It’s always hard to rely upon the NFL draft to fill a position of need. If a team is heading into the draft with hopes of finding a plug-and-play starter, it is probably already in trouble. The draft provides so many busts, even in the first round when teams tend to take the players who project (seemingly) cleanly to the NFL.
Still, teams need to take that risk, rather than watch a quarterback flail without an offensive line — or watch an offensive line flail in front of an indecisive quarterback. It’s absolutely essential for NFL teams to find young — cheap! — players who can contribute.
Yet some didn’t even appear to try to deal with their problems.
Here are six teams that emerged from the 2020 NFL Draft with a glaring need which we thought they should have addressed by now.
1. The Patriots failed to add a quarterback
New England is beginning to build something interesting, both on offense and defense. The team drafted two linebackers who are probably Day 1 starters while also selecting two tight ends who can contribute immediately. Those were clear positions of need. But the Patriots didn’t address what seems like their biggest need: quarterback. New England will hold a competition between Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer (unless Cam Newton and the Patriots come to their senses and sign a deal).
But let’s just let that sink in: It’s Stidham vs. Hoyer. That’s what the post-Tom-Brady-era looks like in New England. Yeesh.
If Bill Belichick wasn’t the coach of the Patriots, they would be the laughingstock of the NFL. But somehow, Belichick is probably going to figure out how to win 10 games with one of those quarterbacks.
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2. The Packers didn’t draft a receiver
Green Bay has long had a promising group of pass-catchers behind Davante Adams, but the emergence of a No. 2 receiver is still pending. Marquez Valdes-Scantling might be that guy. But Geronimo Allison was in a similar position. So was Randall Cobb. And neither player really stepped up. Instead of cementing a dynamite receiving corps with a first-round pick, the Packers drafted a developmental quarterback, Jordan Love. The move was a shrewd one for the long-term. But for 2020? Aaron Rodgers is going to want more weapons. And Green Bay didn’t get him any in this year’s draft.
3. The Panthers skipped drafting a cornerback
James Bradbury exited in free agency and Carolina has been unable to fill his vacancy. Donte Jackson was a promising prospect — perhaps he’s up to the task. But for now, the Panthers’ other starting corner is Corn Elder, who sounds like an ingredient someone on a diet should avoid. That, or a religious leader. Either way, I’m not sure he’s the answer for CB2.
The good news is that there are still options in free agency, with Logan Ryan and an assortment of former first-round busts like Eli Apple, Dre Kirkpatrick and Prince Amukamara that might be worth a prove-it deal.
4. The Bears misfire at quarterback
They need a quarterback, but they don’t seem to know it yet. The Bears have Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles, who they acquired in a trade this offseason. But that quarterback battle won’t go well. So by the time the Bears finally admit the truth and realize they needed to deal with this, it will be too late. Good news: the 2021 NFL Draft looks stocked. Maybe Chicago will Tank for Trevor.
5. The Jaguars couldn’t trade the veterans they needed to deal
Leonard Fournette hasn’t openly asked for a trade, but the team was shopping him ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. We’ll see what materializes for the veteran running back, but it’s not looking good for the Jaguars. Meanwhile, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue picked a Twitter fight with Jacksonville’s co-owner Tony Khan. Can time heal wounds? Or will the Jaguars be forced to trade their frustrated stars? And while the draft seemed like a good time for Jacksonville to move Fournette and/or Ngakoue, that didn’t work out.
6. The Eagles didn’t get an outside cornerback
Philly needed a receiver, so it went out to get one — and then some. The Eagles got TCU’s Jalen Reagor in the first round, Boise State’s John Hightower in the fifth round and Auburn’s Quez Watkins in the sixth round. It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off.
But their strategy got bolder: the Eagles took quarterback Jalen Hurts. (Remember: Philly still has that guy named Carson Wentz who is really good at throwing the football when healthy.) It seemed like a silly move, especially when their secondary has been one of the NFL’s worst for the last two years. They needed a cornerback not a quarterback.
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