As draft week rages on, let’s put on our retrospectacles and grade last year’s draft by looking and the biggest winners. But first, let’s cover
The Losers
#3: RestingHollow
- Jordan Love (1.14)
- Devin Duvernay (3.6)
- Devin Asiasi (3.8)
Most GM’s who picked busts last year also had at least one hit to make up for it. Not this GM. Asiasi was not Gronkowski 2.0 and may not play in a second NFL game for the rest of his career and Duvernay is buried in the depth chart of one of the worst landing spots in the league. But these 3rd round misses pale in comparison that was the whiff on Jordan Love at 1.14. Love has shaped up to likely be the worst QB of the 2020 Nilbog draft class and was cut by RestingHollow before the first game of the season.
#2: LBTown
- Henry Ruggs III (1.10)
- K.J. Hill (3.13)
OK, so 45th overall K.J. Hill didn’t work out – no big deal. But Henry Ruggs III is shaping up to be a massive bust. At the time, it seemed fortunate to pick up Ruggs at tenth overall – I had him mocked as going eighth and his was considered by many after the combine to be the best receiver not named Jeudy or Lamb – a player who could have been the top receiver available in weaker draft classes. Instead, Ruggs was used as the fifth receiving option on the Raiders, and if he doesn’t improve this year the decision to take him one pick before Justin Jefferson will be a legendary miss.
#1: Eliel2020
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire (1.01)
- Jalen Reagor (1.08)
- Michael Pittman (1.12)
- Anthony McFarland (2.04)
- Joshua Kelley (2.14)
OK, let’s get this out of the way – no, I don’t think Clyde Edwards-Helaire is bad. The Nilbog trade values consider him a top 20 dynasty running back after all. But Edwards-Helaire was overshadowed by five other rookies last year – D’Andre Swift, Antonio Gibson, Cam Akers, J.K. Dobbins, and Jonathan Taylor. Reagor averaged just 7.7 PPG and isn’t even considered a top fifty receiver. I wrote last year that he could go the way of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and that looks exactly like what’s happening. Michael Pittman also averaged just 7.6 PPG although he flashed fantasy relevant talent on a couple occasions. McFarland is likely to be a total bust as long as Najee Harris is healthy. Kelley is already facing competition for the number two role on the Chargers with Larry Rountree III joining the team.
The worst part of this draft is what could have been. Using players in the same tier, Eliel2020 could have drafted:
- Jonathan Taylor
- Justin Jefferson
- Tee Higgins
- Chase Claypool
- Cole Kmet
That’s a perennial wildcard contender lineup created in just one draft. Of course almost any draft could be improved with the power of hindsight. So let’s just look at the players that were taken immediately after each one of Eliel2020’s choices – the 1.02, 1.09, 1.12, 2.05, 2.15:
- Jonathan Taylor
- Cam Akers
- Tee Higgins
- Laviska Shenault
- Van Jefferson
The chances of zigging every time Eliel2020 should have zagged are 1 in 31 – which means that statistically this should be the worst draft for the next three decades. Guh.
The Winners
#3: BeauAustin
- Joe Burrow (1.07)
- Chase Claypool (2.07)
- Dalton Keene (3.07)
BeauAustin had an excellent first draft, locking down a franchise quarterback and a young starting receiver. The GM was criticized for taking a quarterback with the seventh pick, but Burrow saved this team’s quarterback situation and is shaping up to be a smart pick. Meanwhile, Claypool was one of the most savvy picks in the entire draft, and contributed to the massive turn around from a shaky receiving corps to one of the league’s best. Once it was all over, this draft turned BeauAustin from a 5-7 team that lost in the first round of the consolation bracket, to a 10-3 division winner.
#2: TigersMom
- Justin Jefferson (1.11)
- Laviska Shenault (2.05)
- A.J. Dillon (2.11)
- Justin Herbert (2.13)
Four picks, four hits. Justin Herbert – selected in the late second – could shape up to be the best quarterback in a draft that included Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. A.J. Dillon managed 40 fantasy points on just 46 carries, and now looks like he’ll be used in the Jamaal Williams role behind Aaron Jones. Laviska Shenault performed admirably as a flex option for a second round receiver, and that was without Trevor Lawrence throwing him the ball. And Justin Jefferson… Just wow. One of the greatest rookie seasons of all time by a receiver.
#1: TSteggs
- Jonathan Taylor (1.02)
- J.K. Dobbins (1.04)
- D’Andre Swift (1.06)
Going into the 2020 draft, TSteggs traded away a number of productive players to acquire three of the top six picks. To say it paid off would be a massive understatement. After the entire lead up to the draft consisting of Taylor vs Swift narratives, this team said “porque no los dos” and went full running back. Not only did this draft result in a championship for TSteggs, but it did so without the costly “win-now” trades usually associated with playoff teams. Instead, the team seems primed to establish a dynasty that dominates The Johnny for years to come.
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