Re-watching the 2020 NFL Draft to gain perspective on 2024

What did the Seahawks learn from Jordyn Brooks and the many first round mistakes that came before him in 2020? Seaside Joe 1880

I don’t think NFL Drafts are like fingerprints where each one is unique. I think of them more like Christmas gift wrap in which there are 4 different variations (Santa, Reindeer, Tree, Snowman) and you don’t know which one you’re going to get this year. This is the version, like 2018 and 2021, that has five turtle doves first round quarterbacks.

Last year, I did this same exercise by re-watching the entire first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to gain perspective before the 2023 NFL Draft. I found it useful, so again I’ll be going back to the draft from four years ago to see what we can learn from wins and mistakes.

The link to the 2020 NFL Draft video is here.

2020 was of course one of the strangest drafts of all-time because of the pandemic and that part of it also makes the broadcast feel as though this was filmed 200 years ago. It just seems like a different timeline now.

Some teams below wish that it was.

READ: What’s been your favorite Seahawks mock draft pick so far?

I’ll put the pick, then I’ll tell you what kind of 2024 prospect “this is like” compared to the pick in 2020. My comparisons might not be as good as your comparisons though, so if you have suggestions for alternatives you can leave those in the comments. And this is a long article, so if it cuts off in your email you can always click the Seaside Joe banner to read it on the website.

Important Note: These are NOT player comps, they’re just “feeling” comps and scouting reports added from Sam Teets big board

1. Bengals - QB Joe Burrow, LSU

Like: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU (Sam Teets’ scouting report)

In some ways, Caleb Williams is the comparison to Burrow because sometimes draft decisions are that easy. Burrow was a no-brainer and Williams is a no-brainer. It doesn’t mean that Caleb has no bust factor, it’s just the easiest decision in the draft world for the Bears to take him because this is one of the rare Chicago moves that nobody could criticize if it fails. He’s the consensus pick.

Burrow had three years at Ohio State, then transferred to LSU and entered his redshirt senior season as a projected 6th round pick, then won the Heisman with a monster final year throwing to future NFL stars Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jeffferson. Daniels had three years at Arizona State, then transferred to LSU and entered his redshirt senior season on nobody’s radar for the NFL Draft. He won the Heisman while teaming up with two probable first round receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, Jr..

There are so many comparisons that it almost makes me less confident that Daniels will be as good as Burrow. “Who said he needs to be as good as Burrow?” The team that picks him second or third overall.

2. Moons - EDGE Chase Young, Ohio State

Like: WR Marvin Harrison, Ohio State (Teets scouting report)

Without any star defensive prospects in this class, I turn to Harrison for the reason that nobody is “guaranteed” to succeed in the NFL. Young was treated as if he was Myles Garrett (both Young and Garrett got compared to Julius Peppers by Lance Zierlein) and that he would go first overall in most drafts even though he wasn’t as productive as Garrett, not as consistent, not as big; Garrett dominated the combine, Young said he didn’t want to “waste him” doing the athleticism tests.

Funny, another Ohio State player considered ‘the best all-around player in the entire class’ decided he didn’t need to waste his time doing these tests, but Harrison is getting full support by the media for it.

Marvin Harrison, Jr. may end up being an immediate number one receiver, I’m sure that whoever drafts him will get at least a very good player. The only reason I’m making this comparison is that Young and Harrison were both “the best prospect” and the former just happens to be a cautionary tale instead of a never-fail. I’m sure that Harrison will be a great NFL player.

3. Lions - CB Jeff Okudah, Ohio State

Like: WR Rome Odunze, Washington (scouting report)

I make this comparison because Okudah played in arguably the best unit in all of college football that year (Ohio State’s defense with Young, Damon Arnette, Pete Werner, Jordan Fuller, Malik Harrison, etc.) and was considered a top-8 lock and an immediate starter with Pro Bowl upside. I root for all prospects to hit their ceiling, so hopefully Odunze’s career isn’t like Okudah’s, but he’s on the best unit in college fooball (Washington’s offense), he’s close to a top-8 lock, and he’s certainly thought to have an immediate impact with Pro Bowl upside. It wouldn’t shock anyone if Odunze was the second non-QB off the board.

It wasn’t a well-kept secret that the Lions wanted Okudah but he was immediately hit with injuries, turned out to not have a very high ceiling or floor, and now he’s just a journeyman. (Without looking it up, can you even name the team that Okudah is on today?)

4. Giants - LT Andrew Thomas, Georgia

Like: OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame (scouting report)

Every time I look back to this offensive tackle class I pat myself on the back because I liked Andrew Thomas the best, which is comical to think about since I’m not the guy to be asking for offensive tackle rankings. That’s not what I do, but for some reason I got lucky because of the three left tackles Thomas is the best. There are some who nitpick Alt for allegedly not having a ceiling like Joe Thomas or Orlando Pace, but he’s the top-ranked in a class where some of those picked behind him will have a higher ceiling and many of whom won’t pan out. I get why some think Alt could go in the top-5.

5. Dolphins - QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Like: QB Michael Penix, Washington (scouting report)

It’s not like I’m going out of my way to compare a left-handed QB to a left-handed QB, but really what other choice did I have? There are too many similarities (lefties, injury concerns, loaded college football teams) and that worries me about Penix more than it puts me at ease. The biggest issue with drafting Tua is that the Dolphins shouldn’t pay him yet they are also afraid to lose him.

When you draft a quarterback in the top-10, you’d rather have him be “no shit” (like “no shit he’s worth $50 million per year) or “oh shit” (like “oh shit”) and nothing in between.

6. Chargers - QB Justin Herbert, Oregon

Like: QB Drake Maye, UNC (scouting report)

People are skeptical about Drake Maye like they were skeptical about Justin Herbert. I liked Herbert because I felt like he would be very dedicated about getting better. I do not know enough about Maye yet to say one way or the other. Sometimes picking apart negatives leads you astray, but a lot of times the negatives are on film for a reason.

7. Panthers - DT Derrick Brown, Auburn

Like: DE Jared Verse, Florida State (scouting report)

Rather than compare him to Byron Murphy (scouting report), the top defensive tackle, I’m going with Verse because they both went back to school at times when they might have been top-10 picks. Brown didn’t hurt his stock and was considered a lock for the top-10 who needed to develop his pass rushing moves. Verse probably didn’t hurt his stock—it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go in the top-10—and he needs to improve his pass rushing technique at the next level. The Seahawks could be very into Jared Verse and he might be on a short list of players who would make them stick-and-pick at 16. On Byron Murphy, I believe he will be a top-10 pick and well out of Seattle’s range.

8. Cardinals - LB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

Like: CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa (scouting report)

Since I already wrote about this comparison, how can I go back on it now? By the way, I don’t think that I wrote a scathing review of DeJean or anything either—in fact, I said he’ll probably succeed—and if anything he’s atop my list of players who Seattle would target following a trade-down.

9. Jaguars - CB C.J. Henderson, Florida

Like: CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson (scouting report)

I have to go with Wiggins if for no other reason than this is what Zierlein wrote about Henderson in 2020:

“Silky smooth boundary cornerback with mirror-and-match footwork and the agility and athleticism to stay connected to routes.”

And this is what he wrote about Wiggins this year:

“Silky smooth lower-body movement allows him to mirror releases and trace routes without much effort.”

Now we know how Zierlein likes to describe his bed sheets and boxers.

There is a 30 lb weight difference between these two corners (Wiggins is only 173 and his 30.5” arms are well below Seattle’s threshold) but I guess teams will be curious about the 4.28 he ran at the combine. I don’t know though, 4.28 on that wiry frame with only a 1.59 10-yard split (Henderson had 1.51) makes the times a little less impressive. But an NFC scout said this about Wiggins:

“He has better physical talent than Devon Witherspoon, but he doesn’t have that same level of dog in him. That’s probably the biggest difference right now. I think Wiggins is the better prospect, though.” - NFC national scout

10. Browns - LT Jedrick Wills, Alabama

Like: EDGE Dallas Turner (scouting report), CB Terrion Arnold (scouting report), CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (scouting report), OL JC Latham (scouting report)

Not comparing these prospects, just giving us an opportunity to talk about our feelings regarding Alabama prospects. The Crimson Tide could have four more first round picks this year and they aren’t even coming off of their strongest season. Jedrick Wills has not been a good player for the Browns (how much of that is to blame on the Browns?) but you can’t say Alabama produces mostly busts. Will Anderson, Amari Cooper, Quinnen Williams, Julio Jones, Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain, DeVonta Smith, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jahmyr Gibbs to name some recent top-15 success stories.

Dallas Turner could be a very good or great NFL edge rusher. I’ve gone on the record that McKinstry doesn’t play like a Seahawk. John Schneider has drafted four players out of Alabama. Who are they?

11. Jets - LT Mekhi Becton, Louisville

Like: OT Amarius Mims, Georgia (scouting report)

I did a Google search for “2 giants shaking hands gif” and this is what I got:

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter gave the Jets an “A” for picking Becton and his review sounds a lot like what people will be saying about Amarius Mims after day one:

“Becton is a people-mover. Guys weighing over 360 pounds should not bend and move like he does.” He also said this regrettable line: “If Lamar Jackson was still in Louisville, everyone would have been slobbering over Becton all year long.”

Something else that 360 lb guys don’t do very often is play 17 games. Mims had injury issues in college and if hurting himself while running the 40 at the combine doesn’t say it all, then you aren’t listening. And if you’re not that familiar with Mekhi Becton, he played one game from 2021-2022 and he’s not any good when he’s healthy.

So looking back with four years of information, two of the top three OTs are bad and all of them have injury concerns that probably won’t ever go away. Right now people are talking about the 2023 offensive tackle class as if the first round is going to produce eight starters. No: the first round might have eight offensive linemen drafted, but perhaps only three of them are starters.

READ: What’s been your favorite Seahawks mock draft pick so far?

12. Raiders - WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama

Like: WR Xavier Worthy, Texas (scouting report)

Nobody knew going into the 2020 draft what order the top three receivers would go in, but most agreed that Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, and CeeDee Lamb were the top-three. None were rated as highly as 2024’s top-three receivers and most have a clear order of “Harrison-Nabers-Odunze”, but maybe it won’t quite go that way. However, it would be surprising if Harrison went third or if Odunze didn’t go third.

There’s nothing to say about Ruggs’ playing career, he was playing better and only 22 years old when everything came a stop. (There was a really unexpected moment after Ruggs was drafted, ESPN told the story of how he holds up two fingers after every touchdown to honor a friend that died in a car crash.) Ruggs is a better NFL prospect than Worthy—a lot better probably—but I did the lazy 40-time comparison because it’s what people will do except usually it’s John Ross instead of Ruggs. I’ve read a strong argument that Worthy isn’t a better prospect than Marquise Goodwin, yet his 4.21 40-yard dash time has people putting him in the first round. I can’t say that’s wrong either because teams draft the fastest player in the first round all the time.

13. Bucs - RT Tristan Wirfs, Iowa*

Like: RT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State (scouting report)

The best offensive tackle in the 2020 class turned out to be the right tackle. There is no more differentiating between “well this guy has more value because he’s a left tackle”. That era seems to be over. Last year’s top-four offensive line picks all play a position other than left tackle. I think Taliese Fuaga might be the best offensive lineman in this draft, but what authority do I have to say that?

14. 49ers - DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

Like: Chop Robinson, Penn State (scouting report)

As I recall, the buzz going into the draft was that Derrick Brown would be more of a run-stuffer and that Kinlaw was this explosive pass rusher so therefore “he’d be the better pick” in the long run. But I’ve never been more against players who didn’t have production in college than I am right now.

Kinlaw had six sacks as a senior at South Carolina and no tackles for a loss apart from those sacks. I get that’s not bad for a defensive tackle, but it’s not your typical first round pick number either. I mean, he was less productive as a pass rusher and in TFLs than Brown, the guy who they said could only stop the run.

I hate to bring this up so often, but Aaron Donald had 28.5 tackles for a loss as a senior at Pitt. 28.5 TFL in ONE season! He had 63 TFL in his three seasons as a starter. DeForest Buckner, the player the 49ers traded to Indianapolis to get the pick for Kinlaw, had 30 TFL with 14.5 sacks in his final two seasons at Oregon. This idea that players will be unlocked in the NFL, I don’t think it happens often enough and Kinlaw was supposed to be one of those guys. He’s bad.

Chop Robinson is supposed to be one of those guys, he had 11.5 sacks in three college seasons. It could be that a weaker draft class gets Robinson into the first round, I think if it was 2020 he’d be a second rounder.

15. Broncos - WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

Like: Ladd McConkey, Georgia (scouting report)

SB Nation’s Stephen White praised Jeudy for being so “polished” and “professional” as a receiver coming out of Alabama in 2020. That crisp route running and understanding of the position hasn’t amounted to a lot in the NFL, other than the $41 million that Cleveland paid him. (How is it that the Browns manage to even screw up other team’s first round picks?)

McConkey won’t go as high as Jeudy did, but you wouldn’t know it to read the scouting reports recently.

Ladd McConkey is as polished and explosive a route-runner as you'll find outside the top 10 in this class. But make no mistake: He is not a slot-only player. His best routes are comebacks, outs and post routes from an outside alignment, routes that highlight his burst and snappy route transitions. He is more of a vertical Z than a pure slot player.

McConkey has been a lot of people’s personal favorite prospect this year and he might turn out to be a steal. It’s just so hard to judge because based on overly-positive receiver grades, you would think that there are 20 future starters in this draft when there might only be 6-7. How is it really possible to know who they are until they get to the league?

16. Falcons - CB A.J. Terrell, Clemson

Like: QB Michael Penix, Washington

Finally, you’re intrigued. A.J. Terrell was hammered for getting beaten by Ja’Marr Chase in the national championship game. Penix is getting treated similarly because he followed a dominant performance against Texas with a poor one against Michigan. Terrell’s been a very good NFL player.

17. Cowboys - WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

Like: WR Rome Odunze, Washington

Since Lamb was the third receiver and Odunze is expected to be the third receiver, I’ll just do that. Being the third receiver doesn’t mean you aren’t the best receiver, so I’m completely open-minded as to which of these rookies will turn out to be the best. And CeeDee Lamb isn’t even the best receiver in this class.

18. Dolphins - OT Austin Jackson, USC

Like: OL Graham Barton, Duke (scouting report)

Austin Jackson entered the NFL at age 21 and had to keep switching positions until he finally settled in with a career-year in 2023. Barton’s also one on the younger side as a prospect at 21 and could be moved around the offensive line early in his career. If the Seahawks pick Barton, hopefully it doesn’t take him four years to get comfortable. As much as I expect Seattle to pick a defensive player first, it gets harder to pass on Barton as I learn more about him. We just have to keep in mind that weeks ago Barton wasn’t the consensus first round pick that people say he is now and might not be a first round pick.

19. Raiders - CB Damon Arnette, Ohio State

Like: WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky (scouting report)

There are rumors of the Raiders wanting to draft Michael Penix at 13, but people say that is too early to be true for Penix. Folks, the Raiders are interested. Nothing is too early.

When the Raiders drafted Arnette, the reaction in typical “what did they do now?” fashion from the broadcast was surprise to find out he’s now a first round pick. That’s the only reason I’m picking Corley for this spot, people would be shocked if he went in the first round (he’s 76th on Sam Teets big board and 64th on the consensus big board) even though they know he is still a good prospect. Arnette played just 403 career snaps with the Raiders prior to being released and he hasn’t resurfaced other than some inconsequential short-lived signings by the Dolphins and Chiefs.

20. Jaguars - OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU

Like: WR AD Mitchell, Texas (scouting report)

This may seem aggressively insulting to Mitchell, who I’ve praised in the past and don’t have any issues with, but it’s only meant to serve as a reminder that right now these guys are only prospects and many of them will not be great or even good at the next level. Chaisson was a superb athlete “with bend” who Lance Zierlein compared to Aldon Smith even though he only had one year of just-okay production at LSU. Mitchell was one of the standouts at the combine and Reception Perception’s Matt Harmon sees DeAndre Hopkins in him, even though Mitchell had just one season of okay production at Texas. (After transferring from Georgia with two years of barely any production.)

GMs don’t pass on great athletes in the draft because they know that those prospects are physically superior to most players who will be opposite of them on Sundays, even if it’s only a small percentage superior, and yet running faster and jumping higher isn’t always enough. The Jaguars had two top-20 picks: Henderson was traded to the Panthers after 10 games with Jacksonville, Chaisson just signed with Carolina after five sacks in four years.

21. Eagles - WR Jalen Reagor, TCU

Like: Heaven Forbid

I don’t know who it will be but at least one of these upcoming first round receivers is going to turn out to be a very bad pro football player and we’ll know who he is by September probably.

22. Vikings - WR Justin Jefferson, LSU

Like: WR Brian Thomas, LSU (scouting report)

Sorry, CeeDee. I don’t want to say that Brian Thomas is like Jefferson just because they both went to LSU but that is kind of what I’m doing. The other part of it is that I think Thomas is one of a number of candidates who could be the “Justin Jefferson of the class” in that he turns into a superstar: Thomas has a higher prospect grade at NFL.com than Jefferson did in 2020, so it’s not as though most people predicted at the time that Jefferson would break out. It could be anybody, look at Puka Nacua. Also, nobody expected Justin Jefferson to play much after high school because he was a 0-star recruit not ranked in the top-300 receivers in his graduating class.

It wouldn’t be expected, but I would be very pro-Brian Thomas for the Seahawks.

23. Chargers - LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma*

Like: DB Cooper DeJean, Iowa (scouting report)

Now people are really going to assume that I have a problem with Cooper DeJean. Something about a top-ranked linebacker prospect usually feels so safe, as if his floor is that he’ll only make the Pro Bowl every other year. “This guy was a dominant linebacker in college, isn’t the job the same in the NFL?” Apparently not. Murray felt so safe and clean as a prospect, the Chargers could do no worse than getting a solid starter and a second contract. They didn’t even get to the fifth-year option with Murray.

Comparing DeJean to Murray is really more of a compliment than a negative. He feels safe, he could be safe. Murray’s just an example that there isn’t safe.

24. Saints - C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan

Like: C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon (scouting report)

Quickly, just want to emphasize again that these aren’t player comps. I’m not saying Cesar Ruiz is built like or plays like Powers-Johnson. These are more like pick aura comparisons.

The Saints must like Ruiz because they paid him $11 million per season last year, but I think that’s also a great point to make: Damien Lewis just got $13.25 million per season. Do I think teams should knowingly draft players similar to Lewis in the first round? I don’t think so. Lewis was perfect as a third round pick. Ruiz could be a good player, maybe one day he’ll turn into a great player, but generally this pick is a reminder that a lot of first round guard/center picks are not those “Steve Hutchinson” moves so a team has to be extremely convinced they’re picking a special interior lineman in the first round.

What happened to JPJ as the consensus Seahawks pick? I don’t know of anything that happened to make him fall off.

25. 49ers - WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State*

Like: EDGE Darius Robinson, Missouri (scouting report)

One of the strange facts about Aiyuk is that his 81” wingspan is the longest in combine history for a player under 6’. I’m not sure to what degree that helped him, but Aiyuk developed into a receiver worthy of an even higher draft slot and could be traded on Thursday for a first round pick. Robinson is not a great prospect in terms of athletic testing numbers or sack production, but his wingspan is 95th percentile and it is his frame that could get him picked in the top-32. Remember Tyree Wilson last year, a top-10 pick despite not having a lot to show on his resume other than length? Robinson may be a discount version of that pick…unless the Raiders decide to pick him at 13.

26. Packers - QB Jordan Love, Utah State

Like: QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (scouting report)

If you tell me that a team is going to draft McCarthy to stick him in the garage for 2-3 years behind a top-5 QB, I’m going to like him a lot more than these stories of him going to the New York Giants. You know where I would want to go if I’m J.J. McCarthy? The Baltimore Ravens. Stay in the Harbaugh family, be a backup for a while, get great coaching, see if maybe Lamar Jackson isn’t expendable in a few years which I think is totally plausible. And if not, those spot starts that McCarthy will get when Jackson is injured could put him in demand on the trade market.

This is not what will happen. I’m just saying it’s maybe what should happen. Where do you think Love would be now if he went to one of those bad franchises in the top-10?

27. Seahawks - LB Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech

Like: QB Bo Nix, Oregon (scouting report)

The two reasons nobody predicted that the Seahawks would draft Jordyn Brooks were that he wasn’t considered a consensus first round pick and Seattle had two really good players at the position already. If the Seahawks drafted Bo Nix, that’s where the comparison really is for me. It would feel too early and unnecessary. Louis Riddick commented on the pick for ESPN saying that he (Riddick) “struggled” with Brooks in zone coverage awareness and man coverage exposure, which feels accurate for his career to come.

We could just as easily do this at other positions too: What if the Seahawks drafted Georgia WR Ladd McConkey? Seems too early and unnecessary to pick a probable NFL slot receiver right after picking Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Or Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins? He’s not considered a first round pick and might not be a huge upgrade to who the Seahawks already have at a position that is deep but lacking a superstar.

I never hate Seahawks draft picks so I didn’t hate the Brooks pick. Maybe I’m naive, but I just trust that if nothing else at least the front office knows why they feel this is the best move whether I agree with it or not. I haven’t been a huge fan of Brooks as a player, but if he had been a lot better…then drafting a linebacker in 2020 would be considered a great move!

Obviously I don’t want the Seahawks to draft a player who I don’t want them to draft, but whatever happens this week I’ll go with that and be happy. What did you think of the Jordyn Brooks pick, now and then?

28. Ravens - LB Patrick Queen, LSU

Like: OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State (scouting report)

For this comparison, I decided to go with a prospect who probably won’t be the first picked at his position since Queen was the third linebacker off of the board, but some think he’ll be the best of the bunch. Fashanu, like Queen, comes from a rich college football program and was once rated as a potential top-5 pick. He’s seen his star fade a bit but Fashanu will still go early and who knows which of these first round tackle prospect pans out. Tackles who didn’t make it in this article yet include Troy Fautanu (scouting report), Tyler Guyton (scouting report), and Jordan Morgan (scouting report).

29. Titans - OT Isaiah Wilson, Georgia

Like: I don’t want to say any player

Consider this a general reminder that we can’t say with any clarity which prospects have “character concerns” and which ones don’t. Ruggs didn’t have any character concerns. Wilson didn’t have any character concerns and I can’t think of a single player in history who was quicker to prove after the draft that he had character concerns. (For those who forgot or don’t know: Wilson was such a headache as a rookie that the Titans traded him to the Dolphins for a 7th round pick swap right after the season and then Miami released him three days later for skipping workouts.)

30. Dolphins - CB Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn

Like: Maybe whoever the Cardinals pick second

Fans tell themselves that what they really want is for their team to have a bunch of first round picks, but how often does that work out like expected? The Dolphins had three first round picks in 2020 and they picked an oft injured quarterback who struggles to throw deep, a tackle who has taken four years to develop into a serviceable starter, and Igbinoghene. Right now Igbinoghene is following Dan Quinn, playing last season in Dallas and recently signing with Washington.

The Cardinals have the draft capital that fans dream of (picks 4, 27, 35, 66, 71, 90 to start) but it doesn’t matter if they continue to act like the Cardinals.

31. Vikings - CB Jeff Gladney, TCU

Like: No comparison

Gladney also had character concerns show up after the draft and died in 2022, so this is another one I don’t think needs covering.

32. Chiefs - RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU

Like: LB Payton Wilson, NC State (scouting report)

Without a first round running back this year, one of the other positions they’re trying to keep out of the first round is linebacker. I’ve been scared off of Wilson from recent reports I’ve read so this isn’t one I’m expecting from the Seahawks. I think they’ll want players without injury histories.

Notable second round picks: WR Tee Higgins, WR Michael Pittman, RB D’Andre Swift, S Xavier McKinney, S Kyle Dugger, G Robert Hunt, RB Jonathan Taylor, TE Cole Kmet, S Antoine Winfield, CB Jaylon Johnson, CB Trevon Diggs, QB Jalen Hurts, RB A.J. Dillon, LB Willie Gay

Second Round notes

Keep those names in mind when assessing that first round prospects must be “so much better” than second rounders—which is GENERALLY TRUE—but Tee Higgins, Xavier McKinney, Robert Hunt, Jonathan Taylor, Antoine Winfield, Jaylon Johnson, Jalen Hurts especially standout given how much money they’ve earned in 2023-2024 compared the average first round pick.

You could look at a Senior Bowl standout like Oregon defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus, a potential late-second or third round pick who has drawn comparisons to Justin Madubuike, and at least ponder the possibility that he’s a better value in the third than Johnny Newton in the first. I still expect the Seahawks to trade down on Thursday with the intention to be able to pick at least two more times on Friday. This strategy has certainly resulted in some bad picks on Schneider’s part in the past, but it might not stop him from trying again.