Where are they now? Rating every 2020 NFL Draft first-rounder from legends to busts

It's been six years since one of the most unusual NFL Drafts in history. The talent in 2020 itself wasn't unusual, in fact the class was stacked, but the circumstances surrounding the event were unfortunate. COVID-19 was officially a worldwide pandemic and everyone had to stay home and hear their names called via television.

That didn't stop the impressive performances by most of those selected in the first round as their professional careers began. Before we celebrate the 2026 NFL Draft class, let's look back at who was picked when and where they've ended up since then.

1. Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Burrow, QB

• Current team: Cincinnati Bengals
• Current status: Injuries and ownership are preventing him from becoming a Hall of Famer
• Verdict: Franchise cornerstone

The 2019 national champion and Heisman Trophy winner was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall and that's where he remains today. Burrow is the face of the franchise and in six seasons has led the team to the playoffs twice, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.

A brutal knee injury in his rookie year and a wrist injury in 2023 stunted his exponential dominance but he's still one of the top passers in the league today. If Bengals ownership wasn't so cheap, Burrow would be surrounded by better talent - primarily on the offensive and defensive lines.

2. Washington Football Team, Chase Young, DE

• Current team: New Orleans Saints
• Current status: Went from being the next Myles Garrett to just being another dude
• Verdict: Solid starter

The Washington Commanders thought they were getting a generational pass rusher that would lead their defense for a decade or more. What they got were four injury-plagued seasons that resulted in Young being traded to the San Francisco 49ers.

He didn't stick around long in the Bay Area, however, and has spent the last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He hit double-digit sacks for the first time in his career in 2025 (10) which is disappointing considering he was compared to guys like Myles Garrett and Michael Strahan when he entered the league.

3. Detroit Lions, Jeff Okudah, CB

• Current team: Minnesota Vikings
• Current status: May have finally found a long-term home
• Verdict: Journeyman

Similar to Young, injuries prevented Okudah from living up to his first-rounder potential with the Detroit Lions. The team was looking for a defensive staple to prevent deep threats from penetrating the secondary. But after three seasons and playing just 25 games, he became a journeyman.

Okudah played the last three seasons with as many teams, including the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans, but seems to have found a home with the Minnesota Vikings despite missing 11 games in 2025. He still has yet to play a full season and has only recorded two career interceptions.

4. New York Giants, Andrew Thomas, OT

• Current team: New York Giants
• Current status: Been given too many chances to prove he's a starting-caliber tackle
• Verdict: Replacement level

The Georgia product has spent all six seasons with the New York Giants but hasn't managed to stay healthy enough to be the reliable pass blocker they want him to be. The team had made several failed attempts to protect quarterbacks Eli Manning and Daniel Jones in previous drafts (Erock Flowers, anyone?) and it hoped Thomas would be the answer.

To date he's provided a mixed bag of results and the front office hasn't felt the need to move on from him. He's still a starter entering the 2026 season and — if healthy — could finally reach that potential. The Giants are going to need him to break the ceiling for Jaxson Dart's sake or he may finally be shown the door.

5. Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, QB

• Current team: Atlanta Falcons
• Current status: Finally relegated to backup status after six cringe-worthy seasons
• Verdict: Bust

The Miami Dolphins tried to make it work with the Alabama QB after he won the national championship in walk off fashion but several pundits saw the pick as a reach to begin with. Despite two playoff appearances, Tagovailoa's tenure was an unmitigated disaster. He suffered four documented concussions and missed 23 games with injury.

Sometimes he even forced himself to play while concussed. It was painful to watch. Now, after the Dolphins finally decided to bite the bullet on his $99.2 million dead salary cap charge, Tagovailoa enters the 2026 season as the Atlanta Falcons' backup.

6. Los Angeles Chargers, Justin Herbert, QB

• Current team: Los Angeles Chargers
• Current status: Dating Madison Beer and one playoff win away from having his number retired
• Verdict: Franchise cornerstone

The Chargers were coming off the Philip Rivers era and needed to land the QB of the future with this pick. They got that with Herbert and his staying at Oregon an extra year seemingly paid off. Little do people remember he was destined to be the Giants pick in 2019 before they settled for Daniel Jones.

Six seasons after being picked sixth overall, Herbert remains the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers. He hasn't quite reached Rivers status yet but Herbert has consistently kept the team competitive and in the playoff hunt. He has yet to win a playoff game despite four appearances but it feels inevitable that Herbert will lead the Chargers to postseason success eventually.

7. Carolina Panthers, Derrick Brown, DT

• Current team: Carolina Panthers
• Current status: Still a top defender for a team trying to emerge from the rubble
• Verdict: High-level starter

The big-bodied defensive lineman out of Auburn was converted into a defensive end and has become a key pass rusher for the Carolina Panthers. The team has gotten a decent return on their investment with Brown accruing 13 career sacks and earning a 74.5 overall grade by Pro Football Focus in 2025 (13th out of 134). He missed all but one game in 2024 due to a meniscus injury.

8. Arizona Cardinals, Isaiah Simmons, LB

• Current team: Carolina Panthers
• Current status: Never quite made it as a star linebacker but is a serviceable depth piece
• Verdict: Bust

The Clemson product hasn't quite lived up to his first-round projection. He was once looked at as a potential first overall selection but perhaps he should've fallen further than he did. After spending three okay-ish seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Simmons signed with the New York Giants but couldn't quite reclaim the spark he displayed in college. He's currently also with the Panthers but only played five games last season as he struggled to earn consistent snaps.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars, C.J. Henderson, CB

• Current team: Atlanta Falcons
• Current status: Journeyman who couldn't live up to the hype
• Verdict: Bust

The former Florida Gator was traded to the Carolina Panthers after just two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had a decent two-year tenure there recording two interceptions and a forced fumble but after that he has not managed to make it on to any active rosters for very long. He tried to prove himself to the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons where he currently resides.

10. Cleveland Browns, Jedrick Wills Jr., OT

• Current team: Chicago Bears
• Current status: Outlived his rookie hype and now has to prove it for a contender
• Verdict: Just a guy

The Cleveland Browns got decent usage out of Wills for five seasons but he suffered a serious injury in 2023 that was reaggravated ahead of the 2025 campaign. Wills missed that year entirely but it didn't end up affecting his market value too much. He's now signed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears to help protect Caleb Williams as the team aims to repeat as NFC North champions.

11. New York Jets, Mekhi Becton, OT

• Current team: Free agent
• Current status: May be facing an early retirement
• Verdict: Scheme-dependent

Multiple serious injuries derailed the start of Becton's career with the New York Jets. He missed most of the 2021 and 2022 seasons but came back healthy for 2023. Becton signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 and moved to guard where he found incredible success to help lead the team to a Super Bowl LIX victory. He played the 2025 season with the Los Angeles Chargers but was released as a salary cap casualty this offseason. Becton is still a free agent, but not one of the top ones remaining.

12. Las Vegas Raider, Henry Ruggs III, WR

• Current team: Incarcerated
• Current status: Legal troubles likely ended his football career
• Verdict: Off-field catastrophe

This is an unfortunate story. Ruggs was developing into a solid NFL receiver with the Las Vegas Raiders and played two seasons with the team. He accrued 921 receiving yards on 50 catches but found the endzones just four times.

But in 2021, Ruggs was involved in a car crash that resulted in a death. Ruggs was convicted of felony DUI and is currently serving a prison sentence in Nevada. He's up for parole this year but a return to football seems very unlikely.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tristan Wirfs, OT

• Current team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Current status: Multi-time Pro Bowler who could see his number retired
• Verdict: Franchise player

This mid-round pick really turned out great for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wirfs has accrued three All-Pro nods and helped them win the Super Bowl in his rookie year. Despite some injuries, he's still a major starter and has been a big reason QB Baker Mayfield has seen a major resurgence in his game. Wirfs missed five games in 2025 but is expected to return to start again in 2026 with the Buccaneers looking to reclaim the NFC South.

14. San Francisco 49ers, Javon Kinlaw, DT

• Current team: Washington Commanders
• Current status: Resurgent talent who could be a franchise star
• Verdict: Solid starter

The South Carolina product was supposed to be a long term solution on the defensive front for the San Francisco 49ers but injuries derailed two of the four seasons he spent in the Bay Area. He missed 27 total games in that span and decided to make his own path elsewhere. A year with the New York Jets helped him find his spark again and that resulted in a lucrative three-year deal with the Washington Commanders where he remains a key cog in head coach Dan Quinn's scheme.

15. Denver Broncos, Jerry Jeudy, WR

• Current team: Cleveland Browns
• Current status: Insert Squidward looking out the window at Spongebob and Patrick having fun meme here
• Verdict: Volatile starter

The former Crimson Tide receiver made an instant impact as a member of the Denver Broncos. He accrued 3,053 yards across four seasons but missed 7 games in 2021 due to injury. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2024 and became their WR1.

Lack of solid QB play has seemingly held him back from continuing his upward trajectory. If Jeudy wasn't already frustrated for landing in Cleveland, seeing Denver have so much success with QB Bo Nix without him must be excruciating.

16. Atlanta Falcons, A.J. Terrell, CB

• Current team: Atlanta Falcons
• Current status: At the top of his game but would be within his rights to want to play for a contender sooner than later
• Verdict: High-level starter

Terrell is another one who became a staple for the team that drafted him. He's been a key part of the Atlanta Falcons defense for the last six seasons with six interceptions, 61 passes defended and six forced fumbles. He enters 2026 as one of the top cornerbacks in the game but could be viewed as trade bait if the Falcons fail to be playoff contenders by the November deadline.

17. Dallas Cowboys, CeeDee Lamb, WR

• Current team: Dallas Cowboys
• Current status: Franchise legend approaching jersey retirement status
• Verdict: Franchise player

The Dallas Cowboys got an absolute steal landing CeeDee Lamb this far down in the first round. He quickly climbed the ranks of receivers around the league with 7,416 career receiving yards and 41 touchdowns. Those stats earned him boat loads of money as a result. Lamb has made nearly $81 million in career earnings and still has three years left on his current deal with Dallas which ties him to Jerry World through the 2028 season.

18. Miami Dolphins, Austin Jackson, OT

• Current team: Miami Dolphins
• Current status: Serviceable veteran who's probably looking forward to free agency
• Verdict: Solid starter

Despite several bouts with injuries, Jackson has been the Miami Dolphins sole key pass blocker. You could argue he hasn't been very effective given Tagovailoa's concussion history but he managed to keep his starting role the whole time. He's on the last year of his contract with the team and could very well need to find a new home in 2027.

19. Las Vegas Raiders, Damon Arnette, CB

• Current team: Out of the league
• Current status: Playing in the UFL with likely no path back to the NFL
• Verdict: Bust

The Las Vegas Raiders did not choose very wisely in this draft. Like Ruggs, Arnette dealt with legal issues after two seasons with the team. He attempted multiple comebacks with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans but never made it off the practice squads. He made two separate stints in the United Football League where he remains today with the Houston Gamblers.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars, K'Lavon Chiasson, LB

• Current team: Washington Commanders
• Current status: Hoping to avoid journeyman status after reaching Super Bowl LX
• Verdict: Just a guy

The Jacksonville Jaguars tried to squeeze as much as they could out of Chiasson in the four seasons they had him but it wasn't enough to warrant the first-round pick. He had just five sacks and 48 solo tackles, though he did miss eight games in 2022. He picked up his game, however, over the next two seasons with the Raiders and New England Patriots. That landed him a one-year deal with the Commanders for 2026.

21. Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Reagor, WR

• Current team: Free agent
• Current status: Stuck in practice squad purgatory
• Verdict: Bust

Yeah, the Eagles should really be shamed more for picking Reagor this high. Or at all, really. The TCU product only got through two years of his four-year rookie deal before the team traded him to the Minnesota Vikings. He was waived in 2023 but played two seasons for the Patriots and then was on and off the active roster with the Chargers in 2024 and 2025. He's currently a free agent.

22. Minnesota Vikings, Justin Jefferson, WR

• Current team: Minnesota Vikings
• Current situation: Approaching Randy Moss status locally but hoping not to need to leave seek a ring
• Verdict: Franchise player

This is why the Eagles should be shamed more. They let Justin Jefferson slip through their fingers and eventually gave up their No. 21 pick to the Vikings two years later. Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in the game now and will likely see his legacy wearing purple and gold go down similar to Randy Moss. He'll just be hoping he doesn't have to leave to chase a chance at lifting the Lombardi Trophy like the Hall of Famer had to.

23. Los Angeles Chargers, Kenneth Murray, LB

• Current team: Free agent
• Current status: Victim of the trade market and looking to settle down
• Status: Journeyman

Murray has had a rather average career in the NFL. He spent four years with the Los Angeles Chargers and recorded four sacks, 21 tackles for a loss and logged two career highs in combined tackles in a season (107). He signed a two-year deal with the Tennessee Titans in 2024 but was traded to the Cowboys the following offseason. He's currently a free agent looking for a new home.

24. New Orleans Saints, Cesar Ruiz, C

• Current team: New Orleans Saints
• Current status: Solid presence who could use a change of scenery if team around him doesn't improve
• Verdict: Solid starter

You haven't heard Ruiz's name much but he's been a constant presence for the New Orleans Saints since he was drafted. Ruiz has played center and guard, really wherever he was needed on the offensive line, and that's what has made him rather invaluable to the team. He signed a four-extension in 2023 and he's entering the final year of that deal this season.

25. San Francisco 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk, WR

• Current team: San Francisco 49ers
• Current status: Being held hostage but wants to reunite with Jayden Daniels
• Verdict: Solid starter

This pick was supposed to play out a lot differently than it did. Aiyuk quickly proved himself to be an NFL-caliber receiver and earned a lucrative four-year extension in 2024. However, a serious injury forced him to miss the 2025 season and a combination of some disagreements with the team over recovery, grudges from the 2024 negotiations and whatever else caused the team to void the remainder of his deal. He's now being held hostage waiting to be traded or released to sign with a new team (likely the Commanders).

26. Green Bay Packers, Jordan Love, QB

• Current team: Green Bay Packers
• Current status: Still championship-capable but running out of time
• Verdict: High-level starter

If you remember, this was the pick that angered Aaron Rodgers because history was repeating itself. Rodgers was famously taken in the first round of the 2005 draft, signaling the end of the Brett Favre era. Love was seen as an imminent threat and a head-scratching pick considering Rodgers still had a lot left in the tank.

Love didn't become the Packers' starter until 2023 — once Rodgers left in a tantrum — but he's proven it's his job to lose. If he continues to improve, he could send the team back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010.

27. Seattle Seahawks, Jordyn Brooks, LB

• Current team: Miami Dolphins
• Current status: Solid talent stuck on a bad team
• Verdict: High-level starter

The Seattle Seahawks got as much value as they could out of Brooks, who had a very successful four years with the team through 2023. He led the league in solo tackles in 2021 (109) and had 4.5 sacks in 2023. Brooks earned a three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins where he continued to dominate, leading the league again in solo (99) and combined tackles (183) in 2025.

28. Baltimore Ravens, Patrick Queen, LB

• Current team: Pittsburgh Steelers
• Current status: Entering his ring-chasing era
• Verdict: High-level starter

The LSU product quickly became one of the top linebackers in the league. He was a deadly presence for the Baltimore Ravens for four seasons before signing a three-year deal with their division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers. He continued his dominance there and is entering the final year of his contract with the team. Queen has expressed he wants to win a Super Bowl but that may signal he's going to chase a ring once he's done with the Steelers.

29. Tennessee Titans, Isaiah Wilson, OT

• Current team: Out of the league
• Current status: Probably not returning to the NFL
• Verdict: Bust

Add one more unfortunate story to this draft's history. Wilson had high prosects as a Tennessee Titan but spent multiple stints on the injured/COVID list throughout the 2021 campaign. He was then traded to the Miami Dolphins where he was waived for missing team workouts and showing up to meetings late. Wilson attempted one more NFL comeback with the New York Giants in 2021 but was released in early 2022. He was suspended three games by the NFL in 2023 for an undisclosed reason and remains a free agent to this day.

30. Miami Dolphins, Noah Igbinoghene, CB

• Current team: Seattle Seahawks
• Current status: Resurgent talent with an opportunity to continue proving himself
• Verdict: Career backup

Igbinoghene struggled in his first four seasons in the NFL. Three years with the Dolphins yielded minimal success, mostly because he missed 18 games with injury. He spent the 2023 campaign with the Cowboys but only played five games total. However, he kick-started his career over two seasons with the Commanders where he posted career-highs across all categories in 2025. That earned him a one-year deal with the defending champion Seahawks this offseason.

31. Minnesota Vikings, Jeff Gladney, CB

• Current team: Out of the league
• Current status: Rest in peace
• Verdict: Tragic conclusion

Unfortunately, Gladney passed away in 2022 at the age of 25 after a car crash in Dallas, Texas. He spent his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings but was released in 2021 due to allegations of domestic violence. He was eventually found not guilty in court and signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 but remained on the practice squad.

32. Kansas City Chiefs, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB

• Current team: Free agent
• Current status: Past his prime and is just a depth option at best
• Verdict: Solid starter

Edwards-Helaire was the steal of the first round (outside Jefferson and Lamb) as he became an invaluable rusher for the Kansas City Chiefs on their incredible run of three Super Bowl appearances in four seasons while he was on the roster. The LSU product won two rings before signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 but he mostly remained on the practice squad. Edwards-Helaire returned to Kansas City in 2025 but never saw action. He's currently a free agent.

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