From Draft Day to Game Day- Tracking the Key Achievements of the 2020 Draft's Top 5 Players

As we begin to review the top 5 players (with relevant commentary), include a timeline of accomplishments, failures, and triumphs that shaped professional football.

1. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) – The Franchise Savior

Selecting a guy who threw 60 touchdowns at LSU and won cumulative awards, including the Heisman trophy for his outstanding season in 2019, it was a lot to live up to. In 2023, Burrow suffered an injury to his wrist that ended his season; nonetheless, Burrow has rapidly fit into the category of upper-tier QBs in the NFL.

Joe took the Bengals to the Super Bowl LVI in 2021, threw for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns in the 2021 season, and became the 39th player on the NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2024. His completion percentage sits in the range of 67%.

At a secure betting site only 3 seasons, he has literally changed a franchise that had not won an NFL playoff game in over 30 years, to an AFC Championship contender in back-to-back seasons.

2. Chase Young - Washington Commanders - The Highly Regarded Edge Rusher

Young - the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, by starting his career with 7.5 sacks and 8 of those being pressures within his first two weeks of play. He was seen as the second pick in the 2020 draft after an outstanding season at Ohio State that saw him record 16.5 sacks.

However, in November 2021, a torn ACL changed the course of his trajectory of development. Young epitomizes the lesson that all highly regarded prospects will go through adversity.

In Young's case, the adversity has simply been injuries or inconsistency in play that have prevented him from reaching his high expectations prior to the draft.

3. Jeff Okudah – Detroit Lions/Atlanta Falcons - The Struggle

Okudah was drafted third overall as a man-catching corner out of Ohio State, in what has been a difficult career. In his first year in the league, he allowed 32 catches on 44 targets, reflecting 500 yards— horrible statistics for a top-3 pick.

A ruptured Achilles in Week 1 during 2021 ruined any momentum Okudah was experiencing. He made a move to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 season to also start on the path to turning around his career and proving his previous draft status made sense.

4. Andrew Thomas – New York Giants - The Annecdotal Tale

Andrew Thomas probably likes to forget when he notched a league high 44 pressures the year after being selected 4th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. But we find ourselves here today, where Thomas has developed into the best offensive tackle in today's league after being named Second-Team All-Pro in the 2022 season when he allowed just 3 sacks and 21 pressures on 619 pass-blocking snaps.

Prior to the 2023 season, he was given a massive second contract for 5 years, worth $117.5 million, which is now among the highest ever paid to an offensive lineman in history. His growth protector indicates that time and development matter.

5. Tua Tagovailoa – Miami Dolphins - The Resilient Leader

The Dolphins made Tua Tagovailoa the fifth overall pick of the NFL draft based on their faith in his instincts and leadership, despite any injury concerns or justifiable differences of opinion. His career has produced its ups and downs in brilliance and injury, but that's just life in football. 2023 was a special season for Tagovailoa, as he led the NFL in passing yards with 4,624, won a Pro Bowl selection for the first time in his career; moreover, he helped the Dolphins claim two straight playoff seasons for the first time since 2001.

In 2024, he signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension with the Dolphins and was rated number 36 in the NFL Network Top 100 Players. Following multiple concussions in his first two seasons, Tagovailoa started learning jiu-jitsu in order to learn how injuries fall properly instead of suffering further concussions. All in all, Tua was able to play a complete 17-game slate from start to finish, working to be durable enough for the campaign.

When we study the stories told by each of the top five selections in the 2020 NFL Draft, we know that we cannot predict how a professional football secure betting site will present itself. From Burrow's organization learning to become a winner, to Thomas' growth, from Tagovailoa proving everyone wrong about injury or whether he could be a winner, to Young and Okudah overcoming obstacles, these players demonstrate that both themselves and the drafting process in the NFL is one of many chapters in a long, winding book.