BY: Tony Liebert
Possibly the only live sporting event for the next few months has come and gone. It's now time to figure out who came out of the 2020 NFL Draft a winner and who came out well behind the mark.
WINNERS
The Cowboys draft began Thursday afternoon with a BOMB, as it was reported that Owner, President, and GM Jerry Jones will be drafting without help from his scouting department.
Overall the Cowboys had what I believe to be the best draft in the NFL. After taking the best available in round one, they did not panic and they addressed their more serious needs. Trevon Diggs was 29th on our board so getting him at 51 was a steal and Neville Gallimore was 81, so he was great value in round three. Bradlee Anae, Tyler Biadsz, and Reggie Robinson II should all have the chance to contribute right away, and to find that value on day three is remarkable. A "QB flier" in round seven combined with a solid UDFA class makes their draft nearly perfect.
2. Drew Lock
Last season Drew Lock showed flashes of a franchise quarterback. He posted 1,020 passing yards with 10 touchdowns in five starts. Most importantly he was 4-1 in those five games. At the trade deadline Denver traded away its number one receiver, as Emmanuel Sanders was shipped to San Francisco. This opened the door for young targets, WR Courtland Sutton and TE Noah Fant to flourish and establish themselves as future pro bowl talent.
After finding a tight end and wide receiver of the future, John Elway still wanted to give Lock more to work with. He went out and signed Melvin Gordon in free agency. Then in this weeks drafted he took Alabama WR, Jerry Jeudy in the first round, Penn State WR, KJ Hamler in the second round, and then Lock's college TE, Albert Okwuegbunam in the fourth round. This quietly has made to Broncos offense one of the most potent in the NFL.
The Broncos as a whole do not come out a winner for me, as they had more dire needs on the defensive side of the ball that I would have liked to see them address. Bottom line, Denver's offense should be MUCH improved next season.
3. Jordan Love
Many Packers fans and NFL fans with a brain realized that the Packers immediate benefit from this year's draft will likely be little to none. It will go under the radar that Jordan Love likely could not have went to a better situation. I am much higher on Love than most, as I had him ranked as the third QB prospect and eighth overall prospect on Sports Plug's own big board. Love's absurd arm strength and elite athleticism makes him a very intriguing developmental prospect. In 2018-19 he had a great season with 32 TDs and 6 INTs. Coming into this year he had plenty of hype, but he struggled with decision making leading to 17 INTs, this was in large part due to the majority of his weapons leaving the previous season.
4. The Cleveland Browns
The Browns obviously had a lot of hype heading into last season, and we know how that went. I think this offseason Cleveland was able to focus on the more important and less flashy positions such as Jedrick Wills Jr and Jack Conklin as both new offensive tackles. Overall, Andrew Berry was able to fill all of the Browns' needs this offseason. Pending on Baker Mayfield's development I believe there is no reason for the Browns to be one of the 14 playoff teams next season.
LOSERS1. Aaron Rodgers
So in conclusion the Green Bay Packers did not draft a single wide receiver for their hall of fame QB following in a year where they were one game away from the Super Bowl the previous season, while 53% of their wide receiver snaps the previous season came from UNDRAFTED players.
2. Bill O'Brien
As to no ones surprise, Bill O'Brien executed something very poorly once again. Although, the Texans don't have any glaring needs, they still could've used a good draft, as they continue to trade away their draft capital year after year. The one selection that I did like was TCU DT, Ross Blackock in the second round. Blacklock will likely replace DJ Reader as Houston's starting interior defensive lineman, as reader left in free agency. Blackock was the only player that the Texans selected that was ranked in Sports Plug's top 101 as he was 67th.
3. The Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert could be an average QB in the NFL, but I think that is the reason the Chargers come out a loser. I believe they have one of the best rosters in the NFL outside of the quarterback position. I think drafting Herbert will ultimately throw their prime "win-now" window away. They could make the playoffs with him, but I view his peak as a player like Joe Flacco and it will require one of the best supporting casts of all time to win a Super Bowl with Herbert under center.
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May 2020
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