be the first RB off the board surprised me, as it was widely considered that D'Andre Swift would be the first gone, and she was nearly right, but instead of Akers, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the final pick of the round. Meanwhile, it was the Green Bay Packers selecting Love with the 27th pick.

Calum
1. The Chicago Bears trade into the first round to take Jordan Love
2. At least 5 draft-day trades go down
3. The most selected position in the first round will be cornerback

- Well I have to admit, I didn't see that NFC North team trading up for Jordan Love. So close, but yet so far. There were just four trades on draft day, as the teams in the top 10 all held on to their selections. As for the most-selected position, that was a three-way tie between cornerback, offensive tackle, and wide receiver.

Head vs. Heart

I also asked these three to give me head and heart selections for their teams in the first round. Who did they think they would pick (head), and who did they want them to pick (heart)? Let's see how everyone got on:

Tom

Head says:

QB Justin Herbert 5th Overall
OT Mekhi Becton 18th Overall
RB D'Andre Swift 26th Overall

Heart says:
QB Tua Tagovailoa 5th Overall
OT Mekhi Becton 18th Overall
RB D'Andre Swift 26th Overall

Actual Selections:
QB Tua Tagovailoa 5th Overall
OT Austin Jackson 18th Overall
CB Noah Igbinoghene 30th Overall (trade with Green Bay)

Sam
Head says:
OT Josh Jones 22nd Overall
CB Kristian Fulton 25th Overall

Heart says:
DT Javon Kinlaw 22nd Overall
CB CJ Henderson 25th Overall

Actual Selections:
WR Justin Jefferson 22nd Overall
CB Jeff Gladney 31st Overall (trade with San Francisco)

Maria
Head says:
QB Jordan Love or QB Jalen Hurts

Heart says:
LB Patrick Queen

Actual Selection:
C Cesar Ruiz

Calum
Head says:
DE AJ Epenesa or DE Yetur Gross-Matos

Heart says:
LB Kenneth Murray or LB Patrick Queen

Actual Selection:
LB Patrick Queen

The Awards

Best Value Pick

CeeDee Lamb to the Dallas Cowboys, 17th Overall
Jerry Jones didn't need another wide receiver, but when the electric Lamb fell into his lap at number 17, he couldn't miss. After posting career numbers last year, Das Prescott now gets an immediate upgrade at wide receiver to go alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, which will cause no end of matchup nightmares for the other teams in the NFC East. If the Cowboys can fill the holes needed on defense on Friday night, then it could be a very fruitful draft for America's Team

Biggest Reach

CB Damon Arnette to the Las Vegas Raiders, 19th Overall
How surprising was this pick? Well, let's put it this way, none of the NFL social media accounts had a post ready for Damon Arnette. On the live broadcast, both Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah said they had him down as a round 2/3 talent, so seeing him come off the board before the likes of Jeff Gladney, Trevon Diggs, and other highly-touted CBs was a very surprising move, although it's exactly the kind of move that we've come to expect from the Raiders.

Most Surprising Pick

QB Jordan Love to the Green Bay Packers, 26th Overall
When you have a first-ballot Hall of Famer at QB, and you haven't spent a first round draft pick on an offensive skill position player in nigh-on 15 years, you should probably think about bolstering the WR corps or the running back position. Instead, the Packers traded up four spots to take Jordan Love. I can see the logic behind the pick, as Aaron Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre before becoming a legend, but this team made it to the NFC Championship Game last season. Why not spend big on improving the offense, and try to take that final step to the promised land, rather than picking the only player who will both annoy your QB, and not see any playing time in his first season?

Best First Round

Denver Broncos (WR Jerry Jeudy, 15th Overall)
In their wildest dreams, I'm not sure that the Denver Broncos could have envisaged themselves picking up arguably the best receiver in the draft in the middle of the first round, let alone having the choice between the top two. Jeudy is one of the most polished route runners that many draft experts have seen in years, and draws favourable comparisons to some of the league's top names already. Now, Vic Fangio gets the chance to pair the Alabama product with one of the most dependable young receivers in the game as Jeudy will start opposite Courtland Sutton on opening day, which will be music to the ears of presumptive QB Drew Lock.

Worst First Round

New York Giants (OT Andrew Thomas, 4th Overall)
I didn't just want to rinse and repeat my breakdown of the Raiders' pick of Damon Arnette, so instead I've gone for the Giants, whose selection of Andrew Thomas baffled many on draft night. The Georgia product was considered the fourth-best option at OT behind Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, and Mekhi Becton, all of whom are projected to have higher ceilings at the next level. So with the top three tackles on the board, as well as a plug-and-play versatile impact player like Isaiah Simmons, the Giants decided to shock everyone by picking Thomas, who they could easily have traded back about ten spots to select if they had wanted to.

5 Predictions for the 2020 NFL Draft

Thursday night/Friday morning sees one of my favourite times of the year roll around, as the NFL Draft comes out to play once more. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has already claimed the live show, so there will be no chest-bumping, high-fiving, or bear-hugging of Roger Goodell on stage, but nevertheless, all 32 teams will be involved as they try to get better and earn their way back to the top of the pile as the Kansas City Chiefs aim to hold them all off once more.

With that, here are some predictions from me, a very average draft follower-and-knower, for what may happen early on Friday morning (GMT):

1. At Least One Team Trades Into the Top 5

With the general consensus pointing towards LSU QB Joe Burrow at number one overall, and Chase Young following him off the board to the Washington Redskins, the Detroit Lions and New York Giants then become the envy of every other team in the league as they can sit and wait for QB-needy teams to trade with them to jump ahead of the Miami Dolphins' pick at number five. With the draft capital that the Dolphins have built up over the last couple of seasons, I could even see them trading up to three to get their hands on their QB of the future, Tua Tagovailoa. Either way, I think we'll see early action at the top of the draft as teams clamber to secure the future of their franchise.


2. Tua Tagovailoa Ends Up Having a Better Career Than Joe Burrow

Now this one's going to take time to develop, but I'm simply using Tua's college career as a yardage marker for this prediction. In his freshman year, he came into the National Championship game and defeated Georgia to take home the title, replacing fellow 2020 draft prospect Jalen Hurts at half-time. Meanwhile, Burrow bounced around a little, before settling at LSU and struggling somewhat in his first season with 16 TDs and 5 INTs. Compare that to his 2019 season, which saw him light up college football for 60 TDs and 6 INTs, and there's no doubt that Burrow has shown an ability to improve, but there's just something about the way that Tua carries himself which makes me think he'll be the standard-bearer for the quarterbacks of the 2020 draft class.


3. The New England Patriots Choose To Bolster Their Defence

Last season, the Pats had a suffocating defense, which carried Tom Brady and a slightly stagnant offense to the AFC East title once more. In this draft, I can see Bill Belichick going one of two ways: either he stacks the defense with as much talent as possible to try and carry the Brady-less Pats to a division title, or he bolsters the offensive line to give their future quarterback (who I think will come from the 2021 draft class) as much protection as possible. More likely though is that Belichick leans on his past as a defensive coordinator and gets the best player available to boost his already impressive squad.


4. No More Than One RB Will Go On Thursday Night

The running back position has been increasingly devalued as the game has got faster, and more of the focus has moved onto edge rushers, offensive tackles, wide receivers, and cornerbacks. Even the selection of Saquon Barkley at number two overall a couple of years ago is regarded as a reach in some circles, as the production of the running back compared to the wear-and-tear just doesn't match up. There's only a few spots where I can see DeAndre Swift landing in the first round this year, and the two most likely of those belong to the Miami Dolphins' third and final pick at 26, and the Kansas City Chiefs with the final pick of the round. From a purely selfish, football-watching point of view, I'd rather see him succeed with Andy Reid in Kansas City, where Kareem Hunt flourished with Alex Smith under center, so who knows what's possible with Pat Mahomes, a first-round running back, and Andy Reid's offensive scheme.


5. Seattle Won't Pick at 27

This one's pretty simple. Since John Schneider became Seahawks GM in 2012, the team has never picked at the same spot, trading out of the first round altogether in 2013, '14, '15, and '17, and bouncing around to pick up more capital in the other years of his reign. This one seems like a pick out of thin air at first, but once you read into it, it's probably the most likely of all of these predictions to actually come true.

Baseball's Unwritten Rules are Stupid and Dumb

Look, if you disagree with me on the title, that's fine. But you have to know that you're wrong. I'm going to run through a couple of baseball's unwritten rules and point out why they make no sense.

Don't Run Up The Score

Now I know that run differential is unlikely to matter in a 162-game season. And I know that it's demoralising to allow double-digit runs in a game. But here's the thing: If you can't stop a team, why on earth should they stop trying to make things easier for you? If I were the manager of a team, I would want my guys out there trying to score as many runs as they can on a nightly basis. And if the opposition can't stop us, I don't want my guys giving them easy outs just because it's the done thing. Boost your batting average and try and drive a few runs in. Who knows, next time out, it could be you on the receiving end of a pasting. Also, who doesn't want to see more 30-3 scorelines?

Don't Swing On A 3-0 Count

This is another case of 'I can't help it if you don't have your best stuff today'. If the pitcher can't throw strikes and has to lob a meatball down the pipe just to get the ball over the plate, the batter should be well within his rights to unload on that thing and send it 450 feet. Admittedly, from the batter's point of view, he could mis-hit it and get out, but this is very dependent on the game situation. If my team is up a few runs, I'm giving every batter the green light on a 3-0 pitch. If it's a tie game or we're a couple of runs behind, I might think about it. But more often than not, if the batter can see it's a nice ball to hit, get after that thing.

Don't Bunt To Break Up A No-Hitter/Perfect Game

Your job is to get on base. So get on base any way you can. I don't understand this obsession with not bunting when the shift is on, or not bunting when there's a no-hitter on. These players are paid millions of dollars to get themselves on base and score runs, and they should be doing that any way they can, even if it means breaking up a no-hitter. Let's face it, if you're in the seventh inning and you don't have a single hit off a pitcher, something clearly isn't working, so lay down a bunt and hustle down the first base line. If he doesn't like it, he'll probably bean you, and I've got plenty to say about that as well.

Don't Admire Your Home Runs

Home runs are great. Home runs are beautiful. Home runs deserve admiration. But pitchers don't like it, and therefore neither should you. The difference between a pitcher and a batter is that a pitcher has to stay on a relatively even keel. They can't let anything get to them too much or they'll be thrown off-stride. Batters meanwhile get one shot in nine, and their swings are trying to get the most out of the situation, it's one swing and a huge rush of adrenaline if they see the ball sailing off into the distance. And why shouldn't they be able to admire it? It's not like there's a timer on rounding the bases. Sure, it might hurt your pitcher's feelings, but maybe next time they'll throw a better pitch.

If You Admire Your Home Runs, Expect A Baseball To The Ribs

This is the dumbest one of the lot. 'Hey, you there, why are you good at your job, you massive dork? I don't like that, so the next time I see you, I'm going to force you to wear a 90+mph baseball.' It brings to mind the saying "don't be bitter, be better" and it never applies more than to a pitcher or team who feel like they've been embarrassed. Take Ronald Acuña Jr for example. You're in your first major league season and you are just torching baseballs for fun, hitting monster home runs night after night. But then you face the Miami Marlins, and their starting pitcher doesn't like that you're doing well, so he throws the hardest pitch of his career right into your midriff. Seems harsh, doesn't it?