Tag: 2020 NFL Draft

27 Days, 27 Picks: RT Tristan Wirfs

The next player in our 27 Days, 27 Picks series is arguably Jason Licht’s very best first-round selection:

In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans should know this name well.

Our player for April 1 was the Bucs’ most recent first-rounder in 2021, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Now, we go back to 2020, the year the Bucs won the Super Bowl — and their first-round pick that helped make it happen.

Check out our draft rundown for RT [autotag]Tristan Wirfs[/autotag] below:

Salary cap analyst predicts Commanders will pick up Chase Young’s 5th-year option

Will the Commanders pick up Young’s fifth-year option?

The clock is ticking on an important decision for the Washington Commanders. No, we aren’t talking about who owner Dan Snyder will sell the franchise to, but a personnel decision that could have a long-term impact on the organization.

NFL teams have until May 1 to pick up the fifth-year option on first-round picks selected in the 2020 NFL draft. The Commanders selected defensive end Chase Young No. 2 overall in 2020. This should be a no-brainer, right?

Well, according to head coach Ron Rivera, it’s complicated. Rivera surprised everyone this offseason by saying the Commanders were considering not picking up Young’s fifth-year option. Rivera cited Young’s health as a factor but also noted how playing in a contract year motivated Daron Payne. Payne signed a record four-year extension earlier this month.

Was Rivera suggesting Young needs motivation? If so, that’s not ideal. However, Young didn’t return until late December from a major knee injury he suffered in November 2021. But before Young’s injury, he wasn’t exactly looking like the generational pass rusher many labeled him. Young recorded just 1.5 sacks in the nine games before he was lost for the 2021 season.

So, here we are. What will Washington do?

PFF analyst and salary cap expect Brad Spielberger made his prediction for all of 2020’s first-round picks, and he believes the Commanders will exercise Young’s fifth-year option:

This is the most fascinating decision facing any team on this list for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, the Commanders recently extended interior defender Daron Payne to the tune of $90 million across four years just one offseason after signing Jonathan Allen to a four-year, $72 million extension. Edge defender Montez Sweat is entering his fifth-year option season in 2023 coming off a career-high 86.4 grade. Washington simply cannot pay all four players, but do they push that decision out another year and buy themselves time with Young? Or rip the Band-Aid off now?

While Young’s knee injury sustained in 2021 cost him a whopping 22 games, he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie for a reason, with his 87.2 overall grade ranking sixth among edge defenders on the season. The risk associated with not picking up his option could be that if Washington doesn’t extend Sweat this offseason, they’d only have one franchise tag at their disposal with both entering unrestricted free agency.

All outstanding points from Spielberger. Everything he said is correct. This is a fascinating decision that Washington probably can’t believe it needs to make. After Young won NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2020, many expected the Commanders to be working on a generous extension for Young.

I agree with Spielberger here. The Commanders will pick up Young’s option. Even though it will be costly, it doesn’t tip their hand on which defensive end they want to keep beyond 2023 between him and Montez Sweat.

Sweat is a free agent after 2023, and if the Commanders can’t agree to a long-term deal with him, they can apply the franchise tag. If the option is picked up, Young will already be under contract for 2024 at around $17.5 million.

It should be an interesting few weeks for Washington, and that decision on Young likely will not come until the last minute.

This 2020 NFL redraft will be painful for Washington fans

Imagine how different Washington’s fortunes would be if this had happened.

The 2020 NFL draft will be remembered as the year the draft went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also be viewed the year three quarterbacks and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young were among the first six picks.

Joe Burrow of LSU went No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals; the rest is history. After injuring his ACL in November of his rookie season, Burrow returned for the beginning of the 2021 season and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. He nearly led Cincinnati to another Super Bowl this season.

The then-Washington Redskins selected Ohio State defensive end Chase Young at No. 2 overall. Washington bypassed quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa to take Young, who many considered a generational pass rusher.

It’s been said if Burrow had fallen to No. 2 overall, he would’ve been the pick. Otherwise, Washington was set on Young.

Three years in, we can start to assess that draft. The biggest superstars from the 2020 draft are Burrow, wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Herbert. Meanwhile, after winning NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2020, Young has played 12 games and recorded 1.5 sacks. He tore his ACL in Nov. 2021, and the Commanders are hoping Young rebounds in 2022.

What if things had gone differently in that draft?

Diante Lee of The Athletic recently did a 2020 NFL redraft, and, surprise; Burrow didn’t go No. 1

Lee went with Herbert at No. 1, saying he was the more talented passer. That meant Burrow fell in Washington’s lap at No. 2.

Washington avoids the hamster wheel of Alex Smith, Taylor Heinicke, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell by adding a true franchise quarterback.

We know, in hindsight, that talent along the defensive front is neither Washington’s issue nor the cure-all for what else ails this roster. Making a change at QB would help Washington get the most out of Terry McLaurin (who still has averaged 80.3 catches and 1,120.7 yards receiving the past three years). Burrow is comfortable in chaos and has a proven track record of navigating average or worse offensive line play.

Young went No. 6 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.

A franchise quarterback camouflages other flaws. Burrow in Washington would have the Commanders as a contender despite questionable coaching and personnel.

Oh well, it’s fun to daydream for a bit.

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The Athletic’s 2020 redraft has the Saints passing on Cesar Ruiz

The Athletic’s 2020 first-round redraft has the Saints passing on Cesar Ruiz, instead picking local product Robert Hunt to step in at right guard:

They say hindsight vision is 20/20, and it’s tough looking back on what the New Orleans Saints did in the 2020 NFL draft. The Athletic’s Diante Lee completed a do-over of that year’s first round which has the Saints passing on their top choice in favor of another player at the same position.

Instead of drafting Michigan center Cesar Ruiz and asking him to convert to right guard, Lee suggests picking Louisiana offensive lineman Robert Hunt. Hunt mainly lined up at left guard and right tackle for the Ragin’ Cajuns, but he’s gone on to be a rock-solid starter at right guard for the Miami Dolphins. Lee’s take on what the Saints should have done at No. 24 overall:

“Ruiz looked viable in his rookie campaign, but it became clear over time that he’s not the answer and New Orleans needed to add more players along the interior.

Hunt can step in and do more as a run blocker and pass-protector, supporting the Saints’ goal of staying competitive as the franchise begins to venture into life after Drew Brees.”

Ruiz has actually played much better in his third season than the first two years of his Saints career, but there’s little doubt Hunt would have made a more immediately positive impact in New Orleans given his success in Miami (where he landed at No. 39, early in the second round). The Saints wanted to move on from Pro Bowl right guard Larry Warford that summer, and though Ruiz was a consensus better prospect at the time as a center he was a total projection at another spot. It’s taken time for him to adjust to the different assignments — time that may have been better spent on a player with more experience in the role.

Ah well. What’s done is done, and what matters more is what’s ahead of Ruiz and the Saints. He’s coming off his best year as a pro, though it ended with an unfortunate Lisfranc fracture in his foot. The good news is that he’s expecting to be cleared in time for training camp. The bad news is that the Saints must decide by May 1 whether to exercise the fifth-year option in Ruiz’s contract and guarantee him more than $14 million for 2024. If they believe he’ll continue to play at a high level after improving last season, it should be an easy decision. You just have to wonder how heavily his early-career struggles factor into that equation.

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Grading the Vikings 2020 NFL draft class

With three seasons in the books, let’s reflect on the 2020 NFL draft class

Now that we are three years removed from the 2020 NFL draft class, we can start to get a semblance of what they are as professional football players.

Why do you need three years before you fully grade out a class? It’s simple. The development of young players takes time. The college game is competitive, but also incredibly different. The speed and spacing of the game is different on a significant level.

Now that the class has had three seasons to adjust to the NFL game, we can properly assess if the Vikings picked good players at each of their 15 picks.

How Bill O’Brien wrecked the Texans over an 8-month span

Bill O’Brien did a number on the Houston Texans in just eight months as he doubled up as coach and shadow general manager.

The Houston Texans have been clawing their way out of a rebuild, and they may finally be out of it with the hiring of coach DeMeco Ryans.

While it can be argued that the conflicts with the franchise quarterback beginning in January 2021 were a huge setback for the organization, there were decisions made by Bill O’Brien over an eight-month span that were far more injurious to the team than just the problems at quarterback.

According to Michael Renner from Pro Football Focus, there were six mistakes that O’Brien made from August 2019 to March 2020 while coach and moonlighting general manager that set the Texans up for failure over the 2020-22 seasons.

The Texans gave O’Brien general manager control in the summer of 2019, and he reacted like a kid in a candy store. Here’s a highlight reel:

Tunsil turned out to be a three-time Pro Bowler. However, the capital given up to acquire him was detrimental to the Texans’ ability to assemble good drafts, especially in general manager Nick Caserio’s first draft in 2021.

The Texans clearly lost on the Hopkins trade, but the worst parts of O’Brien’s wheeling and dealing was giving up third-rounders for role players such as Johnson and Conley.

O’Brien was part of the Texans’ five-man general manager council following the firing of Brian Gaine in early June 2019. Chris Olsen was the interim general manager, but the moves were more like what a coach would make to shore up his roster.

The Texans fired O’Brien after an 0-4 start in 2020. Executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby was named the interim general manager until Caserio was hired in January 2021.

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Eagles reportedly almost drafted Jeremy Chinn over Jalen Hurts

According to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Eagles were very close to drafting Panthers S Jeremy Chinn over Jalen Hurts back in 2020.

If the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t sleep on a certain decision a few years back, then today’s big game may look a lot different. And funny enough, that decision involved Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn.

During Fox’s pregame coverage for Super Bowl LVII, insider Jay Glazer dropped a pretty intriguing nugget about Chinn, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the 2020 NFL draft. According to Glazer, the Eagles were close to selecting Chinn with the 53rd overall pick — but switched to Hurts the morning of the second round.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

In the span of three years, Hurts became an MVP candidate and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance.

Carolina, who scooped Chinn up 11 spots later, got themselves a solid safety with the draft’s 64th overall pick.

By the way, did anyone else hear that collective sigh of relief in parts of Philly and Glendale?

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Here’s what it would cost for the Saints to pick up Cesar Ruiz’s fifth-year option

Here’s what it would cost for the Saints to pick up Cesar Ruiz’s fifth-year option for 2024. If the Saints don’t exercise it, he’ll be a free agent next offseason:

There we go: Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared an NFL memo on Tuesday that confirmed the fifth-year option values for players picked in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, including New Orleans Saints right guard Cesar Ruiz. We had a good idea of the amount Ruiz was likely going to cost, thanks to the league’s new tiered system, but now it’s official.

If the Saints exercise Ruiz’s fifth-year option for the 2024 season, he’ll count against the salary cap by a fully-guaranteed $14.175 million. They’ve picked up the fifth-year option on every first-round pick New Orleans has drafted since Brandin Cooks back in 2013, and we’ve written before that Ruiz should be an easy decision. It’s a safe bet that they’ll do the same with him before the May 1 deadline.

How are these values decided? All offensive linemen (tackles, guards, and centers) are lumped together, and the different tiers are sorted by Pro Bowl appearances, playtime criteria, and a base level simply for having been a former first-round pick. Over The Cap’s analysts explained the process in detail here. Here’s how they stack up for offensive linemen:

  1. Multiple Pro Bowls: $18,244,000
  2. One Pro Bowl: $16,660,000
  3. Playtime criteria: $14,175,000
  4. Baseline: $13,565,000

One common tactic the Saints have used with these fifth-year options is to restructure them (it’s initially contained within a single base salary) so that much of the cap damage is spread out over automatically-voiding void years in the future. It’s what they did with Marcus Davenport, Marshon Lattimore, and Ryan Ramczyk in the past. Taking that route with Ruiz in 2024 would set his salary cap hit at about $3.8 million, though it risks leaving as much as $10.3 million behind in dead money for 2025 if he doesn’t sign a contract extension.

That’s a risk the Saints have shown they’re willing to take. They were able to lock up Lattimore and Ramczyk under long-term deals, but Davenport is on track to depart in free agency and leave a dead money cap hit of $7.6 million behind. Ruiz’s arrow is trending up, though, and he should earn a solid contract extension with New Orleans after another strong season. If nothing else, picking up his fifth-year option for 2024 buys the Saints some time to put out other fires before turning attention to his situation.

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NFL.com: Seahawks should pick up Jordyn Brooks’ fifth-year option

Consider us a no on this one.

The Seahawks have some tough choices to make this offseason. Among them, they have until May 1 to decide whether or not to pick up linebacker Jordyn Brooks’ fifth-year option.

Even though Brooks has struggled on the field and suffered an ACL tear a few weeks ago, Marc Ross at NFL.com, says Seattle should pick it up.

“Brooks has been a steady presence in Pete Carroll’s young defense. He came on strong in his second and third seasons, ranking second in the NFL with 183 tackles in 2021 and fourth with 161 in 2022. The ACL injury that ended his season in Week 16 might give some pause, but I would still exercise the option for a player who became one of the team’s defensive leaders following Bobby Wagner‘s exit last offseason. Presuming Brooks can return to form, he will be a cornerstone Seattle for a long time.”

Consider us a no on this one.

For one thing, it wouldn’t be cheap. Over the Cap is projecting that Brooks’ fifth-year option is worth $11,558,000. Moreover, picking Brooks at No. 27 overall was always the wrong call in our book. If they were dead-set on taking an off-ball linebacker at that spot they should have taken LSU’s Patrick Queen, who went to the Ravens with the next pick.

While he’s made strides in other areas in three years, Brooks has been unable to post a PFF coverage grade over 43.4. That’s proven to be where the Seahawks defense is most vulnerable – especially when facing the 49ers and the Rams twice a year.

Brooks’ recent ACL injury makes it even less likely that he’ll become a high performer at his position, where he ranked No. 131 this season according to PFF’s grades.

Given his expertise and experience with Sean Desai, trading for Roquan Smith would have been the best move to make – but once again Baltimore got the guy we wanted – dealing a second-round pick to the Bears for Smith before signing him to a five-year, $100 million deal.

Looking ahead, there are a couple quality free agents at this position that are about to hit the market, including Lavonte David and Deion Jones. The Seahawks could also decide to try out Tanner Muse, who would be cheap to re-sign. However, their best chance at resetting here is using a draft pick.

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Chiefs players from 2020 NFL draft class now eligible for contract extensions

The #Chiefs can now extend the contract of any player from their 2020 NFL draft class beginning on Monday, Jan. 9.

The Monday following the conclusion of the season is always an important day on the NFL calendar whether you’re a team that’s out of the playoff race or still in it.

Not only are teams permitted to begin signing free agents to reserve/future contracts, but they can also start signing some of their own players on contract extensions. Starting on Monday, Jan. 9, the Kansas City Chiefs and teams across the league are now permitted to renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a drafted rookie who was selected in any round of the 2020 NFL draft. Undrafted rookies who signed in 2021 are also now eligible for contract extensions.

Here is a reminder of the players drafted by the Chiefs in 2020 that currently remain on the team:

  • RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
  • LB Willie Gay Jr.
  • OT Lucas Niang
  • CB L’Jarius Sneed
  • DE Mike Danna

Each of these players (with the exception of Lucas Niang, who opted out in 2020) still has one more year remaining on their rookie deals, which means Brett Veach won’t be in a hurry to get extensions done. In some cases, the Chiefs could look to sign a player to an extension early in order to get themselves a deal based on the current free agent market or a player’s projected development cycle.

Of this group, the three most notable names are on the defensive side of the ball. L’Jarius Sneed, Willie Gay Jr. and Mike Danna have each emerged as key pieces for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense this season. They all have the potential to earn second contracts in Kansas City.

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