Standout Stories in Tonight’s NFL Draft

By: Matt Turner

After nearly two months without sports, we finally have something that we can all get up and look forward to. The 2020 NFL draft.

Although it will not be taking place on a stage set up on the water in Las Vegas (how sweet was that going to be), the 2020 Draft happens will still take place tonight, and there are a few interesting things to be on the lookout for.  

1) Wide Receiver Talent

The 2020 wide receiver class has the most talent we have seen in a long time.

There have been only four drafts with six receivers taken in the first round since 2005, and that number could be matched tonight.

There has been a lot of debate over who the first receiver taken in the draft will be. CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy appear to be the favorites, but after a stellar combine in which he posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.27 and a vertical of 42 inches, Henry Ruggs III could also be the first wideout off the board.

These three headline the first round draft talent that also potentially includes Justin Jefferson (LSU), Laviska Shenault (Colorado), and Brandon Aiyuk (ASU). Needless to say, when it comes to receivers, the draft class is stacked and it will be interesting to see who goes first, and who goes where.

Prediction: I personally believe Jerry Jeudy will be going first out of this group to the Denver Broncos. 

2) Quarterback Drama

With the Cincinnati Bengals already telling the hometown kid Joe Burrow that they will be taking him tonight with the first overall pick, that leaves three projected quarterbacks who will go in the first round tonight: Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love.

After Herbert posted a combine score of 90, rumors around the Miami Dolphins have surfaced that they might skip out on Tagovailoa for him. With speculation about Tua’s injuries that they are more serious than portrayed to be, his stock is a huge question mark in draft rooms, so do not be surprised if he slips a few spots in tonight’s draft.

With picks five and six, the Dolphins and Chargers are both in the market for a quarterback, so it will be intriguing to see how aggressive these teams are in pursuing the player they want most.

Jordan Love, who is ranked as the fourth QB in the draft, is projected to go late-first or even early-second round.

Prediction: I think that the Dolphins draft Tua, and the Chargers pick up Hebert with the pick right after.

3) First Round Running Backs

With a fairly deep running back core in this draft, we will see how teams feel about using a first-round pick on an RB.

Headlined by D’Andre Swift (Georgia), who is projected to be a first-rounder, the RB committee this year features stars such as J.K. Dobbins (OSU), Cam Akers (FSU), Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU).

We see that teams are often more focused on a “RB by committee” status in this era of football, rather than using a first-round pick on a very talented player to stick in the backfield.

Prediction: The first round will only have two backs taken, with Swift being the first RB, followed by Dobbins in the later portion of the draft.  

Cover photo via: SNIllustration/Getty Images

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