The NFL offseason is here and many fans are looking forward to the 2025 NFL Draft. To me, when re-grading a draft, it takes five years to fully analyze. This draft took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and there was uncertainty about the future, these prospects were entering a chaotic time. They also were getting the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the NFL.
Now keep in mind if I grade a selection as a HACKENBERG, that means it is an F Grade. It’s a dishonorable mention for Christian Hackenberg who is one of the worst draft choices in New York Jets history. I’m making that clear so, I don’t get death threats like I did during the 2022 NFL Draft when I graded Anthony Richardson. By the way, I have been 100 percent right with that grade so far.
Alright, let’s get into the regrades for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Joe Burrow is one of the best QB’s in the NFL today. He also helped lead the team to an appearance at Super Bowl LVI. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Rams. While Burrow has had durability issues, when healthy he is a phenomenal player. It’s a shame that the Bengals have been wasting him for the past two years. Especially, with keeping Zac Taylor employed as the head coach for some reason. Oh well, the Bengals got their franchise QB, that’s all that matters.
Chase Young was once labeled as a generational talent entering the draft. The Redskins thought he was too good to pass on and took him 2nd overall. He showed promise in his rookie season and was the 2020 Rookie of the season. Unfortunately, that was been the peak of Young’s NFL career. Injuries have derailed him and with the team rebuilding, he was traded to the Sanfransico 49ers as a depth piece in their playoff push. The Saints gave him a deal and he once again showed flashes but was mainly used as a rotational player. It’s a shame that injuries have derailed Young and as a 2nd overall pick, it’s a disappointment.
Yeesh, where to even begin with Jeff Okudah. Let’s be real, he was going into a really bad situation with the Lions. It also didn’t help he suffered a core muscle injury as a rookie and then ruptured his Achilles in 2021. When he was on the field playing he was a liability in coverage. The Lions traded him to Atlanta for a 5th Round Pick and even there he wasn’t any good. As of today he is with the Atlanta Falcons and you guessed it he suffered yet another injury. Who knows if he stays in the NFL at this point, but as of this pick it was a complete bust.
It wasn’t looking good as a rookie with how horrendous he was, but after another year of development, he turned into a great franchise blindside blocker. Well, whenever he stays on the field, he had multiple ankle problems as a Giant and last season had a severe Lisfranc injury. At least he got that 5-year contract, but besides his health issues and his terrible rookie season, Thomas has been a dependable blocker. Overall, I give it a thumbs-up pick.
Tua is a good QB and once led the league in passing yards in 2023. The problem is, Tagovialoa has had trouble staying healthy with ongoing Concussion issues and other injuries. Heck, it was so bad that the talk of retirement was just ongoing, and who knows how long of a career he will have? Want to know the worst part too, Justin Herbert was the next pick and has had a more successful career. I feel a C is a fair grade here.
Compared to Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert easily had a much better career. Yes, his playoff success hasn’t been great, but neither has his coaches. Anthony Lynn wasn’t great, Brandon Staley is a hack, and John Harbaugh had health issues during the playoffs last year. Herbert has been a franchise QB and the Chargers are lucky he fell to them. This pick gets an A+ grade.
Carolina hasn’t been the greatest franchise in the past few years, but they have a beast in Derrick Brown on the defensive line. He was a key piece to Carolina’s defense and was dominant in stopping the run. It’s just a shame that he tore his meniscus last season, hopefully, he returns and plays the way he did. That 4-year contract he got as well is proof of the success of this pick. Not bad Carolina.
Isaiah Simmons was an interesting prospect coming into the draft as he could be utilized in multiple different positions. However, with how his career has gone, I have been disappointed. He was very sloppy during his time with the Arizona. While he showed flashes including having a 100-tackle year in 2021 and 4 sacks in 2022, the bad outweighed the good. The Cardinals traded him to the Giants for a late-round pick and he’s mainly been a rotational player. It isn’t an F grade as he at least showed flashes, but he has to get a D.
This pick gets the HACKENBERG because Henderson only played a total of 10 games with the Jaguars franchise. That’s terrible for a Top 10 pick, blame the injuries and off-the-field problems for why his career hasn’t gone to plan. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers for Dan Arnold and a 3rd Round Pick. He showed potential in Carolina but was not consistent at all. Henderson was with the Houston Texans briefly and was also a part of the Steelers last season. He did not impress at all and it’s a shame too.
Cleveland needed a tackle as the previous season they were desperately starting an undrafted rookie at points. Jedrick Willis was a no-brainer pick and has been a dependable blocker for the Browns. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been the same player since he had that knee injury in 2023. Willis regressed a ton last season and it doesn’t look like the Browns are going to extend him next season. Especially when he got benched midseason, it’s not a great look. Willis needs a change of scenery desperately, but with the first half of his career being solid, I think a C is a fair grade.
As a fan of this franchise, I remember being hyped with this pick. I had Mekhi Becton as my best offensive lineman prospect in this draft class. Unfortunately, a ton of bad occurred with Becton. He got ruined thanks to Adam Headgase being his head coach, Injuries derailed him, and he had a ton of weight issues. It was scary reading about him being around the 400 lbs range. Luckily for Becton he signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, switching to guard, and was a much better player. At least he has a Super Bowl ring, but as for this pick for the Jets, it was a tremendous disappointment.
Man, screw this guy. He threw away an opportunity of a lifetime due to his DUI resulting in a death. I went into further detail in my Dark Side of the Raiders article. He is currently serving a 3-10 year sentence in prison. What a complete waste of talent and another HACKENBERG grade.
This pick was key for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they needed another tackle to help protect Tom Brady. Not only did he help protect him, but Wirfs became one of the best blindside tackles in the NFL. He even got a massive 5-year contract with the team as well. Well done Buccaneers, have an A+ grade.
This was the Deforest Buckner replacement on the defense as the 49ers traded him to Indianapolis for this pick. Kinlaw was expected to be the next piece on that defensive line. Unfortunately, for the 49ers, Kinlaw just could not stay healthy with constant knee injuries. Even when healthy he just couldn’t consistently play well. Kinlaw signed a 1-year prove-it deal with the Jets and even there he didn’t impress either. He is more of a depth piece and not an every-down starter. This pick was a big disappointment as he has not lived up to expectations.
Jerry Jeudy has had a weird NFL career. He always showed flashes of talent with the Denver Broncos, but he just wasn’t a good fit on their offense. Heck, he never even recorded an above 1,000 receiving-yard season with the Broncos and had an issue with drops as a Bronco. A portion of it is due to bad coaching and horrendous QB play. In 2024 Jeudy was traded to the Cleveland Browns and ironically became the bright spot on that offense. As a Bronco he was a disappointment, but as a Brown, there is potential. When grading the pick as a whole, I think a D+ Makes sense.
I wasn’t a big fan of Terrell when he came into the league, but my goodness he made me eat my words. He’s played like a shutdown cornerback through most of his career and is a clear leader on this Falcons defense. He isn’t getting as enough attention as he should, so I will do it here. Have an A+ grade Falcons.
Those are my regrades for Picks 1-16. My question is do you agree? What are your regrades for the first 16 picks of the draft? Let me know in the comment section, don’t forget to give the article a like, and check out the rest of Stadium Rant’s NFL Content. Also, stay tuned because Part 2 of my 1st round grades for the 2020 NFL Draft is coming out soon.
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