The opening 32 picks of the 2020 NFL draft had a little bit of everything. Four teams have a new quarterback on the roster. Six offensive tackles, six cornerbacks and six wide receivers are off the board at the end of Round 1. Four trades were made, and Day 1 of the virtual draft went off without a hitch.
We pulled together our NFL expert crew to weigh in on the biggest lingering questions from the first round, including their picks for the best pick of the night and the most shocking surprises.
Jump to:
Best picks | Most confusing picks
QB outlooks | Impact receivers
See more:
All 32 picks | Best remaining
What was the best pick of the night?
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: Kenneth Murray (ILB) to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 23. The Chargers traded back into the first round to land Murray, a three-down linebacker with 4.52 speed and second-level range to track the ball. It's a great fit for Gus Bradley's zone-heavy defensive scheme. Murray can march to inside verticals, close on the ball as a hook defender and play sideline-to-sideline to pursue as a run defender.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: Jordan Love (QB) to the Green Bay Packers at No. 26. Nearly everyone I spoke to before the draft said Love's talent was too good to pass up in the first round. "Best pure thrower in the draft," one league exec said. Green Bay needs wide receiver help, but the depth of the wideout class allows the Packers to get a starter on Day 2. Go bold or go home.
Aaron Schatz, editor of Football Outsiders: CeeDee Lamb (WR) to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17. Lamb was the No. 1 receiver in this year's class, according to Football Outsiders' Playmaker Score projections. It's incredible that he lasted to No. 17, and Dallas did a great job of just taking the best player available and knowing that it can figure out a way to fit him in.
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: CeeDee Lamb (WR) to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17. Wide receiver wasn't necessarily the top need on the Cowboys' roster. But they didn't overthink this one. They took the best receiver in the draft when he fell to their spot. Lamb averaged 11.1 yards after the catch last season, sixth-best in FBS, making him an excellent fit for Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy's offense.
What pick left you shaking your head?
Mike Clay, fantasy writer: A.J. Terrell (CB) to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16. The Falcons' selection of the No. 51 player on Todd McShay's Big Board with the 16th overall pick was certainly a surprise, but at the same time, cornerback was a huge need after Atlanta cut Desmond Trufant earlier this year. Terrell will have to be ready quickly as a probable day one starter.
Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: Henry Ruggs III (WR) to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12. The Raiders always do their own thing, and one of their things is taking the fastest wide receiver in the draft. So this was on brand, but it still surprised me that Ruggs was the first wide receiver taken with guys like Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb on the board.
Seth Walder, analytics writer: Jordyn Brooks (ILB) to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 27. Reaching for an off-ball linebacker with coverage questions in the first round? That's an ugly combination of bad ideas. According to ESPN's NFL Draft Predictor, there was a 90% chance Brooks would still have been on the board at pick No. 45.
Field Yates, NFL analyst: Damon Arnette (CB) to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 19. Arnette fits a major need and was a really solid contributor for Ohio State, but he felt like a player who would have been available for the Raiders a round later.
Which team best addressed a big need?
Bowen: San Francisco 49ers. Trading up to draft Arizona State receiver Brandon Aiyuk filled a hole. With Emmanuel Sanders leaving via free agency, the 49ers had a need at wide receiver. And in Kyle Shanahan's offense, Aiyuk fits as a quick target off play-action and run-pass option for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He can get north in a hurry after the catch, and like Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk can excel on fly sweeps, reverses and screens.
Fowler: Carolina Panthers. With Gerald McCoy long gone and a 31-year-old Kawann Short holding a $19.5-million cap hit in 2020, the Panthers needed to reinvent their interior defensive line. Auburn's Derrick Brown, whom the Lions even considered at No. 3 overall, offers just the front-line explosion Carolina coveted.
Schatz: Detroit Lions. They finished 29th in pass defense DVOA and traded away cornerback Darius Slay. They desperately needed a No. 1 corner, and they got by far the best one in this year's draft in Ohio State's Jeff Okudah. Rookie first-round corners have a pretty good record over the past few years.
Seifert: Minnesota Vikings. After trading away Stefon Diggs, the Vikings were down to one credible veteran receiver in Adam Thielen. If you are going to pay your quarterback $33 million per year, as the Vikings are doing with Kirk Cousins, you need to have multiple downfield threats. LSU's Justin Jefferson was as pro-ready as any of the receivers in this draft.
Dan Orlovsky loves Tua Tagovailoa going to the Miami Dolphins and sees a bright future for the former Alabama quarterback.
What's your gut reaction to the Miami Dolphins' use of their three first-round picks?
Clay: Take a shot on a potential franchise quarterback? Check (Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa). Draft a potential franchise left tackle for said franchise quarterback? Check (USC's Austin Jackson). Add a much-needed defender? Check (Auburn corner Noah Igbinoghene). Avoid spending a Day 1 pick on a running back? Check. Hard to argue with that execution.
Graziano: I like the patience they showed. With all of those picks, plus two more in the second round coming Friday night, it would have been tempting to use the inventory to deal up and make sure to get your guys. Instead, they stayed put with the first two, and even moved down with the third. They got the QB they wanted all along, a tackle to help protect him and a cornerback for an already-deep group -- and it didn't cost them any more picks than they carried with them into the night.
Walder: I'm impressed by their read of the other teams at the top of the draft and discipline to stay put. If it were me, I'd have jumped up and taken Tagovailoa earlier, but general manager Chris Grier was able to complete the Tank for Tua without sacrificing capital to move up. And then Miami grabbed a little extra value in a trade down from No. 26. Well done.
Yates: I love the selection of Tagovailoa, so that's enough to feel good about the picks in aggregate. The selection is not without risk, but he represents the franchise quarterback upside that it was incumbent upon the team to select this year.
Which of the Round 1 quarterbacks is in the best place for long-term success?
Bowen: LSU's Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow has the high-level traits that mesh with today's NFL pass game: the movement skills, the ability to process the field and the ball location. He's an easy fit, too. Coach Zac Taylor can put Burrow in position to throw on rhythm off play-action, while giving him leveled reads. He'll get reps early and learn quickly with game experience.
Fowler: Oregon's Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers. You can't write a cleaner script for a rookie quarterback. The guy ahead of him (Tyrod Taylor) can start in 2020 but won't overwhelm the job. And whenever Herbert does take the field, he'll have elite weapons all over it.
Schatz: Oregon's Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers. He's not as good a prospect as the two quarterbacks who went before him, but Herbert starts out with the most weapons: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry and Austin Ekeler. Plus Los Angeles improved the offensive line this offseason and has a good defense anchored by two star pass-rushers. This is a team that was 12-4 only two years ago.
Seifert: Utah State's Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers. There is zero expectation that Love will play as a rookie, and probably not in 2021, either. It doesn't happen much anymore, but there is no better environment for a young quarterback than to sit behind an established starter on a competitive team. It worked for current Packers starter Aaron Rodgers in 2005-07, as well as Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes in 2017.
Which first-round receiver will have the most immediate NFL impact?
Clay: Alabama's Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders. Whereas most of the six first-round wide receivers ended up without a clear path to a large target share and/or in a very run-heavy offense, Ruggs should immediately slot in as Derek Carr's top target behind only Darren Waller. Tyrell Williams has settled in as a situational deep threat, and the likes of Hunter Renfrow, Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones obviously aren't quite on Ruggs' level. The speedster should immediately be a full-time player and featured target.
Graziano: LSU's Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings. With Adam Thielen on the other side, Jefferson won't have to worry about excess attention from defenses. That was a slick move by Minnesota using the first-round pick it got for Stefon Diggs to draft his replacement.
Walder: Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys. I like him over Jerry Jeudy (Denver Broncos) in 2020 because of the situation. Denver QB Drew Lock would be generously described as a question at this point, and Dallas' Dak Prescott absolutely is not. Lamb should be a productive part of a very pass-happy offense under coach Mike McCarthy.
Yates: LSU's Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings. I think he has the best route to be a top-two wide receiver, with an established quarterback and a No. 1 wideout who can draw attention otherwise in Thielen.
Who were you most surprised to see slide?
Bowen: Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah. Johnson has the man-coverage traits, length and competitive play-style to fit in today's NFL defenses. He has first-round talent.
Fowler: The safety position in general. Alabama's Xavier McKinney and Minnesota's Antoine Winfield Jr. will be really good pros. But teams valued corners and front-seven players and know they can get good safety value later in the draft. That's not shocking but still mildly surprising during a draft full of sensible picks. Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs falling to No. 13 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) was surprising, too.
Schatz: Patrick Queen, ILB, LSU. I'm surprised Queen lasted all the way to the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 28, and extra surprised he was the third linebacker taken (after Oklahoma's Kenneth Murray and Texas Tech's Jordyn Brooks), rather than the first or second.
Seifert: Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota. This is a Tyrann Mathieu-level playmaker. But in the end, two seasons largely lost to injury spooked teams that otherwise would have considered him in the first round.
What are you most looking forward to on Day 2?
Clay: Where the rest of the top tier of running backs land. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is in running back paradise in Kansas City, leaving the likes of D'Andre Swift, J.K. Dobbins, Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss next up for the taking. All are potential feature backs at the next level and figure to be selected on Day 2.
Graziano: What happens with quarterbacks in the second or third round. I'm looking at the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and maybe Jacksonville Jaguars at the top of the second round as teams that could -- or should -- be looking. Indianapolis especially, with no QB under contract beyond 2020, stands out. I'm curious which way the Colts are leaning for the long term.
Walder: Where and if Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts goes. Statistically, he's a fascinating case. He has two top-10 QBR seasons to his name in college, but it's fair to wonder how much of that was driven by teammates and coaching. The intrigue would ratchet up tenfold if, say, the Patriots call his name Friday.
Yates: The next run on quarterbacks. There are multiple prospects available who could become starters in the right circumstances down the line, and seeing where those players land will be fascinating. The list includes Washington's Jacob Eason, Georgia's Jake Fromm, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts and others.