The 2020 NFL Draft is one of the clearest hindsight classes of the modern era because it gave the league both ends of the spectrum at once. Joe Burrow became the face of the Cincinnati Bengals. Justin Herbert became one of the NFL’s best pure passers. Justin Jefferson became a superstar. Tristan Wirfs became an elite tackle. At the same time, several premium picks aged terribly and made the original first round look much shakier than it did on draft night.
That contrast is what makes the 2020 class worth studying years later. It was not just a good draft. It was a draft where the original order broke apart, later-round value kept surfacing, and the gap between the best picks and worst picks became wide enough to support a full hindsight breakdown.
This hub brings everything together in one place: the full redraft, updated first-round grades, the biggest steals, the biggest busts, and complete player rankings based on NFL talent and impact. If you want the strongest big-picture breakdown of the 2020 NFL Draft class, start here.
Table of Contents
- 2020 NFL Draft at a Glance
- How to Use This 2020 NFL Draft Hub
- Why the 2020 NFL Draft Still Matters
- Best Players From the 2020 NFL Draft
- Biggest Risers and Fallers From the 2020 NFL Draft
- 2020 NFL Draft Content Series
- FAQ About the 2020 NFL Draft
2020 NFL Draft at a Glance
If you only remember one thing about this class, it should be this: the top-end talent was real, but the original order aged badly in several major spots.
- Best quarterback: Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert
- Best non-quarterback: Justin Jefferson
- Best offensive lineman: Tristan Wirfs
- Best Day 2 quarterback value: Jalen Hurts
- Best later-round value: Michael Onwenu, Alex Highsmith, Zack Baun, or Kamren Curl
- Most obvious first-round bust: Isaiah Wilson
- Most debated premium pick in hindsight: Chase Young
- Most dramatic rise from original slot: Justin Jefferson
That combination of elite hits, expensive misses, and later-round wins is what makes the 2020 NFL Draft one of the best modern classes to revisit with hindsight.
How to Use This 2020 NFL Draft Hub
This page is the parent destination for the full 2020 NFL Draft content cluster. If you want the fastest path, use it like this:
- Want the most dramatic hindsight exercise? Start with the 2020 NFL redraft.
- Want team-by-team accountability? Go to the 2020 NFL Draft grades.
- Want the best value picks? Read the 2020 NFL Draft steals page.
- Want the ugliest misses? Jump to the 2020 NFL Draft busts page.
- Want the clearest overall class ranking? Finish with the 2020 NFL Draft rankings.
Why the 2020 NFL Draft Still Matters
Some draft classes are remembered because they produce one or two legends. Others are remembered because the first round turns into a disaster. The 2020 NFL Draft stands out because it delivered both outcomes at once.
Burrow and Herbert became franchise quarterbacks. Jefferson became a premium offensive weapon. Wirfs became the kind of tackle every team wants and very few teams actually find. CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Hurts, Jonathan Taylor, Antoine Winfield Jr., Jaylon Johnson, and Andrew Thomas added even more quality to the class.
At the same time, several early picks aged terribly. That matters because premium draft capital is supposed to buy certainty, or at least stability. Instead, some teams came away with almost nothing from premium slots while others found stars or high-level starters later in the same class.
That is why the 2020 draft works so well as a full hub topic. It supports every angle: redraft, regrading, steals, busts, player rankings, and long-term hindsight analysis.
Best Players From the 2020 NFL Draft
The 2020 class was not short on high-end outcomes. It produced stars at quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, running back, and in the secondary. A good hub should still give readers real value without forcing a click, so here is the cleanest short list of the best players this class actually produced.
- Joe Burrow — The strongest overall case for No. 1 because franchise quarterbacks carry the most value in the league.
- Justin Herbert — Right next to Burrow in the top tier and one of the best pure quarterback outcomes in the class.
- Justin Jefferson — The biggest non-quarterback star from the draft and one of the best values relative to where he was taken.
- Tristan Wirfs — A premium offensive tackle who massively outperformed even lofty expectations.
- CeeDee Lamb — A clear first-round hit who developed into one of the top wide receivers in football.
- Jalen Hurts — Second-round quarterbacks rarely hit this hard, which makes him one of the defining value picks of the class.
- Jonathan Taylor — One of the best backs in the class and a second-round success story with real NFL impact.
- Antoine Winfield Jr. — One of the strongest defensive picks in the draft based on production and value.
- Jaylon Johnson — A major hit for a team that landed high-level cornerback play outside Round 1.
- Michael Onwenu — One of the best later-round outcomes in the entire class.
That list alone shows why the 2020 draft still carries real weight years later. But it also sets up the rest of the hub naturally, because this class only gets more interesting once you compare the stars to the misses and the later-round value.
Biggest Risers and Fallers From the 2020 NFL Draft
Biggest Risers
Justin Jefferson is the cleanest example of a player who would go dramatically higher in hindsight than he did on draft night. Jalen Hurts also made a huge jump from second-round projection to franchise-level quarterback value. Michael Onwenu, Alex Highsmith, Zack Baun, and Kamren Curl all became much better players than their draft slots suggested.
Biggest Fallers
Jeff Okudah fell well short of what teams need from a top-three pick. Isaiah Wilson became one of the fastest first-round flameouts in recent memory. Damon Arnette also crashed out quickly after being drafted in the first round. Chase Young is a more nuanced case, but compared to what teams expect from the second overall pick, he clearly would not hold that spot in a full hindsight reordering.
This is where the 2020 class becomes especially compelling. It was not just good. It was unstable in hindsight. The original board did not hold once real NFL value started replacing projection.
2020 NFL Draft Content Series
2020 NFL Redraft
The redraft page re-picks the first round using NFL reality instead of pre-draft projection. Burrow still belongs in the discussion at No. 1, but the rest of the board changes fast. Herbert pushes toward the very top. Jefferson jumps from No. 22 into elite territory. Wirfs climbs because premium offensive tackles are incredibly hard to find. And several original first-rounders slide hard once on-field value replaces draft-night hype.
Read the full 2020 NFL Redraft here
2020 NFL Draft Grades
The grades page revisits every first-round pick and assigns an updated mark based on actual NFL return. That is the only grading approach that matters years later. Some players still look like slam-dunk hits. Others failed to justify their draft slot almost immediately. This page is where the class gets its most direct accountability because it strips away projection and focuses on what each team actually got back from a premium investment.
Read the full 2020 NFL Draft Grades here
2020 NFL Draft Steals
The steals page highlights the best value picks from Rounds 3 through 7. That matters because the 2020 class was not just driven by stars at the top. It also featured later picks who turned into strong starters or impact contributors. Zack Baun, Alex Highsmith, Michael Onwenu, and Kamren Curl stand out because they gave teams far more than most front offices expect from those draft ranges.
Read the full 2020 NFL Draft Steals page here
2020 NFL Draft Busts
The busts page focuses on the biggest misses from the first two rounds, where expectations are highest and failure costs the most. This is where names like Jeff Okudah, Isaiah Wilson, and Damon Arnette come into focus. Not every bust story is identical. Some cases come down to bad evaluation. Others involve injuries, off-field issues, poor development, or a mix of everything.
Read the full 2020 NFL Draft Busts page here
2020 NFL Draft Rankings
The rankings page is the broadest page in the series because it stacks the entire class by talent, impact, and NFL value instead of draft position. If the redraft shows how the first round changes, the rankings page shows how the whole class really shakes out. This is the best page for readers who want the clearest overall picture of the 2020 NFL Draft class.
Read the full 2020 NFL Draft Rankings here
FAQ About the 2020 NFL Draft
Who was the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft?
Joe Burrow has the strongest overall case because franchise quarterbacks carry the most value, but Justin Herbert is right there with him. If the question is strictly best non-quarterback, Justin Jefferson has the clearest argument.
Who was the best value pick in the 2020 NFL Draft?
Justin Jefferson at No. 22 is one of the easiest answers because of how far he outperformed his draft slot. Jalen Hurts, Michael Onwenu, Alex Highsmith, Zack Baun, and Kamren Curl also have strong value cases.
Who were the biggest busts in the 2020 NFL Draft?
Jeff Okudah, Isaiah Wilson, and Damon Arnette are the clearest names. All three fell well short of what teams expect from those draft slots, with Wilson standing out as one of the harshest first-round misses of the era.
Was the 2020 NFL Draft a good class overall?
Yes. The class produced franchise quarterbacks, elite non-quarterbacks, quality starters, and strong value picks outside Round 1. What makes it memorable is that the hit rate at the top was mixed enough to create huge hindsight debates.
How different would a 2020 NFL redraft look today?
Very different. Multiple players drafted outside the top 10 would move way up, while several original first-round picks would slide hard once real NFL production and value replace projection.
Why is the 2020 NFL Draft such a good hindsight class?
Because it produced real stars, real busts, and major value swings throughout the board. It gives enough contrast to support redrafts, regrades, rankings, and broader draft-process debates years after the fact.
What is the best page to read first in this series?
If you want the best overall snapshot, start with the rankings page. If you want the most dramatic hindsight exercise, start with the redraft. If you want the sharpest value discussion, go to the steals and busts pages.
Want more NFL draft content?
Browse more NFL rankings and tier lists on SOGSports here and follow @sogfootball for daily debates and graphics.
