Who Were The 21 NFL Players Drafted BEFORE Justin Jefferson?

in a busy offseason for wide receivers Justin Jefferson's $140 million contract tops the market and rightfully so the man is an absolute machine surpassing a th000 yards in every season so far and winning the offensive player of the year award at the age of just 23 he looks set to become the Vikings greatest wide receiver ever and a top five player of all time at the position which means his selection at 22 in the 2020 NFL draft was an absolute steal but who were the 21 players picked before him and how did their careers go there won't be many arguments about the first overall pick in 2020 Joe Bro has been as good as advertised performing like a top five quarterback when healthy the only problem for him is that two of his first four seasons in the league have been cut in half because of injuries the other two have been division wins including a Super Bowl appearance and a narrow AFC Championship loss bro is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL and could be on track for a Hall of Fame career now at number two we have Chase young with the prototypical defensive end coming in as a popular pick for the best defensive player in the draft as it turns out though his career hasn't gone that way and honestly is just a middle of the pack and at best just a okay defensive end he did quickly make an impact in the league winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award with seven and 1 half sacks four Force fumbles and even four passes defended unfortunately all the momentum was halted in his sophomore year when a brutal ACL tear caused him to miss much of the 2021 and 2022 season now fully held healthy young showed glimpses of his old self in 2023 for Washington and San Francisco but he will still need to prove that he is worth that next big contract he's going to try to do that this year on a one-year deal in New Orleans next up we have our first big disappointment of this draft class in Jeff okuda despite being a highly touted quarterback prospect okuda's output has left a lot to be desired injuries resulted in him playing in just 10 games in his first two seasons before only managing one interception in year three the Lions decided to cut their losses and trade him for a fifth rounder with the Falcons hoping they could revive his career spoiler they couldn't in Atlanta okuda's struggles continued resulting in a PFF coverage grade of just 46 and no interceptions he's now signed with Houston for 2024 but time is running out for this former top three pick with the fourth overall pick in the draft the New York Giants selected Andrew Thomas the first offense of lineman off the board despite having a lot of experience under his belt Thomas was just 21 when he entered the leue and it showed he gave up 10 sacks as a rookie which was very concerning for the Giants when he first started but thankfully he's improved to give up just two sacks as a sophomore and has since turned into a reliable consistent starter which is exactly what you want from your left tackle he was rewarded with a 5-year $17.5 million contract in 2023 meaning he will be around for a while in New York now this next one I decided to combine because we have back-to-back quarterbacks going with two attack of aloa and Justin Herbert being drafted back to back and as a result of that them being drafted back to back almost their careers have slightly been connected or just at least compared to each other since they were drafted right back to back Tu was pick first passing for 1,814 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games as a rookie he has seen gradual improvement over the next few years ending up with a league leading 4,624 yards in 2023 along with 29 touchdowns and a 69.3 completion rate but his performances were greatly ramped up after the Dolphins traded for Tyreek Hill in 2022 and he has yet to earn his lucrative second contract but coming into this season he's going to be hoping for a big one so that way he can ensure that he does get that second contract and that he gets paid a hefty amount on the other hand Justin Herbert has already signed his monster second contract largely thanks to a record setting start to his career in La Herbert's 4,336 yd 31 touchdown season to get things started won him the offensive Rookie of the Year award which he then improved to 5,14 yd in 38 touchdowns in 2021 his 1489 yards after just three seasons are the most by any quarterback in NFL history which combines with a long list of other records unfortunately the individual accolades haven't translated to team success however Jim Harbaugh has now taken over as head coach in the future is surely much brighter for the Chargers now after that duo of quarterbacks came another defensive Behemoth and Derek Brown he became a panther at pick seven for whom he has developed into a rock solid defensive lineman on the inside of that Panther's defensive line it's always going to be a struggle to stand out on one of the worst teams in the league but Brown has quietly been putting together top-notch performances and in doing so have resulted in him getting a 4year $96 million contract in Carolina he will be a pillar of the defense on that team that is in the midst of a huge rebuild right now now with the eighth pick in the 2020 NFL draft the Cardinal selected inside linebacker Isaiah Simmons known for his versatile skill set in impressive athleticism I mean when this kid played Simmons was absolutely all over the field for Arizona lining up on the defensive line in the slot and even at linebacker at times his immense athleticism has encouraged his defensive coordinators to move him around the lineup but at the same time this has also been his detriment Simmons has struggled to show proper consistency resulting in him getting traded to the Giants before the 2023 season here he logged one sack 30 tackles an interception and two pass breakups and if he wants to earn a second season in New York he is currently going to be feeling a lot of pressure to do so the Jags were up next opting to take quarterback CJ Henderson ninth overall largely thanks to his athletic criticism and playmaking ability in both press and man coverage on paper this dude had the full package but once he stepped on the field he completely fell apart from the description that was provided about him he could only manage a 58.3 coverage grade as a rookie before registering sub 50 grades through the next three seasons he's allowed a passer rating of over 100 in every season falling well below what the Jaguars were expecting from a top 10 pick they managed to get a third rounder back for him by trading him to the Panthers where Henderson struggles continue since then he has moved on to Houston where he will attempt once again to revive his career rounding out the top 10 the Cleveland Brown selected offensive tackle jedric Willis Willis had a tough job on his hands as he tried to fill the shoes of Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas and I mean so far he slots firmly into the solid category falling well short of Thomas' level but not being too much of a liability for Cleveland he has done enough to convince the team to pick up his fifth year option but he will need to prove he is worth more than that in 2024 another offensive tackle arrived at pick 11 with maai beckon becoming a New York Jet the big man out of Louisville started well but an injury as a sophomore took away most of his 20121 in all of 2022 he returned in 2023 but gave up 12 sacks earning a very underwhelming 60.7 PFF grade he will try and revive his career in Philadelphia in 2024 as they aim to return to the Super Bowl after a disastrous collapse to close out the 20123 season now one of the most infamous names on this list that was drafted before Justin Jefferson go by the name of Henry rugs who is the pick at number 12 tempting the Las Vegas Raiders with his impressive speed and playmaking ability he showed glimpses of potential as a rookie converting 26 receptions on 452 yards and two touchdowns he then pretty much matched that production in just seven games as a sophomore before his career took a tragic turn halfway through the 2021 season rugs was involved in a fatal DUI crash that resulted in the death of a woman and her dog rugs pled guilty and received a sentencing of three 3 to 10 years in prison but his loss pales in comparison to that of the poor woman and her family now at pick 13 we have one of the most slept on picks in this draft that I believe was and has just been a standout product from this draft class in Tristan wors who became the fourth offensive lineman taken despite falling out of the top 10 he has out shown the lineman taken before him thriving as a left tackle for Tom Brady in 2020 to help the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl he has given up just 10 sacks across his first four years in the NFL earning himself three Pro Bowl selections a first team all proo and a second Team all proo all of this to go along with his Super Bowl ring as well currently right now he is actually holding out of OTAs hoping for a new contract but I'm sure that that will arrive pretty soon in the coming weeks before the season starts and honestly from this class of the first rounders he will go down as one of the better picks from this draft class now at pick 14 we move over to the defensive side of the ball with Javon kinlaw becoming a San Francisco 49er kinlaw was drafted as a direct replacement for DeForest Buckner who the Niners had to let go but he has honestly really never quite lived up to that hype one and a half sacks and 33 tackles didn't provide much excitement for San Francisco who then had to settle for just 10 appearances over the next two seasons because of injuries kinlam proved to post three and a half sacks in 2023 but it wasn't enough to convince them to keep him around he has since then signed with New York Jets where he has reunited with his old defensive coordinator Robert Salo he will be looking to prove that he is worthy of a long-term contract on this talented Jets roster now the second wide receiver to come off of the board that was picked before for Justin Jefferson was by the Denver Broncos and Jerry Judy Judy got off to a promising start recording 856 yards and three touchdowns but could not continue the development in year 2 because of a high ankle sprain his best season then would arrive in 2022 but just 972 yards and six touchdowns is still a bit under what you want from a top 15 draft pick the underwhelming performances then continued in 2023 with 758 yards and two touchdowns and due to the lack of 10,000 yard seasons throughout the first four years of his career encouraged Denver to move on from Judy accepting a fifth and a sixth round pick in return now the question remains now that he's on the Browns is can he operate as a good number two wide receiver and get his first 10,000 yard season across from Amari Cooper and as we move out to the 16th pick in the 2020 NFL draft the Atlanta Falcons solidified their secondary with the selection of AJ Terrell the impressive quarterback out of Clemson was the third defensive back taken but by a long shot has been the most effective so far he transitioned very well into the NFL earning a starting role as a rookie before being named a second Team all proo as a sophomore throughout his four-year career Terrell has amassed 247 tackles 43 passes defended four interceptions and four forced fumbles like I mean so far this dude has just been absolutely solid for Atlanta and now is looking forward to picking up another contract with the Falcons and maybe even making a playoff run this year since Kirk Cousins has joined the team and now for the third time Justin Jefferson would get overlooked and another wide receiver would go in front of him this time with CD lamb coming off the board at number 17 for the Dallas Cowboys and look lamb has truly been aite throughout his young career so far collecting 5,145 yards and 32 touchdowns across his first four years these have seen him selected to three Pro bowls in two all proo teams his best year so far has been his last with his 135 receptions leading the league translating to a career-high 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns like I mean the sky is the limit for this guy who has established himself as one of the best offensive weapons in the entire enf the only question that remains now is after waiting to see Justin Jefferson's contract is are the Cowboys going to be able to afford him along with all the other Hefty contracts that they have to pay in the coming years now the Miami Dolphins were up at 18 and they opted to bolster their offensive line with the selection of Austin Jackson Jackson started 12 games as a rookie before going on to playing every game his sophomore season he was able to keep his sack numbers relatively low but he was heavily penalized throughout the first two years of his career an injury all but wiped out his third season in the NFL but now he is coming off the best year of his career in 2023 luckily for him he has done enough to earn an extension through 2026 which means he will remain a key player at the right tackle on a Miami team that is desperately searching for playoff success now this next pick goes just right in line with all the other questionable picks that the Raiders made during this draft with Damen Arnette being taken by them next at 18 his selection at 19th overall turned out to be an absolute disaster with the first rounder having two stints on injured reserve as a rookie before being released as a sophomore after a video emerged of him posing with guns and threatening to kill someone there were other legal challenges surrounding our net on top of this making his release the only viable option for the Raiders he attempted to revive his career elsewhere but further arrest in 2022 ultimately put an end to his time in the league to close out the top 20 we have outside linebacker cavon Chason who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars and I'm pretty sure I pronounced his name wrong so if you do know how to pronounce it let me know down in the comment section below the first four years of his career have mustered up only five sacks with no PFF grades over 60 as a result the Jaguars declined his fifth year option and let him walk for the 2023 season he has since then signed with the Carolina Panthers where he will need to show a lot of improvement if he wants to earn another lucrative contract and now finally the biggest blunder of this draft possibly or at least one of them that happened right before Justin Jefferson and the wide receiver taken merely just before him was at pick 21 with Jaylen regor being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles like I mean imagine drafting this guy right before Justin Jefferson and then watching Justin Jefferson go on to do what he has done now as opposed to what rior has gone on and done for the Eagles now nothing like I mean drops an inconsistent play plagued the early stages of RI gor's career resulting in just 396 yards as a rookie and 299 as a sophomore the Eagles had seen enough after just 2 years opting to trade their former first round pick away for a conditional fourth and seventh rounder the port performances have then continued for rior who hasn't surpassed one 105 yards in his two season since like I mean it was a terrible pick for Philadelphia and it just adds salt to the wound to just see who got drafted one pick later and to see how good Justin Jefferson has gone on to become safe to say Justin Jefferson stands clear and above as the most valuable wide receiver in the NFL he can do it all and at the age of just 24 he looks on track to become one of the greatest wide receivers the NFL has ever seen even in a 2023 season where injuries resulted in him playing in just 10 games he still managed to record over a th000 yards receiving like this dude is a true Game Changer and his offensive player of the year award in 2022 which featured 1,89 yards is reflective of how dominant he can be aside from the quarterbacks Jefferson is the clear top pick from the 2020 draft and is surely set on a path to break countless Vikings records thanks to his shiny new contract and it's safe to say that the future is bright in Minnesota with the knowledge that this offensive Superstar is not going anywhere but I want to know what you guys think how good do you think Justin Jefferson will be once his career is completely over for me if he continues at this rate he may work himself into the top five but right now he's got to be at least top 10 all time this dude is just legit and especially after his new contract he's going to be playing some good Ball but let me know in the comment section below and if you guys have not joined my Discord to be a part of our two giveaways that we are doing right now and I will catch you guys in the next one

Channel: KRICH Productions

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Keywords: nfl, nfl top 10, nfl highlights, football, espn, first take, sports, american football, trade, touchdown, redzone, 2024, KRICH Productions, nfl news, justin jefferson, minnesota vikings, justin jefferson highlights, justin jefferson griddy, best wr, justin jefferson catch, justin jefferson contract, justin jefferson contract extension, tua tagovailoa, justin herbert, who was drafted ahead of justin jefferson, henry ruggs, ceedee lamb, joe burrow, chase young, 2020 nfl draft

Id: hXy8zNLXHSw

Length: 14min 52sec (892 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 16 2024