The first night of the 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone and there are a lot of observations on what transpired. As I write this, take note that I’ve had at least six cups of coffee already because the first round was LONG. Let’s first take a look at some of what happened in Round One.
And the Number One Pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is…
Joe Burrow, Quarterback, LSU
Burrow (or Burreaux, if you’re of the Cajun persuasion) had one of the greatest seasons by a quarterback in college football history in 2019. The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the worst teams in the NFL offensively last season. Their offense was so bad, it was at times pixilated because of the graphic nature of their awfulness. So, the Bengals drafted their quarterback of the future to be molded by an offensive mind in head coach Zac Taylor and mentored by current quarterback Andy Dalton. Bengals fans hope that Burrow can carry the momentum from his final college year into the future.
Solidifying Position
If there was one running theme of the night, it was that several teams were solidifying personnel at a number of positions. Several teams needed to make improvements in offensive personnel and did so. Teams that needed a future franchise quarterback – an FFQB – got them. Teams that needed help on the offensive line also got them. In some cases, like Miami, they got both and at least one Dolphins fan is orgasmically joyful. Some teams may have pulled the trigger too soon on some prospects; I’ll get to those later. Even teams that needed depth on defense – Baltimore and Minnesota, in particularly – got it.
TB12 Pulls the Strings in Tompa Bay
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their move to pick Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs after the first three of the offensive line prospects were taken ahead of him. Tampa Bay traded up to take San Francisco’s pick, which was acquired after they traded DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis. For all the tension in their relationship while in New England, Tom Brady learned a thing or two from Bill Belichick. One of them was knowing when to make the right move and I’m more than certain Brady had a hand in getting this done. Wirfs is an athletic freak and is going to be a stalwart for Brady and whoever else comes after Brady.
The Teams that Made the Most Curious Moves
In the later part of the first round, some teams made some curious choices. The Oakland Los Angeles Oakland Las Vegas Raiders had two first-round picks and is it me, or Al Davis’ spirit enter his son Mark’s body to make this pick? The Raiders selected wide receiver Henry Ruggs III from Alabama, one of the top receivers in the draft. They selected Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette, projected to be a second-round pick, at the 19th spot. This pick was a bit of a reach, but considering their need and they weren’t picking again until 80th, they needed to take cornerback help at that spot. They could have selected Noah Igbinoghnene or Jeff Gladney.
Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers swapped their pick at 30th for the Dolphins pick at 26th to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. Love was projected to be around in this spot and it was thought that the New England Patriots would take him at 23. But the Patriots traded out of the first round to San Diego the Los Angeles Chargers for the 37th and 71st picks in the draft. Rather than getting help for wide receiver Davante Adams, the Packers snatched up Love. Remember back in 2005 when the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers as the heir apparent to Brett Favre? Fifteen years later, the circle of the draft is complete.
Jerry Jones is a Spiteful, Spiteful Man
The Dallas Cowboys have been openly searching the market for help in their secondary. It’s no secret that they targeted the New York Jets and Jamal Adams specifically. The Cowboys were also four spots above their division rival Philadelphia Eagles, who were also looking for help. When Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb dropped in, the draft Jerry Jones snatched him up at 17. Was this message basically a giant middle finger to the Jets and the Eagles? ABSOLUTELY. (But if anyone can introduce me to that young lady in the blue dress, I will retract what I just wrote.)
Roger Goodell is Having Fun in His Basement
In “The King of Comedy,” Robert DeNiro plays out of work comic Rupert Pupkin who has dreams of hitting the big time. He lives with his mother and makes her basement into a scale model of a television studio. In desperation to make himself famous, he kidnaps his idol, Jerry Langford.
While Roger Goodell didn’t kidnap his idol and bring him back to his basement, he was having fun interacting with fans livestreaming from their homes. And he even welcomed some “boos” for a good cause. Those of us watching at home could tell that Goodell was doing his best to have fun considering the circumstances.
The Home Office Setups of Some Coaches Were Fascinating
Twitter was ablaze with content throughout the night with photos of home office setups and some of them were more fascinating than others.
The 2020 NFL Draft continues throughout the weekend.
What did you think of the draft and how do you think your team did? Feel free to comment below or hit me up on Twitter, @WhoIsRyanMcC.
