NFL Draft: First Round Winners and Losers

The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft was full of surprises. We're here to share the biggest winners and losers of the draft thus far.

Winner/s: Top 3 Picks

These top three draft picks were exactly what everyone expected and they were the perfect picks for all three teams. Cincinnati finally got their quarterback of the future, the Redskins improved a defense that ranked last in third down situations, and the Lions got a generational cornerback in Jeff Okudah to replace Darius Slay for the coming years.

Loser: New York Giants/Dave Gettleman

With who most would consider the second best prospect in the draft still available and the horrific defense that the New York Giants have, Isaiah Simmons was the pick. But it's Dave Gettleman, so of course it went all wrong. Not only was it not Isaiah Simmons, it was the fourth best offensive tackle on the board. Andrew Thomas is a good player, but not 4th overall pick good. With other tackles like Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, and Mekhi Becton still available, they made a mistake twice with one pick. How Gettleman-like.

Winner: Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins stuck with their guy since day one and drafted Tua Tagovailoa 5th overall. If he can stay healthy, he could very well become the best quarterback in this class and the Dolphins could become pretty good, pretty quick.

Losers: New York Giants (again), Los Angeles Chargers, & Carolina Panthers

Winner: Arizona Cardinals

Each and every single one of these teams are in dire need of a linebacker, cornerback, safety, or pass rusher off the edge. And every single one of these teams passed on a guy that can fill all of those positions... Isaiah Simmons. At 6'4", 238lbs and a 4.39 40-yard dash, there's not a whole lot that Simmons can't do. Yet these guys seemed to have accidentally skipped over his game tapes. That's a costly mistake they'll all pay for down the road. This also makes the Arizona Cardinals HUGE winners for finally getting him off the board at #8.

Winner: Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys

The Broncos found their guy to help young quarterback Drew Lock. Jerry Jeudy is possibly the best receiver in this draft class and will fit with current receiver Courtland Sutton phenomenally. His route running ability is unmatched and already one of the best in the NFL just by being drafted, not to mention his speed and RAC ability. As for the Dallas Cowboys, they wasted no time loading up their offense even more by drafting stud receiver CeeDee Lamb. From his $250M yacht, Jerry Jones may have gotten the steal of the draft at pick 17. Pairing Lamb with Prescott, Elliott, Cooper, and Michael Gallup is beyond deadly.

Loser: San Francisco 49ers

Last night proved that the San Francisco 49ers haven't stopped losing since blowing a 20-10 4th quarter lead in Super Bowl 54. But really, the 49ers traded star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts to acquire this pick. Then, went on to draft another defensive tackle in Javon Kinlaw. Essentially San Francisco traded DeForest Buckner for Javon Kinlaw, but that's not even the worst part. The 49ers have a very, well... average quarterback. With Jerry Jeudy OR CeeDee Lamb practically falling in their lap, they chose not to help their average quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings may very well be the biggest winners of the first round. Both of their picks were unbelievable. Justin Jefferson at #22 to replace Stefon Diggs couldn't have been better, but then trading back and landing Jeff Gladney at #31 was better. Each of these picks are full of talent and will serve Minnesota good for years and years to come.

Slight Loser: Oakland Raiders

They did draft Henry Ruggs III with Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb still on the board, but that's fine. You can't teach speed and Ruggs is full of it. The problem is who they took with the 19th pick, Damon Arnette. Much like Clelin Ferrell last year, they reached big time. There were multiple other cornerback prospects available that may have fit better and reached their needs more. Arnette was hardly projected to go in the second round, let alone round one.

Winner: Jordan Love

Although everyone is upset that they didn't get a weapon for Rodgers, there are plenty that will be available in the second round. This pick for the Packers looks very similar to both the Favre-Rodgers situation and the Smith-Mahomes situation. If there was going to be a time to draft a guy with superstar potential to sit behind Rodgers for multiple seasons, this was it. I think both Green Bay and Jordan Love hit the jackpot with this pick, Green Bay will just find out a little later.

Bonus Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

A pick that absolutely nobody saw coming, Clyde Edwards-Helaire 32nd overall. Many people don't like it, but perhaps they didn't do their research. Edwards-Helaire has shown flashes of Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew in his game. He can catch out of the backfield (perfect for Mahomes), but also has the same power and balance in his lower body as we saw in Kareem Hunt. This pick for the Chiefs just made their offense explode (more than it already has), and the Chiefs may have gotten their Kareem Hunt back.