The NFL season is nearing its end, and some football fans are already looking towards 2020. There are currently 12 NFL teams that are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and have now set their sights on the draft. This year’s draft is one that is promising to be quite spectacular with talent up and down the draft boards. In our first 2020 NFL Mock Draft, we will look at where Alabama quarterback Tua Tagoviola might fall after his injury and if Ohio State defensive end Chase Young will go first overall. Will a potential National Championship win for Joe Burrow cause his draft stock to skyrocket? With the current NFL draft order, here is a look at who each team will take to try to make a playoff push in 2020.
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1- Cincinnatti Bengals, DE Chase Young, Ohio State
At the end of the day, even if this is quarterback-driven league, the Cincinnati Bengals will surprise many and take superstar Chase Young. Young has dominated the Big-10 and in 2019 his stat line is impressive. He has16.5 sacks, 38 total tackles, and seven forced fumbles. At the end of the day, Cincinnati will look ahead to the future. Next year, Trevor Lawrence will be available, so why not grab an otherworldly, utterly dominant defensive end and worry about a quarterback later?
2- New York Giants, CB Jeff Okudah, Ohio State
The New York Giants have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL but that won’t be the case in 2020. For the first time in NFL Draft history, two Ohio State players will be drafted first and second overall. Okudah is the best cornerback in college football and will make an immediate impact for the Giants. His 2019 season stats are strong with six passes defended, three INTs, 25 total tackles.
3- Washington Redskins, OT Andrew Thomas, Georgia
Dwayne Haskins first season in the NFL has not been an incredible success. He has had very little help with his offensive line and has struggled because of it. The Redskins and Trent Williams will surely be heading for a divorce. Andrew Thomas will be the perfect replacement to help keep Haskins on his feet.
4- Miami Dolphins, QB Tua Tagoviola, Alabama
The 2020 NFL Draft will be the draft of the Miami Dolphins. With three picks in the first round and a number of others in the rest, this team will look completely different next year. Miami will be aiming to grab their franchise quarterback, and Tua has always been their guy. The injury will likely cause Tua to fall in the draft, but the Dolphins know who they want. Tua has been considered as the best QB prospect of our generation and even with his injury, his arm has not been impacted. He has one of the best arm talents in college football and is accurate with his passes. Fox Sports said it best:
“Tagovailoa was a 5-star recruit who everyone wanted, and then delivered in the title game vs. Georgia as a true freshman, followed by two monster seasons. Burrow was a 3-star recruit who could never win the starting job at Ohio State, has put together a dazzling 15-game stretch at LSU, and turns 23 next week. He’s probably not a 1-year wonder, but it’s a question NFL front offices will have to get their arms around.”
5- Atlanta Falcons, DT Derrick Brown, Auburn
Grady Jarrett has already made his impact with this Falcons team, pairing him with Derrick Brown on the line would be terrifying. In 2019, his season stats include fours sacks, 49 total tackles, and two forced fumbles. The Falcons offense has all kinds of talent, but they have struggled on defense the past two years. Brown will help.
6- Detroit Lions, Edge A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
The Detroit Lions performed slightly better than expected this year, but it is unlikely that Matt Patricia will still be their head coach next season. If he is still around, he will need to find a way to help his defense create pressure. Epenesa is an impressive pass rusher, and he will help this team defensively.
7- Arizona Cardinals, WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
With the likely retirement of Larry Fitzgerald after this season, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals will be looking for a new number one wide receiver. Jerry Jeudy will take that role and run with it. With Alabama this season he had 71 receptions, 959 receiving yards, nine receiving TDs. His explosiveness will help propel this quick Cardinal offense. They will still need to work on their defense, but that will come later in the draft.
8- Jacksonville Jaguars, DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
Javon Kinlaw is an athletic marvel, who will bolster the Jaguars front-seven. It is likely that this team will have a whole new coaching staff in 2020, and they have holes all over their roster. With a top-10 pick, Kinlaw is the best piece to help them as soon as possible.
9- New York Jets, OT Austin Jackson, USC
The New York Jets already have their franchise QB in place with Sam Darnold. They made the big offseason move to bring in Le’Veon Bell at RB. Unfortunately, with a terrible offensive line, neither of those guys are playing to their potential. Grabbing Austin Jackson at number nine is a steal considering how tough it is to find o-line talent. Jackson is talented, quick and agile at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds. He is a rare specimen.
10- Los Angeles Chargers, QB Joe Burrow, LSU
In an ideal situation for the Chargers, LSU and potential National Champion Joe Burrow falls to them at 10. It seems that Philip Rivers might be nearing the end of his storied career and the Chargers need to think of a replacement. Bringing in Tyrod Taylor might help bridge the gap, but Burrow is the future for the team. With the weapons they have on offense and defense, Burrow could make an immediate impact. Having Burrow on a rookie deal would alleviate some cap space issues, and allow the team to set this young QB up for success.
11- Denver Broncos, QB Justin Herbert, Oregon
With as good as Drew Lock has looked the last two weeks, this selection might completely change. Lock has been impressive, but I doubt that John Elway can turn a blind eye at another talented QB in Justin Herbert. Joe Flacco will likely retire or get traded, and we will have a legitimate QB competition between Lock and Herbert.
12- Philidelphia Eagles, WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
CeeDee Lamb is the best wide receiver in this draft in my opinion. The Eagles will luck out being able to get him outside of the top-10. The Eagles have been the victim of sad offensive performance this year, with a clear lack of talent outside of the tight end position. Pairing Lamb with Carson Wentz will revitalise the offense.
13- Tamba Bay Buccaneers, CB C.J. Henderson, Florida
The two things that the Buccaneers have been able to do this year is stop the run and score points. Bringing in C.J. Henderson will add another level to their defense. Being able to stop the pass would definitely help them even more. He’s tough and would be a first-team All-American if not for missing two games due to injury.
14- Carolina Panthers, Safety Grant Delpit, LSU
There are going to be a number of LSU players that will receive a bump from their performance over the last few weeks. They are heading into the college football playoffs as the number one ranked team in the nation. Grant Delpit looked like a lock as a top-ten selection in the 2020 draft early on this year. It has to work on some technique but will fill a whole for this Panthers team.
15- Cleveland Browns, LB/Safety Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
It has been a disappointing year for the Cleveland Browns, to say the least. The team came into the season with Super Bowl aspirations but now ill be lucky if they make the playoffs. Baker Mayfield has had a tough time building chemistry with newly acquired Odell Beckham Jr. and the defense hasn’t performed at the level we saw last year. Enter Isaiah Simmons. He is a flexible, versatile safety/linebacker who will reak havoc when on the field. They would be lucky to grab him at 15, he is a top-10 talent in my eyes.
16- Oakland Raiders, DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State
The one thing that we know Jon Gruden loves is big, strong, hardworking, between the tackles players. That is exactly who Marvin Wilson is. He will fit in well with Gruden in Las Vegas!
17- Indianapolis Colts, WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
Once again this year, T.Y. Hilton missed most of the season. With the retirement of Andrew Luck and the franchise seemingly putting the keys in Jacoby Brissett’s hands, they will need to get him some more weapons. Laviska Shenault is a WR that flies a little bit under the radar because he plays for Colorado, but he is incredibly talented. Shenault led the country in receptions in 2018 with 86, but defenses focused on him much more in 2019, and he didn’t have a touchdown in four games vs. ranked teams. I expect him to impress at the combine and potentially even climb into the top-10.
18- Oakland Raiders (via Chicago Bears), WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
The Raiders found a gem in tight end Darren Waller, but they will need another one to solidify their passing attack. With the big-name QBs taken earlier in the draft, I don’t see Gruden grabbing a QB here. Even if they want to move on from Derek Carr, it won’t be with this pick. Adding Ruggs on the outside with Josh Jacobs running the ball, and this offense could start to scare some teams.
19- Tennesse Titans, OL Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
Well, it looks like the Titans may finally be figuring out something on the offensive side of the ball. With Marcus Mariota finally riding the bench, Ryan Tannehill has stepped in and given them a much needed offensive boost. Grabbing offensive line help will only make this offense better in 2020. With the fundamentals in place, the Titans can now worry about protecting their potentially new franchise QB.
20- Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams), DE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
The Jaguars will continue to add to their defense with their second first-round pick in this draft. Yetur Gross-Matos will be an ideal fit for the Jaguars and will strengthen a suddenly struggling defense.
21- Dallas Cowboys, Cornerback Trevon Diggs, Alabama
The Dallas Cowboys are going to be in some serious trouble in the offseason. They have a number of questions that need to be answered, the most important is what to do with Dak Prescott and the end of his contract. Will they franchise tag him or extend him to a long term deal? Either way, they will be in trouble with their cap situation. They will likely be moving on from Byron Jones at the end of the year, and Diggs will step in to replace him nicely. This past season he’s had eight passes defended, three INTs, and two fumbles recovered.
22- Miami Dolphins, Cornerback Kristian Fulton, LSU
Miami gets their franchise quarterback at the beginning of the draft and will look to fill some holes elsewhere. The Dolphins current roster contains 42% undrafted players. They have done well for them so far, especially undrafted WR Preston Williams, but they will need to start adding some talent elsewhere. Like I had mentioned earlier, there are going to be a number of LSU players that will receive a bump from their playoff run. Kristian Fulton will be one of them. Fulton has some issues dating back to 2017, but his tape in the Alabama game proved he can hang with the elite receivers. He is what this defense needs if they are going to be able to contend eventually.
23- Minnesota Vikings, CB Paulson Abedo, Stanford
Xavier Rhodes’ play has not been great this past year, he is clearly on the decline. Trae Waynes will likely be heading to the free-agent market and Paulson Abedo will step in nicely. Adebo is a long, physical corner who has come on strong since not playing as a freshman.
24- Kansas City Chiefs, LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
The Kansas City Chiefs need help at the linebacker position and lucky enough for them a very good one will slide to them at 24. Murray is an absolute force and will help the Chiefs with their terrible run defense. They will still need help in the secondary but this is a good start.
25- Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans), OT Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
The Dolphins will continue to bolster their team with offensive line help. Grabbing Tua was important but now they need to keep him upright. Tristan Wirfs is one of the best offensive tackles available in 2020. The Dolphins have had one of the lowest-rated offensive lines for much of the season. Wirfs will be an immediate impact player.
26- Buffalo Bills, Edge K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU
A lot of people didn’t have Chaisson going in the first round. But as I mentioned, LSU players will receive a bump in my opinion. The Bills are going to need help, they will likely be losing a number of key pieces including Shaq Lawson and Lorenzo Alexander. They will require help with the pass rush and K’Lavon Chaisson is an elite player. He will fit in well with this dominant Bills defense.
27- Green Bay Packers, LB Dylan Moses, Alabama
The Green Bay Packers need help with their run defense. They are ranked 28th in the NFL right now and they need to bring someone in to make sure the defense can perform at the same level as their offense. Dylan Moses was a top-10 pick but unfortunately was injured and missed all of 2019. He will help on the inside and hopefully get this defense back to what it was at the beginning of the season.
28- New Orleans Saints, WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
The New Orleans Saints are surely to be in the market for QB one of these years. But, with the performance Teddy Bridgewater gave when Drew Brees was injured, it likely won’t be this year. Instead, they will add another big-bodied WR to Brees’ bevvy of weapons. DeVonta Smith alongside Micheal Thomas is a scary thought.
29- New England Patriots, OT Alaric Jackson, Iowa
The New England Patriots are in need of a multitude of help in a number of positions. It has been obvious that they need to find a tight end as soon as possible, but I doubt they reach for one in the first round. Instead, they will get Alaric Jackson. A strong offensive tackle who will help strengthen their o-line. Tom Brady will be 43, and they need to protect their hall of fame QB as much as possible.
30- San Francisco 49ers, WR KJ Hamler, Penn State
San Francisco 49ers will get a steal with KJ Hamler near the end of the first round. Dante Pettis has been heading towards the bust pile, and Hamler will be a very good replacement. He is a very fast, downfield receiver and will pair well with Emmanuel Sanders.
31- Baltimore Ravens, CB Bryce Hall, Virginia
Since bringing in Marcus Peters, this Ravens defense has been nothing less than elite. He is a free agent after this season and so is Jimmy Smith. Bryce Hall will be a good way to alleviate some of the holes these players could leave.
32- Seattle Seahawks, OT Lucas Niang, TCU
The Seahawks will be losing some key offensive line talent at the end of this season. When Lucas Niang stays healthy, he can be one of the best right tackle talents in football.
