NFL Teams That Should Not Try to Select Their Future QB in the 2020 Draft

Quarterback might be football's most important position—but quarterback shouldn't be the pick for most teams in the 2020 NFL draft. 

This class features talented early-round passers, starting at the top with Joe Burrow and working through the high-upside, albeit risky options like Tua Tagovailoa, and safer prospects like Justin Herbert. 

But that's not a long list, and that group will arrive after free agency saw several teams get new franchise passers. Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay. Philip Rivers filled the void in Indianapolis. And not only did the Carolina Panthers ink Teddy Bridgewater, but the team's former starter, Cam Newton, also remains on the open market. 

Only a handful of teams in the first half of Round 1 should draft a signal-caller when the virtual draft kicks off Thursday. Others linked to such an idea have more pressing needs, already have options at the position or don't sit in a good value range to get one of the top three—and if they're picking in the top half of the first round, they likely already understand how damaging missing at quarterback can be. 

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General speculation says the Washington Redskins could always go after another franchise passer this offseason, as their regime change features head coach Ron Rivera. 

A year ago, Jay Gruden and Co. used the No. 15 pick on Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins. Gruden didn't start him right away and got fired during the season, and while Haskins improved down the stretch, he settled on a 58.6 completion percentage with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

Washington sits at No. 2 overall and in a prime position to land one of Herbert or Tagovailoa. 

Or...the best player at any other position. 

The Redskins shouldn't throw in the towel on Haskins. He didn't get a fair shot last year during a chaotic transitional time for the team, and he still boasts plenty of upside. The front office can take edge-rusher Chase Young, adding to a formidable front seven that already features Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat, another first-round pick from last season. 

Taking a quarterback of Rivera's choice wouldn't move the needle, especially since a competition in what could be a delayed offseason wouldn't tell the team much. And as Arizona showed with Josh Rosen, the trade market won't bowl them over.

After the Super Bowl, February was a boring month for the NFL—to the point speculation about whether the Detroit Lions would move on from Matthew Stafford popped up. 

And the obvious counter to this was...simple logic. 

Stafford might have a cap hit of $21.3 million in 2020 and be under contract for three more seasons. But that's about the biggest charge one can throw at him. Otherwise, he's only 32 years old. He missed eight games last year, but it was the first time he had missed a contest since 2010. 

Even over eight games, Stafford completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. We're talking about a guy who hasn't thrown more than 13 picks in a year since 2013. He's also put up 28 fourth-quarter comebacks and 34 game-winning drives during an underrated career. 

Detroit, sitting third in the draft order, would be foolish to waste such a valuable selection on a quarterback this year unless Burrow inexplicably falls. Stafford could have five or more quality seasons left, so the focus should be on squeezing the most out of those—not prematurely forcing the onset of a new era by overreacting to one year. 

The Carolina Panthers have had enough upheaval at quarterback this offseason. 

Why make things more complicated? 

The Matt Rhule makeover is in full effect, with Newton a free agent and Bridgewater coming over from the New Orleans Saints. 

Bridgewater, a 2014 first-rounder, showed over a few years in Minnesota he can be a franchise passer. He flashed hints of it again in New Orleans, especially last year in ideal circumstances while he drummed up five wins in place of an injured Drew Brees. 

The Panthers clearly believe they can create a similar environment for the 27-year-old. They extended MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey's contract and brought on offensive coordinator Joe Brady after his amazing success with Burrow at LSU. 

Still, some are speculating the Panthers could and should draft a QB anyway. 

Carolina, at pick No. 7, might be out of range for a top-three passer. And if one were to fall, it wouldn't make a ton of sense to spoil the Bridgewater signing by throwing Tagovailoa or Herbert behind him and fueling a QB controversy every time something goes wrong. 

A top-10 pick needs to go toward supporting a player the franchise just invested $63 million over three years in, not muddying the start of a new era and ignoring the rest of the roster.      

The Jacksonville Jaguars freed themselves of the failed $88 million Nick Foles experiment, and they head into the 2020 season with Gardner Minshew II as their starter. 

Nothing should change that.

The Jaguars hold the ninth pick, which isn't close enough to land one of the draft's top three passers, and moving up (they also have No. 20), given the state of the rebuild, wouldn't be worth it. If one of Tagovailoa or Herbert were to fall, there isn't enough evidence to suggest the Jaguars would pull the trigger anyway. 

Jacksonville sat mostly quiet on one of the most talented free-agent quarterback classes ever. That speaks well for the 23-year-old Minshew, who completed 60.6 percent of his passes over 14 games, with 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions. 

If the Jaguars were intent on giving Minshew competition, one would think they would have pursued Newton or made inquiries with the Cincinnati Bengals about Andy Dalton—especially considering Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden helped bring Dalton into the league and helped produce some of his best seasons. 

The Jaguars seem to have the long game in mind, hence trading names like Calais Campbell. Going into a potentially shortened summer because of the coronavirus pandemic, the staff might be most comfortable with Minshew and his year of experience in the system. He deserves at least one full season amid a rebuild before the Jaguars go top-10 quarterback hunting again.     

With Jon Gruden leading the charge, the Las Vegas Raiders have a well-earned reputation as a team always on the hunt for big moves. 

But when it comes to quarterback, the Raiders need to be conservative. 

They already have a franchise passer in Derek Carr—never mind his five-year, $125 million contract that still has three years left on it. Even if the Raiders wanted out, it would come at great financial cost, and several teams might throw out offers, which should tell the front office he's worth it. 

Vegas has enough ammo (pick Nos. 12 and 19) to move up and get a non-Burrow quarterback. But doing so would disarm a franchise that still needs to fill several notable holes. That includes wideout, which coaches have admitted needs an upgrade. 

If the Raiders hadn't signed Marcus Mariota, maybe plucking a falling Tagovailoa or Herbert on draft day would make some sense. Maybe it'd be easier to justify grossly overreaching on Jordan Love. But Gruden has been an unabashed fan of Mariota for a long time. 

Adding a third QB when a 26-year-old No. 2 overall pick is ready to take over if necessary doesn't make sense. Mariota, by the way, is still a career 62.9 percent passer with a playoff win on his resume and was consistently held back by injuries and coaching changes in Tennessee. 

Simply put, Vegas, a team with a penchant for big moves, has resorted to risks such as Antonio Brown and Vontaze Burfict to fix big issues. If Gruden and Co. thought quarterback was as bad, a big move would've happened, especially considering this offseason's free-agent market.

Now equipped with a Carr alternative, the Raiders can flesh out the rest of the roster with premium picks.