4 trends that were in, 3 that were out during the 2020 NFL Draft

I loved the NFL Draft this past weekend. It was so fun, and so needed while we’re all stuck at home without live sports.

After three days, what lessons did we learn? Which trends were in or out? Here are seven that stood out to me.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl this past season with speed on offense. They were fast at every wide receiver position, plus tight end Travis Kelce. So what do their division opponents and teams with high aspirations do? They drafted and traded for speed.

The Raiders took Henry Ruggs III, Lynn Bowden, and Bryan Edwards. The Broncos added Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. The Ravens landed J.K Dobbins, who’s a fit for the offense but also can blaze. The Eagles drafted Jalen Reagor and traded for Marquise Goodwin. The 49ers got Brandon Aiyuk with their second first-round pick.

It’s clear that getting faster was a big priority this year.

It is reported the Packers drafted with the intention of moving to more of a ground-and-pound offense, with the goal of winning close, low-scoring games. This is backward thinking in 2020, when the value of the pass game far outweighs rushing the ball.

I understand the 49ers just made the Super Bowl after focusing on the run game, but they had the eighth-ranked passing attack and the 12th-ranked rushing attack, according to DVOA. So even for a team that dominated on the ground, their passing game was more important.

The Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love with their first-round pick, which I talked more about here. They spent their next pick on a downhill running back. Yikes. And their third pick on an H-back. Oh man. In a draft with an exceptional class of wide receivers, the Packers didn’t draft one. How do you miss on that? It makes no sense.

I want to focus on three teams in particular that helped themselves most this weekend.

San Francisco 49ers: They drafted defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who I didn’t necessarily love but does fit a spot of need. Then they took Aiyuk, a speedster from Arizona State.

And not related to the draft, but possibly the best move of the weekend was the 49ers trading for Washington left tackle Trent Williams. With Joe Staley’s surprise retirement announcement, the 49ers got the best tackle in the market, including any draft picks. This trade was so impressive that rival Rams head coach Sean McVay commented he needed a few more beers after hearing about the trade.

Baltimore Ravens: Everyone mocked Patrick Queen to the Ravens. Guess who the Ravens drafted? Patrick Queen. In the second round, they added Dobbins, who excelled in gun/pistol runs at Ohio State.

But I want to highlight two undrafted free agents they managed to sign. The first is tight end Jacob Breeland from Oregon. Breeland was on the way to first-team All-American honors this season before tearing his ACL. If he’s healthy, he’s going to be extreme value. The Ravens also signed Tyler Huntley, the quarterback out of Utah. Huntley can move, is accurate, and would be a good fit in their offense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs signed Tom Brady. Big win. They just signed Rob Gronkowski. Another win. And then the draft occurred and they landed my favorite pick of the first round, Tristan Wirfs. Wirfs is a right tackle and will be an elite right tackle. Position of need, boom, yet another win — and also at pick No. 13, and I doubt the Bucs thought he’d be available there.

Then, in the second round they got Antoine Winfield Jr., a versatile safety who projects perfectly into their system.

Here’s the deal. I understand the Eagles’ desire to have a backup quarterback who can play if Carson Wentz gets hurt. But, Wentz has missed eight games during the regular season in 64 total opportunities. It feels like an overreaction to draft a backup for a young quarterback like Wentz. If the Eagles hope to win another Super Bowl, it will be because Wentz is playing.

What Nick Foles did in 2017 was remarkable and in my opinion, not something you can hope for again if Jalen Hurts had to play for Wentz. In the best-case scenario, after four years Hurts has started minimal games and Wentz has continued to improve and become elite. If the Eagles drafted Hurts with the idea that he’s a gadget player until needing to play QB, that seems short-sighted as well. You use a two-round pick on a gadget player? I don’t see it.

For weeks, maybe even longer, we heard the Dolphins liked Justin Herbert. As we approached the draft, the Dolphins told media members they were considering him, and mock drafts were adjusted with Herbert being their first pick. Then, about 48 hours before the draft, it was reported the Dolphins were looking to trade up to No. 3 for an offensive tackle. No one believed the offensive tackle rumor, but it appeared the Dolphins were sincere in trading up for a quarterback, which again, was assumed to be Herbert.

I spoke with someone in the organization and he sold their love for Herbert, which might have been accurate. But then the Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa. The goal of the smokescreen was clearly trying to get the Chargers to trade up for Herbert. In the end, the top of the draft went chalk.

Belichick isn’t out per se, but on draft weekend, he was literally out of the picture when the Patriots drafted in the second round:

He wanted NO part of being on the camera this weekend. He couldn’t even be bothered to sit quietly at his Nantucket breakfast table for three minutes while the Patriots drafted.

On a more serious note, the Patriots coming away with no quarterback wasn’t ideal, but they can turn to Andy Dalton or Cam Newton this season if they are looking for a veteran. I do believe, and they admitted it afterward, this wasn’t by design. I do wonder who they hoped to get and how they were going to make it happen.

Goodell is a human who drinks and gets bored and tired while watching the draft. Goodell might also be jacked, which I didn’t expect. He’s even auctioning off his basement chair so people can watch Monday Night Football with him for a night:

Goodell came away from the draft looking like a normal human and not just a corporate leader. Who knew?