It was a draft class that promised to be a historic one for the wide receivers and teams broke a league record for the number of wideouts taken in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.
An NFL-record 13 receivers were drafted in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft, edging the previous record of 12. The previous record was held by the 2014 draft, which saw the likes of Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr enter the NFL.
Nevertheless, teams can still pick up a gem in the later rounds on day three as there are still a number of talented wide receivers remaining going into the final day of the draft like Michigan’s Donovan Peoples-Jones and SMU’s James Proche.
Six receivers drafted in the first round
The Las Vegas Raiders’ historic first pick got the ball rolling in the first round by selecting Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III with the 12th overall pick. This sparked a mini run, which saw four more receivers taken within the next 10 picks.
Ruggs’ Alabama teammate Jerry Jeudy was drafted by the Denver Broncos at No. 15 and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys with the 17th pick. The Philadelphia Eagles selected TCU receiver Jalen Reagor at No. 21 before LSU’s Justin Jefferson was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the next pick.
One more receiver came off the board in the first round as the San Francisco 49ers traded up to take Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk with the 25th overall pick of the draft.
Higgins drafted by Bengals with first overall pick of second round
After selecting their franchise quarterback, Joe Burrow, with the first overall pick of the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals began the second round by giving him a weapon, Clemson wideout Tee Higgins.
The trend continued when the Indianapolis Colts grabbed USC’s Michael Pitman with their first pick of the draft. Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault went at No. 42 to the Jacksonville Jaguars before Denver took their second wideout of the draft, Penn State’s K.J Hamler.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made their first pick of the draft with the 49th overall pick, selecting Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool. The Los Angeles Rams were the next team to take a receiver, selecting Florida’s Van Jefferson at No. 57.
Two picks later, the New York Jets drafted Baylor’s Denzel Mims to set the NFL record for most receivers taken through the first two rounds. Teams will continue to explore this wide receiver pool going into the final day of the 2020 NFL Draft.