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2020 Mock Draft 1.0

The Final Final

Mock Draft 1.0

2020

*Note: These picks are made based on what I think the teams should pick. This is from what I have been reading and watching from these players highlights and games from last college football season. I also take into consideration what many other NFL Insiders have to say as they have been talking to scouts and team personnel and get a good feel for what each team is thinking. These are my thoughts after compiling results by watching the pre-draft process unfold this year, which can include the combine, player pro days, watching highlights from the previous college football season and even some previous mock drafts from experts in the field such as ESPN and NFL Network. I hope you enjoy.

Some of these picks could change in my Mock Draft 2.0 depending on how free agency plays out and what each team does. For example, if the Chargers sign a veteran QB in free agency that may no longer be a draft need for them.

Here are also some teams that could be, in my opinion, looking to trade up or down in the first round of the NFL draft this season. ** Miami Dolphins (Up), Los Angeles Chargers (Up), Indianapolis Colts (Up), Chicago Bears (Up), San Francisco 49ers (Down), Detroit Lions (Down), Seattle Seahawks (Down), Kansas City Chiefs (Down), New England Patriots (Up or Down) **

Teams without a first-round pick (as of now) in the 2020 NFL Draft due to trading their pick. Pittsburgh Steelers (to the Dolphins in the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade), Chicago Bears (to the Raiders in the Khalil Mack trade two seasons ago), Los Angeles Rams (to the Jaguars in the Jalen Ramsey trade), Houston Texans (to the Dolphins as well, in the Larmey Tunsil trade), Indianapolis Colts (to the 49ers in the trade for Deforest Buckner), Buffalo Bills (to the Vikings in the trade for Stefon Diggs).

 

  1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB – LSU
    • Teams Needs: QB, Pass Rusher, IOL, LB
    • With an absolutely historic college football season last year, Joe Burrow makes this pick pretty easy for anyone creating a mock draft. 60 passing touchdowns last year is just the surface statistic that makes this guy great. 2nd year head coach Zac Taylor will be excited to bring in his own QB to coach and with Burrow at the helm throwing to AJ Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross and Joe Mixon in the, well mix, this offense has some weapons to work with. With last years first round pick offensive tackle Jonah Williams healthy too, this Bengals offense could start to look a lot better. Still a lot of holes on the team, but Burrow is a great start.
  2. Washington Redskins: Chase Young, Pass Rusher – Ohio St.
    • Team Needs: OT, Pass Rusher, CB TE
    • I watched Chase Young beat up on my Wisconsin Badgers, TWICE this past college football season, so when NFL scouts are saying this guy is the surefire real deal, I can agree with them after seeing what he did to the Badgers offensive line, which is considered one of the better ones every year in college football. New head Ron Rivera can hang his hat on having one of the best pass rushing teams in the NFL with Young on one side, last years first round pick Montez Sweat on the other side and the Alabama boys up the middle. That’s going to be a tough group to slow down.
  3. Detroit Lions: Jeffrey Okudah, CB – Ohio St.
    • Team Needs: CB, LB, IOL, S
    • The Lions just recently traded away top cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles and lucky enough for them, they are able to replace him right away with Okudah here from Ohio St. Even if they didn’t trade away Slay this may have been the way to go as their secondary really need some help opposite Slay, but now its going to be Okudah and recently signed Desmond Trufant so Detroit’s secondary could turn into a plus for them.
  4. New York Giants: Mekhi Becton, OT – Louisville
    • Team Needs: OT, LB, Pass Rusher, WR
    • Dave Gettleman has two choices here, I think. Find a defensive leader in Isaiah Simmons to try and help turn their defense around or find an anchor on their offensive line to protect Daniel Jones and create big lanes for Saquon Barkley. My bet is he goes with the big boy up front in Becton who impressed the hell out of everyone at the combine with his athleticism and speed for being 6’7” and over 360 pounds. I think he’ll be able to keep Daniel Jones clean while also creating plenty of space for Barkley to work with.
  5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB – Alabama
    • Team Needs: QB, OT, Pass Rusher, RB
    • This should be the Dolphins guy but the only question is, will he fall to them at the number 5 pick? The Chargers are a team that may be looking ahead of them to grab Tagovailoa as well so they may also have to move up to grab him. Either way Tagovailoa may have been in the discussion for the number 1 overall pick had he not injured his hip this past season. He may be able to sit a year behind Ryan Fitzpatrick as well so this is a good landing spot for Tua as Miami has spent a lot in free agency this offseason to improve all the holes this team has.
  6. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert, QB – Oregon
    • Team Needs: QB, OT, LB, RB
    • The Chargers then end up with Herbert after both Burrow and Tagovailoa are taken ahead of them. Not a bad consolation prize whatsoever. Herbert is a mobile quarterback with a big arm that can learn behind Tyrod Taylor for now (Cam Newton anyone?). The Chargers missed out on Tom Brady in free agency as well so they need to find their quarterback for the future and Herbert fits that mold. He’s got a big arm which is something teams love from these young quarterbacks coming out of college, who can make all the throws but just need a little time to develop.
  7. Carolina Panthers: Isaiah Simmons, LB – Clemson
    • Team Needs: DT, LB, Pass Rusher, CB
    • Luke Kuechly retired unexpectedly this offseason and he leaves a massive hole in the middle of the Panthers defense. They have also lost a lot of players to free agency on their defensive line so this pick could just as easily be Derrick Brown from Auburn. But I think with the versatility that Simmons provides makes him the pick here. He can be their inside linebacker and take Kuechly’s place, he can move back to safety in some occasions on passing downs and can even get after the quarterback if you need him to. Simmons will help stop the bleeding at some of these positions temporarily until they fill them with more playmakers alongside him.
  8. Arizona Cardinals: Tristan Wirfs, OT – Iowa
    • Team Needs: OT, DT, IOL, LB
    • The Cardinals addressed one of their main needs in a big way by trading for Deandre Hopkins and stealing him from the Texans. Now they have to give Kyler Murray time so he can get the ball to Hopkins down the field. Wirfs may potentially be the best offensive lineman in this draft and showing off his athleticism at the combine will show that he can create space for possibly the most active QB in the NFL. This Cardinals offense is going to be scary; I think.
  9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Brown, DT – Auburn
    • Team Needs: DT, CB, WR, S
    • The Jaguars who once had one of the better defenses in the NFL, now have a lot of holes to fill on that side of the ball. Derrick Brown falling past both the Panthers and Cardinals is huge for the Jaguars as they can replace Calais Campbell who they recently just traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Brown is a game wrecker and will be able to slow down the opposing teams running game and will open up lanes for newly acquired linebacker Joe Schobert to make plays as well.
  10. Cleveland Browns: Jedrick Wills, OT – Alabama
    • Team Needs: OT, DT, LB, S
    • The Browns have made big splashes this offseason, (again) but this time a little less flashy in the signings of OT Jack Conklin and TE Austin Hooper. Just because they signed Conklin doesn’t mean their offensive line is set. Adding Jedrick Willis from Alabama really takes care of the two ends of the offensive line for Cleveland who have been looking for a way to replace Joe Thomas since he retired.
  11. New York Jets: CeeDee Lamb, WR – Oklahoma
    • Team Needs: OT, WR, Pass Rusher, CB
    • The Jets have added 3 offensive linemen this offseason so far so I think they can address another big need on offense in wide receiver. Robby Anderson is gone and that leaves Sam Darnold throwing to just Le’Veon Bell, which we saw last year and it wasn’t very effective. Jameison Crowder is the only other reliable receiver on the team and they need to give Darnold a big-time weapon. Lamb is exactly that. His run after the catch ability will be a tremendous help in moving the chains for this Jets offense.
  12. Las Vegas Raiders: Jerry Jeudy, WR – Alabama
    • Team Needs: WR, CB, DT, QB, LB
    • The now Las Vegas Raiders have spent a lot of money this offseason on the inside linebacker position which was a big need for this team and they fill it with Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. Now they need to look to give Derek Carr some weapons on the outside for this offense. They thought they solved that when they traded for Antonio Brown last offseason but we saw how that all went down. Jeudy is quite possibly the best receiver in this draft class and would be the number one option for Derek Carr immediately. He could help round out the offense that already has Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, Tyrell Williams and a good offensive line. Jeudy is prefect for Jon Gruden and the Raiders.
  13. San Francisco 49ers (via Indianapolis Colts): Javon Kinlaw, DT – South Carolina
    • Team Needs: CB, DT, IOL, WR
    • The 49ers get this pick in the Deforest Buckner trade to the Colts. Why not replace Buckner with Kinlaw here on the defensive line and save yourself the $21 million dollar per year contract too. Kinlaw has the potential to wreck a game at any point too and if he’s on the same defensive line as Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead he might be the third player teams plan for, which is dangerous cause he’ll have a chance to make a major impact for this defense which was already good. With this pick the 49ers will have yet again the most dominant defensive front in football.
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Andrew Thomas, OT – Georgia
    • Team Needs: OT, DT, IOL, RB
    • The Buccaneers won the offseason lottery when the signed Tom Brady to the 2-year $50 million dollar deal. Now they are obviously in win now mode and need to make the most of this time. That means giving 43-year-old Tom Brady some protection and time to throw to his new weapons of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Andrew Thomas is a 3-year starter out of Georgia so he can come in and stabilize their right tackle position immediately. The way to utilize and preserve Tom Brady is to make sure he takes as few hits as possible. Thomas is among the best tackles in this draft and can help do just that for the Buccaneers.
  15. Denver Broncos: Henry Ruggs, WR – Alabama
    • Team Needs: WR, CB, OT, LB
    • The Broncos are going to be a much-improved team in 2020 as long as Drew Lock takes a nice step forward in his progression. They added nice pieces on defensive side of the ball in cornerback A.J. Bouye from Jacksonville, Jurrell Casey from the Titans and signed Melvin Gordon to a reasonable contract on offense. Now they can give Lock another weapon on offense and how about the fastest man in this year’s draft, Henry Ruggs? He can take the top off any defense and this gives the Broncos quite the young core offensively in Drew Lock, Courtland Sutton and Henry Ruggs.
  16. Atlanta Falcons: K’Lavon Chaisson, DE – LSU
    • Team Needs: Pass Rusher, CB, DT, IOL
    • I’m sure you’ve seen by now that the Falcons have a first rounder at every position on offense. Now its time to put some capital into the defense and it starts with getting after the quarterback. Look at the quarterbacks in their division now with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater. The best way to limit them is to get them on the ground and Chaisson is explosive off the edge. He’ll be able to use his speed and bend to get after these quarterbacks and help improve this Falcons defense which is exactly what Dan Quinn needs if he wants to keep his job past this upcoming season.
  17. Dallas Cowboys: CJ Henderson, CB – Florida
    • Team Needs: CB, S, DT, TE
    • The Cowboys lost one of the best corners to free agency this offseason in Byron Jones and now they can replace him with one of the best corners in this year’s draft. Henderson fills that void left behind by Jones and hopefully helps stabilize the Cowboys secondary that has been a weakness in years past. They could also look at the interior offensive line as the surprise retirement of former Wisconsin Badger Travis Fredrick who leaves a big hole up the middle on their offensive line.
  18. Miami Dolphins (via Pittsburgh Steelers): A.J. Epenesa, Pass Rusher – Iowa
    • Team Needs: QB, OT, Pass Rusher, RB
    • The Dolphins got their quarterback with their first pick, now they need someone to get after the quarterback on the other side of the ball. Epenesa, out of Iowa, has fallen a little bit since this draft process began. He hasn’t tested as well as some would have hoped at the combine but at one point, he was considered a surefire top 10 pick. He still can get after the quarterback and the Dolphins need to find pieces on both side of the ball in the trenches. Epenesa is a good start on the defensive side for the Dolphins.
  19. Las Vegas Raiders (via Chicago Bears): Kristian Fulton, CB – LSU
    • Team Needs: WR, CB, DT, QB
    • The Raiders got a weapon with their first pick in Jerry Jeudy, now they need a guy who can cover the other teams’ weapons on offense. They signed Eli Apple this offseason but the position could still use a lot of work and that is where Fulton comes in. Fulton is a bigger corner who won’t get bullied by a lot of these big receivers in the NFL and shows a lot of toughness too when he comes up to make tackles. This looks like a really good fit and the type of guy that Mike Mayock wants on his roster.
  20. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams): Trevon Diggs, CB – Alabama
    • Team Needs: DT, S, CB, WR
    • So, we took care of the loss of Calais Campbell with the Jaguars first pick in this draft, now we need to replace the losses of Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. Trevon Diggs is the younger brother of Stefon Diggs, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, so you know he has really good hands when he attacks the ball on defense. He is another one of these big cornerbacks in this draft that gets teams excited because he can matchup with these huge receivers in this league. While Diggs may lack top end speed, he can read the quarterbacks eyes well and can jump in front of a few passes which make him an intriguing prospect for the Jaguars in need for a big-time cornerback after losing two this offseason.
  21. Philadelphia Eagles: Justin Jefferson, WR – LSU
    • Team Needs: WR, CB, LB, S
    • This may be one of the easier picks in this mock draft, and should be an easy pick for the Eagles if Jefferson is available at pick 21. The Eagles have done a fantastic job upgrading their secondary which I thought was their biggest weakness last season by trading for Darius Slay and adding Nickell Roby-Coleman. Now they need to give Carson Wentz some help on offense. Justin Jefferson had a fantastic year with Joe Burrow at LSU last year catching over 110 passes, over 1,500 yards receiving and 18 touchdowns, incredible. He eliminated any doubt that teams had about his speed at the combine and the Eagles would immediately have a new number one receiver if they drafted Jefferson.
  22. Minnesota Vikings (via Buffalo Bills): Jeff Gladney, CB – TCU
    • Team Needs: CB, DT, WR, OT
    • The Vikings got this pick by trading away Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills so they could go with receiver here to replace him, but it’s such a deep draft for receivers that I think they can wait and attend to other holes on their team. They are possibly losing three players in their secondary to free agency such as Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander. They are going to need to start replacing some of those losses and they can start right here with Gladney. Gladney can play both the slot and outside cornerback and he has great quickness which is something Vikings coach Mike Zimmer should like in taking Gladney with his first pick.
  23. New England Patriots: Xavier McKinney, S – Alabama
    • Team Needs: TE, IOL, QB, Pass Rusher
    • I struggle every year making a pick for the New England Patriots. You never know which route Patriots coach Bill Belichick is going to go and there are quite a few holes on this team this offseason and some of them won’t be covered up by Tom Brady anymore. They could go quarterback here but I don’t think Belichick will do that with so many other needs. No tight end is worth it here so I think he tries to bring in a defensive cornerstone in McKinney out of Alabama. McKinney can do more than just play safety and that versatility will come in handy for the Patriots with all the losses they suffered this offseason.
  24. New Orleans Saints: Patrick Queen, LB – LSU
    • Team Needs: IOL, LB, WR, DT
    • With Drew Brees back in the fold they can hold off on the quarterback prospect for at least one more year. They are still in win now mode and one of the few needs on this team is a middle linebacker. Queen can be that off ball linebacker that everyone in the NFL is looking for these days. He is an aggressive run defender but he also has the speed to play in coverage whether that be running backs coming out of the backfield or tight ends on the line of scrimmage. This is the kind of linebacker everyone is looking for these days. Teams need more than just tackles from their middle linebackers. They need coverage skills in this passing league, and Queen fits that bill perfectly.
  25. Minnesota Vikings: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE – Penn St.
    • Team Needs: CB, DT, WR, OT
    • The Vikings could go wide receiver here as well after losing Stefon Diggs but they are also losing one of their best pass rushers in Everson Griffen and Mike Zimmer is a defensive minded head coach so I think pass rusher is the route they well end up taking. Gross-Matos can help replace some of that production lost by Griffen and has high upside on this Vikings defense opposite someone like Danielle Hunter who might command attention away from Gross-Matos, which could help him early on.
  26. Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans): Josh Jones, OT – Houston
    • Team Needs: QB, OT, Pass Rusher, RB
    • The Dolphins third pick in the first round has to go to protecting their new quarterback that they took with their first pick in this draft. Josh Jones is the best tackle left after the top 4 went early in this draft. Jones played left tackle at Houston so he can be the new anchor of this offensive line after trading away Larmey Tunsil last year. His skills that he displays shows the potential that he has to be a really solid left tackle in this league.
  27. Seattle Seahawks: Zach Baun, Pass Rusher – Wisconsin
    • Team Needs: Pass Rusher, OT, DT, S, Pass Rusher
    • As of now the Seahawks have not resigned Jadevon Clowney so they are going to need to find more players to rush the passer in this draft. Baun can do a lot more than just rush the passer though and his versatility will help him get into the first round, I think. Over 12 sacks last year with the Badgers and can cover running backs out of the backfield if needed. Add another Badger to this Seahawks roster, it seemed to work out for them last time.
  28. Baltimore Ravens: Kenneth Murray, LB – Oklahoma
    • Team Needs: LB, Pass Rusher, S, IOL
    • The Ravens somehow got the Jaguars to give them Calais Campbell for only a 5th round pick but they still have one more hole to fill on the defense. They haven’t replaced CJ Mosely who left last offseason for a big payday with the New York Jets. Now they get their replacement and he may be better suited in coverage than Mosely was too. You saw the Ravens get torn apart by Derrick Henry in the AFC divisional game and their 14-2 season come to an abrupt end. Insert Campbell and Murray and their run defense looks a lot more ready for their next encounter with a top tier running back.
  29. Tennessee Titans: Ross Blacklock, IDL – TCU
    • Team Needs: OT, Pass Rusher, DT, RB
    • The Titans had a couple big losses this offseason, most notably OT Jack Conklin to the Browns and DT Jurrell Casey who they traded to the Broncos. If there was a tackle worthy here, I think they would go that route but I think Blacklock is the best prospect available at this point that fits a team need. Blacklock can come in next to last years first round pick Jeffery Simmons, who missed most or all of last year with an injury, and the two of them can wreak havoc on the inside for the Titans defense.
  30. Green Bay Packers: Denzel Mims, WR – Baylor
    • Team Needs: WR, LB, OT, DT
    • The Packers have a couple of key needs that they haven’t yet addressed this offseason, mostly because they are tight with the salary cap but still, there are some holes that haven’t been filled. They lost two inside linebackers to free agency so far, so if either Murray or Queen falls here, I think that is the pick for the Packers considering how deep this receiver class is but since they don’t drop here, why not grab one of the better receivers instead of waiting to see who is left. Mims has quite possibly had the best pre-draft process of anyone this year. He was fantastic at the combine and that forced people to take a second look at his tape. They saw a guy play for a top 10 Baylor team and have 66 receptions, over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns with some tough competition in the Big 12. The 6’3” Mims is a weapon that Aaron Rodgers desperately needs opposite of Davante Adams and could give the Packers some depth at the wide receiver position that they haven’t had the past few seasons.
  31. San Francisco 49ers: AJ Terrell, CB – Clemson
    • Team Needs: CB, DT, IOL, OT
    • The 49ers have so few picks in the draft this year that I think this is a prime spot for them to trade down and acquire more picks this year. I could see a team targeting this spot to get into the first round to draft QB Jordan Love but since I don’t do trades, the 49ers add a cornerback from Clemson in AJ Terrell. Richard Sherman is coming off a huge bounce back season but is a couple days away from turning 32 and they struggled with consistency on the other side of the field. Terrell has really good size and speed and could help stabilize the other corner position. We saw what Patrick Mahomes did in the Super Bowl making some throws downfield against the 49ers secondary.
  32. Kansas City Chiefs: Jaylon Johnson, CB – Utah
    • Team Needs: CB, RB, LB, DT
    • The Chiefs also need help in the secondary as they pieced it together throughout the season and relied heavily on Patrick Mahomes to bail them out and just score more points than the other team. It obviously worked out alright as they ended as Super Bowl Champions, but now they have a chance to upgrade the position and Johnson can start as their number one corner right away. He can even move inside to cover the slot position if needed as well. This is a fantastic pickup for the reigning champs at a position that really needs attention.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my analysis and reasoning behind my first mock draft. Below are some player that I also think teams could target in the first round. Jordan Love is definitely a player I see going in the first round and some team will trade back into the first round near the end to get that 5th-year option that is only available to teams only on players drafted in the first round. That is a major incentive for teams taking quarterbacks in the first round as it gives them an extra year to decide if they have developed enough and are ready to commit to them as their franchise player. The teams near the end of the first round right now don’t need a quarterback right now which is why he isn’t mocked there currently. But I think a quarterback needy team, such as the Colts possibly, will trade back into the first round and grab him for the reason I described above.

Who knows, maybe you’ll see some of these names in my Mock Draft 2.0, which will be released the week of the NFL draft which to this point has not been moved from April 23rd-25th. Thanks for reading!

Other potential first round players

  • Austin Jackson, OT – USC
  • Jordan Love, QB – Utah
  • Tee Higgins, WR – Clemson
  • Laviska Shenault, WR – Colorado
  • Jonathan Taylor, RB – Wisconsin
  • Cesar Ruiz, IOL – Michigan
  • Grant Delpit, S – LSU
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