Surprisingly, the first-ever virtual NFL Draft has gotten off to a good start with no major technical malfunctions. Joining together hundreds of connections by tech neophytes was expected to bring a lot of glitches, but the football world was pleased (or disappointed) with the lack of mishaps. With Day 1 of the draft now in the books, football fans can start breaking down what might happen should the NFL season be able to launch this September as the league still anticipates.
With coaches and team owners hunkered down in their basement draft war rooms (most, anyway – Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was reporting in from his very own cruise ship), the picks began late last night with former LSU superstar Joe Burrow heading to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback led his college team to the NCAA National Championship this past season, and is ready to make a run on the Super Bowl. His selection as the first draft pick makes this the third consecutive draft that has seen a quarterback go first.
Just to clear some things up: yes.
Jerry Jones is, indeed, drafting from a cruise ship. HIS cruise ship. This is that ship. #LilYachtisWorld pic.twitter.com/MFuQPojbnK
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) April 24, 2020
Next up, the Washington Redskins had their shot and decided to go for Ohio State University’s Chase Young. The 6’5”, 265-pound All-American defensive end decided he was ready for the big leagues and skipped his senior year in announcing his eligibility for the draft. Young has the talent to make it in the NFL, as long as he puts aside his “diva” attitude. He showed up for the NFL combine, but neglected to participate in any event because it was a “waste of time.”
Former Ohio State University cornerback Jeffrey Okudah is on his way to Michigan to play for the Detroit Lions. As the third overall pick, he had been seen as the most likely defensive back to be chosen first in the draft and, like Young, skipped his senior year in favor of the NFL. Seemingly as an indication of his desirability in the league, Young was the highest-drafted cornerback to be chosen since Shawn Springs went to the Seattle Seahawks in 1997.
The New York Giants had a lot of options, but finally settled on taking offensive tackle Andrew Thomas out of the University of Georgia before any other choices. The Giants have a lot of faith in the future starter, with team GM Dave Gettleman stating, “We spent a lot of time on this and we want to fix this offensive line once and for all.” No pressure on Thomas, then.
The fifth draft selection wasn’t too much of a surprise. The Miami Dolphins already had their sights on University of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is more than capable of keeping up with Burrow. Coming off an embarrassingly poor season, the Dolphins need all the help they can get, and having an award-winner like Tagovailoa (All-American, National Championship MVP, Walter Camp, First-Team All-SEC and more) puts the team on a good course.
The second day of the draft will resume tonight after 32 players were chosen last night. Everything will wrap up tomorrow, with players then needing to finalize their deals with medical exams and more before they can start to bank on their new salaries. Everything still hinges on whether or not the league will be able to get started this September as it wants, and that won’t be decided until a later date.
