Round 1 of the 2020 NFL draft is over, and it was a blast, though not quite as chaotic as I anticipated. In fact, for the first time since 2015, there were no trades in the top 10 picks, and it was a lot of chalk early. Then it got a little wild, with a few reaches for cornerbacks, the Packers taking a quarterback and the SEC ending up with 15 prospects in the top 32 picks.
So let's get into the picks I liked and didn't like from the first round. As always, if you don't see your team here, remember, I'm going to break down all 32 teams in my post-draft grades on Saturday night. Check out the best available prospects as we head into Round 2 on Friday, with the draft kicking off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App.
More NFL draft coverage:
Kiper's top 300 rankings
Favorites at every position
First-round pros, cons
Best available | Round 1
Winners from Round 1
Miami Dolphins
The picks: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama (No. 5); Austin Jackson, OT, USC (No. 18); Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn (No. 30)
Heading into the draft with three first-round picks and two second-round picks, Miami had the capital to easily trade up and make sure it got its quarterback of the future. So general manager Chris Grier & Co. deserve credit for sitting tight at No. 5 ... and still getting Tagovailoa. The Dolphins put up a few smoke screens over the past month, and there was some buzz that they preferred Justin Herbert or an offensive tackle in the top five. In the end, they have the quarterback I've compared to a left-handed Drew Brees, because Tagovailoa is that precise as a passer. He is an anticipatory thrower with elite traits.
The question about Tagovailoa has been about health, because he is coming off a rare football injury (right hip dislocation and posterior wall fracture) and has had a couple of knee injuries in the past. Will he be forced to play right away for a team that is still at the beginning stages of its rebuild? Or will the Dolphins let him get healthy and adjust to the NFL game, and then play him?
Elsewhere, Miami reached a little bit for an offensive tackle at No. 18, but Jackson had a first-round grade from a few teams, even if I was a little lower on him. I thought he'd be a good pick early on Day 2. And I do like the idea of getting protection for Tagovailoa. Miami also picked up a fourth-round pick by moving down four spots, and Igbinoghene, whose parents are both Olympians, has the physical tools to be a really good shutdown corner.
Of course, when a team has three first-round picks, it's tough to not be declared a winner, but I like where the Dolphins are in their rebuild, even if they're still a couple of years away from contending.
Cleveland Browns
The pick: Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama (No. 10)
How about the Browns' upgrade at offensive tackle over the past two months? They signed right tackle Jack Conklin to a big deal in free agency, and now they have secured my top-ranked tackle in this draft. Wills played on the right side for the Crimson Tide, but he is going to move to left tackle in Cleveland. He was the key to the Tide's running game -- Alabama averaged 7.7 yards per rush outside the right tackle in 2019, which was third in FBS -- and he is great as a pass-protector, as he allowed just one sack all season. With massive upgrades along his offensive line and dynamic players around him, Baker Mayfield will have no excuses in 2020.
Green Bay Packers
The pick: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State (No. 26)
I love this landing spot for Love, a developmental quarterback who had a rough season after the Aggies lost a ton of talent around him. He threw 17 interceptions (most in the FBS), but you can't blame him for all of those. And you also can't coach the arm talent he has. Yes, the Packers traded a fourth-round pick to move up four spots to get Love, but Matt LaFleur now gets a young quarterback who can sit behind Aaron Rodgers and learn, just as Rodgers did all those years ago under Brett Favre.
Rodgers might not like the pick, but he is 36 and can't play forever. He knows he's not on the clock -- he has been there. Green Bay still has the talent to win now, but I like the move thinking long term. And look for Green Bay to target a wide receiver on Day 2.
See why former Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III was the first ever draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The pick: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa (No. 13)
We said all along that the Bucs really needed an offensive tackle in Round 1. It was the biggest hole on an offense that no longer has many. And as Wirfs dropped a bit -- I thought he might go to the Giants at No. 4, and he is my second-ranked OT -- general manager Jason Licht moved up one spot to get him, throwing in a fourth-round pick to the 49ers to do it. While that's a high price to move up one spot, Wirfs is worth it. He can step in and start immediately in front of Tom Brady, and he can manhandle defensive linemen in the running game. It's a great get for a Bucs team that has Super Bowl aspirations.
Dallas Cowboys
The pick: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma (No. 17)
Credit the Cowboys for going with the best prospect on their board. Michael Irvin said he was told Dallas had Lamb as its top receiver overall in this class. To get him at No. 17? That's a steal. Lamb is a yards-after-catch machine, and he is going to produce right away as the third wideout with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
Cincinnati Bengals
The pick: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU (No. 1)
Don't we have to mention the Bengals as a winner? Sure, they went 2-14 and earned the No. 1 pick, but they came away with the clear top quarterback in this draft and a leader to build around. Burrow has the "it factor," and he is going to be the face of this franchise for years to come.
New Orleans Saints
The pick: Cesar Ruiz, C/G, Michigan (No. 24)
This isn't a sexy pick, but Ruiz is going to help a veteran Saints team that needs to win now. A two-year starter at center who also has played some guard, Ruiz is a great run-blocker. And I'd expect him to kick over to guard, with last year's second-round pick, Erik McCoy, sticking at center. Ruiz is the best interior offensive lineman in this class, and it's not close.
Seattle Seahawks
The pick: Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech (No. 27)
I really wanted to squeeze Brooks into my final mock draft, but I didn't quite pull the trigger. There are several teams around the league that really liked him. At 6-foot and 240 pounds, he is a tackling machine and a potential difference-maker for a Seahawks defense that needs to reload in the front seven. Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright are getting up there in age.
Head-scratching moves from Round 1
Atlanta Falcons
The pick: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson (No. 16)
The Falcons reached for a need, plain and simple. With Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson off the board, I didn't have any other cornerbacks left with first-round grades. Teams often reach, of course, but Terrell was my seventh-ranked corner and No. 61 overall prospect. At 6-foot-1, Terrell is a big corner, and he impressed at the combine with a 4.42 40-yard dash. But he was way too inconsistent throughout the season, and he didn't play well down the stretch. He has a tendency to get grabby and doesn't have first-round tape.
Las Vegas Raiders
The picks: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama (No. 12); Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State (No. 19)
Speaking of reaches for a cornerback, the Raiders made it back-to-back picks, taking Arnette at No. 19 with one of the final picks from the Khalil Mack trade. This is high for Arnette -- I had a second-round grade on him -- even though I like him. He doesn't have elite physical traits like his Buckeyes teammate Jeff Okudah, but he is extremely competitive. He is my sixth-ranked corner, and I had him No. 51 overall.
As for Ruggs, this is a classic Al Davis pick, as they grabbed one of the fastest prospects in this class. Ruggs, who ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the combine, was the first wide receiver off the board, but he is No. 4 in my wideout rankings (and No. 20 overall), and he wasn't even Alabama's best receiver last season. Las Vegas certainly needed help at receiver -- the Raiders have had only three 1,000-yard seasons from a receiver since 2006 -- but I had better options on my board in Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson.
Philadelphia Eagles
The pick: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU (No. 21)
We've said all along that this wide receiver class was going to create a plethora of choices for teams. There are big guys, small guys, fast guys, super-fast guys; it's such a deep group that there was a wide range of opinions about who ranked where around the league. No team had the same top 10. And that's the same with Reagor, who was my ninth-ranked wideout but was on the Round 1 radar for a few teams, including the Eagles. He is a super talent, but he was hurt by drops in 2018 and poor quarterback play in 2019. If Reagor can put it all together and be more consistent, he could be a good player, but I had Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman Jr., Tee Higgins and Denzel Mims ranked higher.
Tennessee Titans
The pick: Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia (No. 29)
That makes two Georgia offensive tackles in Round 1, and there has been some buzz around Wilson over the past few weeks. At 6-foot-6 and 350 pounds, Wilson is massive, but he is going to need some time to clean up his technique before he can start in the NFL. I actually thought he could have been a top-15 pick if he had returned to school for another year and entered the 2021 draft. There is some upside with Wilson, who started at right tackle over the past two seasons, but he is raw. Yes, Tennessee has a hole at right tackle with Jack Conklin gone, but I don't see Wilson as an immediate starter.
Arizona Cardinals
The pick: Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson (No. 8)
OK, this isn't quite a "head-scratching pick," but I'm surprised Arizona passed on an offensive tackle at No. 8. I love Simmons -- I called him the safest pick in this class -- but where does he fit in the Cardinals' 3-4 defense? He's not a true edge rusher. Could he play some safety there? General manager Steve Keim called him a "Swiss Army knife," and I agree; but Keim had his pick of all of the offensive tackles, and he passed. So I can like the player but scratch my head a little bit at the fit and value.