2020 NFL Draft: Fantasy analysis, rankings for every player from Round 1 to Round 7

The first round of the NFL Draft saw plenty of potential difference makers for Fantasy go off the board, but it was the second night when things really started getting wild. The first round featured big names, but many of them didn't quite land in spots with a ton of immediate Fantasy intrigue; that was definitely not the case on day two of the draft.

Jonathan Taylor, D'Andre Swift, Cam Akers, Zack Moss, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn all landed in places where they could end up as the stater — or at least prove spoiler to an incumbent's Fantasy appeal. At wide receiver, the second round saw the Bengals, Raiders, Colts, Steelers, Jaguars, and Jets add significant talent, all of whom could wind up starting as rookies, and there were plenty of other intriguing receivers to go off the board.

It's a lot to keep track of, we know. But you'll want to get familiar with every significant rookie and how their selection might change the Fantasy landscape around them, and we've got you covered. We've been live blogging the first three rounds of the draft, and you can scroll down and read thoughts from the whole Fantasy Football Today team from the last two days, plus our thoughts for the final four rounds of the draft Saturday. 

Get a head start on the competition with our coverage of the NFL draft, starting with day two's biggest winners and losers, and then our breakdowns of every player you need to know in one place. And that's just a small part of the CBS Sports coverage of the draft. The third day round begins at noon ET Saturday with live coverage of the draft streaming on CBS Sports HQ, which can also be found at the top of this story. You can also watch it by downloading the CBS Sports app for free on any mobile or connected TV device.

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April 25, 2020, 10:04 PM
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Isaiah Hodgins just landed in Buffalo, and he joins their earlier Day 3 WR Gabriel Davis as two of the "production over everything" crowd's favorite late-round options. Buffalo is now flush with WR talent, and Hodgins will likely have to earn any playing time down the road, but his three-year career at Oregon State was heavy on production, and he has NFL size at 6-4, 210.

April 25, 2020, 9:10 PM
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April 25, 2020, 9:09 PM
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I think that's a pretty solid general interpretation, but I know I need a little more time to parse the depth charts and what my expectations are.

April 25, 2020, 9:08 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 5:08 pm EDT
 
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Am I right in saying this class is extremely long on future potential but with the landing spots and weird offseason looks like it could be disappointing in 2020? I don't have any rookies projected in the top 12 at QB or TE. No top 24 WRs. Only one top 24 RB. Am I just too pessimistic?

 
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Think I'm caught up on projections. Will have my Dynasty top 40 on Monday morning, but first round is shaping up to be pretty RB heavy. Think first 5 picks could be running backs with at least six in the first round. I haven't finalized anything yet but I can say with certainty Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jonathan Taylor will be the top 2. Not quite ready to commit to who is No. 1...or No. 3.

 
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Yeah, I think Alshon, Reagor and Goedert will all play solid roles. There's still that deep role, though, and it should be fairly valuable. Jackson is the front-runner for that, of course. But he hasn't played 16 games since 2013.

April 25, 2020, 8:54 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:54 pm EDT
 
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It's going to be a lot of fun to watch the WR competition in Philadelphia. They've got a lot of shots at finding a No. 2 behind Ertz.

 
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And Quez lands in Philadelphia! They are making sure they aren't left without deep speed if injuries hit this year, but I like Quez over Hightower, and it's a good landing spot despite the late pick. DeSean Jackson and Marquise Goodwin can't be relied on.

April 25, 2020, 8:40 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:40 pm EDT
 
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At the start of today, I mentioned RB Eno Benjamin, WR Isaiah Hodgins, and WR Quez Watkins as three guys I was excited to find out the landing spots for. We're still waiting on all three.

April 25, 2020, 8:34 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:34 pm EDT
 
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Here are the other positions where we're covering each late-round pick:
RB tracker
TE tracker
QB tracker

April 25, 2020, 8:30 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:30 pm EDT
 
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A reason I'm concerned about those speedsters is that skill set is often more beneficial schematically for an offense than it is for generating stats. These guys can keep safeties honest all day, but few look to have paths to enough targets to matter for Fantasy.

April 25, 2020, 8:24 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:24 pm EDT
 
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Our WR tracker is updated with thoughts on all the picks over the past few rounds, but an interesting note is each of the past five are speedsters that ran in the 4.4s or better with limited production profiles. I'm not particularly high on any of them, but Hightower remains the best of the bunch.

One other burner I'd love to see land in a good spot is Quez Watkins from Southern Miss. He was getting some Day 2 buzz, but has fallen here on Day 3. He also has a better college production profile than any of these last five guys who went before him.

April 25, 2020, 8:22 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:22 pm EDT
 
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Dave, the only thing I worry about is how much time Akers gets to win the job. I think he'll do it, but by Week 1? My assumption is Malcolm Brown will open camp a top the depth chart, Henderson second, and Akers third. Wouldn't be surprised if Akers is leading the committee by Week 4, but could be tough by Week 1.

 
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After the Rams drafted Akers and Dolphins traded for Breida who is the top RB to draft for each of those teams?

— Justin Bridgett (@jtbridgett) April 25, 2020

I don't think there will be a "top" running back for Miami. Breida and Jordan Howard will likely split the work based on Chan Gailey's track record. Remember, Miami's head coach and several assistants are from the Bill Belichick coaching tree which means they probably have a permanent dislike for giving one running back a lot of work. I would draft Breida first, but not before the tail end of Round 7, if not Round 8.

L.A. is different. I don't think the Rams spent the Day 2 pick on Akers to have him watch Darrell Henderson play. Henderson will still be given a chance to earn a role for the Rams, maybe even a big one, but Akers has more upside based on his consistency at FSU. Over the past three years the majority of rookie running backs taken in the first three rounds have outperformed the veterans on the roster.

April 25, 2020, 8:12 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:12 pm EDT
 
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But if we're leaving out the obvious (*cough* Shenault the goat *cough*), I don't think that's too crazy.

April 25, 2020, 8:04 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:04 pm EDT
 
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Well, yeah, at least one.

April 25, 2020, 8:03 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:03 pm EDT
 
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That puts Lazard ahead of all the rookies in 2020. Any you'd definitely project higher than him?

 
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That's what I'm talking about!

April 25, 2020, 8:02 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:02 pm EDT
 
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Yeah, I had left some market share open in Green Bay, but at this point I think it's best given to Lazard (and maybe some to Funcchess). New projection has Lazard at 72-961-4.6 on 107 targets. WR34 in PPR.

 
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I agree with Dave about Hightower, and I like him more than Isaiah Coulter or Darnell Mooney when looking at the fifth-round speedsters. Hightower fits in well with the Eagles — though they have two older-but-brittle deep options ahead of him in DeSean Jackson and now Marquise Goodwin.

April 25, 2020, 8:00 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 4:00 pm EDT
 
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Lazard finished his career at Iowa State posting three straight seasons with a Dominator Rating over 30%, which is the percentage of his team's receiving yardage and touchdowns. That's a very good profile, and he's also 6-3, 225, so he has the size. He actually went undrafted back in 2018, but has found his home now.

April 25, 2020, 7:57 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 3:57 pm EDT
 
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I'll throw an answer at that, Ben. Lazard is going to be the guy I target. He was one of these highly-productive Day 3 picks that needed the right fit just a couple of years ago, and he found that late last season. Aaron Rodgers loves him, and he did nothing but produce with the opportunities he got last year. With the Packers not adding much WR help in the Draft, he's immediately one of my biggest late-round WR targets in 2020.

April 25, 2020, 7:54 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 3:54 pm EDT
 
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I'm loving the draft for the Cowboys. Some picks might be for need, but they're really maximizing value with all of their picks.

CeeDee Lamb was a tremendous gift at 17 overall, Trevon Diggs filled a need AND was a good value, Neville Gallimore was a tremendous choice in Round 3, Tyler Biadasz could replace Travis Fredericks at some point at center (both are Wisconsin O-line alums) and Bradlee Anae will at least provide great D-line depth.

Lamb's the only one with Fantasy value -- even with the crowded receiving corps, he should find his way to over 100 targets as a rookie and help as a flex receiver.

Not a bad draft for Jerry Jones. Maybe everyone should draft from a yacht!

April 25, 2020, 7:51 PM
Apr. 25, 2020, 3:51 pm EDT
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