| Peter King is hopeful:
In the last 10 days, I have not heard a coach or GM, even off the record while gathering informational chum for my mock, complain about the inconvenience of drafting alone and from home. Veach shares his home with a wife, four kids and two Australian shepherds, and it might get loud sometime during the draft. “Eliminating the fighting and eliminating the dog-barking—I think those will be the biggest challenges,” he said the other day.
Sound familiar, work-from-home America?
Four or five coaches or team officials told me they considered themselves lucky to have a job today. That’s the right attitude to have, and the league would be wise this week to operate this draft humbly and with verve and some good humor, and to be a beacon for a wounded country. And the way this draft will be run, with hosts and reporters and players and coaches and GMs all virtual spokes to a studio wheel, should show that if this is the new normal, well, fine. Let’s get on with it.
“I believe,” commissioner Roger Goodell told me Saturday, “that this draft in particular is about hope. It restores hope for every fan, for every club, for the teams itself in the sense of, We have new players coming in. We have new hope. This can turn us around. This can be the answer to get us to the Super Bowl. Those things I think are really critical in our game, but beyond that I really believe that football does a great job of bringing communities back together again, and giving them a diversion at a time when people are really looking for something positive and looking toward the future, and looking to be inspired.”
– – –
Even as we talk about the top three WRs – CEEDEE LAMB, JERRY JEUDY and HENRY RUGGS III – Peter King points out the recent history favors the 2nd rounders:
In the past four drafts, teams have picked 11 wide receivers in the first round and 19 in the second round. The production of the second-round picks, clearly and without ambiguity, has been superior to the first-rounders. I totaled the 30 combined seasons of the first-round receivers and plotted the average season, and then did the same with the 40 combined seasons of second-round wideouts. The numbers:
Average season of 1st-round WRs, 2016-19: 32.8 receptions, 450.1 yards, 13.7 yards per catch
Average season of 2nd-round WRs, 2016-19: 52.8 receptions, 681.8 yards, 12.9 yards per catch
I have a theory about why the lesser picks have been better.
My personal ranking of the top five receivers of the 30 picked in the first or second round since 2016: Michael Thomas, A.J. Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, D.J. Moore, Courtland Sutton/Deebo Samuel (tie). Five of the top six: second-rounders.
This would give me pause in maybe the deepest draft in NFL history for receivers. Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta says you can get starting receivers through the first five rounds; Mel Kiper says it’s probably the deepest wideout class ever, and he has 33 receivers with grades in the first four rounds. So should wideout-needy teams like the Jets or Raiders stock up early . . . or wait for a Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman or K.J. Hamler in round two or early three? At the very least, the caution flag should be up. The last time NFL teams picked three receivers in the top 20—as is the forecast this year—the receivers were Corey Davis, Mike Williams and John Ross, picked 5-7-9 in 2017. None is a star. None is close.
Let’s look at what three teams have done in recent drafts. The Saints don’t need burners, particularly now that Drew Brees is more of an underneath and intermediate thrower; they like their receivers to be ultra-competitive and great after the catch. All of that defines Michael Thomas, whose 4.55 40-yard dash didn’t turn off the Saints, but allowed him to last till midway through round two in 2016. Thomas consistently turns 50-50 balls into 70-30 balls in his favor. The Niners value speed, hands and run-after-catch ability; they tried with Dante Pettis, who’s been just okay. But Deebo Samuel is perfect, and helps in the jet-sweep game too. The Super Bowl showed that. The Chiefs, with Tyreek Hill’s availability up in the air a year, reached for Mecole Hardman (60 catches in three Georgia seasons) in the second round last year because of his 4.33 speed. He’s a Swiss Army Knife offensive threat for them, as is Hill.
Successful teams often eschew star wideouts with more complete games for trait receivers able to be had in the second and third (Terry McLaurin, 2019) rounds. In in the last four years, it’s paid off handsomely. Lamb, Jeudy and Ruggs will try to break the mold this week. I’m skeptical.
– – –
The tender offer deadline passed – and no one received an offer. Mike Triplett ofESPN.com:
No NFL restricted free agents signed offer sheets with other teams before Friday’s deadline, which means players such as New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt and San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida won’t be switching teams.
Breida signed his one-year, $3.259 million tender with the 49ers on Thursday, and Hunt plans to do the same with the Browns, according to multiple sources.
Hill has not yet signed his one-year, $4.641 million tender with the Saints. But he can no longer negotiate with other teams now. And if he doesn’t sign his tender or a long-term extension by June 15, the Saints will have the right to lower their qualifying offer.
Hill’s offer is higher because he was the only restricted free agent this year to receive a first-round tender — which means teams would have had to give the Saints a first-round draft pick to sign him away. Hunt and Breida received second-round tenders. |
| NFC SOUTH |
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CAROLINA
Peter King points out why RB CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY deserved his money:
I think for those who think the Panthers’ signing of Christian McCaffrey to the highest per-season average contract in NFL history for running backs is profligate and unwise:
• McCaffrey is 23 years old. He signed for $16 million a year in new money; Le’Veon Bell signed for $13-million a year in new money at age 27.
• He is the unquestioned face of the franchise, and will be at least till the Panthers get their long-term quarterback. (We don’t know if that’s Teddy Bridgewater yet.)
• McCaffrey will be 29 when the contract expires. That is when the question should be asked about whether to pay a running back, not now.
• McCaffrey has missed zero games of Carolina’s 49 since being drafted, and averaged 113.5 scrimmage yards per game. As a contrast, Le’Veon Bell missed 21 games in his five Pittsburgh seasons. Bell’s average yards per game: 120.0. |
| AFC WEST |
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KANSAS CITY
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks the Chiefs should make a run at Duval RB LEONARD FOURNETTE. See JACKSONVILLE for more. |
| AFC SOUTH |
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JACKSONVILLE
When the last known player in Jacksonville turn out the lights when they leave? RB LEONARD FOURNETTE (not the best use of the 4th overall pick in 2018) is among those wanting out of Duval. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com points out all his positives in this apparently agent-fed scoop:
The Jacksonville Jaguars have had trade discussions with other teams about running back Leonard Fournette, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday.
The Jaguars have until May 4 to exercise their fifth-year option on Fournette, who is scheduled to make $4.16 million in base salary in 2020.
Fournette ran for a career-high 1,152 yards and caught a team-high 76 passes last season while scoring only three touchdowns. His 1,674 yards from scrimmage ranked sixth in the NFL in 2019.
After missing 11 games in his first two campaigns, Fournette proved last season he could stay on the field, missing only Week 17 because of an illness.
Earlier this week, Fournette said on social media that he wanted the Jaguars to sign free-agent quarterback Cam Newton.
After questions about his work ethic, commitment and maturity following his first two seasons with the Jaguars, Fournette showed signs last season that he had matured. He worked out in the offseason with a strength coach, and he reported to training camp in good shape and didn’t miss a practice.
When he wasn’t on the field during the preseason, he wore a headset at his request so he could hear offensive coordinator John DeFilippo’s playcalls.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks he might be worth it to the Chiefs on a flyer:
The Jaguars are indeed looking to trade running back Leonard Fournette, PFT has confirmed. So will the Jaguars find someone to take Fournette, the fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft (a/k/a the guy taken four spots before Christian McCaffrey, six before Patrick Mahomes, and seven before Deshaun Watson), off their hands?
Fournette’s $4.1 million salary for 2020 represents roughly half the average amount that the Broncos are paying Melvin Gordon on a multi-year deal, and less than 50 percent of the one-year, $8.48 million that the Cardinals will pay Kenyan Drake for one season. But what would a team give the Jaguars for one year with Fournette, along with the ability to pick up a fifth-year option (before May 3) at $8.48 million for 2021?
Fournette had a solid third season, with 1,152 rushing yards and 522 receiving yards. But he is and has always been, as one source with knowledge of the dynamics put it, a “pain in the ass.”
In fairness to Fournette, plenty of great players are pains in the ass. (Plenty of non-great players also, pains in the ass.) The challenge becomes having the coaching and the player leadership that will influence the player to not be a pain in the ass.
So which team(s) need a downhill, between-the-tackles runner who can make real contributions in the passing game, and who would set aside any pain-in-the-ass tendencies based on the team and coach he plays for, and the teammates he plays with?
This one is simple: The Chiefs.
Although Damien Williams had a solid season in Kansas City, the Chiefs lack the kind of threat at running back that would give their offense true balance. Really, given the presence of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins, the Chiefs should have more than 1,569 rushing yards as a team, and a leading rusher with more than 498. (Mahomes had 218.)
Last year, the Chiefs paid LeSean McCoy $3 million, after the Bills made him a surprise cut on Labor Day weekend. As the season progressed, McCoy fell out of favor, to the point where he didn’t even dress in the Super Bowl. Fournette, with much more tread on the tires and only $1.1 million more in salary for 2020, would make a ton of sense — especially given the potential influence of coach Andy Reid, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu, like Fournette, played at LSU. They grew up in the same New Orleans neighborhood. If any teammate is ever going to get Fournette pointed in the right direction, it’s going to be Mathieu.
Other potential options for Fournette that would have the potential ingredients to maximize his skills and minimize his potential disruptions would be the Steelers (who have struggled to replace Le’Veon Bell), the Eagles (despite Miles Sanders‘ aspirations to be another Christian McCaffrey), the Rams (who desperately need a post-Todd Gurley workhorse), the Buccaneers (#Tommy), and the Seahawks (who possibly would get in on the Fournette bidding just to keep him from the Rams).
Some of you also may be thinking about the Saints, given that Fournette could become the better-than-Latavius-Murray complement to Alvin Kamara. The Saints, however, owe Murray $3.2 million in guaranteed pay for 2020. So unless the Saints would be able to find a trade partner for Murray, they likely wouldn’t jump into the fray for Fournette.
Regardless, $4.1 million for a guy who generated 1,674 yards from scrimmage for a team with a work-in-progress passing game should result in plenty interest — and the Chiefs given their current tailback situation should be among the most interested.
Peter King seems to be carrying a message from the agent of QB JOSH ROSEN (who appears to be Drew Rosenhaus):
I think if I were Jacksonville, I’d offer my fourth-round pick, 116 overall, to Miami to send Josh Rosen up I-95 to be a Gardner Minshew safety net. Two reasons: As the Washington head coach last year, Jay Gruden was bullish on acquiring Rosen from Arizona; Gruden’s the offensive coordinator for the Jags now. And no matter how confident the Jags are in Minshew, they certainly can’t be positive that he’s the long-term solution at quarterback. There’s no good reason why Jacksonville shouldn’t spend a minimal amount on an insurance policy who’s never had the kind of chance the 10th pick in the draft should have had.
A 10th pick in the draft that two teams have essentially discarded. |
| AFC EAST |
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NEW ENGLAND
The Patriots have announced that their new primary home uniform will be their blue-over-blue color rush uniforms with a few tweaks. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
The Patriots are the latest team to unveil new uniforms for the 2020 season and their primary home look is a familiar one.
The Patriots introduced blue-on-blue uniforms as their Color Rush alternate jersey several years ago and they have now adopted them as their home uniform. There are tweaks to fonts for numbers and names, but the overall look is otherwise the same one that we’ve seen in recent years.
In addition to that change, the Patriots also unveiled a new road uniform that takes its cues from the home one. They will wear the same blue pants with a white jersey that has red and blue stripes on the shoulder that connect it to the red and white ones on the home jersey.
“As we started to think about the 2020 season and a new decade, we began to envision what we wanted our uniforms to reflect,” Kraft Sports and Entertainment CMO Jen Ferron said in a statement. “The success of the ‘Color Rush’ uniform that we’ve worn for the past couple of years had us thinking that we didn’t need to make real substantive changes, rather we could make modest changes to our home uniform and then use a complementary version with those same aesthetics for our away uniform.”
The Patriots’ announcement also suggested the team could bring back red throwback jerseys in the future if the league allows for a second helmet to be used during the season. If that’s the case, they’d bring back the “Pat Patriot” look for an alternate helmet.
The Patriots are 6-1 in the Color Rush uniform to date. |
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NEW YORK JETS
Peter King on S JAMAL ADAMS:
I think I get the sense Jamal Adams does want to leave the Jets, and his long-term future will be ugly and drawn-out, unless the Jets quickly really overpay him. It’s just another reason why first-year GM Joe Douglas deserved the six-year contract he got from the organization. He’s used to working in places where players are eager to play, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The Jets might become one of those places, but they’ve got to win some games first. |
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THIS AND THAT |
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PROSPECT PROFILE
We admit that we are doing these two players today because we are curious about their names.
WR BRANDON AIYUK
Aiyuk was born in Rocklin, California (northeast of Sacramento) and went to high school in Reno, Nevada (McQueen High School). After a stint at Sierra College in Rocklin, he ended up at Arizona State – so he played two seasons at each school.
His last name is pronounced “EYE-yook.” He is a cousin of an upcoming running back prospect, Daniyel Ngata who apparently grew up with Aiyuk in Reno before going to high school in Folsom, California. The No.2 all-purpose back in the country in this year’s class, Ngata has signed with Arizona State.
There isn’t much background on Aiyuk, regarding his family or background, although we note that former Ravens player Haloti Ngata was of Tongan heritage.
Aiyuk was a two-way player in high school and most of his Division 1 offers were to play defensive back. He preferred to play offense, so that is said to be the reason he went to Sierra College. It also appears that he was not academically gifted.
Arizona State recruited him as a receiver, and landed him just before Alabama tried to swoop in and take him. He had okay numbers in 2018, then 65 catches, 1,192 yards and 8 TDs in 2019. He thinks his game is similar to Odell Beckham, Jr., but his status may have taken a hit at the combine when he was measured at 5-11, two inches shy of his listed 6-1.
DE YETUR GROSS-MATOS
Yetur (yee-tore) Gross-Matos was born in Spotsylvania, Virginia and went to high school at Chancellor High School in nearby Fredricksburg.
To get to where he is today, Yetur survived two tragedies. When he was two, he fell of a boat and was drowning and his biological father, Michael Gross, leaped in to save him – and in the process lost his own life.
Then, when he was 11, he was on a Little League baseball field when lightning struck – and killed his brother Chelal, who was two years older and his inseparable companion.
Robert Matos, who married his mother Sakinah, is a powerful male role model. Matos adopted Sakinah’s three kids with the marriage. “He’s my dad. I’ve never known him as anything else,” Yetur says of Robert Matos.
Here is a sketch of Gross-Matos as a player by a Nashville website that thinks he’d be a good fit for the Titans:
Coincidentally, there is an edge defender in the 2020 NFL Draft class that excels in stopping the running game altogether while also having some impressive physical traits to build on.
That prospect is Yetur Gross-Matos from Penn State University.
His abilities can be a very useful tool in a team’s toolbox. Gross-Matos’ talent doesn’t stop in his defense against the run, either.
He accumulated 9.5 sacks in his 2019 campaign, including 2 against a stellar Ohio State offensive line with multiple draft prospects along it.
His impressive quickness and ridiculous length allows him to penetrate gaps extremely well, no matter the size of the offensive lineman he is up against. People cannot question Gross-Matos’ competitiveness. His effort shines through on every single play.
Gross-Matos’, as a tackler, is best described as a mauler. His nearly-35 inch arms (92nd percentile in the draft class for edge defenders according to mockdraftable.com) allow him to make up sizable distances between himself and any ball carrier.
Speaking of his combine numbers, he also reigns very impressive jumps, a 34” vertical and a 120” broad. These point to the power in his lower body that allows him to bend around offensive tackles as well as tight ends. He performed well in the agility testing, and it certainly shows in his film.
Gross Matos’ ceiling has not been reached yet, as he still needs to develop some counters in the pass rush. He also can become more polished on the mental side of play-processing. His explosive plays are eye-popping, but there are a few plays in most of his games where he ends up in the backfield when the play has already developed downfield.
A talented defensive coaching staff, including head coach Mike Vrabel, can be an ideal landing spot for Gross-Matos.
Off the field, Gross-Matos was one of the most beloved and respected players around the country during his time at Penn State. He was a fan favorite due to his relentless mentality and high character both on and off the field. Also, he also became a leader in the locker room, and his coaches noticed. |
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PETER KING’s MOCK DRAFT
The Chargers pass on tumbling TUA, the Patriots move up to get him, no JORDAN LOVE in the first round. Some of the highlights from Peter King’s Mock Draft:
Different year for the mock draft. Even the well-connected guys are lost this year. One connected guy told me he thinks it’s because Pro Days are a fount of information exchange for sidling scouts and GMs and coaches each spring, and those mini-personnel conventions gut shut off by the league March 12. Too much other stuff happening to be concerned with chasing down Mike Mayock to compare notes on the receiver rankings.
Excuses are for losers, which I’ll be when my 2020 NFL mock draft is tallied late Thursday night. Here we go for the first round:
1. Cincinnati—Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
As Burrow whiled away the hours at home last week in southeast Ohio—throwing some to a couple of Athens tight-end buddies, watching “The Office” and playing video games—there didn’t seem to be much mystery about his fate. Coach Zac Taylor told Dan Patrick last week “it doesn’t look” like the Bengals will trade the pick. So look for Burrow to land with the home-state team.
Now the question: Will he be ready to play opening day, whenever that is? Well, the last time Burrow was in this situation, he transferred to LSU in the summer of 2018, reported to summer practice Aug. 4, and started the LSU opener four weeks later. He played all 28 LSU games in ’18 and ’19, and won the Heisman and the national title last season. So he’ll learn the Cincinnati offense virtually this spring—I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s started already—and may not even meet top targets A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd till August. Of course it’s not the best for Burrow or the Bengals. But Burrow spent the last year blowing away Louisiana, the SEC, the nation. Nothing much seems to bother him. My money’s on him starting from the jump in Cincinnati.
2. Washington—Chase Young, edge rusher, Ohio State
So after the national anthem and some (my best guess) canned booing of home-bound Roger Goodell live from his basement in New York, expect 20 minutes of zero drama. As much as Washington tried to create a market for the second pick in the draft, Tua Tagovailoa’s hip and the signing of Kyle Allen ruined that. Washington shan’t overthink. Building the NFC’s best pass-rush east of Santa Clara (Young, Montez Sweat and maybe vet Ryan Kerrigan) is the way to go for a team that needs to win back a royally ticked-off fan base.
3. Miami (trade with Detroit)—Justin Herbert, quarterback, Oregon
It’s funny. Whether Miami makes the trade or not, I think Miami and Detroit will make the same picks. I do think, for the peace of mind and to prevent anyone from leapfrogging them, the Dolphins would be smart to deal the 39th overall pick to Detroit to move up two slots here. Anyway, I don’t know if Herbert’s going to be Miami’s pick. My pick is based on Miami choosing to go conservative here instead of trying to hit a triple in the gap by picking Tua Tagovailoa. Because the Dolphins have done a good job hiding their intentions, I won’t be shocked either way—if they go the risky way with Tua, or if they repeat 2006 and make the safe call with Herbert. Daunte Culpepper, 2006; Herbert, 2020. And they’ll hope it’s a better result this time. My theory is that Tagovailoa would have been the pick had he not dislocated his hip last November. But if it is Herbert, he’ll get to sit behind a pro’s pro, Ryan Fitzpatrick, for a year or most of a year, and be in position to take over in a more normal 2021 season.
4. New York Giants—Tristan Wirfs, tackle, Iowa
I would bet there are 25 different rankings of the top five tackles on the 32 NFL draft boards—Wirfs, Jedrick Wills of Alabama, Mekhi Becton of Louisville, Andrew Thomas of Georgia, Josh Jones of Houston. The Giants, by the way, would trade down for a good offer; Dave Gettleman has said no to draft trades for so long, but this year those in the top 10 tell me he’d definitely do it. I don’t think there’s a great demand to move up. The Giants need a lot of help on defense, and you probably could defend an Isaiah Simmons pick here. But these are Gettleman’s own words from Friday: “You know my theory. It’s very, very difficult for Saquon [Barkley] to run the ball if he doesn’t have holes. It’s going to be difficult for Daniel [Jones] to throw the ball when he’s on his back. We’ll continue to build the offense line.” Cam Fleming is the band aid right tackle for New York, but he’s more likely a swing tackle and insurance policy, with 26 starts in six years. Wirfs or Jerrick Wills of Alabama would likely play right away at right tackle for New York.
5. Detroit (trade with Miami)—Jeff Okudah, cornerback, Ohio State
Not sure of the return for Detroit, but let’s say Lions GM Bob Quinn deals the third overall pick for the fifth and 39th. Most Lions’ fans will scream and say, “Quinn should have gotten one of the other Miami first-rounders, either at 18 or 26.” I’m going to ask you this, Lions fans: If I told you before the draft that you could exit the weekend with CB1 on your first pick (Okudah), RB3 (Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor) on the second and G1 (Louisiana’s Robert Hunt) on the third, would you be doing cartwheels about that? Acquiring the 39th overall pick while still ensuring you’d get the corner you want would likely allow that.
One last thing: In the first draft in Carolina Panthers history, GM Bill Polian traded down with Cincinnati from one to five in the first round and acquired the 36th pick (only) in return. Polian didn’t have another trade option, and he didn’t want to pay the player he really wanted, quarterback Kerry Collins, first-pick money. So he picked the player he’d have taken at one, Collins, fifth, and had a bonus second-round pick. The point is, sometimes you take a deal even if it’s not the one the trade chart says you should make, because you’re going to improve your team by doing it.
6. Los Angeles Chargers—Andrew Thomas, tackle, Georgia
For four days, until 4 p.m. Sunday, I had Tua Tagovailoa in this spot. I truly don’t know if GM Tom Telesco loves the well-scarred Tagovailoa enough to take him. He might, and it would make sense. The Chargers are in a megastar market, and they do not have one on the roster, and Tua would immediately become the billboard on the 405 owner Dean Spanos would love.
But I made the switch for a couple of reasons. Anthony Lynn doesn’t view—at least now—Tyrod Taylor as a bridge quarterback. He thinks he can be a good NFL starter. And with the business side of football so up in the air in 2020 because of the pandemic, I think it’s more important to build the best football team rather than have the best marketing plan. The Chargers have 31-year-old Bryan Bulaga—who has missed 13 games in the last three years—at one of the tackles, and no other solid guy on the roster. I hear the Chargers are planning to use Bulaga at right tackle. So they’re absolutely denuded on the left side of the line, and here’s the first-team all-American left tackle from the SEC sitting there for them. A Telesco team to be so bereft of building blocks at tackle is not good. And the Chargers have loved Thomas, a legit two-year left tackle at Georgia against the highest level of competition in the college game, throughout the fall and winter.
If it goes this way, this is the kind of decision that defines careers—Telesco and Thomas . . . and even Tua.
7. Carolina—Derrick Brown, defensive tackle, Auburn
Man. Would the Panthers pass on Tua? I’m saying yes, because they’d have to take a $20-million cap hit to dump Teddy Bridgewater next offseason . . . and they really like Bridgewater. Plus, the Panthers have a slew of major needs on defense. They could take C.J. Henderson here and be happy because of a desperate corner need. But this team is dying on the interior defensive line, and all you have to do is watch a few Derrick Brown plays to know what a crucial addition he’d be. There’s one play where he man-against-boys an LSU guard and Joe Burrow is so flustered by the specter of Brown that he falls down before Brown makes it to him in the backfield.
So a few people in the league would say they’re a little down on Brown because of a so-so combine performance. But I don’t see that stopping a smart team in the top 10 from making him a defensive centerpiece for six or eight years. Panthers also love Isaiah Simmons.
8. Arizona—Isaiah Simmons, defensive player, Clemson
This is a first in Peter King Mock Draft History. I’ve never before labeled a player “defensive player.” Simmons has played strong safety, cornerback, slot corner, inside linebacker and outside linebacker, and he’s likely going to be a hybrid safety/linebacker/edge player in the NFL. Could be an instinctive pass-rusher too, which the Cardinals lack in a big way; he had 23 pressures on 70 pass-rushes. Now, the Cards have other needs, and Simmons doesn’t have a singular position. But he was a great and instinctive college player.
I believe GM Steve Keim just might look at this pick and remember the 2007 draft. Keim, the director of college scouting in Arizona at the time, reportedly wanted Adrian Peterson when the Cards picked at number five in the first round. But the Arizona pick ended up being a tackle, Levi Brown, and Peterson came off the board two slots later, to Minnesota. Brown was an abject disaster with Arizona. Peterson is, well, the best back of the past 15 years. I’ve always seen Keim as a pick-the-best-player guy. And with the multiple defensive gifts of Simmons, he’d qualify as that if there at eight.
9. Jacksonville—C.J. Henderson, cornerback, Florida
Not sure if the Jags will do it, but I hear they’ve been talking about trading up—and I assume it’s for one of the two corners at the top of the CB market. This would be a solid pick for the Jacksonville rebuild. They’ve lost nearly every defensive player of value except Myles Jack in recent months (with franchised defensive end Yannick Ngakoue being shopped this week too), and adding Henderson would give them a potential premier player at each level of the defense—pass-rusher Josh Allen, linebacker Jack, and Henderson in the back end. Who knows if GM Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone will be around to oversee the remaking of the Jags, but someone’s got to do it.
10. Cleveland—Jedrick Wills, tackle, Alabama
Andrew Thomas is the preferred player here, and the Browns have been actively trying to trade down, which they could do. That’s the thing about the Browns: They crave picks, and if, say, Miami wants come up from 18 because of the major need at tackle, I could see the Browns being happy to move down eight slots and find some equitable value from the Miami treasure trove of high picks (26, 39, 56, 70, plus two first and two second-round picks in 2021).
Wills is a more natural right tackle as opposed to Thomas being a two-year left tackle at Georgia. There are some teams that have Wills the top-rated tackle in a good class of them, so if Cleveland gets him, it’s a good pick. He allowed one sack over the past two seasons at Alabama.
11. New York Jets—Mekhi Becton, tackle, Louisville
And the run on tackles ends after 11 picks, right about where the football world thinks it will—with GM Joe Douglas’ first draft choice as Jets GM. Becton is 6-7 ½ and 365 pounds. He will be the Andre the Giant of the AFC East. “The most impressive thing about him,” his former college coach at Louisville, Bobby Petrino, said, “is he can reverse-dunk.” Yikes. I do believe that Sam Darnold would find the most impressive thing about his left tackle for the next eight years would be keeping him clean 16 Sundays each fall. This would be a solid pick for Douglas, and not just because Becton can block out the sun. He’s competitive and feisty.
12. Las Vegas—CeeDee Lamb, wide receiver, Oklahoma
Maybe the toughest call I had to make Sunday evening, having the Raiders bypass Tua Tagovailoa for Lamb. I did it because I keep hearing both Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden are intrigued with new backup Marcus Mariota; adding Tagovailoa might be the best thing for 2023, but it’s not so great for 2020. But they could do it. As for Lamb: Mayock loves him, thinks he’s the most complete receiver in the draft, and even though I think Gruden likely would prefer the take-the-top-off speed of Henry Ruggs, he’s happy to have a true number one receiver who can win consistently against NFL-caliber corners.
13. New England (trade with San Francisco)—Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback, Alabama
So Tagovailoa could drop, and Bill Belichick really doesn’t want to take a quarterback now, with one draft pick in the top 85 this year and needs all over his roster. And truly: I have no indication, no inside information, that says he’d do this. It’s simply a guess. But think if you’re Belichick. Because your team never finishes 3-13, you never have a chance to get one of the best quarterbacks in the college game. Until Tagovailoa’s hip popped out of the socket last November, forcing immediate and urgent surgery, he was 1/1A with the transcendent Joe Burrow to be the first pick in this draft. And you don’t want to pillage the lone first or lone second-round pick from next year’s draft. But do you do it for a great but pockmarked talent such as Tagovailoa five months after major hip surgery? I do know Belichick would have confidence in his player-procurement skills.
I also don’t know what the New England orthopods will say about him. I do know one respected team doctor for an NFL team who gave Tagovailoa the once-over at the combine, and I asked him what he thought about Tagovailoa’s propensity for injury while at Alabama—a broken hand, two high-ankle sprains, and a hip dislocation most recently. This is what this doctor—whose team is not in the market for a first-round quarterback—told me Thursday:
“These contact injuries are part of the game. You ask yourself, ‘Is this guy injury-prone, or does he have a bullseye on him because he’s a crucial player on his team?’ I’ve seen a few of the hip dislocations in football, and my experience is that if you lose blood supply to the hip for a long-enough period of time, you’re in trouble. I don’t think that was the case here. As I see it, the effects of the dislocation might show up when he’s 35, but not when he’s 25.”
Cautiously optimistic then. Tough call for a franchise, but when would the Patriots ever get a shot at a potential superstar quarterback? Even if they had to throw in next year’s first-rounder, I think this would be a risk worth taking for the Patriots.
14. Tampa Bay—Javon Kinlaw, defensive tackle, South Carolina
Heard a few things here—that Tampa would love to get a complete running back who can catch to complement Tom Brady, and that they’re jonesing for a top corner. With Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh big bodies on the defensive front, they’re not desperate for a disruptive defensive tackle here, but the value is excellent. I can also tell you that if Kinlaw is around at 14, Tampa will get some calls from teams—and not just for Kinlaw, but for Jerry Jeudy and maybe Henry Ruggs. One of the things the Bucs would love about adding an impact player along the front seven: Suh is 33 and Jason Pierre-Paul is 31, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is very big on disrupting the pocket. You can’t have enough impact players up front.
15. Denver—Jerry Jeudy, wide receiver, Alabama
John Elway looks around his living room in Cherry Hills Village a few spirals from the Broncos complex, and says to the scouts and coaches tethered to him via teleconference: “Are you freakin’ kidding me? Jeudy falls to us at 15?” It’s a gift, he thinks, and it takes him a minute to type in Jeudy and send it on the Microsoft Teams channel to draft central. Sometimes the draft falls weird, and the incredible excess at receiver in this draft makes so many teams with wideout needs say they’ll wait till the second and third rounds. Elway could sit back after a pick like this and think about Drew Lock, Courtland Sutton, Jeudy and Phillip Lindsay: I’ve got a quarterback I feel pretty good about, two top-20 NFL receivers, a 1,000-yard back, and none are 26 years old yet. We’re pretty good at the explosive offensive positions.
16. Atlanta—K’Lavon Chaisson, edge rusher, LSU
Worst-kept secret in draft rooms around the league: GM Thomas Dimitroff wants to trade up for one of the two top corners in the draft, Jeff Okudah or C.J. Henderson. He just might. He knows his secondary has to do better than allow 66 percent completions, 28 touchdowns and 7.7 yards per pass play. But if it goes this way, he’d likely get a second-tier corner with the 47th overall pick, and hope Chaisson and Dante Fowler can provide the sort of consistent edge presence his pass rush has been missing.
17. Dallas—Xavier McKinney, safety, Alabama
Trading down low into the round, or even high into round two, and taking Michigan center Cesar Ruiz as a long-term replacement for the retired Travis Frederick wouldn’t surprise me. But there’s a big hole at safety that must be filled, and McKinney’s the top safety on most boards (apologies, Grant Delpit). McKinney is a sure tackler, proficient in coverage and a very smart player. He’s the type of back-end player who could be the leader of a needy secondary for five or six years.
18. Miami—A.J. Epenesa, edge rusher, Iowa
Might be a bit of reach for the one-year Iowa starter, but this is a big need position, and Epenesa is a solid person and productive player, with 22 sacks and 31 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. You’d like to see him faster than 5.04-seconds in the 40, but such is the story of this year’s edge-rush crowd. It’s just okay. He’d be well-coached in Brian Flores’ scheme, and he’d have a very good mentor in Kyle Van Noy.
19. Las Vegas—Kristian Fulton, cornerback, LSU
After the first two corners go, the rest are in a hug mosh pit. Fulton is a PFF darling, rated the 12th-best player in the draft—ahead of C.J. Henderson, Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw—and trailing only Jeff Okudah in the cornerback class. He falls into the class of player GM Mike Mayock loves: big-time player in a national championship program, though some have been down on him for cheating on a drug test, which led to a one-year ban in 2017. He’d be the kind of competitive and tested player Jon Gruden loves.
20. Jacksonville—Justin Jefferson, wide receiver, LSU
When you ask about Jefferson, you hear lots of NFL people talk about his elite mechanics and route-running. “His speed is good enough, he runs a 12-yard out at exactly 12 yards, and he’s got pro tools,” said a coach who loves him. A playoff team in the twenties is calculating whether to move up to the teens to get him—and to bypass Henry Ruggs to do so. He’s fearless too, the kind of building-block player a good offense should froth over. Jefferson’s going to have a good pro career, and he’d be the kind of alternative to deep-threat D.J. Chark the Jaguars could feature, regardless of the coach or quarterback, for five or six years.
21. Philadelphia—Henry Ruggs III, wide receiver, Alabama
Maybe Eagles GM Howie Roseman will find a taker for Alshon Jeffery and his hefty salary (maybe by paying a good chunk of it), or maybe the Eagles have to play with Jeffery and his injury bug for one more season; when he’s on the field he’s effective if not a star. But the thing I heard about the Eagles in the last few days is, Henry Ruggs will not get past 21. So here we are. Ruggs and his 4.27 40-speed are obviously tempting, and 24 touchdowns on only 98 career catches is explosive stuff. But a couple of things make me wonder. Three years, 41 games, 2.4 catches per game, 41.9 receiving yards per game. The most dangerous weapon in your offense gets 42 yards a game? The other side of that is some very smart offensive minds—Sean Payton, Andy Reid—love Ruggs. He’s competitive, and he doesn’t drop many. If he goes to Philadelphia, he’ll be the deep weapon Carson Wentz has imagined with DeSean Jackson.
22. Minnesota—Trevon Diggs, cornerback, Alabama
The type of big cornerback GMs crave these days to face the bigger receivers colleges are churning out. With only Mike Hughes left in a once-rich secondary, the Vikings have no choice but to use first-round replenishment on a corner. This might be overthinking, but I wonder if being Stefon Diggs’ younger brother would bug GM Rick Spielman or coach Mike Zimmer. It certainly would be the first question I’d ask at the post-draft press conference.
23. San Francisco (trade with New England)—Josh Jones, offensive tackle, Houston
In this projection, I’d have the Niners moving to 23 and getting New England’s first-round pick in 2021. Good value, but it won’t help John Lynch trying to get a pick or two in the two-day gulf between picks 31 and 156. So I think the Niners look to trade one of their two first-rounders again, so they can add an extra pick in round two or three. If they stay here, tackle’s the right call. With Joe Staley having either one year or zero years left, it’s a good time to pick a long-term tackle. Jones started for four years at left tackle—45 games—and that’s not something you can say for many collegiate tackles these days.
24. New Orleans—A.J. Terrell, cornerback, Clemson
I think defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s going to love the maturity and competitiveness of his defensive backfield, with Malcolm Jenkins—one of the smartest and most mature players in football—added to Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Wilson, and Terrell, if he’s the pick. I like the fit with the Saints because Terrell is a good competitor and very coachable. When you start 30 straight games in a program like Clemson, you’re ready to take the next step.
25. Minnesota—Tee Higgins, wide receiver, Clemson
Most receiving touchdowns in Clemson history: Higgins 27, DeAndre Hopkins 27, Sammy Watkins 27. Higgins needs to get stronger (6-3 ½, 216), but he’s the kind of receivers scouts think will improve at the 50-50 balls when he learns to be more physical. At 4.58 in the 40-yard dash, he’s no burner, but with a career average of 18.1 yards per catch, he’s got the kind of run-after-the-catch instincts that will serve him well at the pro level.
26. Miami—Austin Jackson, offensive tackle, USC
The Dolphins could trade out to the thirties here, and maybe get Boise’s Ezra Cleveland (three years, 40 starts at left tackle) to be their Laremy Tunsil heir. But Jackson, 6-5 and 325 pounds, has basketball-type quickness and the ability to project as an NFL left tackle. If the Dolphins love a tackle here, they’ve got so many picks they’re wise to just sit and select.
27. Seattle—Yetur Gross-Matos, defensive end, Penn State
There’s not much of a chance Seattle sits and makes this pick, honestly; GM John Schneider has traded down in the first round eight straight years. I still think he could deal down, particularly if there’s a lesser-light big corner he likes available high in the second round. But I couldn’t find a logical dance partner for the Seahawks. My feeling is Seattle is doling out hope for Jadeveon Clowney in the $15-million-a-year range, or maybe Everson Griffen; they’re the kind of veteran rushers Seattle thinks are necessary in a high-powered NFC West. But Gross-Matos is a good alternative as a backfield disruptor.
28. Baltimore—Kenneth Murray, linebacker, Oklahoma
My bet is the Ravens might try to move up a few slots to steal Murray; he’s the best pure linebacker in the draft, a sideline to sideline menace, and would be a godsend for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to use as a chess piece. He’s also a future NFL Man of the Year, a totally too-good-to-be-true guy who helps his parents raise three siblings with special needs. Murray to the Ravens is a football match made in heaven. I’d love to see it happen.
29. Tennessee—Isaiah Wilson, tackle, Georgia
Imagine that: two Georgia tackles in the first round. The difference is that Andrew Thomas will be counted on as plug-and-play, and Wilson could take a year of grooming, particularly in a year with a weird offseason program like this one. The natural inclination will be to expect Wilson to step in for the departed Jack Conklin, and he may. Wilson’s the kind of edgy, angry player who will fit well on the feisty Titans line. I’m just not sure that fit will begin in 2020.
30. Green Bay—Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver, USC
Professional receiver. Most have him in the second round. But the Packers don’t pick again till 62, and they see a solid but unspectacular disciplined route-runner and competitive 50-50-ball player. “He’s so reliable,” one coach told me Saturday. “He might get lost in a crop of receivers this good, but he shouldn’t. He’ll be a good receiver in the league for a long time.” Speaking of competitive receivers who were a quarterback’s best friend: Jordy Nelson, 6-3, 220 — Michael Pittman, 6-4, 222.
31. Dallas (trade with San Francisco)—Cesar Ruiz, center, Michigan
I said at pick 18 that the Cowboys wanted to replace Travis Frederick with a solid rock in this draft, and it could well be that he’d be on the board midway through the second round with the 51st overall pick. But the Cowboys surrender their third-round pick (82 overall) to move up for a long-term center. The Niners wanted two picks—possibly one for a big-body plugger in the middle of the defensive line, one for a receiver—and this deal does the trick.
32. Kansas City—Jeff Gladney, cornerback, TCU
Craziest rumor of the first round: Chiefs want to trade up for Henry Ruggs if he falls into the twenties. Insane. Do they want every sub 4.35 guy in the National Football League? A couple of theories: There are only two very good cover corners in this draft, Okudah and Henderson, and they’d be long gone by the time the Chiefs could make a reasonable offer. Sammy Watkins is a short-termer, probably only one more year in KC, so another quick-twitch guy would fit either this year or next. Finally, fast guys with slight builds who collide with defenders tend to get hurt, so Ruggs would be good insurance for that in 2020 and a stalwart beyond that.
Anyhoo, the Chiefs’ biggest position of need right now is corner, and Gladney is a competitive and tough player who would fit in Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme.
A few final notes:
• Teams that could take quarterback Jordan Love: Green Bay (62), Pittsburgh (49).
• Teams that could take quarterback Jalen Hurts: Baltimore (55), Atlanta (47).
• Best player I don’t have in round one: Wisconsin LB Zack Baun (32 sacks/TFLs in 2019).
• Players likely to get traded during the draft, in order: Washington T Trent Williams, Jacksonville DE Yannick Ngakoue, New England G Joe Thuney, Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton, Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette, Philadelphia WR Alshon Jeffery.
• For the record, last year I hit on 26 of 32 first-rounders (meh), had nine players picked by the right team (good), and nailed the slot of eight players (good). I’d sign for those results any year. |
|
2020 DRAFT
This from Daniel Jeremiah:
Daniel Jeremiah
@MoveTheSticks
I believe we’ll see less groupthink in the draft this year. At pro days, coaches & scouts (from diff teams) spend so much time around each other & they end up forming a consensus on players. Not the case this year. Some will be shocked at how high/low these guys go.
– – –
Chad Reuter of NFL.com offers this Mock Draft. His big call is the Saints moving up for QB JORDAN LOVE:
Tua Tagovailoa should be the second player selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.
This opinion has nothing to do with the value of talented pass rusher Chase Young, Washington’s likely pick at No. 2 overall. It also has nothing to do with the team’s 2019 first-round selection, Dwayne Haskins.
The former Alabama standout is exactly the sort of quarterback every team should want leading their franchise. He’s an accurate passer to all levels. He’s mobile within the pocket and outside of it, causing headaches for defenses. He’s a fierce competitor. He’s a true leader on and off the field who will entice free agents to come play in D.C.
His injury history will scare off some teams, possibly including Washington. Owner Daniel Snyder saw his last quarterback picked at No. 2, Robert Griffin III, lose time to injury. Head coach Ron Rivera just suffered through two seasons with his top gun in Carolina, Cam Newton, out or less effective than normal due to injury. I cannot blame them for being risk-averse in this situation.
However, Tua is exactly the sort of player on whom I’d take a chance. In this seven-round mock draft, the Chargers snap him up with the sixth overall pick. Whichever franchise selects Tua next week will reap the benefits for the next decade or more.
This mock draft will not benefit from 11th-hour information leading up to Thursday’s draft, so it will likely not be as accurate as others published closer to the event. But it does offer some scenarios as food for thought, and gives a general road map on where middle- and late-round players might fall.
1 – CINCINNATI
Joe Burrow – QB
School: LSU | Year: Senior (RS)
Burrow comes home to try to lead the Bengals out of the also-ran category. I won’t bet against him.
2 – WASHINGTON
Chase Young – Edge
School: Ohio State | Year: Junior
Mr. Young is aptly named. He is going to chase NFL quarterbacks for the next decade-plus.
3 – DETROIT
Jeff Okudah – CB
School: Ohio State | Year: Junior
Matt Patricia gets his version of Stephon Gilmore, the outside shutdown corner he coached for one year in New England before heading to the Motor City.
4 – MIAMI (Projected Trade with NY Giants)
Justin Herbert – QB
School: Oregon | Year: Senior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH GIANTS. The Dolphins head off a trade attempt by the Chargers and select their future signal-caller.
5 – NY GIANTS (Projected Trade with Miami)
Tristan Wirfs – OT
School: Iowa | Year: Junior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH DOLPHINS. GM Dave Gettleman told us he was “open for business” at the NFL Scouting Combine. This move down is similar to the Mitch Trubisky trade from three years ago, but the price (late second-rounder, early third-rounder and a 2021 third-rounder) has gone up a bit given the interest in Herbert’s services.
6 – LA CHARGERS
Tua Tagovailoa – QB
School: Alabama | Year: Junior
The Chargers get a steal here. Tua should lead this team to success for a long time — IF his injury history was more fluke than trend.
7 – CAROLINA
Isaiah Simmons – LB/S
School: Clemson | Year: Junior (RS)
The Panthers could go with DT Derrick Brown here, but maybe they’ll bolster their defensive line a bit later. Simmons’ athletlcism will allow him to excel in multiple ways at the next level.
8 – ATLANTA (Projected Trade with Arizona)
Derrick Brown – DT
School: Auburn | Year: Senior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH CARDINALS. The Falcons move up to give Grady Jarrett a partner because interior pressure throws off quarterbacks. Brown may not be Aaron Donald in terms of quickness, but his pure strength and hustle makes life quite uncomfortable for offensive linemen and everyone in the backfield.
9 – JACKSONVILLE
CJ Henderson – CB
School: Florida | Year: Junior
Henderson’s combination of size (6-foot-1, 204 pounds) and speed (4.39-second 40-yard dash) will be too much for the Jaguars to pass up given their lack of depth at cornerback.
10 – NEW ORLEANS (Projected Trade with Cleveland)
Jordan Love – QB
School: Utah State | Year: Junior (RS)
PROJECTED TRADE WITH BROWNS. Sean Payton likes to get his man. This trade is similar to the move the Chiefs made to grab Patrick Mahomes a few years back. Love is not Mahomes in terms of his skill set, but his promise is strong enough to make some team wheel and deal.
11 – NY JETS
Mekhi Becton – OT
School: Louisville | Year: Junior
There have not been many offensive tackles in recent years with Becton’s combination of size (6-foot-7, 364 pounds) and foot quickness. He’s a finisher and has the ability to play right tackle on the Jets’ revamped line.
12 – LAS VEGAS
CeeDee Lamb – WR
School: Oklahoma | Year: Junior
Lamb’s the top receiver in this class. Maybe not in terms of speed but everything else. The Raiders plug him in on Day 1 so he can take Jon Gruden’s offense to another level.
13 – SAN FRANCISCO (from Indianapolis)
Henry Ruggs III – WR
School: Alabama | Year: Junior
Emmanuel Sanders’ arrival midway through last season proved how much the Niners were missing another receiving threat beyond All-Pro George Kittle and rookie Deebo Samuel. While Samuel showed real playmaking ability in the short and intermediate range last year, Ruggs’ ability to take the top off defenses should open up big plays downfield and more room for others to work underneath.
14 – TAMPA BAY
Andrew Thomas – OT
School: Georgia | Year: Junior
Thomas could go earlier because of his length and sturdy build (6-5, 315). The Bucs would love to see him or Becton in this spot so they can protect new sensation “Tampa Brady.”
15 – DENVER
Kenneth Murray – LB
School: Oklahoma | Year: Junior
Jerry Jeudy could be the pick here, but given the depth at receiver in this draft, the Broncos might simply pick the best player on the board — either Murray or Javon Kinlaw. Murray is a ruthless force on the field and a leader off it. Teams will not regret selecting him in the top half of the first round.
16 – ARIZONA (Projected Trade with Atlanta)
K’Lavon Chaisson – Edge
School: LSU | Year: Sophomore (RS)
PROJECTED TRADE WITH FALCONS. Arizona’s sitting pretty in the first round, able to meet a need in the teens while grabbing extra picks from whichever team has interest in their eighth overall slot. In this mock scenario, the Cardinals pick up the Falcons’ second-round selection this year and in 2021 to drop down eight spots. Oh, and Arizona gets the second-best edge player in the class.
17 – DALLAS
Javon Kinlaw – DT
School: South Carolina | Year: Senior
There are always one or two teams that use a first-round pick on a player they simply like a lot — even if he doesn’t address a glaring need. Tyrone Crawford’s future with the Cowboys is up in the air a bit due to his price tag (Dallas could save $8 million against the cap by releasing him) and recent injury (had season-ending hip surgery in October), so could the Cowboys shift Gerald McCoy outside to play next to Kinlaw and Dontari Poe? I wouldn’t be surprised.
18 – MIAMI (from Pittsburgh)
Jedrick Wills – OT
School: Alabama | Year: Junior
The Dolphins need two starting tackles, and there’s no reason to think that Wills, who played on the right side at Alabama, couldn’t handle either OT spot.
19 – LAS VEGAS (from Chicago)
A.J. Terrell – CB
School: Clemson | Year: Junior
GM Mike Mayock dips back into the Clemson well to pluck some much-needed depth at cornerback.
20 – JACKSONVILLE (from LA Rams)
Terrell Lewis – Edge
School: Alabama | Year: Junior (RS)
I’ll assume the Jaguars trade franchise-tagged ( and openly disgruntled) pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue at some point, necessitating the selection of edge players in Round 1 in back-to-back drafts.
21 – PHILADELPHIA
Jerry Jeudy – WR
School: Alabama | Year: Junior
Opinions are all over the board on Jeudy. Some believe he’ll go to Denver or Dallas well before the Eagles are on the clock. Others believe he’ll slide down. I try to identify some surprises in my mock, so I’ll say Jeudy falls a few spots like Marquise “Hollywood” Brown did last year. The Eagles luck into finding a very talented receiver at 21.
22 – MINNESOTA (from Buffalo)
Justin Jefferson – WR
School: LSU | Year: Junior
Trading Stefon Diggs left a big hole on the outside for Minnesota. Picking Jefferson here and another receiver later should be in the team’s plan. I believe quarterback Kirk Cousins will like this.
23 – GREEN BAY (Projected Trade with New England)
Jaylon Johnson – CB
School: Utah | Year: Junior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH PATRIOTS. Once again, the Packers trade up to grab a starter in the secondary, just as they did last year to secure safety Darnell Savage. The team’s cornerback group could use more depth, so Johnson — and his ability in press coverage — would be a welcome addition to this unit.
24 – CLEVELAND (Projected Trade with New Orleans)
Austin Jackson – OT
School: USC | Year: Junior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH SAINTS. The Browns pick up a third-rounder this year and a first-rounder in 2021 and still fill a pressing need.
25 – MINNESOTA
Yetur Gross-Matos – Edge
School: Penn State | Year: Junior
It’s possible the Vikings will trade this pick at some point, maybe for Jacksonville edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue or for Cleveland receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (I know the Browns have said they’re not looking to move him, but crazier things have happened.) But for now, Gross-Matos is the pick here, as the Vikes address two of their top three needs in Round 1.
26 – MIAMI (from Houston)
Jonathan Taylor – RB
School: Wisconsin | Year: Junior
It wouldn’t shock me if Taylor was selected at No. 14 by Tampa Bay or No. 18 by Miami. However, running backs are increasingly tough sells early in the first round. Taylor’s speed and durability will be difficult for Miami to pass four times within the top 39 picks, so if they don’t take him here, they might do it early in Round 2.
27 – SEATTLE
Joshua Jones – OT
School: Houston | Year: Senior (RS)
Beefing up the defensive line would make sense here, as well. However, Duane Brown is going into his 13th year (having missed four games last year) and the Seahawks reportedly gave Cedric Ogbuehi a one-year deal, so it’s unlikely they consider him the long-term answer at right tackle.
28 – BALTIMORE
Patrick Queen – LB
School: LSU | Year: Junior
Maybe the Ravens will have to trade up to acquire Queen. But on the other hand, it was only a year ago that GM Eric DeCosta patiently waited for Hollywood Brown to fall to Baltimore at No. 25 overall. Either way, the LSU stud will fill a big hole in the middle of the team’s defense.
29 – TENNESSEE
Kristian Fulton – CB
School: LSU | Year: Senior
Fulton’s going to be a welcome addition for the Titans, who appear to be moving on from free agent Logan Ryan this offseason.
30 – NEW ENGLAND (Projected Trade with Green Bay)
Ross Blacklock – DT
School: TCU | Year: Junior (RS)
PROJECTED TRADE WITH PACKERS. The Patriots swap first-rounders with the Packers and add third- and sixth-round picks in this move. My guess is that New England will then use its bevy of picks to move up in the second or third rounds — or they might trade some combination of their (now) five selections between Nos. 87 and 125 for 2021 second- and third-rounders. Meanwhile, the Pats land a versatile defensive lineman here with real potential as an outside/inside force.
31 – HOUSTON (Projected Trade with San Francisco)
Julian Okwara – Edge
School: Notre Dame | Year: Senior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH 49ERS. Bill O’Brien is not afraid to go after (or send away) players. If he hadn’t broken his fibula in November, Okwara would have received much more first-round talk this year. If the medicals are fine, the Texans will view him as a strong and agile edge rusher for the foreseeable future.
32 – KANSAS CITY
Lloyd Cushenberry- C
School: LSU | Year: Junior (RS)
Cushenberry is a man in the middle — with a capital “M.” If the Patriots don’t pick him, then Kansas City should solidify the line in front of Mahomes without hesitation.
– – –
Fantasy Pros has/have compiled and averaged 17 Mock Drafts – and here are the most popular picks for each spot. Unsaid in the description, but apparently once a player is a consensus top pick, any references afterwards are not considered. For example, once Patrick McQueen goes off the board at #15 to Denver with just 25%, he does not appear again.
1 Cincinnati Joe Burrow QB, LSU 100%
2 Washington Chase Young DE, Ohio St. 94%
Tua Tagovailoa QB, BAMA 5%
3 Detroit Jeff Okudah CB, Ohio St. 93%
Isaiah Simmons LB, CLEM 6%
4 NY Giants Tristan Wirfs OT, IOWA 41%
Isaiah Simmons LB, CLEM 41%
Andrew Thomas OT, UGA 5%
5 Miami Tua Tagovailoa QB, BAMA 70%
Justin Herbert QB, ORE 23%
Jedrick Wills Jr. OT, BAMA 5%
6 LA Chargers Justin Herbert QB, ORE 76%
Mekhi Becton OT, LOU 7%
Jordan Love QB, Utah St. 7%
7 Carolina Derrick Brown DT, AUB 53%
Isaiah Simmons LB, CLEM 40%
Javon Kinlaw DT, SC 6%
8 Arizona Jedrick Wills Jr. T, BAMA 61%
Mekhi Becton T, LOU 23%
Andrew Thomas T, UGA 15%
9 Jacksonville Javon Kinlaw DT, SC 28%
Mekhi Becton T, LOU 28%
Jerry Jeudy WR, BAMA 14%
10 Cleveland Mekhi Becton OT, LOU 53%
Andrew Thomas T, UGA 38%
Isaiah Simmons LB, CLEM 7%
11 NY Jets CeeDee Lamb WR, OKLA 38%
Andrew Thomas T, UGA 38%
Jerry Jeudy WR, BAMA 23%
12 Las Vegas (CHI) Henry Ruggs III WR, BAMA 38%
Jerry Jeudy WR, BAMA 38%
Isaiah Simmons LB, CLEM 7%
13 San Fran (IND) Jerry Jeudy WR, BAMA 85%
CJ Henderson CB, FLA 14%
14 Tampa Bay Andrew Thomas OT, UGA 33%
Josh Jones T, HOU 16%
CJ Henderson CB, FLA 16%
15 Denver Patrick Queen LB, LSU 25%
Kenneth Murray LB, OKLA 25%
Justin Jefferson WR, LSU 25%
16 Atlanta CJ Henderson CB, FLA 69%
K’Lavon Chaisson DE, LSU 23%
Lloyd Cushenberry III G, LSU 7%
17 Dallas K’Lavon Chaisson DE, LSU 57%
Xavier McKinney S, BAMA 14%
Grant Delpit S, LSU 14%
18 Miami (PIT) Josh Jones OT, HOU 36%
Austin Jackson OT, USC 18%
D’Andre Swift RB, UGA 9%
19 Las Vegas Jeff Gladney CB, TCU 20%
Kristian Fulton CB, LSU 20%
Kenneth Murray LB, OKLA 13%
20 J’ville (LAR) Trevon Diggs CB, BAMA 26%
Kristian Fulton CB, LSU 20%
A.J. Epenesa DE, IOWA 6%
21 Philadelphia Justin Jefferson WR, LSU 53%
Kenneth Murray LB, OKLA 13%
Tee Higgins WR, CLEM 13%
22 Minnesota (BUF) Kristian Fulton CB, LSU 25%
Jaylon Johnson CB, UTAH 16%
A.J. Epenesa DE, IOWA 8%
23 New England Jordan Love QB, Utah St. 35%
Zack Baun LB, WIS 21%
Yetur Gross-Matos DE, Penn St. 14%
24 New Orleans Kenneth Murray LB, OKLA 66%
Brandon Aiyuk WR, Arizona St. 16%
Jalen Reagor WR, TCU 16%
25 Minnesota Austin Jackson OT, USC 33%
Denzel Mims WR, BAY 25%
A.J. Epenesa DE, IOWA 16%
26 Miami (HOU) D’Andre Swift RB, UGA 46%
Xavier McKinney S, BAMA 15%
Yetur Gross-Matos DE, Penn St. 15%
27 Seattle Yetur Gross-Matos DE, Penn St. 41%
Ross Blacklock DT, TCU 8%
Marlon Davidson DT, AUB 8%
28 Baltimore Cesar Ruiz OG, MICH 37%
Zack Baun LB, WIS 25%
Josh Uche DE, MICH 12%
29 Tennessee Isaiah Wilson OT, UGA 16%
Ezra Cleveland OL, Boise St. 16%
Jaylon Johnson CB, UTAH 16%
30 Green Bay Brandon Aiyuk WR, Arizona St. 38%
Denzel Mims WR, BAY 30%
Jalen Reagor WR, TCU 15%
31 San Francisco Jaylon Johnson CB, UTAH 20%
A.J. Terrell CB, CLEM 20%
Ross Blacklock DT, TCU 20%
32 Kansas City A.J. Epenesa DE, IOWA 42%
Zack Baun LB, WIS 28%
Terrell Lewis DE, BAMA 14%
Mentioned above, but undrafted and available at start of second round:
CB Terrell Lewis, Alabama
LB Zach Baun, Wisconsin
DT Ross Blacklock, TCU
CB A.J. Terrell, Clemson
WR Denzel Mims, Baylor
WR Jalen Reagor, TCU
OL Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
DE Josh Uche, Michigan
S Xavier McKinny, Alabama
DT Marlon Davidson, Auburn
WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
S Grant Delpit, LSU
G Lloyd Cushenberry III, LSU |
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