2020 NFL Draft: 5 teams who made themselves playoff contenders

Most teams found ways to get better in the 2020 NFL Draft. These five teams did so well they have asserted themselves as serious playoff contenders now.

Winning the offseason isn’t everything, but it’s something, right? While winning on the field of play in the fall is what really matters, making smart decisions in free agency and the draft can go a long way in a team’s viability for years to come. With the league being one of parity, sometimes it just takes that one special player to get you over the top.

Though splashes are more often associated with the free agency period, well-run teams can garner a steal or two during the draft process. Sure, top-end prospects can bust and undrafted guys can become hall of famers, it’s important to win more than you lose in the draft. Essentially, you get to pick the ingredients to build your football team, as opposed to scavenging for scraps.

So what we’re going to do today is look at five teams who made great decisions in the draft that will help them right away. These teams navigated the draft board marvelously and thus, will be rewarded for it in 2020. By adding a few key players through the draft, these clubs have cemented themselves as undoubted playoff contenders.

Here are five teams who made themselves playoff-caliber thanks to the work they did in the draft.

Okay, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were already a playoff contender before the 2020 NFL Draft. Had their former starting quarterback Jameis Winston not been addicted to throwing interceptions, Tampa Bay might have made the postseason once in the last five years. Instead, the Buccaneers have the longest active playoff drought in the NFC, one that is going on 13 seasons.

By adding quarterback Tom Brady in free agency and trading for tight end Rob Gronkowski last week, the Buccaneers have a dangerous offense and one that could have the team vying for a division crown already. However, the Buccaneers were not done making their team into a top-10 one league-wide heading into the draft. Tampa Bay absolutely crushed it.

The Buccaneers moved up one spot from No. 14 to No. 13 in a deal with the San Francisco 49ers for Iowa Hawkeyes offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. To see him fall out of the top 10 was jaw-dropping. Wirfs had top-five talent coming out of Iowa City. He might have been the best offensive tackle prospect in this draft and he was the third book end to come off the board. What a pickup!

Tampa Bay added running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn out of Vanderbilt in the third round. He’ll challenge Ronald Jones for playing time. The Buccaneers also added a pair of Minnesota Golden Gophers who will contribute for them in 2020. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. could be just like his dad. Getting Winfield’s college teammate wide receiver Tyler Johnson in the fifth round is great value.