We’ve spent the last two days dissecting the New England Patriots’ 2020 NFL Draft haul — and will continue to do so in the weeks and months to come.
But how did some of New England’s oldest rivals make out on draft weekend? Let’s take a look at the draft classes for the other three AFC East teams:
BUFFALO BILLS
DE A.J. Epenesa (second round)
RB Zack Moss (third)
WR Gabriel Davis (fourth)
QB Jake Fromm (fifth)
K Tyler Bass (sixth)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (sixth)
CB Dane Jackson (seventh)
The Bills got off to a hot start a month before the draft by trading their first-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs, who immediately will become their No. 1 receiver.
Once the draft began, they were able to land Epenesa — projected as a potential late first-rounder — late in the second. Moss is a compact, powerful back who should be a nice complement to last year’s third-round pick, Devin Singletary.
Fromm is basically the polar opposite of starter Josh Allen as a quarterback (weak arm, little mobility, great decision-making) but could wind up being a steal after tumbling all the way to the fifth round.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
QB Tua Tagovailoa (first round)
OT Austin Jackson (first)
CB Noah Ighbinoghene (first)
G Robert Hunt (second)
DT Raekwon Davis (second)
S Brandon Jones (third)
G Solomon Kindley (fourth)
DE Jason Strowbridge (fifth)
DE Curtis Weaver (fifth)
LS Blake Ferguson (sixth)
WR Malcolm Perry (seventh)
All that pre-draft talk of Tagovailoa sliding into the teens proved to be nothing but smoke. The Dolphins grabbed the banged-up but uber-talented Alabama QB at No. 5 overall and can bring him along slowly while stopgap starter Ryan Fitzpatrick holds down the fort.
Miami also addressed another glaring need by selecting Jackson at No. 18, though it’ll be interesting to see how his pro career compares to those of Houston’s Josh Jones and Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, whom some draft analysts considered better prospects. The Dolphins already have two stud corners in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, so Ighbinoghene was a bit of a luxury pick at 30th overall. But given how awful their secondary was last season, more talent on the back end can’t hurt.
Further down the board, Weaver has steal potential as a fifth-rounder. He set the Mountain West record for career sacks (34) and was considered a potential Day 2 pick. Patriots alum Brian Flores also closed out the draft in very Belichickian fashion by selecting a long snapper (Ferguson) and a Navy product (Perry) with his final two picks.
More Patriots: Ranking New England’s Winners, Losers From NFL DraftÂ
NEW YORK JETS
OT Mekhi Becton (first round)
WR Denzel Mims (second)
S Ashtyn Davis (third)
DE Jabari Zuniga (third)
RB La’Michal Perine (fourth)
QB James Morgan (fourth)
OT Cameron Clark (fourth)
CB Bryce Hall (fifth)
P Braden Mann (sixth)
The Jets entered the draft with two obvious offensive needs: tackle and wide receiver.
They passed on CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III to draft Becton at No. 11 (taking him over fellow tackle Tristan Wirfs, who went to Tampa Bay two picks later) and still wound up with one of this year’s better wideout prospects, trading back in the second round and nabbing Mims after he fell to No. 59. Not a bad start, though general manager Joe Douglas has faced scrutiny for not selecting another receiver in the later rounds given the current state of the Jets’ depth chart.
Davis, whom Pro Football Focus said “covers ground in the middle of the field at an elite level,” could pair well with All-Pro strong safety Jamal Adams, assuming Adams stays in New York for the foreseeable future.
The Jets didn’t have a need at quarterback with face of the franchise Sam Darnold entering his third season, and the middle of the fourth round was early for a developmental prospect like Morgan, especially when other QBs like Fromm (fifth round), Jake Luton (sixth), Cole McDonald (seventh) and Anthony Gordon (undrafted) were available later.
