This year’s NFL Draft was an odd one. Due to the current pandemic, it was the first virtual NFL Draft ever. It was also the most-watched NFL Draft ever, with 15.6 million viewers tuning in the first night. This was partially because there were so many people stuck at home due to COVID-19 and were unable to watch any live sports.
“With the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Joe Borrow, LSU,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said to kick it off.
The first three picks were expected by many sources around the league such as Mel Kiper and Todd McShay.
Pick four, the Giants’ first selection of tackle Andrew Thomas, was somewhat controversial. Analysts did not expect him to be picked this early in the first round because they thought there were better offensive tackles than him. For example, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs had a higher grade than Thomas.
Pick five and six were both quarterbacks, with injury-prone Tua Tagovailoa going to the Miami Dolphins and Justin Herbert going to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Carolina Panthers selected Derrick Brown, who was the team captain of the Auburn Tigers, for the seventh pick. This was a pick that could have gone two ways because linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who played almost every position on defense during his time at Clemson, was another viable option.
After a few more picks, the first wide receiver was taken off the board with pick 12 to the newly-rebranded Las Vegas Raiders. They took Henry Ruggs III from Alabama who ran the fastest forty-yard-dash out of the whole draft class.
Pick 26 was very surprising. The Green Bay Packers traded up four spots from pick 30 to draft quarterback Jordan Love, from Utah State. This move was reminiscent of their Aaron Rodgers pick in 2005.
Other than being virtual, another major change occurred in the Draft this year. Usually, Goodell gives the first-round draftees jerseys with their name on it, but he was unable to. However, each of those selected in the first round still received a hat from the team that picked them.
Despite being virtual, the NFL Draft is one of the most important nights of the whole season, especially the first round, and it did not disappoint this year.
Article by Andrew Plotnick of Walter Johnson High School
Photo Courtesy of Flickr