The 2020 NFL Draft is officially in the books. After a flurry of history-making picks and eye-raising selections from Thursday to Saturday, 255 players were selected to join the NFL's 32 NFL teams. With that, we give you our full draft recap with analysis on each team’s day and every selection made during the weekend.
For more information on who your favorite team drafted, it’s not too late to get our 2020 NFL Draft Guide with expanded profiles, PFF advanced stats, grades and analysis on the top-250 players in this draft class.
[Editor’s Note: PFF's instant analysis on EVERY pick of the 2020 NFL Draft can be found here. You can also find all of our pre-draft and up-to-the-minute analysis categorized and readily available here. Get your copy of the PFF 2020 NFL Draft Guide today by clicking on this link.]
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PFF's 2020 NFL Draft Day 2 Recap
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AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS
Round 2 (54): EDGE AJ Epenesa, Iowa
Round 3 (86): RB Zack Moss, Utah
Round 4 (128): WR Gabriel Davis, UCF
Round 5 (167): QB Jake Fromm, Georgia
Round 6 (188): K Tyler Bass, Georgia Southern
Round 6 (207): WR Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State
Round 7 (239): CB Dane Jackson, Pittsburgh
Day 1: The Buffalo Bills traded away their 2020 first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks as well as a 2021 fourth-round pick in exchange for wide receiver Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick. With Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley, the Bills have one of the best wide receiver trios in the NFL.
Day 2: A.J.Epenesa, PFF’s 20th-ranked prospect and EDGE2, fell right into the Bills’ laps at pick No. 54. While there’s some concern with how his below-average athleticism and lack of burst off the line will translate to the NFL, we still very much viewed Epenesa as a first-round talent in this draft. He has incredible power and great versatility — he had a win rate of over 31% when rushing from the interior in 2019 (54 such reps).
“If he falls to the second round, it’s gonna be a huge steal. He produced on the football field and his game is not athleticism — his game is power. His game is the way he uses his hands, and his game is versatility.” – PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner on Epenesa prior to the 2020 NFL Draft
There wasn’t a more elusive running back in the 2020 NFL Draft than Zack Moss. He broke 0.33 tackles per rush attempt ever since his emergence as a true sophomore in 2017 and has broken 33 tackles on 66 catches in his career. Moss isn’t going to wow you with his speed, but he does pretty much everything else at a high level. He was PFF’s RB2 and has the size, vision, hands and elusiveness to succeed in the NFL.
Day 3: It was a pretty big surprise to see Jake Fromm end up on the Buffalo Bills, but this was a great value pick. Fromm was PFF’s QB5 and 69th overall prospect in the class. He’s a “game-manager,” but he takes incredibly good care of the football and is a sharp decision-maker. In 2019, Fromm produced a turnover-worthy play rate that ranked fifth among FBS signal-callers and had just one turnover-worthy play on his 98 dropbacks under pressure. Josh Allen has a quality backup for the time being in Jake Fromm.
Draft Grade: A-
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Round 1 (5): QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Round 1 (18): T Austin Jackson, USC
Round 1 (30): CB Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn
Round 2 (39): IOL Robert Hunt, Louisiana
Round 2 (56): DI Raekwon Davis, Alabama
Round 3 (70): S Brandon Jones, Texas
Round 4 (111): IOL Solomon Kindley, Georgia
Round 5 (154): DI Jason Strowbridge, UNC
Round 5 (164): Edge Curtis Weaver, Boise State
Round 6 (185): LS Blake Ferguson, LSU
Round 7 (246): QB/WR Malcom Perry, Navy
Day 1: The fact that Miami didn’t have to move up from its fifth overall pick to secure Tua Tagovailoa is a huge win. Even with the injury, Tagovailoa was the second-best prospect on the PFF Big Board and QB2 over Justin Herbert by a mile. With his accuracy, pocket presence, ability to withstand pressure, decision-making and acumen for extending plays, Tagovailoa is every bit of a franchise quarterback. He was the only quarterback to post back-to-back elite PFF passing grades in the past two years. When your biggest con is that you played in with an elite supporting cast that had potentially four first-round wide receivers, you are clearly doing something right.
Austin Jackson was 94th on the PFF Big Board and was taken 18th overall. This was one of the biggest reaches we have seen in the first round of the draft. Jackson is going to be a project for Miami, both technically and physically. His play strength was not that of a first-round pick. He got exposed by NFL-caliber edge rushers in college — when he went up against Julian Okwara, A.J. Epenesa and Bradlee Anae, Jackson gave up a combined eight pressures in those games.
While it wasn’t on the level of Jackson, taking Noah Igbinoghene in Round 1 was another reach on the Dolphins’ part. He was 55th on the PFF Big Board with poor ball skills and is still learning to play the position. That being said, this is a great fit for Igbinoghene. He played a great amount of press coverage in 2019 and has the athleticism and overall physical tools to develop into a solid corner, but you're drafting on his potential at that point.
“Noah Igbinoghene is still learning the position and needs to improve his play at the catch point, but his match-and-mirror ability and deep speed are rare — he has special movement skills teams will covet early.” – PFF’s Austin Gayle prior to the 2020 NFL Draft
Day 2: Continuing on the trend of their two first-round picks, Day 2 was full of reaches once again for the Miami Dolphins. All three of their picks on Day 2 were picked over 50 spots ahead of their rank on the PFF Big Board.
Robert Hunt was a nasty run-blocker for Louisiana and owned a solid 86.0 grade in that facet of play. Miami general manager Chris Grier said he’ll compete for a starting job at both right tackle and right guard, but we believe the best thing for him is to kick inside. PFF’s Mike Renner actually thinks he has the size and power to be a future Pro Bowl guard. One of the concerns we had with Hunt — he slotted in at 89th on our board — was his out-of-control play style and the fact that he was barely tested in pass protection. And he did this all against relatively weak competition.
As for Raekwon Davis, he was just 115th on the PFF Big Board. He has all the length you could possibly want on the inside and is the definition of a run-stuffer, as he has put up run-defense grades of 87.0 or higher in each of the past three seasons. Run-stuffers along the interior don’t generate enough value to be taken this early on Day 2, though, and there isn’t much at all in the way of pass-rushing moves or quickness that leads you to believe he’ll ever be an impact player as a pass-rusher.
The biggest reach of them all, though, was taking Brandon Jones 70th overall — he was just 182nd on the PFF Big Board. Whenever he was playing free safety, Jones was a problem within the Texas defense, as he was exposed far more than he should have been. He might be a better option at slot corner than deep safety in Miami’s defense, which doesn’t help their need at the latter.
Day 3: Miami had some reaches on Day 2 but got incredible value on Day 3 with Curtis Weaver, who was the 26th-best prospect on the PFF Big Board and EDGE3. Weaver had great production in the past two years, posting pass-rushing grades above 92.0 in each and combining to form a win rate that was three percentage points higher than any edge rusher. Weaver may lack burst, but his elite power and bend make up for that. The Dolphins got a first-round talent in the fifth round.
Draft Grade: A-
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Round 2 (37): S Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
Round 2 (60): EDGE Josh Uche, Michigan
Round 3 (87): EDGE Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
Round 3 (91): TE Devin Asiasi, UCLA
Round 3 (101): TE Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech
Round 5 (159): K Justin Rohrwasser, Marshall
Round 6 (182): IOL Michael Onwenu, Michigan
Round 6 (195): OT Justin Herron, Wake Forest
Round 6 (204): LB Cassh Maluia, Wyoming
Round 7 (230): IOL Dustin Woodard, Memphis
Day 1: New England traded away its first-round pick (23rd overall) for the Chargers’ second- and third-round picks (Nos. 37 and 71). According to PFF’s Research and Development team, the Patriots win that trade 59% of the time. In other words, Bill Belichick made a great trade, while the Chargers gave up too much.
Day 2: The Patriots had a busy day with five draft picks and started it off by taking the uber-athletic and explosive safety Kyle Dugger. In playing for Lenoir-Rhyne and going up against lower-level competition, Dugger is a huge unknown, as he dominated just because of his unreal athleticism as opposed to reading in coverage. Dugger did, however, have a nice Senior Bowl showing by forcing two incompletions and intercepting a pass on his five one-on-one reps that week.
“Given the increased variance bestowed upon players with a small sample size against premiere competition, Dugger is probably the best value for a team that already has its five or six starters in the secondary but could use the boost that the tail of Dugger’s distribution affords them, should he become a star.” – PFF Data Scientist Eric Eager on Dugger being worth taking a chance on
Josh Uche and the New England Patriots are one of the perfect prospect-team marriages we saw. He fits the mold of the Patriots’ scheme. As PFF’s Ben Linsey said, “Getting those players who can win as pass rushers lined up on the edge, as well as off-ball linebackers who can fill gaps against the run and do what they’re asked to in coverage, has been at the backbone of New England’s defense (one of the best groups in the NFL) for years.” Uche put up an elite 91.7 pass-rush grade over the past two years and has more than enough athleticism to drop into coverage and hold his own.
New England’s other three picks on Day 2 were a bit of a surprise and a lot higher than where we would have slotted them. Anfernee Jennings’ athleticism is worrisome when projecting him as an NFL pass-rusher. He had great production as a redshirt senior by posting an 88.2 pass-rush grade, but he was relatively quiet in that facet in his career prior to 2019.
Asiasi and Keene were TE8 and TE10 on the PFF Big Board and we are suspect of either one becoming a legitimate No. 1 tight end. Asiasi has the size and blocking ability to hold his own inline and can be a chain-mover, but he isn’t a modern-day NFL tight end. While Asiasi was a safer pick over Keene, the higher ceiling belongs to Keene. He was very underused at Virginia Tech but flashed great after-the-catch ability (nine broken tackles on 59 career catches, 9.7 yards after the catch per reception in career) and is an incredible athlete. It’s difficult to project him as a receiver, though, considering he had only 16 receptions when targeted five or more yards downfield in his three-year career.
Day 3: He’s not likely to see the field soon, but the Patriots made a great pick in Round 6 when they were able to get interior offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, our 128th-ranked prospect. At 6-foot-3, 350 pounds, Onwenu may not be able to match NFL quicks, but he can match NFL power. Very rarely did someone go through him in pass protection — he allowed only 13 pressures over the last two seasons and posted top-15 pass-blocking grades among guards each season.
Draft Grade: B
NEW YORK JETS
Round 1 (11): T Mekhi Becton, Louisville
Round 2 (59): WR Denzel Mims, Baylor
Round 3 (68): S Ashtyn Davis, California
Round 3 (79): EDGE Jabari Zuniga, Florida
Round 4 (120): RB La’Mical Perine, Florida
Round 4 (125): QB James Morgan, FIU
Round 4 (129): OT Cameron Clark, Charlotte
Round 5 (158): CB Bryce Hall, Virginia
Round 6 (191): P Braden Mann, Texas A&M
Day 1: Not only was Mekhi Becton not among the top five offensive tackles on PFF’s Big Board, but he wasn’t even a top-40 prospect in this draft class. Becton has generational physical tools and athleticism for a guy his size at 6-foot-7, 360-pounds. The only issue is that he has little production to speak for it and was protected in Louisville’s play-action and screen-heavy offense. Becton saw only 73 true pass sets in 2019 and allowed eight pressures on those. We knew someone would take a chance on Becton early, and the New York Jets came out as the ones to take the high-risk, high-reward prospect.
Day 2: Instead of going after a receiver like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs or CeeDee Lamb in Round 1, the Jets got great value in Round 2 with Denzel Mims at pick No. 59. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver is the ideal size, owns elite level athleticism, and has great body control. However, as PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner said, Mims is still very much a project — he needs to develop as a route-runner.
Ashtyn Davis was the 33rd-ranked player on the PFF Big Board, so getting him at pick No. 68 is a steal. He was named the best single-high safety in the class by Mike Renner. Over the past two years, Davis ranked fifth in PFF coverage grade when playing single-high while picking up a couple of interceptions and pass breakups in the process. Davis is a special athlete and a former track star for Cal who has elite range.
Like Davis, Jabari Zuniga is a freak athlete — but unlike Davis, Zuniga at the 79th overall pick was more of a reach than a steal. He could dominate the lower tier of tackles he faced but struggled against the good ones. Zuniga posted just a 13% win rate against Power-5 tackles in his career.
Day 3: One of the best picks made on Day 3 came from the New York Jets when they got Bryce Hall 158th overall. If Hall had declared last year, there is a strong chance he would have gone in the first round. However, he unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7 while in punt coverage that lowered his draft stock significantly. Injury aside, Hall has some of the best ball skills we have ever seen here at PFF. At 6-foot-1 with over 32-inch arms, Hall posted the best forced incompletion percentage in all of college football (28.2%) in 2017 and 2018. In that span, his coverage grade was the fifth best in the country. He has the potential to make an impact from day one.
Draft Grade: B+
[Editor’s Note: PFF's instant analysis on EVERY pick of the 2020 NFL Draft can be found here. You can also find all of our pre-draft and up-to-the-minute analysis categorized and readily available here. Get your copy of the PFF 2020 NFL Draft Guide today by clicking on this link.]
NFC EAST
DALLAS COWBOYS
Round 1 (17): WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Round 2 (51): CB Trevon Diggs, Alabama
Round 3 (82): DI Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
Round 4 (123): CB Reggie Robinson, Tulsa
Round 4 (146): IOL Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
Round 5 (179): Edge Bradlee Anae, Utah
Round 7 (231): QB Ben DiNucci, James Madison
Day 1: Dallas was one of the biggest winners of the first round, and it’s all because a few teams ahead of them made mistakes and handed them CeeDee Lamb at the 17th overall pick. Lamb was the sixth-best prospect on the PFF Big Board and is actually the third-best wide receiver prospect we have ever evaluated — behind only Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy. He’s a refined route-runner, has great ball skills and is lethal after the catch. Lamb is coming off a season in which he broke 26 tackles on 62 catches and averaged an incredible 11.0 yards after the catch per reception — both of which cracked the top five in the FBS.
Day 2: And the Cowboys’ steals didn’t stop with just Lamb — they continued to thrive on Day 2 with their 51st and 82nd overall picks.
“Cowboys are ripping the doorknob off this draft. Every pick they've made was much higher on the PFF Draft Board: 17 – CeeDee Lamb (PFF board: 6th), 51 – Trevon Diggs (31st), 82 – Neville Gallimore (51st).” – PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner on the Cowboys’ draft after Day 2
Trevon Diggs isn’t a fit for every scheme due to his athletic limitations, but he is the perfect fit for Dallas’ press-heavy scheme. In press this past year, Diggs allowed only nine catches on 33 targets while intercepting three and forcing seven incompletions.
There were a handful of interior defensive linemen taken over Gallimore who shouldn’t have been, and the Cowboys once again took advantage of others’ mistakes. Gallimore has incredible power and can be defined as a people-mover. There was some inconsistency with his performance in the pass-rush, but his power and burst is everything you could want at the position. If he can learn a few more moves, Gallimore will be an impact player.
Day 3: Dallas’ dream draft continued into Day 3 when they got two guys for great value in Tyler Biadasz (87th-best prospect on PFF Big Board) and Bradlee Anae (130th-best prospect on PFF Big Board). He’s one of the most accomplished run-blockers we’ve graded at PFF, with grades above 80.0 in all three years as a starter. The step back in pass protection this past season is concerning, though. He’ll have a chance to make an impact early with Travis Frederick’s retirement. As for Anae, he doesn’t have great athleticism for the position, but he has the skills that should have made him an earlier pick.
Draft Grade: A+
NEW YORK GIANTS
Round 1 (4): T Andrew Thomas, Georgia
Round 2 (36): S Xavier McKinney, Alabama
Round 3 (99): T Matt Peart, Connecticut
Round 4 (110): CB Darnay Holmes, UCLA
Round 5 (150): IOL Shane Lemieux, Oregon
Round 6 (183): LB Cam Brown, Penn State
Round 7 (218): Edge Carter Coughlin, Minnesota
Round 7 (238): LB TJ Brunson, South Carolina
Round 7 (247): CB Chris Williamson, Minnesota
Round 7 (255): LB Tae Crowder, Georgia
Day 1: Andrew Thomas was PFF’s OT1 in this class, and a large reason why he got the nod over Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills was his elite production against the best of the best in the SEC. Thomas had a 92.7 overall grade in 2019 that ranked third in the FBS among tackles, and he was one of few to perform at a top-10 level in both pass protection and as a run-blocker. As a matter of fact, Thomas’ overall grade tied for the best we have ever seen from an SEC tackle with La’el Collins back in 2014. Throw in his size, strength and athleticism, and the fact that he did this in an NFL-type of scheme, and he is the best tackle in the class.
Day 2: Safety wasn’t a pressing need, but when you have a guy like Xavier McKinney on the board at the 36th overall pick, you throw needs out the window and steal McKinney from everyone else. McKinney was 19th on the PFF Big Board and is easily the most versatile safety in the class. There have been only five safeties to play over 450 snaps in the box, slot and at free safety over the past two years, and only one of those five produced 70.0-plus grades at all three of those alignments — Xavier McKinney. Regardless of alignment or role, McKinney performed at a high level in each of the past two seasons, producing grades above 79.0 against the run, as a pass-rusher and in coverage.
Matt Peart was a solid pickup for the Giants at pick No. 99. He’s coming off a season in which he recorded an elite 90.2 overall grade that ranked seventh in the FBS — succeeding as both a pass-protector and run-blocker. He is built like an offensive tackle you’d dream up from a size and length perspective at 6-foot-7 with 36 5/8-inch arms. The big concern with Peart is his play strength. He has to add more to his frame, and if he does that, he could become a quality NFL starter.
Day 3: New York kicked off Day 3 by making a great move and taking Darnay Holmes 110th overall. He was 86th on the PFF Big Board, and while he is short with poor arm length, he has the tools teams should have taken a chance on in the second or third round. Holmes had a down year in 2019, seeing his PFF coverage grade drop from 80.3 in 2018 to 61.8, which had a negative impact on his draft stock. But the Giants were the beneficiary of it — they got great value at a valuable position.
Draft Grade: A
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Round 1 (21): WR Jalen Reagor, TCU
Round 2 (53): QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Round 3 (103): LB Davion Taylor, Colorado
Round 4 (127): CB K’Von Wallace, Clemson
Round 4 (145): OT Jack Driscoll, Auburn
Round 5 (168): WR John Hightower, Boise State
Round 6 (196): LB Shaun Bradley, Temple
Round 6 (200): WR Quez Watkins, Southern Mississippi
Round 6 (210): OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
Round 7 (233): Edge Casey Toohill, Stanford
Day 1: Wide receiver was priority number one for Philadelphia entering the draft, and it was a mission accomplished by picking up Jalen Reagor in Round 1. Reagor is an explosive athlete by nature, and that becomes clear when he has the ball in his hands. Over the past two years, Reagor generated an explosive play of 15-plus yards on 51.6% of his catches — the second-highest rate in college football and nearly 20 percentage points above the FBS average. With that athleticism, Reagor constantly gets behind defenses. Look beyond Reagor’s collegiate production for a reason to worry about his future in the NFL – his situation at TCU could not have been much worse, as he saw a catchable target just 61.4% of the time, which ranked 118th among 120 wideouts. We love this pick for the Eagles.
Day 2: Philly threw everyone for a loop by taking Jalen Hurts 53rd overall, but we actually like the pick despite Carson Wentz manning the helm. It’s no secret that Wentz has had his fair share of injuries in the NFL, and the Eagles need a reliable backup as a result of that. Hurts improved drastically over the course of his collegiate career and has the rushing ability, athleticism, accuracy, decision-making and collegiate production that gives us reason to believe he can succeed at the next level. If he can just make quicker decisions (3.08 second average time to throw in 2019 was slowest in FBS), this pick could be an absolute steal down the long run.
“I like this pick. … Jalen Hurts gives you a high-floor backup in terms of you just run a few option plays, you have a few passing concepts off that. It’s going to be vastly different — teams are going to have to prepare for something entirely different.” – PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
Davion Taylor didn’t crack the top 100 on the PFF Big Board due to being relatively undersized and having little experience playing between the tackles, but our data scientists love Taylor as a prospect. In PFF’s analytics mock by George Chahrouri and Eric Eager, they had Taylor among the top-32 prospects, as he projects very well to the NFL. He’s an incredible athlete who you invest in — as Philly did at pick No. 103.
Day 3: K’Von Wallace, who was 60th on the PFF Big Board, is a physical, quick and instinctive player. He’s really just the ideal slot cornerback in the NFL. Manning the slot for the Clemson Tigers over the past three years, Wallace posted a great 87.1 coverage grade.
“In today’s NFL, you need slot cornerbacks who can stick with some of the top receivers in the NFL, come up and make plays on screens, not be afraid to fill gaps in the run game and get home on the occasional blitz. Wallace is one of my favorites in the class, and he is someone I think can take on those responsibilities well.” – PFF Analyst Ben Linsey
Draft Grade: A-
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Round 1 (2): EDGE Chase Young, Ohio State
Round 3 (66): RB Antonio Gibson, Memphis
Round 4 (108): OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU
Round 4 (142): WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty
Round 5 (156): IOL Keith Ismael, San Diego State
Round 5 (162): LB Khaleke Hudson, Michigan
Round 7 (216): S Kamren Curl, Arkansas
Round 7 (229): Edge James Smith-Williams, NC State
Day 1: Chase Young is the best non-quarterback prospect we have ever evaluated here at PFF. He shattered the PFF pass-rush grade in 2019 by posting an absurd 96.4 mark on those reps and is best described as a freak of nature. Everything about Young as a pass-rusher is elite. Burst, power, hands, size — he has it all.
“Since I started doing draft analysis, I've called one prospect a future Hall of Famer (Quenton Nelson). I am ready to make that two with Chase Young” – PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
Day 2: If you’re going to take any running back 66th overall, they should possess elite receiving ability, and Antonio Gibson checks that box. Gibson hauled in 38 catches in 2019 and broke a tackle on 17 of them. He got only 33 opportunities as a ball-carrier in 2019, but he broke a tackle on 16 of those and produced a 10-plus yard run on 11 of them. His receiving ability, explosiveness, overall athleticism and elusiveness make him a nightmare to defend. And he can do It from all over the field. The Redskins got two freaks of nature in Young and Gibson.
Day 3: Dwayne Haskins now has a target to throw to with an enormous catch radius in Antonio Gandy-Golden. He had incredible downfield production at Liberty, which helped pave the way to an 89.4 receiving grade in 2019, but he’s more of a big-bodied possession receiver at the next level due to poor change of direction and straight-line speed. Gandy-Golden can thrive in that role with his nuanced releases and ability to win on underneath and intermediate routes.
Draft Grade: B
AFC SOUTH
HOUSTON TEXANS
Round 2 (40): DI Ross Blacklock, TCU
Round 3 (90): EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Florida
Round 4 (126): OT Charlie Heck, UNC
Round 4 (141): CB John Reid, Penn State
Round 5 (171): WR Isaiah Coulter, Rhode Island
Day 1: Houston sent its first-round pick to Miami prior to the 2019 season in the Laremy Tunsil trade. In his lone season with the Texans, Tunsil posted a 75.8 overall grade that ranked 17th among tackles. This past week, the Texans signed him to a three-year, $66 million extension with $57 million guaranteed. That makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman annually by over $4 million.
Day 2: While beefing up the interior defensive line was a priority for Houston, so was improving the secondary. And considering the number of talented cornerbacks on the board when they were on the clock at pick 40, the Texans should have addressed the more valuable position. Ross Blacklock has the athleticism you covet on the interior defensive line, but there isn’t any technical proficiency with him. He lacks pass-rush moves and won’t be an immediate impact player, but he should be able to develop his pass-rushing over time with his elite agility and explosiveness.
There was a report that Jonathan Greenard, the 90th overall pick, was supposed to be going to the Detroit Lions via trade, but they backed out last minute, leaving Houston with Greenard and Bill O’Brien displeased. Taking Greenard this early in the draft was a pretty massive reach — he ranked 167th on the PFF Big Board and lacks the athleticism needed for an NFL edge rusher. Greenard abused the lower-tier SEC tackles and ended up owning an 88.0 pass-rush grade in 2019, but his lack of athleticism was apparent when he went up against above-average tackles.
Day 3: Houston finally addressed its slot woes on Day 3 and was fortunate enough to land John Reid, PFF’s 100th-ranked player, at the 141st overall pick. Reid has one of the top athletic profiles of any defensive back in the class and was an ideal fit for a zone-heavy team, so it makes this pick an interesting one. That said, Reid played under 100 snaps in man coverage this past season and flashed some incredible skills on those limited reps by allowing only six catches on 18 targets with six plays made on the ball.
Draft Grade: C+
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Round 2 (34): WR Michael Pittman Jr., USC
Round 2 (41): RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Round 3 (85): S Julian Blackmon, Utah
Round 4 (122): QB Jacob Eason, Washington
Round 5 (149): IOL Danny Pinter, Ball State
Round 6 (193): DI Robert Windsor, Penn State
Round 6 (211): CB Isaiah Rodgers, UMass
Round 6 (212): WR Dezmon Patmon, Washington State
Round 6 (213): LB Jordan Glasgow, Michigan
Day 1: Indianapolis traded away its 13th overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for interior defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. The Colts then extended him to a four-year, $84 million deal to make him the second-highest-paid interior player behind only Aaron Donald. Buckner has been a good — but not elite — player over the course of his four-year career with the 49ers. He owns PFF grade ranks of 31st, 17th, 25th and ninth and has been an above-average player against the run and getting after the quarterback in the pass-rush.
Day 2: Indianapolis had one of the best picks of Day 2 by taking Michael Pittman Jr. 34th overall. Pittman stands at 6-foot-4 and owns near-flawless ball skills. He dropped just 2.8% of his catchable targets in his career, possesses an insane catch radius and can adjust to any off-target throw to snag what would typically be an incomplete pass. Pittman’s underneath and intermediate route-running makes him a phenomenal possession receiver prospect who will fit nicely in Indy.
We all know by now that taking a running back in the middle of Round 2 isn’t ideal in our eyes, but trading up for one isn’t a great move. Indy traded the 44th and 160th overall picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 41 and grab Jonathan Taylor. But Cleveland wins that trade 55% of the time, according to PFF’s Research and Development team. Taylor’s lack of receiving ability is something to be concerned about, but the Colts are going to run the damn ball with him. His size, speed and explosiveness are what you want in a ball-carrier. He got plenty of opportunities to carry the ball at Wisconsin and posted an 85.0-plus rushing grade in each of his three seasons with the Badgers.
“There wasn't a better landing spot for Jonathan Taylor in my mind than Indy. He'll actually move the needle over Marlon Mack in that offense.” – PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner
Blackmon was 180th on the PFF Big Board, so him getting picked at No. 85 was a bit early in our eyes, but this can end up as a solid pick in the long run. When Blackmon played cornerback, he played incredibly poorly — he gave a whopping 786 yards on 508 coverage snaps in 2018 and lacked any physicality. He then moved to safety in 2019 and had a career year, posting an 88.7 coverage grade while displaying great range and sharp instincts at deep safety.
Day 3: The Colts started looking at their future post-Philip Rivers by taking Jacob Eason 122nd overall. Eason has a cannon and great zip on the ball, but there is a lot of concern with how he’ll handle NFL pass-rushers. When under pressure this past year, Eason posted the second-worst negatively graded play rate in college football. He also has a tendency to stay locked in on his first read a bit too long and will force his throw late. In other words, Eason is a rhythm passer. This is right around where we had him on the PFF Big Board, but there were other quarterbacks ahead of him still available.
Draft Grade: B
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Round 1 (9): CB CJ Henderson, Florida
Round 1 (20): EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU
Round 2 (42): WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
Round 3 (73): DI Davon Hamilton, Ohio State
Round 4 (116): OT Ben Bartch, St. John’s
Round 4 (137): CB Josiah Scott, Michigan State
Round 4 (140): LB Shaq Quarterman, Miami (Fla.)
Round 5 (157): S Daniel Thomas, Auburn
Round 5 (165): WR Collin Johnson, Texas
Round 6 (189): QB Jake Luton, Oregon State
Round 6 (206): TE Tyler Davis, Georgia Tech
Round 7 (223): CB Chris Claybrooks, Memphis
Day 1: By trading away Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, the Jaguars had a hole at cornerback — and filling it with C.J. Henderson was a great move. While he is coming off a down year at Florida in which he gave up a whopping five receptions that resulted in a 40-plus yard gain — three more than any other top-10 cornerback in this class — Henderson is right behind Jeffrey Okudah in terms of man-coverage skills. In single coverage at outside corner since 2018, Henderson allowed a minimal 20 catches on 44 targets while making as many plays on the ball as the number of first downs allowed (16). His athleticism is among the best in the entire draft class and will give wide receivers trouble at the next level.
With their second first-rounder, Jacksonville picked an edge rusher in Chaisson, who has incredible physical tools and high-end traits but poor collegiate production. He wasn’t able to turn his freakish athleticism into dominant production and was inconsistent on a rep-to-rep basis. Chaisson had the impressive reps against quality opponents that make you fall in love, but he never picked up an 80.0 pass-rushing grade in a single game over the course of his career. He’s still young and the tools are there, but the question becomes whether he can translate that to on-field production.
Day 2: Teams passed on Laviska Shenault due to his injury history, but that still wasn’t a big concern for us at PFF — we still had him 18th on our big board and WR4. Shenault does his best work after the catch. He looks more like a running back with the ball in his hands than a wide receiver. He’s broken 44 tackles since 2018, which is the highest in college football. He has elite physical tools that you just can’t coach at the position.
Hamilton can play anywhere along the interior and has all the tools to be a run-stuffer at the next level. In each of the last two years, Hamilton has posted run-defense grades of 90.1 and 83.4. His pass-rushing still needs a lot of work, though.
Day 3: Ben Bartch wasn’t a household name on Saturdays this past fall because he played for D-III St. John’s of Minnesota, but he probably should have been. Bartch posted a 97.3 pass-block grade, albeit against about the weakest possible competition you could find and allowed only a handful of pressures. But when he went up against legitimate defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, we saw the same type of dominance, as he put up one of the highest win rates we saw all week in one-on-ones. Bartch was 56th on the PFF Draft Board and was a great addition to the Jaguars’ offensive line.
Luton was one of the more underrated quarterback prospects in the pre-draft process and was a great value addition in the sixth round for the Jags. The 6-foot-7 quarterback has a tremendous arm and has shown sharp decision-making. He may not offer any mobility or anything outside the pocket, but Luton can be a quality backup to Gardner Minshew.
Draft Grade: A
TENNESSEE TITANS
Round 1 (29): T Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
Round 2 (61): CB Kristian Fulton, LSU
Round 3 (93): RB Darrynton Evans, App State
Round 5 (174): Edge Larrell Murchison, NC State
Round 7 (224): QB Cole McDonald, Hawaii
Round 7 (243): CB Chris Jackson, Marshall
Day 1: Isaiah Wilson was 111th on the PFF Big Board entering the draft, so this pick is clearly a reach. Wilson is an absolute unit at 6-foot-6 and 350 pounds, and while that can be a pro, it’s also a huge con as it makes playing consistently low a struggle. We actually like him more at guard than at tackle as a result. Wilson could thrive at guard because of how immediately he ends reps when he’s able to quickly get his hands on an opponent. Still, that doesn’t quite warrant a first-round selection.
Day 2: Fulton was the 12th-ranked prospect on our draft board and easily the CB2. He owns the highest PFF coverage grade in the country over the past two seasons, and he produced the nation's highest forced incompletion rate (30.5%) when lined up on the outside. His ability to stick with his man, consistently force tight coverage and win at the catch point is as good as anyone. He was in SEC receivers’ hip pockets constantly, and he’ll be the same way in the NFL. This was one of the biggest steals of the entire draft.
After getting a steal in Fulton, Tennessee responded with a pretty huge reach in Darrynton Evans. He was only 221 on our draft board. While he is a speedster, he’s undersized and doesn’t break a lot of tackles, nor does he play well after contact in general.
Day 3: Tennessee needed a backup quarterback, and the Titans got one of the biggest arms in the entire draft in Cole McDonald. McDonald also brings to the table elite athleticism for the position and decent accuracy. McDonald had nine completions of 40 or more yards in 2019, which led all FBS quarterbacks. The big issue with McDonald was his ugly decision-making and Jameis-esque style of play — he ranked 18th in big-time throw rate and had the 12th-worst turnover-worthy play rate at the same time.
Draft Grade: C+
[Editor’s Note: PFF's instant analysis on EVERY pick of the 2020 NFL Draft can be found here. You can also find all of our pre-draft and up-to-the-minute analysis categorized and readily available here. Get your copy of the PFF 2020 NFL Draft Guide today by clicking on this link.]
NFC South
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 (7): DI Derrick Brown, Auburn
Round 2 (38): Edge Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
Round 2 (64): S Jeremy Chinn, SIU
Round 4 (113): CB Troy Pride Jr., Notre Dame
Round 5 (152): S Kenny Robinson, WVU*
Round 6 (184): DI Bravvion Roy, Baylor
Round 7 (221): CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver, FIU
Day 1: The Panthers in no way swung for the fences with their No. 7 overall selection, but the floor projection for former Auburn defensive interior Derrick Brown is still very good, especially considering his high-end run defense. Were there more valuable players on the board? Absolutely. But Derrick Brown was still the 16th-best player on PFF’s board and sixth-best player on the 2020 Consensus Board. He also earned 90.0-plus overall grades in each of the past two seasons.
“He probably ends up as a top-20 player in this draft class, but I don’t think he ends up as a top seven (player).” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Day 2: While his grade did improve every year of his career Penn State, Gross-Matos never had high-end production at the collegiate level. He finished the 2019 season ranked 32nd among qualifying edge defenders in overall grade (84.7). There's an awkwardness in the way Gross-Matos rushes the passer that is tough to ignore. His lack of dominance despite dominant tools gives us pause.
The Panthers traded pick Nos. 69 and 148 to move to pick No. 64 and draft former SIU safety, Jeremy Chinn. Chinn has peak athletic tools for the safety position, but he's far more athlete than football player at this point.
“(Carolina) has that defined box role, so he’d be the box safety in that defense… If you are banking on him banking being a box safety, I’m not sure he’s necessarily your guy. I don’t think he brings that to the table. I was hesitant on him because of the competition he played at Southern Illinois and that tentativeness at the position… A guy that plays below his athletic traits is worrisome.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Day 3: There is a lot to like about what the Panthers did on Saturday.
Having the skill set to be able to play in man coverage is not something that everyone has, but Pride does with track star speed and good length for his height. The problems come when tracking the ball in relation to the wide receiver and recognizing routes, but from a movement skills standpoint, Pride is one of the best in the class. That’s the stuff you can’t teach.
“With coverage very much a weak-link system, teams can never have enough players who can cover, and Robinson projects as a guy who can cover the deep part of the field well. While his lack of experience in the box or in the slot is something of a concern, he will have a role at least in sub-packages early on, as more and more teams play with three or more safeties on the field at the same time.” — PFF’s Eric Eager
“Going through all the pressures from Roy this past season, I repeatedly found myself asking, ‘How's he doing this?’ Roy won't win any awards for aesthetics of the way he plays the game, but his raw production is up there with any other pure nose tackle in the country.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Draft Grade: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 1 (13): T Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
Round 2 (45): S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
Round 3 (76): RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
Round 5 (161): WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
Round 6 (194): DI Khalil Davis, Nebraska
Round 7 (241): LB Chappelle Russell, Temple
Round 7 (245): RB Raymond Calais, Louisiana
Day 1: Tampa Bay traded picks Nos. 14 and 117 to the 49ers in exchange for picks Nos. 13 and 245 to make sure former Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs will be blocking for Tom Brady in 2020. He’s coming off a career year with the Hawkeyes, having earned a 91.8 overall grade that ranked fourth among qualifying tackles. His technique will need to improve at the next level, but his freakish athleticism and power combine for a high, high ceiling in the NFL — a slam dunk pick for the Buccaneers.
Day 2: Antoine Winfield Jr., a former Minnesota safety with NFL bloodlines, is a strong selection for Tampa Bay at No. 45. He is an uber-instinctive player who also checked some boxes at the Combine with his 4.45-second 40-yard dash.
“I think he can do a lot of things that you want from a versatile, modern safety… You can tell when a safety just sees things at a different level, and it shows up again and again on Winfield’s tape this past season. The injury history is a concern. But I’m more than willing to take a shot on him here.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Vaughn is a solid zone runner with plus speed and burst. He'll get what's blocked and then a little extra. He ranked seventh among running backs and 146th on PFF’s final big board.
Day 3: The rich get richer. Getting Tyler Johnson — the 48th-ranked player on the PFF Big Board — at pick 161 to play on an offense that already features Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard is borderline unfair. Johnson generates separation at one of the highest rates in the class, but even when he doesn’t, he owns one of the highest contested-catch rates in the class as well. That’s how you earn back-to-back receiving grades over 90.0.
Draft Grade: A-
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1 (16): CB A.J. Terrell, Clemson
Round 2 (47): DI Marlon Davidson, Auburn
Round 3 (78): C Matt Hennessey, Temple
Round 4 (119): LB Mykal Walker, Fresno State
Round 4 (134): S Jaylinn Hawkins, Cal
Round 7 (228): P Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
Day 1: A.J. Terrell is one of few cornerbacks in this class with high-end movement skills, and it’s likely the primary reason Atlanta took him off the board at No. 16. He needs to get better at the catch point and develop better ball skills, but his match-and-mirror ability is evident on tape. LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase bullied Terrell at the catch point in their matchup in 2019, but the former Clemson cornerback still put a ton of positive reps on tape and stayed in phase for the most part in that game. Terrell ranked fifth among cornerbacks and 29th among all players on PFF’s board.
Day 2: Davidson falls closer to the tweener side of the spectrum or defensive lineman than the versatile side. His flexibility is impressive for a bigger dude, but he doesn't have the burst to threaten NFL tackles. Bulking up and kicking inside looks like his best bet. He is largely a projection considering he didn’t play a ton of reps along the interior at Auburn, but he has all the tools to offer high-end production at the position in the NFL.
Hennessy can play on the move. That's a coveted skill at the center position today. But we worry about his high-cut, slight build holding up at center against power. He ranked fourth among centers and 103rd among all players on PFF’s big board.
Day 3: Neither of the Falcons’ fourth-round selections was among PFF’s top 250 players in the class, both appearing as reaches in our eyes. They rounded out the day by selecting a punter in the seventh round.
Draft Grade: B
New Orleans Saints
Round 1 (24): IOL Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
Round 3 (74): LB Zack Baun, Wisconsin
Round 3 (105): TE Adam Trautman, Dayton
Round 7 (240): QB Tommy Stevens, Mississippi State
Day 1: “You weren’t going to get a talent like Ruiz later in the draft… He’s a guy I didn’t love at first because he’s not like Mekhi Becton, where you fall in love with one block. You’re going to fall in love with the fact that you’ve watched four games and didn’t see him have one really bad block. That’s Cesar Ruiz to me… He’s just smooth and good and always on balance… They got a very good player.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Ruiz ranked third among interior offensive linemen and 43rd among all players on PFF’s big board.
Day 2: The Saints traded pick No. 88 and a 2021 third-round pick to Cleveland for picks Nos. 74 and 244, jumping up 14 spots to grab former Wisconsin edge defender Zack Baun. He played a vast majority of his defensive snaps along the edge at the collegiate level but projects as an off-ball linebacker/edge hybrid in the NFL. His quicks and hand usage have given opposing tackles nightmares. The more we watch, the more we like. He ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers and 42nd overall on PFF’s big board.
Trautman cost the Saints a lot of draft capital. New Orleans traded picks Nos. 130, 169, 203 and 244 to the Vikings for pick No. 105 and the opportunity to draft Trautman. He is the closest thing that exists to a complete tight end in this draft class. Trautman offers plus ability as a route-runner and after the catch while not looking out of place as an inline blocker. He ranked third among tight ends and 105th overall on PFF’s big board.
Day 3: Originally, the Saints didn’t have any picks on Saturday, but they were too tempted to trade back into the draft to take the next Taysom Hill to pass up that opportunity. Stevens had the chance to be the starter for the first time in his career this past season at Mississippi State, and in a season that was shortened by injury, he produced more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws. That’s never a good sign. At Penn State, he was used sparingly in the backfield and at wide receiver while serving as a backup option at quarterback.
Draft Grade: B
AFC West
Los Angeles Chargers
Round 1 (6): QB Justin Herbert, Oregon
Round 1 (23): LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
Round 4 (112): RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA
Round 5 (151): WR Joe Reed, Virginia
Round 6 (186): S Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
Round 7 (220): WR KJ Hill, Ohio State
Day 1: Justin Herbert has all the arm talent in the world, but the mental aspects of the quarterback position still look like a work in progress. The “off” games against top competition are scary. He has shown elite play in the past, but it’s worth questioning why he didn’t take many steps forward after his sophomore season.
“Justin Herbert is not it. That is not solving your problems… I can’t get on board with this draft strategy whatsoever.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
The Chargers traded picks No. 37 and 71 to the Patriots for pick No. 23 and the opportunity to draft former Oklahoma off-ball linebacker Kenneth Murray. His success at the next level is going to rely heavily on usage. He's not Mr. Do-it-all. He's a hunter in the middle of the field who will limit YAC and make plays in the opposing backfield. LSU’s Patrick Queen was the better off-ball linebacker available at pick No. 23. Murray ranked fourth at off-ball linebacker and 62nd overall on PFF’s board. It will be difficult for Murray to offer more value than the two players who could have been picked at Nos. 37 and 71.
Day 2: As mentioned above, Los Angeles traded picks No. 37 and 71 to the Patriots for pick No. 23 and the opportunity to draft Murray.
Day 3: Hill could end up being one of the steals of the 2020 NFL Draft. The former Ohio State receiver is a forgettable athlete, but he is a technician with a great release package and a knack for creating separation against better athletes. He dominated the competition at the Senior Bowl in the one-on-ones despite seeing very few reps against press with the Buckeyes.
“The player comparison in the PFF Draft Guide for Hill is Cooper Kupp, and I like that comp. Hill isn’t going to be a game-changing top option for an NFL team, but that doesn’t mean he is without value. There are plenty of matchups to exploit and first downs to be had from the slot, and Hill has the skill set to step into that role and take advantage of them from Day 1.” — PFF’s Ben Linsey
Draft Grade: C-
Las Vegas Raiders
Round 1 (12): WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
Round 1 (19): CB Damon Arnette, Ohio State
Round 3 (80): RB Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky
Round 3 (81): WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
Round 3 (100): S/LB Tanner Muse, Clemson
Round 4 (109): IOL John Simpson, Clemson
Round 4 (139): CB Amik Robertson, LA Tech
Day 1: Don't just call Ruggs a speedster. He's a complete route-runner with legit ball skills, as well. He doesn't have to just be a deep threat, but he looks like a sure thing in that regard. Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb were still available and higher on PFF’s big board, but Ruggs offers speed you won’t find anywhere else and still ranked 10th among all players on PFF’s board in the 2020 class.
Per The Athletic’s 2020 Consensus Board, Arnette was one of the bigger consensus reaches of the first round. His consensus rank was just 63rd, and his rank on PFF’s board was just 88th. He’s a physical, aggressive player who wins with his aggressiveness at the catch point and in press concepts, but he’s also a sub-par athlete with short arms for the cornerback position who will turn 24 years old in September. He never graded at an extremely high level for an older prospect, either.
Day 2: Bowden is still more gimmick than a wide receiver. While he's incredibly dynamic with the ball in his hands, the worry is that he'll always have to be schemed touches in the NFL rather than collect them through the normal flow of an offense. He’ll likely back up Josh Jacobs at running back for Las Vegas. He ranked 113th on PFF’s board after playing mostly quarterback at Kentucky in 2019.
Edwards has found a lot of success by physically manhandling college corners. He needs to be more than that to win in the league, though, and hasn't consistently shown he can separate downfield. He ranked just 128th overall and outside the top 20 receivers.
Las Vegas traded picks Nos. 91 and 159 to New England for picks No. 100, 139 and 172. After the trade-down, the Raiders added former Clemson off-ball linebacker/safety Tanner Muse to their haul. Realistically, Muse is a linebacker in the NFL and has more than enough toughness to his game to pull it off. He's still not going to be particularly fluid or a playmaker in coverage there, though. He ranked 169th on PFF’s board.
Day 3: Amik Robertson is a DOG. He’s a smaller cornerback who plays like he’s 6-foot-10. He projects as an extremely productive slot cornerback at the next level. His overall grades improved in each of the past three seasons at LA Tech, and he finished as the No. 75 player on PFF’s Big Board. He also ranked highly in many of PFF’s advanced coverage metrics.
Draft Grade: C
Denver Broncos
Round 1 (15): WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
Round 2 (46): WR KJ Hamler, Penn State
Round 3 (77): CB Michael Ojemudia, Iowa
Round 3 (83): C Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU
Round 3 (95): DI McTelvin Agim, Arkansas
Round 4 (118): TE Albert Okuwuegbunam, Missouri
Round 5 (178): LB Justin Strnad, Wake Forest
Round 6 (181): IOL Netane Muti, Fresno State
Round 7 (252): WR Tyrie Cleveland, Florida
Round 7 (254): Edge Derrek Tuzka, NDSU
Day 1: The fact that Denver didn’t have to give up additional draft capital and trade up to land Jerry Jeudy is absurd. The former ‘Bama wide receiver had a consensus rank of No. 8 and ranked fifth on PFF’s big board. He’s a special separator in this class with great YAC ability. He may not look like Julio Jones or Amari Cooper physically, but Jeudy is every bit as good a prospect as those two coming out of Alabama.
“Jeudy is the best route-runner I’ve seen in college football in awhile — at least since Amari Cooper.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Day 2: Speed kills, and Hamler has a ton of it. He is exactly where the NFL is headed at the receiver position. Separation is king, and it's damn near impossible to stick with Hamler. He's more deployable weapon than true receiver, but there's room for that in modern offenses. He ranked 11th among receivers and 41st overall on PFF’s Big Board.
Ojemudia will likely get pigeonholed into being a zone corner because he's done little else, but he has some tools to work with in press, as well. We've just yet to see any sort of lockdown ability. He earned a career-high 83.4 overall grade in 2019 but still ranked just 176th on PFF’s big board and 136th on the 2020 NFL Consensus Board.
Cushenberry's grade drop from 2018 to 2019 is head-scratching. You can see the natural power Cushenberry generates in the run game, but the lack of agility can be scary. His grade fell from 77.1 in 2018 to 61.1 in 2019. He ranked just 118th on PFF’s big board.
A favorite of Mike Renner’s, Agim flashed pass-rushing potential in bursts at Arkansas but was never given a ton of opportunities to pin his ears back and rush the passer because the team was down so often during his Razorbacks tenure. Any team drafting Agim will have to square his dominance in the showcase bowls with his inconsistent tape throughout his career. His grade improved every year of his career, and he finished the pre-draft process at No. 121 on PFF’s big board.
Day 3: Anyone that has been following PFF throughout this pre-draft process knows Netane Muti is a stud. The oft-injured Fresno State product has all the tools to be an elite guard in the NFL. We'd be talking about him in much higher esteem had he not had his last two seasons cut short with injury. He ranked first among all interior offensive linemen and 39th overall on PFF’s big board.
Tuszka has great bend and get-off on the edge, but none of the length and power. That's a difficult combination to project from FCS. He earned a 90.1 PFF grade this past season at NDSU and finished the pre-draft process ranked 150th on PFF’s big board.
Okuwuegbunam surprised everyone with his 40-yard dash time at the Combine, but his tape at Missouri was underwhelming, to say the least. He isn't quite dynamic enough to slot in as a starter immediately and has struggled so much as a run blocker that he's not a great fit as a TE2. That's not a great combo. He ranked 193rd on PFF’s final big board.
Draft Grade: A+
Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1 (32): RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
Round 2 (63): LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
Round 3 (96): OT Lucas Niang, TCU
Round 4 (138): S L’Jarius Sneed, LA Tech
Round 5 (177): Edge Mike Danna, Michigan
Round 7 (238): CB Thakarius Keyes, Tulane
Day 1: “Nevermind the value of a running back. Nevermind the replaceability of a running back. Those aren’t even what I want to focus on here with this pick. I am not arguing with who the Chiefs drafted here, either, as I’m a big fan of Edwards-Helaire’s game. What worries me about this is utilization. Having a first-round running back on the roster can lead to suboptimal decision-making — whether consciously or subconsciously. For Andy Reid, that’s calling more runs to justify taking a running back in the first round. For Patrick Mahomes, that’s looking to check down a little sooner because he knows Edwards-Helaire could make something happen. You have a special type of talent in Mahomes that the league has never seen. I don’t want to even take the ball out of his hands in favor of runs or ever have him doing anything other than keeping his eyes downfield looking for big plays.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
“From a natural pass-catching standpoint, he’s right there with D’Andre Swift. It’s just that D’Andre Swift is a better athlete… But you have Patrick Mahomes. You in no way, shape or form want to be throwing to running backs. You want to be throwing down the football field… You take a running back early when you think you have a roster that only needs a running back… This was a big surprise for me.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Edwards-Helaire ranked fourth among running backs and 81st overall on PFF’s big board.
Day 2: “The Chiefs had one of the most uninspiring linebacker corps in the NFL last season. Gay changes that in 2019. He tested out on Isaiah Simmons levels of freaky at the combine with a 4.46-second 40 time, 39.5-inch vertical, and 11-foot-4 broad jump at 6-foot-1, 243 pounds. That would be one thing in a vacuum, but we’ve already seen it translate to the field with his 93.9 career coverage grade being the highest of any player in the draft class, regardless of position. We only got to see him in coverage for 293 snaps in his college career, though.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Gay ranked third among off-ball linebackers behind Isaiah Simmons and Patrick Queen on PFF’s big board, 39th overall.
Niang's pass sets are tough to watch at times, but even with as un-aesthetically pleasing they were, he got the job done. That's encouraging for when he does get some NFL-level coaching. He ranked 13th among offensive tackles and 112th overall on PFF’s big board. He also ranked inside the top-40 offensive tackles in overall grade in each of the past three seasons at TCU.
Day 3: Danna graded really well at Central Michigan in 2018, but his production dropped off quite a bit after transferring to Michigan in the summer. He can play the run and collapse the pocket a bit at the NFL level, but I'm not sure I'd ever expect more than that. The explosiveness isn't quite there for his game to translate. He earned a 91.6 overall grade in 2018 and an 80.9 overall grade in 2019. He ranked 162nd on PFF’s big board.
Draft Grade: B-
[Editor’s Note: PFF's instant analysis on EVERY pick of the 2020 NFL Draft can be found here. You can also find all of our pre-draft and up-to-the-minute analysis categorized and readily available here. Get your copy of the PFF 2020 NFL Draft Guide today by clicking on this link.]
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1 (8): LB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
Round 3 (72): T Josh Jones, Houston
Round 4 (114): DI Leki Fotu, Utah
Round 4 (131): DI Rashard Lawrence, LSU
Round 6 (202): LB Evan Weaver, Cal
Round 7 (222): RB Eno Benjamin, Arizona State
Day 1: Simmons’ versatility has been well documented, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less impressive. He played 100 or more snaps in 2019 at linebacker, strong safety, free safety, slot cornerback and edge defender. On top of that, he did everything that you could want a defender to do well, earning grades of 80.0 or higher as a run defender, pass rusher, tackler and coverage defender. He will probably end up playing primarily at linebacker in the NFL and figures to become one of the top coverage players and athletes at the position.
“Simmons’ ability to blur the linebacker/safety positional designation is going to be a defensive coordinator’s best friend at the next level. Simmons is the definition of what you want in a modern linebacker.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Day 2: The Cardinals didn’t have a Round 2 selection, but we’ll give them a pass considering they used that pick to steal away Deandre Hopkins from the Houston Texans. Any time you can add the second-most-valuable wide receiver in the NFL per PFF WAR over the last five seasons for that kind of compensation, you pull the trigger. Hopkins adds an elite, do-it-all option for Kyler Murray that Arizona otherwise lacked as Larry Fitzgerald continues to get up there in age.
Josh Jones — PFF’s fourth-ranked offensive tackle and 14th ranked prospect overall — fell all the way to the Cardinals at 72nd overall, a high-end prospect at tremendous value who fills a need. Jones has plenty of starting experience stemming from his time at Houston, playing 600 or more offensive snaps and earning grades of 65.0 or higher in each of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. He really elevated his game this past season, though, with an overall grade of 93.4 that ranked second to Penei Sewell among all qualifying FBS offensive tackles.
Day 3: The Cardinals made beefing up the interior of their defensive line a priority on Day 3 with selections of both Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence in Round 4. Fotu, in particular, has some intriguing qualities as a nose tackle, namely his massive size and long frame. His ability to move the line of scrimmage suits him well in the run game, where he picked up an 83.4 grade in 2019, but he’s extremely limited as a pass rusher at this point. There’s a good chance he continues to improve in the NFL.
Draft Grade: A+
Los Angeles Rams
Round 2 (52): RB Cam Akers, Florida State
Round 2 (57): WR Van Jefferson, Florida
Round 3 (84): EDGE Terrell Lewis, Alabama
Round 3 (104): S Terrell Burgess, Utah
Round 4 (136): TE Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
Round 6 (199): S Jordan Fuller, Ohio State
Round 7 (234): LB Clay Johnston, Baylor
Round 7 (248): K Sam Sloman, Miami (Ohio)
Round 7 (250): OT Treymayne Anchrum, Clemson
Day 1: The Rams were left without a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft after trading their pick as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade last season. Los Angeles went from allowing 6.3 yards per pass play over the first six weeks of the 2019 season (16th) to 5.4 (6th) with Ramsey on the field from Week 7 through the end of the season.
Day 2: A quiet Day 1 turned into a busy Day 2, as the Rams had multiple selections in both Rounds 2 and 3. Cam Akers is used to running behind shaky offensive lines at Florida State, and he’s had some success doing so, as evidenced by his 82.8 rushing grade in 2019. Unfortunately, he’ll be running behind another poor offensive line in Los Angeles. The tools are there for him to be a good runner at the NFL level, but we still gave him a fourth-round label, which means the value wasn’t there in the second round with some of the other needs on the Rams’ roster.
Van Jefferson is an older prospect set to turn 24 before the start of the 2020 season, and he does the little things well when it comes to the route-running nuances of the position. However, in four years of significant playing time, he has never put up more than 657 receiving yards. His career-high overall grade came in at just 71.0 in 2019. A prospect on the older side who has that kind of ceiling when it comes to college performance carries some concerns in Round 2.
This was a good spot for Los Angeles to take a chance on Alabama edge defender Terrell Lewis. Injuries significantly hampered Lewis’ playing time with the Crimson Tide — the 2019 season was the first one in which he played more than 200 defensive snaps — but he showed out with 48 pressures across 259 pass-rushing snaps in 2019. The tools are there for him to be a quality pass-rusher, even if there are some consistency and injury concerns.
Burgess was the best pick of the night for the Rams, coming in at pick No. 104 despite being the 57th-ranked player on PFF’s Big Board. Burgess has a versatile skill set with plus coverage skills at safety and in the slot, able to man up on opposing wide receivers and tight ends. He earned a coverage grade of 90.4 last season on over 400 coverage snaps for the Utes.
“Don’t let the glitz and glamour of outside cornerbacks fool you: Covering the slot is one of the most valuable things a player can do, and finding a player like Burgess could pay off in the end.” – PFF senior analyst Steve Palazzolo
Day 3: The Rams continued to put a focus on giving Jared Goff additional weapons on offense, but the selection of Brycen Hopkins is interesting considering that the Rams already have Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee at the tight end position. Nonetheless, it was still a solid value pick in our eyes, as Hopkins was our TE4 and 109th-ranked player overall. His path to success in the NFL will be his speed and ability to get down the football field. The drops (22 on 152 catchable passes in his career) are concerning, but you can’t teach the kind of speed that he has for the position.
Draft Grade: C
Seattle Seahawks
Round 1 (27): LB Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech
Round 2 (48): EDGE Darrell Taylor, Tennessee
Round 3 (69): IOL Damien Lewis, LSU
Round 4 (133): TE Colby Parkinson, Stanford
Round 4 (144): RB DeeJay Dallas, Miami Fla.
Round 5 (148): Edge Alton Robinson, Syracuse
Round 6 (214): WR Freddie Swain, Florida
Round 7 (251): TE Stephen Sullivan, LSU
Day 1: This was the biggest reach of the first round, according to the 2020 Consensus Big Board put together by Arif Hassan over at The Athletic (he was taken 57 spots higher than his rank). It wasn’t much better on our board either, as he was our 64th-ranked prospect. From a run defense (91.5 run-defense grade in 2019) and tackling perspective, he is one of the best linebackers in the class. He’s not someone who is going to play all that well in space or make plays in coverage, though.
Day 2: The Seahawks started out Day 2 with another somewhat unconventional pick, moving up to take Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor to line up on the edge. He really turned it on down the stretch of the 2019 season, earning an SEC-high 89.6 pass-rushing grade from Week 7 through the end of the year. Going forward to the NFL, Taylor projects as someone who will be a solid starter, but even though we’re higher on him than most, this was still a little early for him to come off the board, especially given the trade up to get him.
Damien Lewis is a brick house on the interior. As the PFF Draft Guide points out, he holds 330 pounds with ease, and you see that in how he plays in the run game (82.3 run-blocking grade in 2019). At the NFL Combine, Lewis declared, “I enjoy slamming people on the ground.” That’s the kind of attitude Seattle is going to covet more than most. There are some inconsistencies in his technique as a pass-protector that need to be cleaned up, but he’s coming off back-to-back solid seasons of grading in the SEC and figures to be a starting guard in the NFL.
Day 3: With the exception of the Alton Robinson selection, Day 3 was all about adding players at the offensive skill positions for the Seahawks. Though they added two different tight ends to the roster, both project to win in different ways. Parkinson is the massive catch radius, red-zone threat who offers you little else, and Sullivan is the former wide receiver whose wingspan and speed could be well suited to threaten defenses down the seam. Between the two, they have combined for just over 450 inline snaps over the last three seasons. They’re not going to provide much in the way of a traditional tight end.
Draft Grade: C-
San Francisco 49ers
Round 1 (14): DI Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
Round 1 (25): WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
Round 5 (153): OT Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
Round 6 (190): TE Charlie Woerner, Georgia
Round 7 (217): WR Jauan Jennings, Tennessee
Day 1: The 49ers had a busy first round, with two selections and two trades. Moving back one pick to take Kinlaw at No. 14 with players like Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb on the board may not have been the optimal decision, but it’s not as if they reached. Kinlaw was the top interior defender and the 13th-ranked player overall on PFF’s Big Board. He’s a physical specimen with the kind of pass-rushing tools and production you love at the position, highlighted by an 18.1% pass-rush win rate in 2019 that trailed only Jordan Elliott in the class.
“This was a man who went from homeless to junior college and now to South Carolina, overcoming every obstacle in his way. Those are the kinds of players you bet on in the draft.” – PFF’s lead draft analyst Mike Renner
After the draft, there were reports that Aiyuk was WR1 on the 49ers’ board, and it’s not hard to see what they’d like about his skill set. He’s one of the best wide receivers in this class — a certified freak of an athlete who recorded nearly 11 yards after the catch per reception on 65 catches in 2019. There is reason to be worried about Aiyuk not doing much at all until his senior season, but he has well-defined strengths that should play well in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Day 2: San Francisco was left without a pick on Day 2 after trading away their third-round selection as part of the Emmanuel Sanders trade and their second-round pick as a part of the Dee Ford deal. Those win-now moves helped get them to the Super Bowl last season, but they are now left without a pick until Round 5 in this year’s draft.
Day 3: The biggest news of the day for the 49ers was the retirement of their longtime fixture at left tackle, Joe Staley, and the resulting trade to acquire Trent Williams from the Washington Redskins. Staley has been underappreciated for just how good he has been — he has recorded overall grades of 80.0 or higher in each of the past eight seasons. Williams was the only option out there who could hope to match that kind of production. The former Washington tackle has put up eight consecutive seasons of 75.0-plus overall grades and is one of the top tackles in the league when healthy.
The other noteworthy move for the 49ers here is scooping up Jauan Jennings — the No. 70 overall player on the PFF Big Board — in the seventh round. With his after-the-catch ability, he could not have landed in a better spot. Jennings averaged over 7.5 yards after the catch per reception in both 2018 and 2019, and he forced a whopping 30 missed tackles after the catch last season. That will certainly play well in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Draft Grade: B+
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals
Round 1 (1): QB Joe Burrow, LSU
Round 2 (33): WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
Round 3 (65): LB Logan Wilson, Wyoming
Round 4 (107): LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, App State
Round 5 (147): Edge Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame
Round 6 (180): T Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas
Round 7 (215): LB Markus Bailey, Purdue
Day 1: Joe Burrow was an easy pick for the Bengals with the first overall selection. He was the best prospect in the class, coming in at first on the PFF Big Board, and he is coming off the best season at quarterback that we’ve seen since we started grading college games in 2014. His 94.1 passing grade in 2019 was over three points higher than any other qualifying SEC quarterback over these past six years, driven by outstanding accuracy to all levels of the field.
“He demolished college football in a way we’ve never seen before. Burrow is easily the most accurate quarterback we’ve ever scouted and looks NFL ready in every regard.” — PFF’s lead draft analyst Mike Renner
Day 2: There were all kinds of options available to Cincinnati at the top of the second round, and Tee Higgins at that selection makes a lot of sense, both as A.J. Green insurance and a piece that can add to the offense alongside him and Tyler Boyd. He has a monstrous catch radius and made plenty of plays downfield. His 15 receptions of 20 or more yards downfield last season were the most in the class among Power 5 wide receivers. He also has more ability after the catch than you would expect for someone his size, with 10 or more broken tackles in each of the past two seasons.
We were lower on Logan Wilson than many, as he came in at 110th on our board, but the filling of a need is clear here. He showed at the Combine that he was athletic enough to be a three-down linebacker in the NFL, but the concern is how his game will translate as a coverage defender in the NFL. He earned grades above 80.0 in coverage in both 2018 and 2019, but he wasn’t asked to do much at Wyoming, particularly in the way of man coverage. The fact that Cincinnati has still yet to address the offensive line was surprising through two days.
Day 3: The two off-ball linebackers Cincinnati targeted on Day 3 are good athletes with injury concerns, but both could develop into formidable contributors for the team.
Davis-Gaither got the starting nod in the overhang role for App State back in 2018 in his redshirt junior season. He put on a show that year, earning an 83.6 run-defense grade and a 75.9 coverage grade while generating seven pass breakups. He added to his bag of tricks when he returned for his senior year and the coaching staff decided to deploy him as a blitz weapon. He rushed the passer 190 times this past season, registering 25 pressures and an 82.2 pass-rushing grade in the process. That high pass-rushing grade means those pressures were no fluke. Davis-Gaither was beating offensive tackles to rack up those bad boys, oftentimes in impressive fashion. He also built upon his excellent run-defense grade to earn an 87.1 this past season. All that adds up to one of the most well-rounded linebackers in college football.
With multiple ACL injuries over his career, Bailey's draft stock is in the hands of doctors now. He's one of the most productive and versatile linebackers in the class when healthy, though. He ranked inside the top-50 among qualifying off-ball linebackers in PFF grade in 2017 and 2018.
Draft Grade: A
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 (10): T Jedrick Wills, Alabama
Round 2 (44): S Grant Delpit, LSU
Round 3 (88): DI Jordan Elliott, Missouri
Round 3 (97): LB Jacob Phillips, LSU
Round 4 (115): TE Harrison Bryant, FAU
Round 5 (160): IOL Nick Harris, Washington
Round 6 (187): WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
Day 1: There were some concerns that there may be a run of tackles prior to the Browns’ selection, but they were left with their pick of the top options sans Andrew Thomas. Wills came in as PFF’s OT3 — and the 11th player overall on PFF’s Big Board — and he was the top tackle on a lot of boards out there, drawing a player comp to Lane Johnson in the PFF Draft Guide. He has special explosion and agility for someone that large and should be able to immediately make an impact in the run game after earning a 90.5 run-blocking grade with the Crimson Tide in 2019.
“His ability to crush a double team then take a linebacker for a ride is special for a college tackle prospect.” PFF’s lead draft analyst Mike Renner
Day 2: The Browns were able to pick up not one, not two, but three top-25 players on the PFF Big Board. Two of those players came at selections 44 and 88, which is a testament to the value Cleveland was able to get.
Delpit fell down boards largely due to his concerns as a tackler, but what he is able to do in coverage is special. He has tremendous instincts and ability to read and break on routes, he has smooth movement skills on the back end of a defense, and he has the kind of length that can give bigger wide receivers or tight ends problems in the slot. That playmaking ability is apparent when flipping on the tape from his 2018 season when he recorded five interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Elliott was an even bigger steal in the third round. He has a solid combination of size and athleticism, and from a production standpoint, you can argue that no interior defender in this class has been better. Elliott has the highest overall grade of any interior defender in the class over the last two seasons. He is coming off a 2019 campaign in which he earned grades of 90.0 or higher as both a run defender and pass-rusher. Getting that kind of player — the 23rd-ranked player on the PFF Big Board — at No. 88 is tremendous value.
“He has all the makings of a player who can develop into a versatile starter with plenty of upside in the NFL.” – PFF senior writer Ben Linsey
As for Jacob Phillips, this looks like more of a reach than the other selections for the Browns, with guys like Troy Dye and Akeem Davis-Gaither still on the board at linebacker. From an athletic standpoint, Phillips has the explosion and burst that you like, but the change of direction ability isn’t quite there. That is something that’s likely to show up in coverage.
Day 3: Bryant isn't athletic enough to pass for a receiver and not strong enough to be a traditional tight end. Unless he transforms his body one way or another, he'll be in no man's land in the NFL. He did, however, improve his overall grade every year of his collegiate career and finished the pre-draft process inside the top-150 on PFF’s Big Board.
Harris ground out 2,921 snaps on the Huskies’ offensive line over the past four years. During his true freshman campaign in 2016, Harris saw four starts but was mostly rotated in at both left and right guard and earned just a 47.6 grade in pass protection. He was then moved to the starting role at right guard in 2017 and improved his pass-blocking grade to an average 63.3. He was moved to center after that, where he has thrived as a starter over the last two years. Harris improved in both pass protection and in run blocking, leading to a PFF overall grade that was among the 20 best FBS centers in both 2017 and 2018. If there’s a center you want playing out in space either in the running game or on screens, it’s Harris. The scary thing is that he’s just scratching the surface technique-wise.
The physical tools may be there from a testing perspective, but we never saw them consistently translate to separation down the football field with Peoples-Jones. Without another trump card, it's difficult to be convinced with his lack of production.
Draft Grade: A+
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 2 (49): WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
Round 3 (102): EDGE Alex Highsmith, Charlotte
Round 4 (124): RB Anthony McFarland Jr., Maryland
Round 4 (135): IOL Kevin Dotson, Louisiana
Round 6 (198): S Antoine Brooks Jr., Maryland
Round 7 (232): DI Carlos Davis, Nebraska
Day 1: The Steelers were without a first-round pick in this year’s draft after trading what became the 18th overall pick in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick. It’s hard to think that they’re regretting that decision too much at this point. Fitzpatrick is still just 23, and he brought a much-needed dose of playmaking to the back end of Pittsburgh’s secondary. Over the first two weeks of the season, the Steelers ranked 27th in team coverage grade, but they improved to second from Weeks 3 to 17 after trading for Fitzpatrick.
Day 2: There was a lot of discussion of the Steelers going running back with their Round 2 selection, but they made the right call here by going with a player who can win downfield instead. Claypool has a freakish physical profile at 6-foot-4 and nearly 240 pounds with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and a vertical jump over 40 inches. He also made plenty of plays down the football field at Notre Dame in 2019, pulling in 16 receptions on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield (tied most in the class). The concern is that he won more with physicality than separation, not quite playing as fast as his 40 time would indicate, but there’s a lot of potential for him on this Steelers offense as a downfield threat.
Highsmith was listed in the PFF Draft Guide as lead draft analyst Mike Renner’s sleeper in this edge class, and the back end of Round 3 is about where he was slated to come off the board. His 91.4 pass-rushing grade this past season is excellent, but that has to be taken with a grain of salt given the level of competition he faced at Charlotte. That said, there are some nice things to work with in Highsmith. He just has a ways to go before becoming an NFL starter. Expect him to continue to develop behind T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree.
Day 3: Dotson has the strength to stick at guard in the NFL, but pass protection will be a concern from the jump. He's a late-rounder you hope can make considerable strides with NFL coaching. He earned an impressive 92.1 overall grade this past season and finished the pre-draft process ranked 160th on PFF’s Big Board.
Brooks looked far more comfortable playing in the box in 2018 than he was manning the slot last season. Yet another player whose best bet is at linebacker in the league.
Draft Grade: B-
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1 (28): LB Patrick Queen, LSU
Round 2 (55): RB JK Dobbins, Ohio State
Round 3 (71): DI Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
Round 3 (92): WR Devin Duvernay, Texas
Round 3 (98): LB Malik Harrison, Ohio State
Round 3 (106): IOL Tyre Phillips, Mississippi State
Round 4 (143): IOL Ben Bredeson, Michigan
Round 5 (170): DI Broderick Washington, Texas Tech
Round 6 (201): WR James Proche, SMU
Round 7 (219): S Geno Stone, Iowa
Day 1: This Patrick Queen selection at 28 was one of PFF’s favorite picks of the first round, especially after the Los Angeles Chargers moved up to take a linebacker at pick 23 and the Seattle Seahawks went linebacker right in front of Baltimore at 27, and both teams took players we ranked significantly lower than Queen at the position. Queen is an elite athlete who can bring positive play in coverage (81.8 coverage grade in 2019) and get sideline to sideline on that defense. He may not have the ability to take on blockers in the run game like some of the other prospects in the class, but his explosiveness and smoothness as an athlete more than makes up for that.
Day 2: After nailing the Queen selection, Dobbins at No. 55 isn’t a move that brings a whole lot of value to this offense for us. He has clearly been uber-productive at Ohio State over the course of his career, rushing for over 2,000 yards last season along with three consecutive seasons of 78.7-plus rushing grades. The issue is that they didn’t need to go running back here, especially with how much space is created by a Ravens rushing attack that is spearheaded by Lamar Jackson and what was one of the better offensive lines in the NFL just a season ago.
Then, there were all the third-round picks — four in total. Madubuike at pick 71 provides a player with a strong history of stuffing the run (run-defense grades of 87.0 or higher each of the past two years) and solid production as a pass-rusher. Duvernay brings more speed, yards-after-the-catch ability and solid hands to this wide receiving corps, but just don’t ask him to win on routes downfield. Malik Harrison is much more of a downhill player at linebacker than Queen, but his proficiency as a blitzer at Ohio State (38 pressures over last two seasons) should play well on a defense that blitzed significantly more than any other defense in 2019. Lastly, Tyre Phillips is more likely than not to kick inside to guard at the NFL level. He has issues in pass protection, but the Ravens should be able to use his strength and body-moving ability in the run game.
Day 3: Stone is one of the most underrated safeties in the draft class. His processing and quicks are a fit for every defense in the NFL. You may not want him in the box, but he can easily rotate between deep and the slot.
Considered a three-star recruit by 247Sports coming out of Pennsylvania’s New Castle High School, Geno Stone received some interest from several Power 5 schools, but Iowa was the only school to offer him. According to Iowa’s official athletic site, Stone earned first-team All-State honors as a senior defensive back. He was a three-year letterman and played defensive back, wide receiver and quarterback for New Castle. He also lettered in basketball and track in sprints and jumps.
Stone dominated in coverage throughout his career for the Hawkeyes. On his 883 coverage snaps over the last three years, Stone had put together one of the best coverage grades in the country at 91.8. He’s played a majority of his snaps deep, and that’s exactly where he belongs — he played over 600 snaps at free safety in his career and has been responsible for only 137 yards while intercepting three passes and forcing seven incompletions. While Stone has been good in the box, he’s nowhere near the same elite player when playing deep, which is evidenced by the 71.1 overall grade that he’s earned in the box over his career.
Proche's ball skills are elite enough to see the field in the NFL. He may be pigeonholed to the slot, though, as he struggled to create for himself.
Draft Grade: B
NFC North
Detroit Lions
Round 1 (3): CB Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State
Round 2 (35): RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
Round 3 (67): EDGE Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
Round 3 (75): G Jonah Jackson, Ohio State
Round 4 (121): G Logan Stenberg, Kentucky
Round 5 (166): WR Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin
Round 5 (172): RB Jason Huntley, New Mexico State
Round 6 (197): DI John Penisini, Utah
Round 7 (235): DI Jashon Cornell, Ohio State
Day 1: You can talk all you want about how the Lions should have traded out of this pick to get more value, but the truth is we don’t know what kind of offers (if any) were on the table. Jeffrey Okudah is a special cornerback prospect, a player who has allowed a completion percentage of 50% or better in each of the past three seasons. He has nearly as many forced incompletions over the last two years as he does first downs allowed. From athletic profile to production, it would be hard to draw up a better fit for Matt Patricia’s man-heavy coverage scheme than Okudah.
“Okudah really does have it all. The “cons” on his scouting report were some of the most difficult to write of any prospect in the class. He not only has a high floor but everything you want for a high ceiling.” – PFF’s lead draft analyst Mike Renner
Day 2: Swift is a complete running back, but I'm not sure there's much he does with the ball in his hands that I'd deem to be “special.” If you're valuing him highly, you better have a plan to take advantage of his receiving ability. He’s the top-ranked running back on PFF’s board but just the 71st-ranked player.
“Is there something wrong with Kerryon Johnson that I don’t know of? I’m lost to explain why they would draft [Swift] here.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
“Of all the players we were high on this year, Okwara is the one who I can’t understand why he didn’t get more love. Usually, edge defenders who check-in among the top 10 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list get over-drafted in the NFL and not under-drafted the way we see Okwara. Although he’s undersized, Okwara is already one of the best bull-rushers in the entire draft class and can convert speed to power exceptionally well. He played only nine games this past season before breaking his leg but earned a 90.4 pass-rushing grade in those outings.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
“Jackson is quite easily my favorite pass-protecting guard prospect in the entire draft. On 460 pass-blocking snaps last season, Jackson allowed all of 10 pressures. Of those 10, only one came via a true one-on-one pass-rushing situation. This was nothing new, though, as he allowed even fewer pressures in 2018 (seven) on 398 pass-blocking snaps at right guard for Rutgers before transferring. He should be able to replace Graham Glasgow seamlessly for Detroit.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Day 3: One could argue that the Lions were looking to upgrade both starting options at guard heading into the draft, and after selecting Jonah Jackson in the third round, they doubled up with Logan Stenberg in the fourth. Stenberg has a mean streak that should play well into the physical play style that the Detroit Lions seem to be building towards. His solid work in pass protection is also promising. Stenberg has pass-blocking grades of 75.0 or higher in each of the past two seasons.
Penisini isn’t going to get after the quarterback at a high level, but he is going to do one thing better than most — stuff the run. After notching a run-defense grade of 83.2 in 2018, he bumped that all the way up to 90.6 this past season.
Draft Grade: A
Chicago Bears
Round 2 (43): TE Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
Round 2 (50): CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah
Round 5 (155): Edge Trevis Gipson, Tulsa
Round 5 (163): CB Kindle Vildor, Georgia Southern
Round 5 (173): WR Darnell Mooney, Tulane
Round 7 (226): T Arlington Hambright, Colorado
Round 7 (227): IOL Lachavious Simmons, Tennessee State
Day 1: The Bears were without a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after trading it away in the package they sent to the Raiders in exchange for Khalil Mack in 2018. Over the past two seasons, Mack ranks third in PFF grade among qualifying edge defenders.
Day 2: PFF was a bit lower on Kmet than the consensus. He came in at 98th on PFF’s big board while ranking 62nd on The Athletic’s 2020 Consensus Board. He has a nice all-around game and is still very young, but he's not quite the dynamic, sudden athlete you draft highly at the position. He's a reliable chain-mover which is nice in any offense, but not necessarily worthy of a high draft pick.
“Johnson is one of the most instinctual corners in the entire draft, and he goes to a landing spot in Chicago where that ability can thrive. We saw Johnson’s grades improve every single year of his college career after he saw 506 snaps as a true freshman back in 2017. In his final seven games with Utah, Johnson allowed only 112 yards combined.” — PFF’s Mike Renner
Day 3: The Bears added a couple of players in the fifth round who have the potential to be difference-makers in the NFL. Gipson isn’t going to be ready to contribute as a rookie, but all the tools are there to be a successful pass-rusher in the NFL. Despite not being in a favorable scheme at Tulsa, he still put up a pass-rushing grade of 89.7 in 2019. Darnell Mooney brings some speed to the slot for Chicago, having averaged over 15 yards per reception in each of the past three seasons for Tulane.
Draft Grade: B+
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1 (22): WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
Round 1 (31): CB Jeff Gladney, TCU
Round 2 (58): T Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
Round 3 (89): CB Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
Round 4 (117): Edge DJ Wonnum, South Carolina
Round 4 (130): Edge James Lynch, Baylor
Round 4 (132): LB Troy Dye, Oregon
Round 5 (169): CB Harrison Hand, Temple
Round 5 (176): WR KJ Osborn, Miami (Fla.)
Round 6 (203): T Blake Brandel, Oregon State
Round 6 (205): S Josh Metellus, Michigan
Round 7 (225): Edge Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
Round 7 (244): QB Nate Stanley, Iowa
Round 7 (249): S Brian Cole II, Mississippi State
Round 7 (253): IOL Kyle Hinton, Washburn
Day 1: “The first order of business for Minnesota was damage limitation. The Vikings traded away Diggs; whether their hand was forced or not, the fact remains that one of the team’s best players from 2019 would be playing elsewhere in 2020. The position group he departed wasn’t nearly strong enough to cope with that loss without reinforcements. One of the team’s two first-round picks likely had to be spent on receiver, and that player will be expected to have a significant role immediately, lest the team be forced to rely on Tajae Sharpe, whose NFL career has averaged a PFF grade of 64.9.
Justin Jefferson to the Vikings was one of the most common player-team matchups on the PFF Draft Sim all through the pre-draft process, and it was a combination that made a lot of sense. Jefferson has the size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) and route-running savvy to be successful from day one. While the PFF Big Board didn’t love him (he was No. 32 overall, behind a couple of receivers that lasted into the second round), he was a player who had an extremely staunch support base within the NFL — someone who was always going to go higher than his ranking. Jefferson’s grade improved in each of the past two seasons, landing at 85.3 overall in 2019. He brings experience playing both outside and inside in the slot, exactly as Diggs did. This first pick was about damage limitation, and this succeeded in limiting the damage as much as they could.” — PFF’s Sam Monson
“A number of teams will steer clear of Gladney in the early rounds due to size concerns and a recent surgery to repair his torn meniscus, but the team willing to move past those cons in his evaluation will reap the rewards. Gladney’s ball skills, instincts and physical demeanor should translate to early success in the NFL.” — PFF’s Austin Gayle
Jefferson and Gladney ranked 32nd and 34th, respectively, on PFF’s big board.
Day 2: “Tackle wasn’t necessarily the biggest weakness on this team, but it does give them some flexibility at the position and allow the line as a whole to creep back to, or even above, average going forward. Cleveland is a pick for the future but could potentially make an impact right away. “ — PFF’s Sam Monson
“His slight frame will be a concern and was what caused him to slip as far as he did, but at some point, you need to trust the tape. Dantzler’s tape is as strong as any corner in this class outside of Jeffrey Okudah — to snag him as low as they did represents a relatively low risk with a potentially huge payoff.” — PFF’s Sam Monson
Cleveland and Dantzler ranked 58th and 50th, respectively, on PFF’s big board.
Day 3: Minnesota certainly wasn’t short on Day 3 picks. Of their 11 selections on Saturday, the two players who stick out as the best values on the PFF board are Troy Dye and Kenny Willekes. Dye has plenty of starting experience at linebacker for the Oregon Ducks and a track record of strong play in coverage where he can use his length to influence passing lanes. He has four straight seasons of 70.0-plus coverage grades. Willekes was 83rd on the PFF Big Board thanks in large part to how reliable he was against the run. He earned the top run defender superlative in the PFF Draft Guide, and his ability to push the pocket along with his high motor could lead to reasonable production as a pass-rusher.
Draft Grade: A
Green Bay Packers
Round 1 (26): QB Jordan Love, Utah State
Round 2 (62): RB AJ Dillon, Boston College
Round 3 (94): TE Josiah Deguara, Cincinnati
Round 5 (175): LB Kamal Martin, Minnesota
Round 6 (192): OT Jon Runyan, Michigan
Round 6 (208): IOL Jake Hanson, Oregon
Round 6 (209): IOL Simon Stepaniak, Indiana
Round 7 (236): DB Vernon Scott, TCU
Round 7 (242): Edge Jonathan Garvin, Miami (Fla.)
Day 1: “What makes the move even more curious is that Rodgers isn’t at the very end of his contract in Green Bay. He signed a monster four-year extension in August 2018 and restructured as recently as December 2019. He is under contract until 2023, though there is a potential out in the deal before that.
Critically, that massive overlap also means that Love's value is capped as long as Rodgers is ahead of him on the depth chart. When Rodgers and Favre overlapped, it predated the Collective Bargaining Agreement that made the most powerful thing in football a good quarterback on his rookie contract. Even if Jordan Love becomes a great succession plan to Rodgers down the road, the Packers will have burned most if not all of the rookie contract that would have made him such a huge advantage.
The other issue is that Jordan Love is a massive gamble, even in a vacuum in the first round. PFF has already written that he simply isn’t worth the gamble of a first-round pick and that the volatility and downside to his game is too great to justify chasing his big-play ability.
For Love, it’s perhaps the perfect landing spot because he will get multiple seasons to work on his game with zero threat of having to start and lead a team while he does it. For Rodgers and a team that went to a conference championship game mere months ago, it’s a total waste of impact in 2020.” — PFF’s Seth Galina
Day 2: Boston College’s A.J. Dillon does not rank inside the top-250 on PFF’s draft board. He ranked outside the top-110 on the consensus board. And he was selected at pick No. 62.
Deguara is one of the more intriguing route-runners in the class, but his lack of size could be an issue at the next level. If you find a high-motor, plus special-teamer like him on Day 3 you're more than happy… The Packers added him on Day 2. He ranked 191st on PFF’s big board.
Day 3: The Packers made the offensive line a priority on Day 3 with the selections of Jon Runyan, Jake Hanson and Simon Stepaniak. Between the three of them, there are zero single-season grades of 75.0 or higher for their college careers. All project more as depth pieces than anything else.
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