Redoing top five picks of 2020 Draft is crazy — so let’s get crazy originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
This whole exercise is truly preposterous.
Before advancing any further, even one yard further, that needs to be established.
One thing you’ll often hear about NFL drafts is that it takes three years to fully judge one. But here, in this story, that judgment is going to take place after five weeks.
It’s a preposterous idea. Clearly. However, it’s also pretty fun!
On Tuesday, following Justin Herbert’s four-touchdown performance on Monday Night Football, 106.7 The Fan’s Sports Junkies held their own mini re-draft of the 2020 event. The main question they posed: Would the Washington Football Team still take Chase Young at No. 2 knowing what they know now about Dwayne Haskins’ shortcomings and Herbert’s early play?
The debate and the calls that followed were quite entertaining, and as a whole, the topic deserves to be taken from the radio to the web.
So, below you’ll find NBCSportsWashington.com’s own do-over of the top five picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, which are based solely on what’s happened this season and almost certainly too overreactive. Oh well.
Pick No. 1 — Bengals — Joe Burrow
Burrow got blasted by the Ravens this past Sunday, but overall, he’s looked like the real deal for Cincy, even if their record is just 1-3-1. Before Baltimore, Burrow posted back-to-back 300-yard efforts with five combined passing touchdowns and no interceptions.
Now, if this re-draft went the full seven rounds, the Bengals may just select offensive lineman after offensive lineman after seeing the pressure Burrow’s faced so far. However, they’d still go with the LSU star first overall.
Pick No. 2 — Washington — Justin Herbert
Chase Young came into the draft as just about the perfect prospect, and he hasn’t done a single thing in Washington to devalue the hype he received. His personality and approach match his physical skills and production, which is a combination that’ll ensure he’s a star in the league for a decade at one of the sport’s key positions.
Young, though, doesn’t play THE key position, which is why Washington makes a switch and ends up with Herbert.
Herbert has already completed a few throws in his brief time as Chargers starter that are awe-inspiring. Like, rewind-the-TV/rush-to-Twitter-to-rant-about-how-good-level throws. He’s also posting a near 69-percent completion rate and a QBR of 73.9. As a rookie!
With Haskins reportedly being shopped, the Burgundy and Gold have no long-term plan at QB. Kyle Allen and Alex Smith can get them through the rest of their schedule, but they shouldn’t be relied on for anything more than that. That means Herbert would be their choice in a second attempt, even if it means watching the ultra-impressive Young slide by.
Pick No. 3 — Lions — Chase Young
The Lions nabbed Jeff Okudah in the real thing, but they’ll gladly scoop up Young here.
It’s very possible that they would consider a signal caller since Matt Stafford is aging and isn’t elevating the rest of the roster like they hoped he would in his return from injury, yet Young at No. 3 would be truly difficult to ignore. Matt Patricia and his nasty beard and pencil would be thrilled about this coup.
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Pick No. 4. — Giants — Tua Tagovailoa
While Daniel Jones isn’t on the bench like Haskins already is in Washington, he’s floundering just as much. He’s tossed just two scores in five contests and has a QBR of 49.6, which is 27th in the NFL and means he’s essentially, totally average.
Tagovailoa, unlike Burrow and Herbert, hasn’t made his debut yet, so he obviously hasn’t boosted his stock like those two. Still, the mystery and potential of Tua might now outweigh what Jones is trending toward. This would be a risky move, yeah, but continuing to invest in Jones looks plenty risky as well.
Pick No. 5 — Dolphins — Jedrick Wills Jr.
After taking Tua in the actual draft, Miami followed that up by snagging a tackle. Because they don’t have the option of the Alabama lefty here, they instead opt to address their O-line with their top pick. Anything that could potentially help Ryan Fitzpatrick do more Ryan Fitzpatrick stuff is a positive development.