The Minnesota Vikings locked down players on both sides of the ball in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft Thursday.
With the 22nd pick, Minnesota selected LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Then after trading down to the 31st pick, the Vikings added TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney.
Picked in the spot the Vikings received in the Stefon Diggs trade, the team got his replacement in Jefferson. The 6-foot-1 wideout had a school-record 111 receptions (tied for first in the country) for 1,540 yards (3rd) and 18 touchdowns (2nd) for the national champion Tigers. ESPN’s Todd McShay had Jefferson as the No. 14 prospect in the draft while colleague Mel Kiper Jr. had Jefferson at No. 16.
Minnesota was scheduled to pick three spots later, but moved back to the 31st pick in a trade with San Francisco that landed the Vikings picks in the fourth (117th overall) and fifth rounds (176).
After moving back, Minnesota selected Gladney. A 5-10 defensive back, Gladney helps fill a spot in the Vikings’ secondary after losing Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander to free agency. A four-year starter, Gladney finished up his senior season with 31 tackles, 14 pass deflections and an interception for the 5-7 Horned Frogs. He was Kiper’s 37th-ranked prospect while sitting at 43rd on McShay’s list.
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LSU’s Burrow goes No. 1
Joe Burrow is changing his stripes from purple and yellow to orange and black.
Slated as the top pick for the majority of the offseason, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was tabbed as the top pick of the 2020 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Burrow completed 76.3 percent of his passes as a senior for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Tigers to the national championship.
With the selection, Burrow is the third straight Heisman Trophy winner to be taken with the top pick, joining Oklahoma QB duo Kyler Murray in 2019 and Baker Mayfield in 2018. He is the first quarterback Cincinnati has picked in the first round since taking USC’s Carson Palmer with the top pick in 2003.
Day 1 trades
Along with the Vikings’ wheelin’ and dealin’ late in the first round, four trades took place in the first round.
Tampa Bay and San Francisco started the swaps by trading the 13th and 14th picks with each other. The Buccaneers got some help up front for new quarterback Tom Brady, using the 13th pick on Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. With the next pick, the 49ers added South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
New England traded out of the first round as the Los Angeles Chargers got the No. 23 pick for a second- (No. 37 overall) and third-round pick (No. 71). The Chargers used the 23rd pick on Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray.
Green Bay moved up four spots after dealing the 30th overall pick and a fourth-round selection (136th) to Miami for the 26th pick. The Packers nabbed Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. The Dolphins used the 30th pick on Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.
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Winfield waits
University of Minnesota defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. was hoping to be the first Golden Gopher selected in the first round since Laurence Maroney in 2006. However, Winfield was not among the first 32 picks.
Kiper has Winfield as the No. 24 prospect, with McShay putting him at 29th.
Next for Vikings
The second and third rounds will both take place Friday, with the second round beginning at 6 p.m.
Minnesota is slated to have three picks on Friday. The Vikings have the 26th pick (58th overall) of the second round. They also have the 25th pick (89th) of the third round while also getting a compensatory pick at 105th overall.
First-round picks
1. CIN: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
2. WAS: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
3. DET: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
4. NYG: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
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5. MIA: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
6. LAC: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
7. CAR: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
8. ARI: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson
9. JAX: CJ Henderson, CB, Florida
10. CLE: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
11. NYJ: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
12. LV: Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama
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13. TB: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
14. SF: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
15. DEN: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
16. ATL: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
17. DAL: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
18. MIA: Austin Jackson, OT, USC
19. LV: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
20. JAX: K’Lavon Chaisson, LB, LSU
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21. PHI: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
22. MIN: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
23. LAC: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
24. NO: Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan
25. SF: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
26. GB: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
27. SEA: Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
28. BAL: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
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29. TEN: Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia
30. MIA: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
31. MIN: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
32. KC: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU
