Tag: 2020 Draft

Tee Higgins thought Packers were going to draft him in first round of 2020

Tee Higgins on the 2020 draft: “I thought they were going to draft me in that spot,” Higgins told Adam Schein. “But they didn’t and I fell to the second round, which I’m ok with.”

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins told Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio that was convinced he was going to be drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

General manager Brian Gutekunst traded up to No. 26 overall – one spot after receiver Brandon Aiyuk went to San Francisco and four spots after receiver Justin Jefferson went to Minnesota – and took quarterback Jordan Love, shocking the NFL world and beginning a three-year-long drama in Green Bay.

Higgins, a common mock draft for the Packers during the leadup to the 2020 draft, would have been a logical pick for the receiver-needy franchise.

“I thought they were going to draft me in that spot,” Higgins told Schein. “But they didn’t and I fell to the second round, which I’m ok with.”

Higgins went No. 33 overall to the Bengals. Over the last three seasons, Higgins has 215 catches, 3,028 yards and 19 touchdowns, including back-to-back seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards.

“I fell like in a perfect situation with Cincinnati and Joe Burrow,” Higgins said.

While Higgins has put up big numbers, Love has spent the last three seasons on the bench behind Aaron Rodgers.

Here’s the clip:

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Cesar Ruiz has made his fifth-year option an easy decision for the Saints

Cesar Ruiz may have ended his 2022 season with an injury, but he played well enough to make exercising his fifth-year option what should be an easy decision for the Saints:

Players selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft are now eligible to have their fifth-year options picked up for the 2024 season, with teams having until May 2 to decide whether to exercise that pickup. For the New Orleans Saints, they need to choose whether to retain right guard Cesar Ruiz.

Ruiz is coming off the best year of his career, though his season ended in Week 15 with a Lisfranc injury. He’s told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell that he’ll be on a scooter through February and then spend some time in a walking boot, but he’s on track to be ready for training camp. He’s already under contract for 2023. The question is whether the Saints should pick up his fifth-year option for 2024.

How much would that cost them? The NFL’s recent collective bargaining agreement worked out how these fifth-year options are valued, now basing them off of factors like snaps played and Pro Bowl recognition; Over The Cap’s CBA experts did a good job of explaining it. For the Saints, they’re facing a fully-guaranteed salary cap hit of $14.75 million for Ruiz in 2024 if they choose to exercise his option.

And picking it up is a no-brainer. Ruiz is trending in the right direction and he’ll only be turning 24 this summer. He really benefited from his first full offseason with the team, and with his new position coach Doug Marrone (plus some help in training camp from legendary Saints right guard Jahri Evans, who interned with New Orleans). The Saints should absolutely pick up that option for 2024 and get Ruiz under contract.

That $14.75 million is a lot of money, but it can be restructured later on down the line to maintain salary cap flexibility. What’s most important is holding onto Ruiz as a young player on the rise. They have a complicated salary cap situation to manage in the years ahead, so making factors like Ruiz a challenge to resolve on another day is crucial. Hopefully he can continue to improve and earn a long-term contract extension.

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Diggs, but no Lamb: PFF’s 2020 redraft exercise leaves Cowboys thin

A do-over of 2020’s first round would see CeeDee Lamb snatched up before the Cowboys’ pick, but would leave them with their star cornerback. | From @ToddBrock24f7

There’s no question that 2020 was, overall, a fantastic draft for the Cowboys. Of the team’s seven picks that year, two have already been to a Pro Bowl; CeeDee Lamb as a 1,100-yard receiver and Trevon Diggs as the league’s interception leader. Tyler Biadasz took over the starting center job a month into his rookie campaign, and Neville Gallimore has become a key contributor in the team’s interior defensive line rotation.

Reggie Robinson II and Bradlee Anae are playing for new teams now, and Ben DiNucci remains buried on the Cowboys depth chart at quarterback, but the hits definitely outweigh the misses when looking at 2020 in hindsight.

Not every team can say the same. Pro Football Focus has done a hypothetical redraft of 2020. Using what we know now, what should teams have done with their first-round picks that year?

Thankfully, it’s just a what-if exercise, because the Cowboys come away with far less in this alternate reality than they got in real life.

The jury is still out on a frustrating 2020 Saints draft class

The New Orleans Saints got neither quantity nor quality out of their 2020 rookie draft class, picking a part-time starter in the first round

Here’s the final entry in our 2021 NFL draft countdown, recapping last year’s rookie class with just one day left before the cycle starts over. The Saints took a quality over quantity approach in 2020’s pandemic-impacted offseason, but they didn’t get either virtue based on their initial performance. Here’s hoping things improve in 2021. In the meantime, let’s review what happened last year:

Lil’ Yachty: NFL allows team war rooms for 2021 draft, what will Jerry do?

The NFL informed teams that their regular facilities can be used for the 2021 draft, with certain safety precautions to be enforced.

Last year’s NFL draft was arguably the first big event-with-a-capital-E that demonstrated just how unusual life in a pandemic was going to be. Football fans got an unprecedented look inside the real at-home lives of their teams’ coaches and general managers as cameras broadcast them making their picks live- and self-quarantined, when that was still a new term- from their basements, rec rooms, home offices, living room sofas, kitchen tables… and, in the case of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, aboard his 357-foot superyacht.

One year later, the 2021 draft will help showcase how things in the world are gradually returning to normal.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that the league has informed clubs that they will be allowed to draft from their regular war rooms in their team facilities and with in-person support staff.

Pelissero points out that coaches and GMs will have the alternative option of once again drafting from home or even a neutral-site location. Each team’s plan must be submitted to the league by March 26, however, for approval from Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer.

TV cameras will be installed wherever each team’s brain trust will be, but it is assumed that most will choose to utilize their regular facilities.

Last April, Jones famously conducted the Cowboys’ 2020 draft from the luxurious Bravo Eugenia. After a universally-lauded haul that netted the club CeeDee Lamb and several other highly-rated prospects who somehow fell to Dallas, Jones joked then that he may make the floating war room a new Cowboys tradition.

It’s hard to imagine Jones and his draft team not actually assembling at The Star in Frisco to make this year’s picks, no matter how swimmingly last year’s draft at sea went.

Those gathered in the Cowboys draft room next month will have to abide by several rules and precautions that are carrying over from the pandemic, even with growing numbers of individuals having been vaccinated against COVID-19. No eating or drinking will be allowed in the draft rooms, for example. Proper distancing and mask-wearing will be mandatory.

The draft will be held April 29 through May 1. The live in-person event, hosted this year by the city of Cleveland, will move ahead as planned, with appropriate safety protocols in place there as well.

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Reviewing the Packers 2020 draft class after one year

A pick-by-pick breakdown of Brian Gutekunst’s nine picks from 2020 and how they performed in Year 1:

You probably still have a preconceived opinion about the Green Bay Packers’ 2020 draft class. Your feelings are justified, as a lot of people were confused by Brian Gutekunst’s approach in his third season as the Packers’ general manager. He drafted Aaron Rodgers’ eventual replacement with the team’s first pick. The decision sent shockwaves through the league, and Gutekunst followed it up by selecting more players who seemingly wouldn’t play a whole lot in their rookie season. Well, almost a year later, you could say Gutekunst’s vision was a lot more encouraging than originally thought.

After a season in which Green Bay went 13-3 and was one game away from the Super Bowl, here is a pick-by-pick breakdown of Gutekunst’s nine picks from 2020 and how they performed in Year 1:

Report: Warriors and Bulls have discussed draft day trade involving Wendell Carter Jr. and picks

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls have discussed a trade involving Wendell Carter Jr. and draft picks.

After an extended wait, the 2020 NBA draft is officially here. Before the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick later in the evening, trade chatter is heating up.

Since the Golden State Warriors landed the No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 draft, there’s talk of a potential trade for the pick. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the rotation, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr could deal the pick to acquire a win-now option that helps push Golden State back to the postseason in 2021.

As the draft rapidly approaches, Kevin O’Connor of The Athletic is reporting the Warriors and Bulls have discussed a deal involving a former Duke Blue Devil.

According to O’Connor, the Warriors and Bulls have discussed trading the No. 2 overall pick for Wendell Carter Jr. and the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft.

Via @KevinOConnorNBA on Twitter:

In 2018, the Bulls landed Carter Jr. out of Duke with the No. 7 overall pick on draft night. Prior to entering the draft, the former McDonald’s All-American averaged 13.5 points on 56.1% shooting from the field with 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 37 games for coach Mike Krzyzewski’s program.

During his two seasons in Chicago, Carter Jr. is averaging 10.8 points on 50.8% shooting from the field with 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game.

Although he’s posted steady numbers in his two seasons in the association, Carter Jr. has dealt with injuries. Carter Jr.’s rookie season was cut short due to a thumb injury. As a sophomore in 2019-20, Carter Jr. missed time with an ankle injury.

While the Bulls could move up to target a player like James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball, the Warriors add a 21-year-old former top-prospect to a position of need while opening up the opportunity to draft a wing.

Moving from No. 2 to No. 4, the Warriors could target a player like Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton or Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Deni Avdija. Golden State could leave draft night with needed depth on the wing and the frontcourt.

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Grading the rookies in Washington at the halfway point of the 2020 season

With half of their rookie season behind them, we handed out grades to the young players in Washington who are starting out their careers.

With seven weeks of the 2020 season in the rearview mirror, it feels like a good time to take stock of the season and reflect on what we’ve seen thus far. For the Washington Football Team, things started out with a bang after a thrilling comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, but it’s been a frustrating watch ever since, minus the blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.

Fortunately for Washington, the young players on the team have been performing pretty well for the most part, and it seems to be yet another successful draft class that was put together in 2020. Here are our grades for the rookies class so far this season.

Warriors add playmaker to backcourt in latest NBA Mock Draft from Bleacher Report

In the latest NBA Mock Draft prediction from Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman had the Warriors selecting LaMelo Ball with the No. 2 pick.

How the Golden State Warriors handle their top pick remains one of the most intriguing questions surrounding the 2020 offseason.

With the championship core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green intact, the Warriors will eye a player that can help contribute to their climb back into the playoff picture as soon as next season.

Do Steve Kerr and Bob Myers trade the pick for a veteran? Do they add to the backcourt or frontcourt? Do they take a player to develop behind the Splash Brothers? Essential questions the Warriors will answer during draft season.

With the lottery order set, NBA Mock Drafts are beginning to roll out with predictions for what the Warriors will do with the No. 2 overall selection.

In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman, the Warriors added a young playmaker to their backcourt. After Georgia’s Anthony Edwards went off the board at No. 1, the Warriors landed point guard LaMelo Ball.

While Ball’s fit with Golden State might be in question due to him sharing a position with Curry, Wasserman laid out a few factors around his mock selection.

Via Bleacher Report:

Knowing there could be more interest and time to deal after the draft, the Warriors could take Ball and shop him later, or they could keep him and add a special passer between Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who’d only make the incoming rookie a better player.

LaMelo could ultimately be ready to take the keys full-time as he nears his second contract and Curry approaches his 35th birthday. While James Wiseman may make sense to fill their hole at center, a below-average shooter, passer and switch defender doesn’t seem like a Warriors pick.

View Bleacher Report’s complete mock draft from Wasserman here.

In 12 games for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia’s NBL, the Chino Hills product averaged 17.0 points on 37.5% shooting from the field with 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest.

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If Ball sticks in Golden State, the 19-year-old could slide in as the lead guard off the bench while he develops behind Curry. Ball could link with Eric Paschall to give Kerr and the Warriors a viable one-two punch in the second unit.

As Curry and Thompson work back from significant injuries in 2019, having a wing with Ball’s exciting ability to create for others and initiate an offense could provide valuable depth for the Warriors.

With reports pointing towards the draft date getting moved back till November 18, Kerr and Myers will have plenty of time to research a bevy of angles around Golden State’s much-anticipated No. 2 pick.

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Reggie Robinson perfect fit as Cowboys secondary works to figure out identity

Will CB Reggie Robinson be the latest fourth round draft pick to become a contributor for the Cowboys?

During the 2017 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys doubled-dipped at the cornerback position, selecting Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in the second and third rounds respectively. With the secondary in a state of flux after the free agency departures of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, Dallas aimed to find stability in two young and promising corners.

Flash forward three years, and the Cowboys secondary still finds itself in transition, this time looking to replace the production of CB Byron Jones. Now under a new coaching staff, Dallas once again double-dipped at cornerback in the 2020 draft, selecting Alabama’s Trevon Diggs in Round 2 and Tulsa’s Reginald Robinson II in Round 4. Robinson seems a strong bet to be the next great Day 3 selection in Cowboys history.

Selected No. 123 overall, Robinson may not be as polished coming out of college as Diggs, but he’s an athletic and high-upside building block for the secondary under Mike McCarthy and new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

While his initial opportunities may be limited, Robinson can still contribute immediately, and also represents a possible longterm CB option going forward.

In 2019, Robinson led the AAC in pass defenses (13), and was named first-team All-Conference. He recorded 38 total tackles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, showing an ability to make plays on the ball. He was also a key special teams player over his college career, blocking four total kicks.

In coverage, Robinson holds up well, presenting an intriguing blend of size and athleticism.

While Diggs projects as an elite defender in press coverage, but questionable in other phases of playing corner, Robinson’s ability to excel in press, man and zone may actually give him a higher ceiling due to the diversity. With the right coaching, he can project to playing whatever aspect of a multiple defense.

He still has room to grow with his footwork, but it’s not hard to see why a team like Dallas believes he has the potential to eventually become a quality NFL starter.

The Athletic draft expert Dane Brugler had this to say after evaluating Robinson’s film.

Passes the eye test with his height, arm length and build at the position…staggers his steps and opens his hips to stay attached from press…excellent job squatting in zone coverage, reading the quarterback and working toward the anticipated throwing lane…dialed in and feels route combinations around him…outcompetes receivers at the catch point and he is always ball searching…high football IQ…aggressive run defender and powers his way through blockers…sets a hard edge in the run game…logged four blocked kicks on special teams over his career…excellent ball production as a senior with 17 passes defended and four interceptions, allowing only one touchdown.

Entering 2020, the Cowboys have a bevy of options at cornerback, but few long-term answers at the position. Robinson figures to factor into their plans in some way, but much depends on the play of Awuzie and Lewis, and the composition of the unit after this season. However, Robinson is also a potential option at safety, the position he played in high school. Dallas’s future at safety is equally uncertain, with only Darian Thompson and 2019 sixth rounder Donovan Wilson as the only listed safeties currently signed past 2020.

Wherever he fits, Dallas sees a player they can win with in Robinson. It’s never held him back, but Robinson is deaf in his left ear. His family discovered his impairment when Robinson was in elementary school, and he’s adjusted to the point where those around him almost seem to forget all about it. Said his coach at Tulsa, Philip Montgomery:

“Honestly, I didn’t know about [Robinson’s hearing loss] when we were recruiting him, and I didn’t find out until he got on campus. It was one of those deals where I was walking beside him down the hall and I said something to him, and he kind of turned his head to talk to me. He tells me, ‘Coach, you know I’m deaf in this ear, right?’ No, Reggie, I didn’t know that.”

Always adapting and improving, Robinson has all the traits necessary to become another mid-round gem for a Dallas team looking for contributors on a young and changing secondary.

This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. 

| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz | Noah Brown | Sean McKeon |
| Ventell Bryant | Jon’vea Johnson | Blake Bell | Justin Hamilton |
| Cody Wichmann | Tyron Smith | Ladarius Hamilton |
| Neville Gallimore | Terence Steele | Joe Looney | La’el Collins |
| Zack Martin | Brandon Knight | Ron’Dell Carter | Wyatt Miller |
| Connor McGovern | Tyler Biadasz | Adam Redmond | Luke Gifford |
| Leighton Vander Esch | Justin March | Connor Williams |
| Bradlee Anae | Sean Lee | Jamize Olawale | Joe Thomas |
| Francis Bernard | Sewo Olonilua |

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