Revisiting the 2020 NFL Draft

It’s easy to Monday Morning Quarterback yesterday’s game. It’s even easier, with the benefit of time, to re-evaluate an NFL Draft from five years ago. Those prospects that start as tantalizing promises of future glories have either panned out at this point, suffered injuries, or flamed out completely. With the Browns’ present and future appearing dark and foreboding, it may be helpful to see how they got here, beginning with the 2020 NFL Draft.

Let’s look back at the Browns’ selections from five years ago to see how they have worked out. In the interest of fairness, let’s assume that the Browns would always have picked a similar player for the same position. In other words, you can’t change any picks before the Browns’ selection, and you can’t just wave a magic wand from the future and end up with six Pro Bowlers.

Round 1

Pick No. 10 – Jedrick Wills, OT Alabama 

The Browns were looking for the left tackle of the future to pick up Joe Thomas’ mantle. Instead, they got Jed Wills. The left tackle from Alabama played well as a rookie and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team as the Browns reached the Divisional Round in the playoffs. That proved to be his best season as injuries began to mount, limiting him to eight games in 2023 and only five games in 2024. According to PFF his overall grade of 52.9 in 2024 left him ranked 108th out of 140 tackles in the league. Currently a free agent, Wills plans to sit out all of 2026 to fully recover from his ailments. 

Could have had: Tristan Wirfs, OT Iowa. Tampa Bay picked up Wirfs just three picks later. He has performed at a high level with four Pro Bowl appearances and was twice named First-Team All-Pro. Ouch. 

Round 2

Pick No. 44 – Grant Delpit, Safety LSU

Delpit’s pro career began inauspiciously as a torn Achilles wiped out his would-be rookie season in 2020. To his credit, he returned strong from the injury and was a regular contributor in 2021-24. Last season he recorded zero interceptions and only one pass defended. He did, however, record career highs in combined tackles (111) and QB Hits (5). PFF graded him out 65.2 (75th of 171 safeties) but his coverage grade was only 60.9 (84th overall). In 2023, the Browns extended Delpit who is now under contract through 2026. Cleveland needs him to be a capital “P” Playmaker this autumn. 

Could have had: Antoine Winfield Jr., Safety Minnesota. Tampa Bay again? The Bucs took Winfield with the very next pick. He’s been a Pro Bowl choice, named to the First-Team All-Pro list and has 17 career sacks (Delpit has 3.5). 

Round 3

Pick No. 88 – Jordan Elliott, DT Missouri

Elliott played all sixteen games as a rookie but started only once. He became a starter by 2022 and was a regular player for the Browns in ’22 and ’23. In four seasons in Cleveland, he picked up 5 sacks and combined for 98 tackles, eight of which were for a loss. Before last season, he signed with San Francisco where he appeared in 15 games and recorded 19 combined tackles and 2 QB hits. He was a perfectly fine defensive tackle for the Browns who now plays elsewhere. 

Could have had: McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas. The Broncos took the next defensive tackle seven picks later. Agim has bounced around practice squads in Denver, Indianapolis, Houston, Tennessee, and now Cincinnati over his career. He has picked up 14 total tackles and 1.5 sacks as a pro. The Browns were better off with Elliott in the trenches. 

Round 3

Pick No. 97 – Jacob Phillips, ILB LSU

The Browns took LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips with their fourth pick of the draft. Over three years in Cleveland, Phillips appeared in twenty games recording 88 combined tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 4 QB hits. He signed a one-year deal with Houston for 2024 but did not appear in any games.

Could have had: Malik Harrison, ILB Ohio State

The Ravens selected Harrison the pick after Phillips, continuing a proud tradition of other AFC North teams drafting Buckeyes. In five full seasons in Baltimore, Harrison stacked up 174 combo tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 4 QB hits. He signed with the Steelers during the offseason. 

Round 4

Pick No. 115 – Harrison Bryant, TE Florida Atlantic

Cleveland picked up tight end Harrison Bryant in the fourth round. The PFWA named him to the All-Rookie Team in 2020. Through four years in Ohio, Bryant recorded 98 receptions for 877 yards and ten touchdowns. He was a lone bright spot in the playoff loss to Houston, accumulating four receptions for 65 yards. He played for Las Vegas in 2024 and signed with Philadelphia for the 2025 season. 

Could have had: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE Missouri

The Broncos picked Okwuegbunam three picks later. As a member of the Broncos and later Eagles he has recorded 54 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns. Injuries limited him to only thirty games total and he is currently on the Colts practice squad. 

Round 5

Pick No. 160 – Nick Harris, C Washington

Harris provided some offensive line depth from 2020-24 appearing in 45 total games though he did not play at all in 2022 thanks to a season-ending knee injury. His 2024 season also ended abruptly with a broken leg suffered against the Eagles. He is currently unsigned. 

Could have had: Jake Hanson, C Oregon

The Packers took the next center off the board in the sixth round. He has appeared in 30 total games for Green Bay and the Jets over four seasons and is currently a free agent. 

Round 6

Pick No. 187 – Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR Michigan 

After the draft, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said Peoples-Jones might be the steal of the draft. The former 5-star recruit appeared in 58 games for the Browns, caught 117 passes for 1,837 yards and eight touchdowns including a highlight reel catch to knock off Cincinnati at The Jungle in 2020. On Halloween 2023, the Browns traded DPJ to the Detroit Lions, where he appeared in eight games and recorded five receptions for 58 yards. He played on the Lions practice squad last season and signed with the New Orleans Saints in May.

Could have had: Quez Watkins, WR Southern Miss

The 200th pick of the draft, Watkins played for the Eagles and now the Cardinals. He has caught 98 passes for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns in his pro career. 

In baseball, WAR (wins above replacement) is a nifty stat to encapsulate a player’s overall quality taking offense, defense, and speed into account. According to the fine folks at Pro-Football Reference the pigskin equivalent is AV (approximate value). So, what is the total value of the Browns’ 2020 draft versus what could have been?

General Manager Andrew Berry’s first draft could be categorized as a mixed bag five years later. He found good value in the later rounds when considering other options for the same positions. However, the misses in the first two rounds are glaring. Jed Willis no longer figures into the Browns plans while Tristan Wirfs continues to play at a high level. Grant Delpit still has time to write a better chapter, but as it stands Antoine Winfield Jr. is having a stronger career. Perhaps the biggest key stat – of the Browns’ seven picks in 2020, only Delpit remains on the roster. It leads one to wonder – how many of this year’s picks will still be around in 2030?