5 bold predictions for the 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft starts in a mere 12-ish hours and I, as someone who a) hasn’t had sports in their life for the last two months and b) is getting way too hyped about what spotty internet connections could mean when 50+ people jump on a Zoom call, can not wait.

The draft has been a place where chaos and surprise thrives and I’m hoping that rings true this year more than ever.

Since anything can happen tonight, I’ve thought up my 5 boldest predictions for the 2020 NFL Draft, hoping that by posting this article out into the interwebs, the Football Gods see this and make some of them come true.

Here’s to hoping!

Three trades happen in the first 10 picks

Plenty of trade smoke has been made in regards to the top picks this year. Washington has been actively shopping the number two pick with some unknown team already laying “out a complete deal” for the pick. The Dolphins have the fire power to move up and have been rumored to be doing just that, while the Falcons are also being connected with trying to move into the top 10 for a cornerback. I highly doubt, nay, I PROMISE the top 10 picks will not play out as we currently think they will.

Six wide receivers and two running backs will be taken in the first round

Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs, and Justin Jefferson are locks to go in the first in my opinion. Then you have guys like Denzel Mims, Tee Higgins, Jalen Reagor, and Brandon Aiyuk, all of whom could go in the first. Pretty much ever team in the NFL could use another young talented wide receiver and I could see a run on them in the middle of the draft and at the end of the first. Meanwhile, with so much emphasis being put on the wide receiver and offensive line talent this year, I feel as though the running back position is being overlooked. Jonathan Taylor is an extremely talented running back who can become a stud in the NFL, while J.K Dobbins and D’Andre Swift both offer skill in the passing game. There are plenty of teams at the tail end of the first round who could use help at running back—the Dolphins, Jaguars (if they’re trading Leonard Fournette) Saints, and Chiefs to name a few.

The Patriots will NOT take a quarterback in the first two rounds

It would make sense for the Patriots to address the quarterback position after you know they lost some guy named Tom Brady this offseason. I’ve seen Jordan Love at 23 or even trading up into the top 5 for Tua Tagovailoa in mocks. But no one cares less about what other people think than Bill Belichick. The Patriots like Jarrett Stidham and they want to see what he can do in a season as the starter. My guess is they go linebacker if available at 23. Patrick Queen would make me oh so happy.

We’ll see at least three veterans traded throughout the draft

There are plenty of players currently on the trade block we could see moved for draft position: Trent Williams, Yannick Ngakoue, Andy Dalton, Leonard Fournette, Joe Thuney, Anthony Harris, Marquise Goodwin, Alshon Jeffery, O.J. Howard, the list goes on. Teams aren’t going to be looking to keep a disgruntled veteran player when they can draft a younger, cheaper option. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more names on the move throughout the weekend, but I’ll build my house on at least three.

Justin Herbert AND Jordan Love go before Tua

Saved my boldest for last. As we’ve gotten closer to the draft, Tua seemingly has been sliding down people’s boards for one obvious reason: injury history. In such a weird offseason when teams couldn’t meet with players, Tua’s injury risk has become even more pronounced and I think teams are going to shy away from him because they weren’t able to perform their own tests. There’s still a part of me that thinks the Dolphins complete the tank and take Tua at 5 overall, but with reports coming out that Miami’s looking to move up to 3 to have their pick of offensive line prospects, Tua’s slide might be catastrophic tonight.

Bonus: At least one pick will not be placed in time due to spotty WiFi

Honestly, I’ll I’m asking for is for there to be at least mild internet excitement tonight and throughout the entire draft. Give me one team panicking because their WiFi is slow or a team forgetting to mute themselves and blurting out their draft board. I need to see that these people running NFL teams are actually just like all of us and in fact are less tech savvy than the majority of the population. Just to humble them a little bit. After all, they have possibly the coolest job in the world, they can’t have everything.