Jordan Love was in for two surprises during the first round of the NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. The first stunner was his fall during the draft, as he went from a potential top-15 pick to appearing to fall completely out of the first round.
The next surprise? The Green Bay Packers saved his night and took him with the 26th pick in Round 1 — while they were still thriving with Aaron Rodgers.
Quarterbacks Taken Ahead of Jordan Love in 2020
Looking back, the 2020 quarterback class was stacked. There were three quarterbacks who went ahead of the Packers’ 26th overall selection:
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, No. 1 overall
- Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins, No. 5 overall
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers, No. 6 overall
All three teams presented an immediate need for a quarterback that draft night. Burrow and Tagovailoa came to the league with national championship rings in tow. Meanwhile, Herbert had just completed a decorated career at Oregon.
Love, however, was the Group of Five talent who flew up draft boards with his production and upside from his Utah State days. Some NFL evaluators compared his style of play to Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Love consistently showed an ability to create plays amidst the chaos. However, the Aggies’ star witnessed a sudden fall in the draft.
Even the New Orleans Saints, considered a team looking for a potential replacement for Drew Brees, passed on Love at No. 24. Instead, they took Cesar Ruiz to bolster their offensive line.
Why Did Love Fall in the 2020 NFL Draft?
It wasn’t expected that Love would go in the top five, nor the top 10, of the first round. Still, many draft experts were glued to Love’s upside.
Tony Pauline wrote in his Jordan Love Scouting Report for Pro Football Network at the time that Love looked like a franchise quarterback after the 2018 season but took a step back in 2019.
“Love pressed and tried to take too much on his shoulders throughout the 2019 season, which ended up in disaster. Love had a solid week of practice at the Senior Bowl, tested well at the NFL Combine, and comes with great upside, but he will need to be properly coached and developed.”
Even NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah raved about Love’s size, arm strength, and athletic ability before the draft. So why did Love drop so far in Round 1?
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Despite the affinity for his intangibles, some experts saw inefficiencies in Love’s pocket development. Others saw how he tended to panic quickly when pressured — which forced errant throws and poor decisions. That helped explain his eye-grabbing 17 interceptions in his final collegiate season.
Finally, Love’s critics believed that he was a boom-or-bust prospect. Pauline noted that Love was slow to set up in the pocket and did not react well to pressure. Pauline highlighted Love’s poor choices, pointing out that Love put the ball up for grabs on occasion. Pauline wrote that to be successful in the NFL, Love must improve his ball security and inconsistent accuracy.
Since then, though, Love has looked nothing like a prospect with the “boom or bust” label.
Jordan Love’s College Accomplishments
Love was a three-year starter who earned Second-Team All-Mountain West honors in 2018. As a sophomore, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 3,567 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
As a junior, he was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West and completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,402 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.