The 2020 NFL Draft class faced challenges unlike any before it. Most pro days and in-person pre-draft visits were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. That put lesser-known players from smaller schools at a distinct disadvantage and forced all prospects to get creative with their video workouts and interviews.
However, the draft still went on, (mostly) as planned.
What was supposed to be an extravaganza in Las Vegas became a fully virtual affair via video conference. That gave this year’s draft an extra dose of unpredictability. One team forgot to unmute (it was the Jaguars, naturally), a dog crashed the party (surprisingly not Joe Judge’s Abby, but Bill Belchick’s Nike), and someone showed off their Parasite-like mansion (Kliff Kingsbury, stylin’ as always). Roger Goodell continued to announce the picks, except he did it from home and still got booed.
All eyes were on the three-day event as it dominated the sports world, much to the NFL’s delight. Let us help you get to know some of these players whose names were called, and then again whenever training camp beings across the league.
Stephen White’s scouting reports
- Mekhi Becton isn’t a finished product, but his potential for the Jets is as massive as he is
- Why Derrick Brown was worth the No. 7 pick for the Carolina Panthers
- K’Lavon Chaisson can be the perfect chess piece for the Jaguars’ defense
- Bills DE A.J. Epenesa might not seem like a special draft pick, until you take a closer look
- Cowboys’ Neville Gallimore is the rare defensive tackle who’s defined by his speed
- Jerry Jeudy is the kind of receiver the Denver Broncos are lucky to have
- 49ers’ Javon Kinlaw has the potential be every NFL offensive lineman’s worst nightmare
- Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb might have the best career of the entire 2020 WR draft class
- Terrell Lewis can be the Rams’ next great edge rusher, if he stays healthy
- Denzel Mims is a big play waiting to happen for the New York Jets
- Henry Ruggs III’s speed isn’t the only thing to love about him as the Raiders’ new WR
- Browns OL Jedrick Wills Jr. is an immediate starter, but he comes with a risk
- Bucs’ Tristan Wirfs is athletic as hell — and not just for an offensive tackle
- Washington’s Chase Young will be an elite NFL defender, especially if he fixes one thing
Insight from draft expert Dan Kadar
- The top 100 players in the 2020 NFL Draft
- Instant grades for all 32 picks in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft
- The final grades for all 32 teams in the NFL Draft
- A way-too-early 2021 mock draft
Learn more about other top prospects
- Zack Baun’s overlooked path to Wisconsin stardom says everything about his Saints future
- Bengals fans are gonna love Joe Burrow so much
- Rhode Island hasn’t had an NFL Draft pick since 1986. Isaiah Coulter changed that in 2020
- Carlos and Khalil Davis explain how their twin rivalry pushed them to the Bucs and Steelers
- Kyle Dugger is here to prove Division II stars are worth the risk for the Patriots
- Why did new Bills QB Jake Fromm fall so far in the 2020 NFL Draft?
- Anthony Gordon has a chance to be an undrafted steal for the Seahawks
- New Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s leadership concerns were an absurd NFL Draft criticism
- Chargers’ Justin Herbert is a polarizing QB. Here’s what the film tells us
- Alex Highsmith was a walk-on at Charlotte. Now he’s headed to the Steelers
- Jalen Hurts was a college success. Can he now become the Eagles’ next franchise QB?
- Austin Jackson saved his sister’s life a year before becoming a Dolphins 1st-round pick
- Meet the *other* Lamar Jackson, the Jets’ new free agent cornerback signee
- Jordan Love is a divisive QB, but he can still succeed in the NFL
- Jake Luton was an under-the-radar college QB. His Jaguars career can be different
- Jeff Okudah, latest product of Ohio State’s ‘DBU,’ is here to save the Lions’ secondary
- Jared Pinkney wants to show the Falcons he’s a better TE than he got to be at Vanderbilt
- Isaiah Simmons can do it all for the Cardinals’ defense, no matter where he lines up
- D’Andre Swift is a first-round talent and a second-round bargain for the Lions
- A brief history of Tua Tagovailoa’s injuries throughout his career
- Why it matters that Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is the only left-handed QB in the NFL
- Adam Trautman is so good he’s the first NFL Draft pick from Dayton in 43 years
- Ke’Shawn Vaughn is the Buccaneers’ grimy underdog. That’s exactly where he wants to be
- Can Chase Young really be better than Joey and Nick Bosa in the NFL?
And for a little fun ...
- The 1 draft sleeper at each position who NFL teams shouldn’t overlook
- 29 NFL prospects determine who has the best fast food french fries
- The ultimate Cleveland Browns mock draft
- What the Giants’ draft would look like if Joe Judge’s dog made all 10 picks
- What every lesson we learned from the 2015 NFL Draft means for 2020
- The 2020 NFL Draft is full of prospects who have famous football relatives
- The best team fits for 8 potential first-round offensive tackles
- Test your knowledge of the 2020 NFL Draft class with this quiz
- The best names in the 2020 NFL Draft, by position
- Rating the NFL Draft at-home war rooms from comfy to dumpy
- Kliff Kingsbury’s mansion was the biggest flex of the NFL Draft
- Every first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, graded with a pass or fail
- 7 winners and 5 losers from Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft
- Bill Belichick’s Alaskan Klee Kai headlines the very good dogs in the 2020 NFL Draft
- Is D’Andre Swift’s swole dad eligible for the NFL Draft?
- Our serious (and not so serious) grades for Rounds 2-3 of the NFL Draft
- The Day 3 tracker, as narrated by an increasingly drunk writer
- 7 winners and 6 losers from Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft
- The NFL undrafted free agents we’re most excited about in 2020
- 4 trends that were in, 3 that were out during this year’s draft