High-profile quarterbacks and seemingly can’t-miss offensive tackles were in abundance at the onset of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Still, since even before the terminus of the last college football season, this draft was looked on as one in which a run of magnificent wide receivers would be the highlight.
They proved to be a historic highlight.
Over the first two rounds and 64 picks, a record 13 wide receivers were selected — beginning with the Las Vegas Raiders‘ first-ever draft choice of Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs at No. 12 overall — per NFL Research. The 13 wideouts got separation from the previous standard of 12 set in 2015 — which featured much ballyhooed names such as current Browns Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry, the Buccaneers‘ Mike Evans and the Packers‘ Davante Adams.
This year, the first two off the board were former Alabama teammates Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy (No. 15, Broncos), who were also part of a record 25 SEC players taken over the first two stanzas, per NFL Research. For Denver, Jeudy was the first of two receivers taken in two days.
After that, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb somehow fell to the Cowboys at No. 17 and the first round finished with six in total — TCU’s Jalen Raegor (No. 21, Eagles), LSU’s Justin Jefferson (No. 22, Vikings) and Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25, 49ers) followed.
To continue with the storyline, the Bengals began the second round by selecting Tennessee’s Tee Higgins and it continued until No. 27 when the Jets picked Baylor’s Denzel Mims.
This promised to be a draft for the ages where wide receiver talent was concerned and it was a promise kept.
“This is a very good receiver draft,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said, via team transcript, after Reagor’s selection, “and there are a lot of different flavors.”
There were six of the first-round flavor and 13 all together over a record-breaking first two rounds. Predicted as it may have been, the run of receivers is still impressive. How impressive they’ll all be in the autumns to come should be just as much fun.
Receivers drafted in 1st round
12. Henry Ruggs, Las Vegas Raiders
15. Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
17. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
21. Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles
22. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
25. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Receivers drafted in 2nd round
33. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
34. Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts
42. Laviska Shenault, Jacksonville Jaguars
46. K.J. Hamler, Denver Broncos
49. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
57. Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams
59. Denzel Mims, New York Jets