Category: 2020 NFL draft

Lions score Chase Young in 2020 draft do-over

The Detroit Lions score defensive end Chase Young in 2020 draft do-over

After one season, the draft class of 2020 fared a little differently than the draft order would indicate. And if the Detroit Lions got a do-over on Bob Quinn’s last draft as GM, one projection would have the team’s pass rush in much better shape.

Draft Wire and editor Luke Easterling compiled a redo of how the draft would look one year later, based on the players’ rookie seasons and the career arcs. That shakes things up in the top five overall, and the Lions at No. 3 would benefit.

Joe Burrow still goes to the Bengals at No. 1 overall after an up-and-down rookie season that got ended early with a nasty knee injury. No. 2 now becomes fellow QB Justin Herbert, who set the NFL rookie passing TD mark for the Chargers. He goes to Washington instead of Chase Young, who the Football Team tabbed in reality.

Young now sits there for the Lions at No. 3, and the Lions pounce on the impact defensive end from Ohio State. Young bagged 7.5 sacks, forced four fumbles and made the Pro Bowl as the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The player the Lions actually picked, CB Jeff Okudah, now comes off at No. 25 to the San Francisco 49ers. Okudah struggled through a sports hernia injury and seemed uncomfortable in Matt Patricia’s oddly passive defensive scheme, though his career story is still just beginning.

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2020 NFL Redraft would exchange tackles for Browns

In a fun way to evaluate a previous draft, how does a 2020 NFL redraft impact the Browns pick at #10?

There are many ways to analyze and enjoy the NFL. Those that focus on the NFL draft do so in a myriad of ways including looking back and “redrafting” previous draft classes. This is often done after one and four seasons as a way of marking decisions and how they look along the way.

The Browns 2020 NFL draft class had an interesting first season with offensive players asked to provide more than defenders. First-round pick Jedrick Wills joined a revamped offensive line that became the best in the league while Harrison Bryant and Donovan Peoples-Jones showed flashes of quality play.

With Grant Delpit missing the entire season hurt and Jacob Phillips limited by injury, Jordan Elliott led the team’s defensive rookies with 307 snaps.

Our colleague at the Draft Wire, Luke Easterling, just posted his redraft of the 2020 NFL draft with movement that led to Wills being drafted before the Browns pick but left a tackle for the team nonetheless.

With Justin Herbert off the board with the second pick in this redraft, Wills is the pick for the Los Angeles Chargers at #6. He is still the second tackle off the board, like he was in the real draft, but falls in behind Tristan Wirfs who Easterling has going #4 in place of Andrew Thomas.

For the Browns, that led to a choice between Thomas and Mekhi Becton. For the Browns, Becton’s athleticism seems to be a better fit and Easterling goes in that direction. Becton was seen as a boom or bust kind of prospect going into the draft and it will be interesting how he develops after a very good rookie year.

Wills going sixth instead of tenth is a sign of respect for what he was able to do as a rookie while also switching from the right side to the left in a COVID-shortened season. Wills was a very young draft prospect and is coached by one of the best in the league so expectations are quite high for his development.

Becton may be a consolation prize for the Browns in this redraft but he showed plenty of potential as well. The Browns will be happy that this redraft isn’t real and they get to work with Wills for the long term.

Saints and Ravens swap Cesar Ruiz for Patrick Queen in 2020 NFL draft do-over

Saints and Ravens swap Cesar Ruiz for Patrick Queen in 2020 NFL draft do-over

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It’s tough to argue with this one. Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling put together a re-draft of the 2020 NFL draft’s first round, and the gift of hindsight guided him to a different pick for the New Orleans Saints at No. 24. Instead of surprising everyone with the selection of Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, Easterling had the Saints choose LSU Tigers linebacker Patrick Queen. Ruiz, ironically, ended up with Queen’s real-life Baltimore Ravens.

That introduces quite a ripple effect. New Orleans was comfortable cutting three-time Pro Bowl alternate Larry Warford after picking Ruiz, who struggled in the move to right guard (Warford opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and has yet to sign with a new team), and later traded for Kwon Alexander after their in-house options at linebacker didn’t meet expectations. Now they’re hoping Ruiz finds his footing in his second year while rookie linebacker Pete Werner settles into the defense.

If they had chosen Queen last year, it’s possible he would have enjoyed similar success to what he found with Baltimore, who picked him at No. 28. Queen racked up 106 tackles as a rookie (66 solo, 9 tackles for loss), also chipping in three sacks and 10 quarterback hits on passing downs. He intercepted a pass and recovered two fumbles, too, returning one of them for a defensive touchdown. That’s playmaking ability the Saints are still searching for.

Maybe Warford would have still opted out had the Saints not released him, which would have put either James Hurst or Nick Easton in his spot. Guard would be a need now (depending on how pessimistic any given Saints fan is feeling, it still might be), but that’s an easier spot to fill than linebacker. New Orleans has invested top-100 picks in the position twice in two years, hoping for either Werner or Zack Baun to cut the mustard. One of them should be competent, but just being capable is very different from being an impact defender like Queen.

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How big of an impact can the Browns 2020 NFL draft class have in 2021?

There is a lot of excitement about the Cleveland Browns 2021 NFL draft class but how big of an impact can the 2020 class have this year?

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Cleveland Browns going into the 2021 season. It all started with their great results in 2020 and continued into a very good offseason. Their 2021 NFL draft class, with Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah leading the way, was the cherry on top of an “excitement sundae” this offseason.

While that excitement is great for fans as training camp approaches, very rarely do quality teams rely on multiple rookies to make a significant, consistent impact throughout a season. Instead, rookies often flash quality play but struggle or hit the dread “rookie wall” later in the season.

While the Browns 2021 draft class has a lot of potential, it is possible that Andrew Berry’s first draft class, in 2020 could have a bigger impact. Taking a look back at each of those picks, where could they improve? What competition do they face for a bigger role? What can we expect from them in 20201?

Cardinals’ grade for 2020 draft drops one year later

Pro Football Focus drops the Cardinals’ initial grade of A+ to B+ a year later.

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The Arizona Cardinals were given high grades for their draft class in 2020 by Pro Football Focus. Particularly with the selections of linebacker Isaiah Simmons with the eighth overall pick and tackle Josh Jones in the third round, PFF gave the Cardinals an A+ for their draft.

One year later in a recent regrade, the Cardinals don’t get the same marks.

Instead of an A+, the grade dropped to a B+.

This draft is still largely to be determined after Simmons failed to acclimate quickly to a completely different position and Jones couldn’t crack the starting lineup. One still has to take into account that Arizona’s second-round pick basically turned into DeAndre Hopkins in an all-time trade fleecing here, though.

While it is understandable to downgrade it some, there is no real reason to do it. Simmons didn’t play poorly. He just didn’t play much in a year where there was no offseason, no preseason and he was learning a new position full time where there was a veteran performing well in De’Vondre Campbell.

Simmons will be a fixture on the defense this coming season and Jones will be in the mix for the starting job at right guard. Even if he doesn’t play, that doesn’t make him a bad pick, considering the play of Kelvin Beachum.

The play of fourth-round selections Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence will be important this coming season. They were effective in limited work when they were healthy as rookies. One could end up being the Cardinals’ starting nose tackle.

It still could end up being an A+ draft.

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PFF regrades Browns 2020 NFL draft as an A

Pro Football Focus regraded the 2020 NFL draft classes and gave the Cleveland Browns an ‘A’ despite some struggles from the group.

The Cleveland Browns have been lauded for their 2021 NFL draft class as well as their other moves in this offseason. The 2020 NFL draft lack some of the sizzle that Andrew Berry’s second act brought to the fans.

Despite a season-ending injury to second-round pick Grant Delpit, Pro Football Focus still graded the Browns as an ‘A’ for what they did in 2020.

A quick review, the Browns drafted Jedrick Wills in the first round and moved him over from right tackle to left tackle. Delpit’s injury deprived the Browns of their second-round pick while they doubled up on defense in the third round with Jordan Elliott and Jacob Phillips.

The Browns finished the draft with three offensive players on day three with Harrison Bryant, Nick Harris, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Despite limited snaps for Elliott (350), Phillips (244), and Harris (143), PFF still held the Browns draft class in high regard:

Grant Delpit tearing his Achilles is the only thing likely keeping this class from staying at an A-plus grade. Jedrick Wills had a terrific rookie campaign and earned a 77.6 pass-blocking grade. That was more NFL-ready than even I had predicted. Fourth-rounder Harrison Bryant was easily the top rookie tight end, as he went for 238 yards on the year.

Of note, the Browns rookies were some of the team’s lowest graded players on both sides of the ball. Peoples-Jones graded at 67.7, Wills at 62.6, Bryant at 59.4, and Harris at 51.3. Peoples-Jones ranked below KhaDarel Hodge and Chris Hubbard, for example.

On the defensive side of the ball, Elliott led the way with a 51.3 grade while Phillips fell near the bottom with a grade of 39.0.

With a year under their belt, the Browns are hoping their 2020 class can take a big step forward from their rookie years including the return of Delpit. For now, fans can take some solace in the fact that at least one publication still feels very good about the picks.

2020 Lions rookie report: Fifth-round pick Quintez Cephus

2020 Lions rookie report: Fifth-round pick Quintez Cephus

The Detroit Lions had one of the best receiving corps in the league as they headed into the 2020 NFL Draft.

Despite having none of their receivers under contract past the end of the season, Detroit opted to bring in just one player at the position via the NFL Draft — Quintez Cephus out of the University of Wisconsin. It was a move that reunited first-round pick Jeff Okudah with the man he called the hardest player he had to cover in college.

Cephus was expected to sit behind the trio of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola, as well as deep threat Marvin Hall, on the depth chart. Despite being behind four talented receivers, the rookie made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, taking the field for 79-percent of offensive snaps.

The rookie was targeted heavily in that game, with ten passes thrown his way. Unfortunately, Cephus dropped two passes only came away with three receptions for 43 yards.

Most of his rookie campaign was uneventful. Despite catching all three passes thrown his way the next week, his snap counts dropped drastically. In Weeks 3 and 4, Cephus didn’t record any offensive stats. For the next three weeks, he found himself inactive on game days as a healthy scratch.

Cephus rediscovered his place on offense halfway through the season and maintained steady production for the remainder of his rookie year. Emerging as a versatile fourth receiving option for Matthew Stafford, Cephus averaged around two receptions and 28 receiving yards per game. His drop issues resolved as well, as he only dropped one pass since his poor performance in Week 1.

The best game of his rookie campaign came in the Week 13 victory against the Chicago Bears. Making the most of the two receptions he had, Cephus took them for 63 yards and earned the first touchdown of his career.

His final statline as a rookie was 20 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed a tackle on special teams.

Heading into 2021, Detroit’s receiving corps has quite the competition ahead of them. Jones, Golladay, and Amendola left in free agency and the Lions brought in veterans Tyrell Williams, Breshad Perriman, Khalid Raymond, and Damion Ratley.

Cephus surely has the size and strength to stand out from the others and secure a role for himself, but he will have to prove that his rookie struggles were left behind in 2020.

At this point, he seems to be in contention once again for the third or fourth wide receiver spot on the depth chart. His ability to play on the outside and in the slot, so that should help his cause heading into 2021.

Miami Dolphins waive all-time first-round bust Isaiah Wilson

The Miami Dolphins are the second team to have given up on 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Wilson

There have been many a first-round bust. However, Isaiah Wilson is among the elite when it comes to flops chosen in the initial round of the NFL Draft.

After an ugly rookie season in Tennessee, the offensive tackle was shipped off to Miami.

And now, the Dolphins have waived the former Georgia Bulldog offensive tackle from Brooklyn, NY.

Per Miamiherald.com:

Wilson is said to have refused team efforts to help him to get his life on track, continuing behavior that caused the Tennessee Titans to give up on him less than a year after drafting him in the first round.

Just in the short time since the Dolphins acquired him for late-round draft compensation, Wilson showed up late for his physical, late for his team orientation and skipped two optional workouts that he had committed to attend, the source said.

On Friday, a series of videos were posted on Wilson’s Instagram account of what appeared to be Wilson inhaling a vape and dancing shirtless on a car, but the Dolphins would have cut him even if those had not appeared, the source added.

Wilson was the 29th overall pick in the 2020 first round. He finished the season playing in one game, the Titans’ Week 12, 45-26 win against the Indianapolis Colts.

12 draft eligible prospects from Ohio State who were coached by Urban Meyer

One of the positives of the Jacksonville Jaguars naming Urban Meyer their coach is that they have a coach who is heavily connected with some of the top collegiate programs in football. He spent six seasons with the University of Florida (2005-10) …

One of the positives of the Jacksonville Jaguars naming Urban Meyer their coach is that they have a coach who is heavily connected with some of the top collegiate programs in football. He spent six seasons with the University of Florida (2005-10) before heading to Ohio State from 2012-18. 

With him not being that far removed from coaching at Ohio State, some of the players he coached and recruited will be entering April’s draft, and they definitely could be on the Jags’ radar, who need talent everywhere. According to the Buckeyes Wire, there are 14 draft-eligible prospects from Ohio State who’ve entered the draft. Of the group, 12 were coached by Meyer, while two weren’t. 

Fans should be able to get a look at each prospect during the Buckeyes’ pro day on March 30. Afterward, it will be on to the draft where some of the players will undoubtedly be selected by the Jags or picked up in undrafted free agency. Here are the names of those prospects as we get closer to their jump to the pros:

2020 Lions Rookie Report: Sixth-round pick John Penisini

Penisini was a good find in the 6th round

The defensive line has been a weak spot for the Detroit Lions for quite some time now, and Bob Quinn has always seemed to make a priority out of drafting interior linemen.

The fixation on building depth at defensive tackle was good news for Utah nose tackle John Penisini, who was selected in the sixth round in 2020.

Towering over the defense at a massive 6-foot-2 and 333 pounds, Penisini was only expected to be the backup for recent free agent signing Danny Shelton.

What wasn’t expected for the sixth-round pick was his contributions to the defense throughout the entire 2020 season.

For the first two games of the season, the rookie defensive lineman was active but never saw his name show up in the box scores. Starting nose tackles aren’t known for their eye-popping stats, so the backups really are not expected to put up any big numbers.

Penisini saw his snap counts increase steadily from week to week. In Week 1, he only took 14 percent of defensive snaps. By Week 9, he saw that number go up to 67-percent.

His increased role didn’t change with the firing of Matt Patricia, which could also be attributed to Shelton’s placement on injured reserve in December.

Despite Detroit’s defense being ranked one of the worst against the run in 2020, Penisini performed quite well. The rookie racked up 35 tackles, four of which went for a loss of yardage. He also had one sack and a fumble recovery.

What was most impressive were his mechanics. Penisini was able to win many of his reps against notable offensive linemen in some physical matchups without drawing any penalties. The pairing of him and Shelton for 12 games this season helped create a wall in the interior of the defensive line which did well to defend against inside runs.

Both Penisini and Shelton will return to Detroit in 2021, but don’t be surprised to see the duo share their reps once again. Right now, it looks like the Lions found a gem in the rough with Penisini, who could be the starting nose tackle for the foreseeable future.

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