2020 NFL Draft is historic, Rams’ mistake, All-Decade Team and more
The NFL Draft is in 10 days, and most teams are still trying to figure out their procedure for how to conduct the most unusual event in league history.
If you have Twitter, than you already know.
Less than two weeks from the Cincinnati Bengals going on the clock with the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, teams are worried.
Typically, teams have a few staffers at the draft to take their call from the war room and run the card up to the stage. In the war room are the general manager, members of the coaching staff, the owner and a few other executives. Maybe even a scout or two.
Of course, there’s nothing typical about this draft.
FanSided reached out to three general managers about their plans for the draft. None have firmly nailed it down. The consensus is to keep things simple, but it’s clear nobody has a firm idea of the best way to operate.
The overarching belief is the NFL will allow for problems to be sorted out, giving the three-day, multi-million event the feeling of your fantasy draft instead of the most-watched one in the world.
“I think it will end up being a functional process overall,” texted one GM. “Obviously teams are concerned about the potential tech issues but every team has backup plans in place and the league is going to be lenient and will work with any teams that have issues. Even though the times between rounds will stay the same I would expect a longer draft and reasonable time extensions.”
The other problem — and a much-talked about one — is the lack of security when dealing with a Zoom meeting. Any hacker worth his salt can break into one, and considering what’s at stake, it’s fair for NFL teams to be worried about who can hear their conversations before going on the clock.
Ultimately, there’s no perfect answer in what is America’s most vulnerable moment since Sept. 11. Chaos is everywhere and the NFL — albeit in a much less meaningful way — isn’t escaping. The league and its teams will have plans upon plans, but something is bound to go wrong. It could be comical such as an internet signal going out, or more serious in an intruder getting into a private discussion.
Fans of the league will be entertained for three days, something of a blessing during a national quarantine. The NFL will be making hundreds of dreams come true from April 23-25, with hundreds more getting their shot via UDFA deals.
It’s not in the normal fashion, but what is these days? Hell, buying groceries requires a gameplan.
All 32 clubs will have plans in place, with nobody allowed to be with another team member during the draft. It’s complete isolation.
For sports fans in desperate need of a distraction, one is coming.
How it will look remains unknown, even to those on the inside.
Power rankings
Worst 10 starting quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl
1. Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens
2. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins
4. Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Jim Plunkett, Oakland Raiders
6. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
7. Doug Williams, Washington Redskins
8. Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants
9. Jim McMahon, Chicago Bears
10. Eli Manning, New York Giants
Quotable
"“I think Cam, he gets back to being healthy, he’s still a dangerous threat. You look at what he’s done in the past couple years, minus his injuries, he’s been fantastic for us, I think the thing that makes Cam special is what he can do inside the pocket but also what you can do with his legs. To me, you know, once he gets everything back healthy, he’s gonna be back to where he was before.”"
– Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly on ex-teammate Cam Newton’s future
While Jadeveon Clowney and Jameis Winston are intriguing free agents, nobody is more so than Newton.
If Newton can find health, he might be one of the all time free-agent steals. The 2015 MVP is 30 years old. With today’s rules for quarterbacks, Newton could play the better part of this decade.
Last week, I wrote Newton will likely wait until after the draft to sign somewhere. The most logical destination remains the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest coach ever, but he’s not winning with Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham.
If New England can load up in the draft on playmakers, Newton instantly makes the Patriots a threat once again in the AFC.
Podcast
Random stat
In the Super Bowl era, only the Bengals, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions have never won a road playoff game.
BONUS: The Cleveland Browns have the longest draught of any team with a postseason victory away fro home, not doing so since beating the Dallas Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl in 1969.
Info learned this week
1. Rams shouldn’t be left without criticism after Cooks’ deal
It’s easy to dunk on Bill O’Brien. This space has done it many times before.
So when the Texans traded a second-round pick (57th overall) for Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round choice, the laughter initially went towards Houston.
And while the Texans deserve to be lambasted for their horrendous offseason, Rams general manager Les Snead should be answering a slew of tough questions from the media and team owner Stan Kroenke alike.
After all, it’s Snead who bumbled around with losing teams until head coach Sean McVay arrived in 2017. In the past two years, the Rams have won but the personnel moves have been disastrous.
Snead paid running back Todd Gurley $60 million ($45 million guaranteed) on a four-year extension in July 2018. Gurley never played a down on said extension before being released. In the same month, Cooks was given a five-year, $80 million extension. Now he’s in Houston and Los Angeles is eating $21.8 million in dead money.
Snead also traded a second-round pick for cornerback Marcus Peters after the 2017 season, then dealt him to the Baltimore Ravens in October for a fifth-round choice. Peters went on to make All-Pro for Baltimore, while Snead filled his position with Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey cost the Rams two first-round picks, and has more leverage for his next deal than any player in football since an extension wasn’t negotiated upon completion of the trade.
The Texans and O’Brien are constantly made punchlines, but Snead deserves all those jokes and then some.
2. Jets, Jags could be spot where run begins on receivers
The Jacksonville Jaguars pick ninth-overall. The New York Jets select two spots later.
In a year with a historical receiver class, a run will come at some juncture. Pundits have talked about teams waiting for the middle rounds considering the depth of the crop, but once a few receivers go, the floodgates will open. History has a long track record in this regard.
It would be surprising, considering the needs of the first eight teams on the clock, if a receiver goes before Jacksonville. However, the Jaguars — who have two first-round picks — could start the surge. If they pass and hope to land a receiver at No. 20, the Jets are a great bet to get everything rolling.
After losing Robby Anderson in free agency, general manager Joe Douglas did nothing to replace him. If Douglas has CeeDee Lamb of Oklahoma, and Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III of Alabama on the board, he’ll be hard-pressed to pass on them. Should the Jets take a receiver, the Raiders are next and are also likely to go receiver. Again, the run will be on in full-force.
Keep an eye on that area for a significant development come April 23.
3. Saints going after QB in first round makes sense from many angles
Mickey Loomis could have a major move up his sleeve.
Loomis, the New Orleans Saints’ general manager, has the 24th-overall pick. He also has a dire cap situation in upcoming years, largely due to his constant restructuring to push money down the road. New Orleans could also be without a quarterback come 2021, with Drew Brees perhaps in his final campaign and Taysom Hill being a 30-year-old (come August) with no real upside.
So what should a team do with a 41-year-old starting quarterback potentially ready to retire and a bad cap sheet for years to come? Draft his replacement in the first round.
Why? Because rookie deals for quarterbacks are the biggest bargains in sports, and a first-round pick comes with a fifth-year option. The Saints should be in position to draft Jacob Eason or even Jordan Love, depending on how the board falls.
With one of the best rosters in football, New Orleans could do this and still contend for a Super Bowl in the present.
4. All-Decade Team will help set course for Hall of Fame voting in future years
The Pro Bowl? Largely a waste of time. All-Pro teams? Matters. All-Decade Team? Huge.
If you’re into who makes the Hall of Fame, the NFL’s release of the 2010s All-Decade Team was of great importance. The 53-man roster included 23 offensive players, 22 defenders and eight on special teams. It’s fair to say a majority are Canton-bound, and those with borderline cases got a massive boost.
So how much does it matter for Hall of Fame arguments? The 1990s All-Decade Team has 52 players and a pair of coaches. Of the First-Team members on offense and defense, only Packers safety LeRoy Butler hasn’t been enshrined. Exactly half of the Second-Team honorees from the offensive and defensive units are in as well.
The 1980s Team has a similar ratio. All of the First-Teamers are in (save special teams) while the Second-Teamers made it to the Hall of Fame at a 50 percent clip.
If one of our favorite players made the 2010s All-Decade Team this week, odds are he’ll be enjoying a bust in Canton.
5. XFL suspends operations amid coronavirus outbreak
There will be myriad business casualties throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the XFL was one of them.
On Friday, all employees were terminated as the league effectively ceased to exist. For the second time in a year, a football league has been started up with hope, only to see the flame extinguished quickly.
Of course, it’s unfair to say the XFL failed. It had no chance. The league will quickly be forgotten except by those who played in it and worked for it. For those people, hopefully there’s another fun journey ahead.
History lesson
In 1997, the Arizona Cardinals entered Week 17 with a 3-12 record. A loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons would have clinched the first-overall pick. Losing late, Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer drove his team downfield, finding Larry Center with five seconds remaining for a game-winning touchdown strike.
Arizona’s victory, combined with the Indianapolis Colts losing to the Minnesota Vikings, gave Indy the top pick in the 1998 draft. The Colts ended up with Peyton Manning. The Cardinals took defensive lineman Andre Wadsworth.
Parting shot
Bashaud Breeland signed a one-year deal last week to return to the Kansas City Chiefs. Not exactly going to lead SportsCenter, but it’s worth exploring.
By retaining Breeland, the Chiefs brought back every player who played at least 57 percent of their unit’s snaps last year. By this writer’s research, no Super Bowl champion has done that since the 2001 Patriots.
It appears general manager Brett Veach has a strategy of bring back the same club — with a few draft picks mixed in — to attempt a repeat. It makes sense, considering Kansas City is young and the division is weak, even with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers making upgrades to their respective rosters.
After 2020, though, the Chiefs have approximately 20 players who are either unrestricted free agents or potential cap casualties.
So what’s the plan? By loading up on one-year deals this offseason (Demarcus Robinson, Anthony Sherman, Mike Pennel, Antonio Hamilton, Mike Remmers, Breeland and others), the Chiefs are maintaining cap flexibility. They’ll need it for Patrick Mahomes’ eventual mega-extension. Chris Jones, who is on the franchise tag, is also in line for a deal north of $100 million.
Veach has long gone big-game hunting with the belief he can fill in around the margins. Last year, he signed Tyrann Mathieu and traded first and second-round picks for Frank Clark. During the season, he brought in guard Stefen Wisniewski, edge rusher Terrell Suggs and a run-stuffer in Pennel. All three proved valuable in winning the franchise’s first title in 50 years.
Look for that trend to continue in 2020 and beyond. Pay the stars, find the role players.