The early part of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft didn't feature many major surprises, but things got very interesting toward the back half, particularly with respect to wide receiver landing spots. We also got our first running back off the board right at the end, and the absolute perfect spot he landed in makes him the biggest winner of Day 1.
Winners
Coming off the board as the first back in the draft was surprising enough, but for Edwards-Helaire to get not just first-round draft capital, but a spot in the best offense in the league is the absolute perfect result for his Fantasy prospects. An impressive dual threat back who caught 55 balls last year at LSU, Edwards-Helaire is immediately a top-30 PPR back in redraft leagues, and he'll wind up near or at the top of rookie-only drafts.
The Big Three Quarterbacks
Each of Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert landed in spots that were at least somewhat expected, but they are also great spots for early production. All three have more weapons around them than you typically see on a team picking in the top-10 — that's certainly true of the Bengals and Chargers, while the Dolphins are building out a nice skill position group too — and all will be expected to start at some point in 2020. Offensive line play will be crucial for all three, but there's no reason we shouldn't see some useful Fantasy production from this year's crop of rookie signal-callers.
Henry Ruggs ... and Darren Waller
Ruggs landed in the best spot of the big three receivers, with Las Vegas making him the first wide receiver off the board. But Ruggs to the Raiders is also a positive development for Waller, who I've been a bit down on this offseason after Hunter Renfrow's development late last season and the addition of Jason Witten.
But Ruggs is a burner and not likely a huge target hog early in his career, so that addition should keep Waller in line to lead the team in targets for 2020. For Ruggs, the role is there, but questions will still remain about whether he's ready to be a bigger producer than he was at Alabama — and whether Derek Carr will throw the ball downfield enough to support him.
Daniel Jones, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Tom Brady
The Giants, Browns, Jets and Buccaneers landed the four highly-coveted tackle prospects, and while not all will be immediate contributors, it's a positive note for the three young quarterbacks in this group that their teams are investing in protecting them. For Brady, the Bucs had to be thrilled to get tackle help when Tristan Wirfs slipped a bit allowing them to trade up to Pick 13. Of this group, I'm most excited for Mayfield, as the Browns also added Jack Conklin from the Titans in free agency and could have two new starting tackles for 2020.
The 49ers were always likely to take a wide receiver. But they first took defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw at Pick 14 with both Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb on the board, before trading up to select Brandon Aiyuk later in the round. While Aiyuk is a fine prospect who does a lot of things well, including added return ability, he's not nearly the target threat Jeudy or Lamb would be. Samuel looks like a far safer bet to be the clear No. 2 weapon for San Francisco behind George Kittle after those developments.
Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson
Reagor and Jefferson both secured solid draft capital on teams that were in need of a wide receiver. Neither has as clear of a path to targets as one might expect — Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson are both nearly uncuttable due to dead money in their contracts, and the Vikings just don't throw a ton — but how high they went and where they landed have to be seen as net positives.
Prescott might be the consensus QB3 behind Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson after the Cowboys grabbed CeeDee Lamb to add to Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, immediately forming one of — if not the — best wide receiver trios in the league. Whether Lamb is a legitimate star in the making or not, the Cowboys already had an underrated young producer in Gallup, and Prescott now has an embarrassment of riches to throw to in Kellen Moore's second season as offensive coordinator.
Losers
The 28-year-old Williams may still start early in 2020, but the selection of Clyde Edwards-Helaire late in Round 1 means his days as a potential breakout Fantasy option are numbered. The Chiefs gave a strong commitment to Edwards-Helaire making him the first back off the board, and Williams will now need to share the backfield at the very least. That will make Williams more of a mid- to later-round option, and it's possible there will be value there, but this is an incredibly crowded backfield. Each of DeAndre Washington, Darwin Thompson and Darrel Williams take huge hits, as well.
CeeDee Lamb ... and Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper
Gallup was going to be one of my favorite third-year breakout receivers, but the addition of Lamb makes things difficult, while the concerns Fantasy managers have had for years about Cooper's weekly inconsistency will likely be magnified. The Cowboys will be good, and all three of these receivers will have their moments, but Cooper and Gallup immediately need to fall at least a round in redraft leagues.
Jerry Jeudy ... and Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant
It was always likely the Broncos would take a wide receiver, but it wasn't clear they would have their pick of Jeudy and Lamb. They opted for Jeudy, and with that selection they also gave themselves one of the best young wide receiver pairings in the league to go along with a promising young tight end in Fant. That's all well and good for Denver, but Drew Lock has plenty to prove before we can be ready to declare he can support all three of these players.
Williams wasn't likely to be a popular name for Fantasy in 2020, but the addition of Ruggs is such a clear overlap of his skill set in an offense that already struggled to get the ball down the field that any hope he could rebound as a deep threat is now very thin.
