Top 3 NFL Draft Steals
Top 3 NFL Draft Steals
With every draft come winners and losers, new contenders and more questionable teams, and maybe most important, the steals and reaches. I want to show some of my favorite selections from the 2020 draft and show you why these players were all steals, given where they are taken and the value they will bring to the team. Some may be obvious and some may be surprising.
CeeDee Lamb, 17th overall
By and far the most obvious steal is CeeDee Lamb. I had him rated as the 5th best player in the draft and the best wide receiver. For him to fall to 17 is very surprising to me. It was expected of him to be a top 15 pick at most and yet he dropped that low. Not only does the selection of CeeDee drastically increase the Cowboys playoff odds, but it also removed a chance for the Eagles to obtain him. They settled for Jalen Reagor, whom I expressed how I feel about in my previous article (Check it out here ).
The reason CeeDee is so crazy good is his playmaking ability. He isn’t the fastest guy on the field, his route running isn’t the best, but his creativity after the catch is beyond compare. He can cut left and right on a dime and has some great trickery.
Lamb is essentially a jack of all trades, but he is also a master of some. He was extremely productive, with 173 catches for 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns throughout three seasons. His versatility is off the charts and can play virtually anywhere on the field. With the NFC East all adding offensive talent, Dallas needed to supply their QB with even more. Dak, Elliot, Gallup, and Cooper become big playoff players with the addition of Lamb and could be the new favorite in the division.
Denzel Mims, 59th Overall
At 59th overall, a very athletically talented wideout was taken. Let’s think about that for a second. Mims almost fell to the third round and could’ve easily gone late in the first or early in the second. Instead, he goes to New York to play for Darnold. Mims came into the combine, not knowing where he would go. But his athleticism certainly made a lot of eyes look at him. He stood 6’3” with a 33 ⅞-inch catch radius, along with 9 ⅜-inch hands. No one’s combine benefits them more than Mims’. He recorded a 4.38 40 yard dash time which is pretty fast for someone who is 6’3”, and had a vertical jump of 38.5-inches. His measurables were insane, and it is the reason why his former coach Matt Rhule called him a “big, physical, raw athlete.”
Mims projects to be one of the best red-zone targets in the NFL. His insane catch radius makes him one of the most efficient outside receivers, especially when playing in the end-zone. In an offense that is reliant on a vertical scheme, he can thrive because he knows how to use his build as leverage over most corners who are likely smaller and even slower. He is fluid and focused on 50-50 balls and know when to jump. He’s precise with his ability to get rid of the safeties cushion, then can blast away into open space. He is the ideal prototype for an athletic receiver
K’Von Wallace, 127th Overall
While the Eagles made a questionable selection in the second round, K’Von Wallace was a great pick up given where he was taken. Wallace is a safety out of Clemson and made the All-ACC Third team. One of the first things you can see is that he loves to compete. He is a school that is a perennial playoff contender. He has experience in high-pressure situations and started in the ACC, a conference that has multiple offensive superpowers. This gives him an advantage over other safeties in the class, who may not have as much time playing in a situation where they need to be clutch. K’Von is also a very vicious tackler and defender who makes big hits. His biggest in-game strength comes at being a pass rush support. Infiltrating the pocket is his game! He is also great at reading the QBs eyes, with the capability to recognize plays and make big things happen.
He also brings one of the biggest needs the Eagles lost defensively this offseason, leadership. Malcolm Jenkins departed and was the leader of this Philadelphia Eagles team. While it may be time for Carson Wentz to step up, it’s also good to bring in a new, young leader. Donning the captain badge, he helped the Clemson defense become great, taking several other players under his wing. The mentality he developed has led him to be a large voice in the Clemson locker room, much like another safety from Clemson that they had drafted…
