It was an NFL draft experience unlike any other, but it was filled with the same drama and intrigue we’ve come to love and expect from the three-day extravaganza.
While conventional wisdom won the day for the most part in the early rounds, this year’s event still gave fans plenty of eyebrow-raising moments.
Here are our picks for the biggest surprises of the 2020 NFL Draft:
Packers Trade Up for Jordan Love
Heading into this draft, much of the talk surrounding Green Bay was what the Packers would do with their early picks to help Aaron Rodgers. Would it be a pass-catcher, or perhaps a right tackle to replace Bryan Bulaga?
Um, none of the above.
Instead, the Packers not only took Rodgers’ eventual successor, but they traded up four spots to do it. Love is a raw but promising passer with a rocket of an arm, but this isn’t exactly helping Green Bay maximize Rodgers’ window. I can’t imagine he’s too thrilled about grooming his replacement instead of adding weapons to help him win now.
Eagles Take Jalen Hurts
Speaking of quarterback surprises, the Eagles had plenty of needs elsewhere on both sides of the ball when they made Hurts their second-round pick. Instead, they continued in their lineage of developing young quarterbacks.
Yes, the Eagles know the importance of a quality backup quarterback more than any other team in the league. Yes, Carson Wentz’s biggest flaw is his durability. Yes, Hurts is a dynamic prospect who was worthy of selection at that point in the draft.
All that being said, this still felt like such a strange fit for a team that needed pieces to help them get back to the Super Bowl. Instead, the fortified the game’s most important position with a winner and a leader, but was it really the best use of such an early selection?
Jeudy, Lamb Slip
It shouldn’t have surprised too many people when Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III was the first wide receiver off the board, but it was unexpected to see his Crimson Tide teammate Jerry Jeudy, and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, slip as far down the board as they did.
Despite both having complete skill sets and top-10 overall talent in this year’s draft class, Jeudy and Lamb both nearly fell out of the top 15. Jeudy landed with the Denver Broncos at No. 15 overall, while Lamb slid all the way to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17 overall.
These two players are polished, pro-ready pass-catchers who can immediately be No. 1 targets, but they landed with teams that don’t even need that from them right now. The rest of the league will regret letting this happen, but Broncos and Cowboys fans will be loving it for years to come.
Taylor, Swift Landing Spots
It would have made perfect sense to see Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Georgia’s D’Andre Swift both come off the board in the first round, but in today’s NFL, it’s also not surprising to see running backs slip on draft day.
But it wasn’t the fact that Swift and Taylor waited until early in the second round to hear their names called, it’s where they ended up. Swift went to the Detroit Lions at No. 35 overall, despite the fact that Kerryon Johnson was a second-round pick just two years ago. Taylor fell to the Indianapolis Colts, who traded up to grab him at No. 41 overall, despite the presence of a productive and talented three-down back in Marlon Mack.
These picks were both great values overall, and they immediately make both offenses much better. Fantasy owners expected them to land with teams that would have featured them as workhorses from Day 1, though, and that won’t happen now.
Eason, Fromm Tumble
Early on in this year’s draft process, there was talk of Washington quarterback Jacob Eason as a potential top-15 pick. After transferring from Georgia, he put his impressive arm strength on display for the Huskies with a solid 2019 campaign.
Instead, he fell all the way to Day 3, finally finding a home with the Colts halfway through the fourth round. It’s a great fit for him, though, with a chance to sit and learn behind a future Hall of Famer in Philip Rivers for at least a year.
Georgia’s Jake Fromm didn’t have first-round illusions, but he was a potential Day 2 pick thanks to his intangibles and experience against top competition. He had to wait even longer to hear his name called, falling to the Buffalo Bills at pick No. 167 of the fifth round. He’ll battle for the backup job behind Josh Allen.
No Top-10 Trades
After tons of rumors in recent months about potential trades among many of the top picks, it was nothing but crickets in the early going of Thursday’s action.
For the first time in five years, there wasn’t a single trade among the top 10 picks, as every team opted to stay put and make their selection without giving up, or seeking, any additional compensation.
There was plenty of movement throughout the first round once the floodgates opened with the Bucs/49ers swap at No. 13 and No. 14 overall, but it was eerily quiet at the top of this year’s draft, despite the presence of multiple quarterbacks and tons of talent worth moving up for.
