2020 NFL draft
DateApril 23–25, 2020
LocationESPN studio complex, Bristol, Connecticut
(draft emanated from Bronxville, New York via video conference call)
NetworkABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio
LeagueNational Football League
FirstJoe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Mr irrelevantTae Crowder, LB, New York Giants
Fewnum4
FewestNew Orleans Saints
Mostnum15
MostMinnesota Vikings
Overall255
Rounds7
Prev2019
Next2021

The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The draft concluded with rounds 4–7 on April 25. The NFL originally planned to hold the event live in Paradise, Nevada, before all public events related to it were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, all team selections took place via videoconferencing with league commissioner Roger Goodell announcing picks from his home.

The Washington Redskins retired their name two months after the 2020 draft, making it the final draft where players were selected under the Redskins branding. The draft is noteworthy for producing five playoff starters at the quarterback position: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts. Burrow became the first to reach a Super Bowl in Super Bowl LVI, while Hurts became the first Super Bowl–winner of the group in Super Bowl LIX.

Format

The host city was chosen among finalists Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville and Cleveland/Canton in May 2018 during the NFL Spring League Meeting,[1] when Nashville was chosen to host the 2019 draft. However, the host city for 2020 was deferred. After Denver withdrew, citing scheduling conflicts,[2] Las Vegas was chosen as the original host on December 12, 2018, coinciding with the Las Vegas Raiders' arrival in the city.[3] Plans were announced for a main stage near the Caesars Forum convention center and a "red carpet" stage for arrivals on a floating platform in front of the Bellagio resort, with players being transported to and from the stage by boat.[4] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL announced on March 16 that it had canceled all public festivities associated with the event.[5]

Instead, the draft was held remotely, with team coaches and GMs convening via Microsoft Teams due to all team facilities also being closed.[6][7] NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the picks for rounds 1–3 from his home in Bronxville, New York, with the rest of the rounds being announced by Dave Gardi.[8][9] During the event Goodell announced that Las Vegas would host the 2022 NFL draft.[10]

Player selections

The following is the breakdown of the 255 players selected by position:

compensatory selection
†Pro Bowler[N 1]

Trades within the draft

(PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades which took place during the 2020 draft.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Notes

  1. ^ Players are identified as Pro Bowlers if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.

Media coverage

Coverage of all three days of the draft aired on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. ESPN and NFL Network aired shared coverage of all three days hosted by Trey Wingo from ESPN's studios in Bristol, which was simulcast by ABC for the third day. Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor, all from College GameDay, hosted ABC's telecasts for the first two days.[11][8] Jennifer Hudson was announced to perform as part of a Draft Preshow on the first day, followed by Kelly Clarkson on the second day and OneRepublic on the third.[12]

ESPN Deportes provided Spanish language coverage of the draft with Monday Night Football voices Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega. ESPN Radio's coverage featured host Dari Nowkhah from ESPN's SEC Network, former general manager Mike Tannenbaum, ESPN New York's Bart Scott (Thursday/Friday), NFL Draft analyst Jim Nagy (Saturday) and reporter Ian Fitzsimmons with updates from Marc Kestecher.[13][14]

Summary

Selections by NCAA conference

ConferenceRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7Total
NCAA Division I FBS football conferences
American005232517
ACC332572527
Big 12534142221
Big Ten5756511948
C-USA001511210
Ind. (FBS)02122209
MAC00001012
MW111132110
Pac-12336737332
SEC151015825863
Sun Belt01121117
NCAA Division I FCS football conferences
CAA00001012
MVFC01000012
OVC00000011
Pioneer00100001
Non-Division I NCAA football conferences
MIAA (DII)00000011
MIAC (DIII)00010001
SAC (DII)01000001

Colleges with multiple draft selections

SelectionsColleges
14LSU
10Michigan, Ohio State
9Alabama
7Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Utah
6Auburn, Notre Dame
5Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Penn State, TCU
4Baylor, Miami (FL), Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Temple, Wisconsin
3Boise State, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Memphis, Oregon State, Texas, UCLA
2Appalachian State, Arizona State, Arkansas, Charlotte, Florida International, Fresno State, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tulane, Tulsa, USC, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Selections by position

PositionRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7Total
Center10212129
Cornerback632631627
Defensive end241160417
Defensive tackle245224120
Guard013624218
Kicker00001113
Linebacker4211445839
Long snapper00000101
Offensive tackle613414120
Punter00000112
Quarterback410211413
Running back155410319
Safety054324321
Tight end014402112
Wide receiver672286334
PositionRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7Total
Offense18161923151815124
Defense14162317171424125
Special teams00001326

References

Trade references

General references

  1. ^ "Finalists to host 2019, 2020 NFL Draft announced". NFL.com. National Football League. February 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "These three cities won't have to wait long to host the NFL draft". Yahoo! Sports. May 30, 2018.
  3. ^ "NFL draft headed to Las Vegas in 2020". NFL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Reyes, Lorenzo. "NFL plans to have draft prospects arrive by boat to red carpet at Las Vegas' Bellagio fountains". USA Today. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Belson, Ken (March 16, 2020). "N.F.L. Changes Draft to TV-Only Event". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020 NFL Draft will proceed in fully virtual format". NFL.com. April 6, 2020. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Seifert, Kevin (April 18, 2020). "The 2020 NFL draft is going virtual: How it will work, and what you should know". ESPN. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Steinberg, Brian (April 13, 2020). "NFL Draft Will Get April Showcase on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Alper, Josh (April 12, 2020). "Roger Goodell to announce first-round picks from his basement". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. ^ "Las Vegas scores second shot at NFL draft in 2022". Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Pedersen, Erik (April 13, 2020). "NFL Draft Will Air On ESPN, ABC & NFL Network". Deadline. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, OneRepublic to perform during 2020 NFL Draft". ABC News Radio. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  13. ^ "2020 NFL Draft to be Presented Across ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, April 23-25" (Press release). NFL Communications. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "2020 NFL Draft to be Presented Across ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, April 23-25" (Press release). ESPN. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.