Fantasy football winners of the NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone and it was a much-needed escape from everything that has been going on in the world.

Some people enjoyed the draft more than others, however. A plethora of exciting, young players were able to realize their dreams.  The draft essentially caps off the NFL’s off-season, which means dynasty and season-long fantasy football players can start really evaluating the upcoming season.

Here are the winners of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Big Winners

RB – Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

The ultimate landing spot for any running back in this draft class was Kansas City. With the last pick in the first round, the Chiefs made Edwards-Helaire the first running back selection. Given the draft capital the team used up to acquire him, it should reasonably be expected that he takes over as the main back in the Chiefs’ backfield. He is electric as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and while not super quick, he is elusive. He should be the top player selected in rookie drafts.

RB – Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams

Outside of the Chiefs, the Rams were the next-best landing spot for a running back. Akers was hindered at Florida State by a poor offensive line. He will get a golden opportunity to showcase his skills in a loaded Rams offence. He’s an athletic and explosive runner who is also a capable pass-catcher. We may look back at this draft and wonder how some other players at the position were selected ahead of him.

QB – Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins really are the best landing spot for Tagovailoa. Recovering from a hip injury, he will likely not be rushed to play behind a weak offensive line. Expectations for the rookie quarterback in 2020 should be extremely low as I doubt he sees the field very much. The presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick will benefit Tagovailoa’s development.

RB – Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The days of Ronald Jones II and Peyton Barber leading Tampa Bay’s backfield are over. With Barber departed for Washington this off-season and Jones II unimpressive in his first two seasons, Vaughn should be able to take over. He was a bright spot on a rather lousy Vanderbilt offence. Flashy by no means, Vaughn runs hard and has good vision. He’s underrated as a pass-catcher as Vanderbilt did not pass the ball very much.

WR – Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders fielded a very uninspiring group of wide receivers last season. The team addressed the need by using their first selection in round one on Ruggs III.  This draft’s version of Tyreek Hill, Ruggs III is a speedster who doesn’t need a lot of volume to be productive. If he and quarterback David Carr can build some chemistry, he should be the Raiders’ top wide receiver option immediately.

WR – Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles

One of the most explosive receivers in this draft, Reagor should be an every-down player immediately with the Eagles. His tape leaves a little to be desired due to poor QB play at Texas Christian University. If he and Wentz can get on the same page, he should be the top wide receiver in this team’s passing game.

WR – CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

Selecting Lamb, the Cowboys pulled off the biggest steal in round one. The situation is a little crowded in Dallas with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, but Lamb should step in and be the No. 2 option immediately. Lamb is uber-talented and it wouldn’t shock me if he very quickly becomes the top option in the Cowboys’ passing attack. He’s the real deal.

WR – Denzel Mims, New York Jets

Sliding much further than I expected, the Jets added a WR who should be their No. 1 option immediately. He is a size-speed nightmare that has the makings of a true alpha receiver in the NFL. Sam Darnold hasn’t had a true top receiver in his arsenal since joining the Jets, he does now.

WR – Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

A receiver who doesn’t really have any glaring flaws, Pittman Jr. should assume the No. 2 WR role in Indianapolis. With T.Y. Hilton ageing, it may not be long before Pittman Jr. becomes the No. 1. He’s an athletic receiver who is great at making contested catches.

WR  – Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

A near-perfect landing spot for Shenault Jr., he’ll compete for No. 2 WR snaps behind D.J. Chark Jr. in Jacksonville. Injuries and some inconsistencies led him to fall outside of round one. He needs to clean up his route running, but he does a lot of things really well and likely would’ve been selected a little higher had this been a normal lead up to the NFL Draft.

Winners

QB – Joe Burrow, Cinncinati Bengals

Going to the worst team in the NFL may not normally be a win, but this is a pretty good offence Burrow is taking over. The Bengals will benefit from getting a healthy A.J. Green and offensive tackle Jonah Williams back in 2020. Add in receivers Tyler Boyd, John Ross Tee Higgins and a run game likely led by Joe Mixon, and Cincy’s offence could bounce back this season.

WR – Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

Heading to Denver, Jeudy likely won’t see a massive number of targets. With Courtland Sutton, K.J. Hamler, Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam in the picture, there’ll be plenty of options for QB Drew Lock. Jeudy and Sutton should emerge as the 1A and 1B in this offence with their complementary skill sets. Sutton is a big receiver who can stretch the field while Jeudy can get it done at all levels of the field due to his route running prowess.

WR – Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

The top slot receiver available, the Vikings used the pick acquired in the Stefon Diggs trade to essentially replace him. Jefferson, like Diggs, runs a really solid route tree and is able to get separation from defenders. He’s a big presence in the slot that will serve well as a compliment to Adam Thielen who can line up all over the field.

WR – Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

The departures of Emmanuel Sanders and Marquise Goodwin this off-season allow Aiyuk to step in and be the No. 2 WR in San Francisco. He plays with good speed and has an unbelievable catch radius, and there’s even a chance he can challenge Deebo Samuel as the team’s top wideout.

RB – Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

The best pure running back in this draft class, Taylor walks into a very friendly situation. The Colts have a great offensive line and Taylor is a far superior back to Marlon Mack. He’ll likely cede some passing-down work to Nyheim Hines, but he’ll see large volumes right away.

RB – J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

Mark Ingram Jr. is signed through 2021, but at 30-years-old, this is typically when RBs begin to decline. In Dobbins, the Ravens have the successor to Ingram Jr. and someone who can help keep him fresh throughout the 2020 season. I expect Baltimore to split the work between these two fairly evenly this upcoming season.

RB – Antonio Gibson, Washington Redskins

First thing first: Gibson should be considered an RB. He’s a good receiver, but I think he best fits in as an RB. Regardless, Washington needed some explosiveness on offence and they got just that. He has tremendous size for the position and excellent speed. He was limited to just 33 carries in college, but he averaged an absurd 11.2 yards per carry.