The Daily Briefing Tuesday, April 14, 2020
AROUND THE NFLDaily Briefing |
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NFC NORTH |
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DETROIT Add DT DAMON HARRISON to the list of ex-Lions who were miserable under the current regime in Detroit. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
Damon Harrison spent the first three weeks of training camp on the non-football injury list last summer, when he said in a new podcast he was trying to orchestrate a trade to a new team.
Harrison, who was released by the Detroit Lions in February, said on the “Green Light” podcast with former NFL player Chris Long that he never felt comfortable playing in Matt Patricia’s defense and had to get out of Detroit even though he respects Patricia as a coach.
“I came into camp in shape, but during the first three weeks of camp I think I kind of worked myself out of shape because I wasn’t doing anything,” Harrison told Long. “That was a time where, to be honest with you, we were trying to facilitate a trade. I was hell-bent on getting out of there.”
Harrison played last season only after signing a one-year contract extension that paid him about $2.2 million more than he was scheduled to make in 2019.
He had a down year with 49 tackles, his lowest total since his rookie season, and said he was worried about health problems his wife had with gallstones during camp.
“Mentally I was just out of it, man,” he said. “I couldn’t focus on football. I was too busy trying to get caught back up with everything. It was a rough training camp for me, the roughest training camp of my career, and I just spent a lot of time just pondering my future.”
Harrison said his issues with playing for the Lions started about the time he learned of his trade to Detroit.
The Lions traded a fifth-round pick to the New York Giants for Harrison in October of 2018. And while he immediately helped improve the Lions’ run defense, he said he never was comfortable with the scheme.
“To be completely honest with you, I didn’t want to go to Detroit because of some things that I heard from some guys in the past and some guys who were there,” Harrison said. “So when I got the call that that’s where I was traded, I didn’t answer the phone for a couple hours. (Lions general manager) Bob Quinn was calling me and I didn’t pick up the phone because I was trying to figure out a way to get out of it.”
An All-Pro nose tackle in 2016 with the Giants, Harrison said the Lions wanted to use him primarily as a three-technique defensive tackle. He ended up playing a variety of roles in his 25 games in Detroit, “but it was something that I wasn’t comfortable with.”
“I had some success doing it (in 2018), but the next year, this past year, I think it kind of came back to bite me in the ass,” he said.
After dealing with an assortment of injuries last fall, Harrison said after the season he was contemplating retirement.
Patricia said at the NFL combine in February that Harrison’s release was “best for the team,” and Harrison said on Long’s podcast that he hopes now to play again this fall.
“It’s nothing against the people of Detroit, the city or anything like that,” Harrison said. “I’ll forever love the city of Detroit, but I just had to go try to put myself into a situation where I saw myself there for two or three years to end my career, and I just didn’t see myself in Detroit for that long.”
We missed this on March 19 regarding CB DARIUS SLAY, also from Birkett:
Darius Slay’s relationship with Matt Patricia was fractured and unsalvageable, and the former Detroit Lions cornerback said that ultimately is what set the stage for his trade Thursday to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Slay, a three-time Pro Bowler, told the Free Press on Thursday that his lack of respect for Patricia stems from an incident that happened in training camp during Patricia’s first season as Lions coach in 2018.
“He told me in front of the whole team, in the team meeting room, showed clips of me in practice getting a ball caught on me or so in practice,” Slay said. “I posted a picture (of a wide receiver on social media), and he told me, stop sucking this man’s private. So I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ I’m like, ‘Hold up.’ Where I’m from, that don’t fly. Cause I wouldn’t say that to him. I wouldn’t say to him to stop you know what to Bill Belichick. I wouldn’t do that. That’s just not me as a man. That’s disrespectful to me and so from there on it was done with.”
A second Lions player in the meeting corroborated Slay’s account in a text message late Thursday.
Patricia, whose comment was meant figuratively, responded in a statement emailed to the Free Press by a team spokesperson.
“Over the last two seasons, Darius and I have had multiple conversations in private that I believed were constructive and satisfactory,” the statement read. “My discussions with athletes are confidential and I won’t comment on anything discussed with our players in a team meeting. I appreciate his hard work and wish he and his family all the success in Philadelphia.”
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NFC EAST |
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DALLAS QB DAK PRESCOTT hosted a party at a time when parties are forbidden by those in authority. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
Reasonable minds apparently can differ on whether it’s OK for guys like Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant to go out (despite an order to stay home) and work out at a public gym (despite an order that it should be closed). It’s hard to imagine reasonable minds differing on this.
According to TMZ.com, Prescott hosted a birthday party for a friend on Friday night. At one point, thirty people attended. And one of the photos posted at TMZ.com shows in the background a cluster of bodies far closer than six feet apart. The photos also include a table set for a meal that would have entailed everyone sitting elbow to elbow.
Also present for the antisocially-distanced birthday party was Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
States and counties throughout the country have implemented stay-at-home orders aimed at limiting the footprint of the coronavirus, which can spread easily and be passed by asymptomatic persons to others they encounter, leaving a Russian-roulette trail of illness and death in its wake. As with the recent workouts, it’s both the act of defiance and the failure to keep the evidence under wraps that combines to send a horrible message to those who are tempted to disregard the orders and YOLO or FOMO or whatever it is they’re ultimately doing when they necessarily extend the amount of time it will take to get the virus under control.
The party was in Prosper, Texas. Joe Concha of The Hill:
Local police in the Dallas suburb of Prosper said they could not verify a party was taking place at the home of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on Friday night after TMZ reported a gathering was breaking social distancing guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The police visited Prescott’s home after they saw the report, Prosper police said.
“The Prosper Police Department did respond to the Prescott residence after receiving a report of a potential ‘party,’ ” said Scott M. Brewer, an assistant chief with the Prosper Police Department, in a statement on Saturday night.
“The officer was unable to verify the report of a ‘party.’ Therefore, he just reminded the resident of the current CDC guidelines — to include social distancing.”
The Trump administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advanced guidelines through the end of the month that people avoid gatherings of more than 10 people to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 20,000 people nationwide.
Texas has also issued a warning that people avoid gatherings.
We note that while some jurisdictions like Michigan believe they have the power to fine and incarcerate for peaceful congregations within a home, Texas has only issued a warning.
We would also note that the state of Texas has only 512 reported COVID cases per million whereas New York has 513 deaths (!) per million.
We would also note that Prescott’s home is in Prosper which straddles Collin and Denton counties. Collin and Denton Counties have a combined total of 879 reported COVID cases and 17 deaths. The two counties have a combined population of more than 1.6 million.
So your chances of having COVID in those two counties so far is .05% – 1/20th of 1 percent. To have COVID. Your chances of having died in Collin and Denton County are .0001 of 1 percent or .000001.
We would not think that any of the 30 people at Dak’s house fell anywhere near the most likely of the unlikely population to suffer from the disease.
So if you want to give Dak poor marks for obeying authority, both those in authority and those in the media with presumed authority, fine.
But we really don’t think anyone at the party was in any real danger.
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NFC SOUTH |
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CAROLINA RB CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY has a payday. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
With Cam Newton gone and Luke Kuechly retired, Christian McCaffrey has become the face of the Panthers. He’s also now the wallet.
McCaffrey’s record-setting contract, given to him after only three NFL seasons, represents one of the smartest moves that the Panthers have made under new owner David Tepper. McCaffrey would not have shown up for anything without a new deal, and the Panthers have avoided that complication in coach Matt Rhule’s first season by paying him.
McCaffrey likely wouldn’t have participated in the virtual offseason program, but per a source with knowledge of the situation it never got to the point where McCaffrey had to make a decision. The Panthers stepped up and got the deal done, before it ever became acrimonious.
It was smart for the Panthers to do it; McCaffrey’s agent, Joel Segal, engineered the eventual Khalil Mack trade after months of ugliness in Oakland and, more recently Segal quietly got DeForest Buckner a trade from San Francisco to Indianapolis. The Panthers avoided anything like that by getting the deal done.
The question now becomes whether they’ll regret it. There’s no specific reason to believe that they will as it relates to McCaffrey’s abilities, but most major second contracts given to tailbacks in recent years have been followed by the players having less-than-stellar performances.
For McCaffrey, it won’t be easy to maintain his current level. He became in 2019 only the third player to generate 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. But, still, if they’re going to pay quarterback Teddy Bridgewater $21 million per year over the next three to play quarterback, McCaffrey at $17 million is in comparison a bargain, even if he doesn’t generate back-to-back 1,000/1,000 years.
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NFC WEST |
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SAN FRANCISCO The theory is being offered that a lack of a Super Bowl winning parade kept the people of Northern California safer. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
Here’s a bright silver lining to San Francisco’s loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV: The outcome likely saved lives.
As explained by Andrew Beaton and Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal, the 49ers’ squandering of a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead meant no victory parade. Which meant no mass gathering of people pressed tightly together on the streets of San Francisco in early February. Which meant no spread of the coronavirus at a time when it was beginning to show up in the Bay Area among tens if not hundreds of thousands.
“It may go down in the annals as being a brutal sports loss, but one that may have saved lives,” Dr. Bob Wachter, the chairman of the UCSF department of medicine, told Beaton and Cohen.
As with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, a Super Bowl parade in San Francisco could have become the fuse for a gigantic hot spot, eventually encompassing millions.
“It would not have taken much spread in early February for the thing to have gotten way out of hand,” Wachter said. “That would’ve been enough to light the fire.”
The fire still burns throughout the nation and the rest of the world, but at the end of the day the Kansas City victory parade — which may be the last big victory parade for months if not years — ended up being a much better alternative, because the virus had yet to hit Missouri the way it was emerging in the Bay Area.
Ah, that explains the low rate of infections in Missouri and Kansas.
Curious – would a 49ers victory parade have been in San Francisco itself, with all the problems of that city’s infrastructure in recent years, or in the relatively cleaner and more hospitable streets of San Jose/Santa Clara where the team actually plays its games and has most of its fans?
We went back into the Memory Machine – and found out that San Francisco was scheduled to host the parade. Or at least, that was what was proclaimed by fixer Willie Brown as we found with this from ProFootballTalk.com:
The San Francisco 49ers stand one victory away from their first championship in 25 years. If that victory comes to pass, the celebration for that win will be in downtown San Francisco.
According to Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, former Mayor Willie Brown said that the parade to honor the team will be in San Francisco.
While it would normally seem obvious that a team would have its victory celebration in the city bearing its name, the 49ers no longer have a direct physical connection to San Francisco. Both their training facility and Levi’s Stadium are located in the city of Santa Clara, which resides 40 miles to the south of their previous home at Candlestick Park.
Brown, while saying he isn’t directly involved in the planning, brushed off the suggestion of the parade being in Santa Clara in part due to the city’s proclivity to end up in court with the team on a regular basis.
“And besides that,” Brown said, “there’s no way you can have a parade in Santa Clara. What do they have, one shopping mall?”
While planning a victory parade for a victory that has yet to happen can appear highly presumptive, the logistics to put such a production together on short notice is challenging and the wheels for such an event are usually in motion before the games ever kickoff. If the 49ers can bring a sixth Lombardi trophy back to California, the team can party like it’s 1995 in its namesake city.
We understand the problem with Santa Clara, but San Jose, if you haven’t found your way there, is plenty large enough for a parade with a large central square and a large arena.
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LOS ANGELES RAMS The Rams have to candidates to replace PK GREG ZEULEIN. The AP:
Lacking a kicker, the Rams decided to go for two.
The team announced Monday it has agreed to contract terms with Lirim Hajrullahu, a Grey Cup hero in the Canadian Football League, and Austin MacGinnis, the leading field-goal kicker in the short-lived XFL.
The pair of kickers — both without NFL experience — will compete to fill the right shoe of Greg Zuerlein, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent March 27 after eight years with the Rams.
Hajrullahu, 29, kicked and punted for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season and tied for the CFL lead in field goals with 47 (85.5% of his attempts), including a 56-yarder. He’s best known in Canada for kicking the championship-winning, 32-yard field goal for the Toronto Argonauts in the final minute of the 2017 Grey Cup game.
Hajrullahu (whose name is pronounced leer-im ha-roo-lah-hoo) came to Canada at age 8 as a war refugee from Kosovo.
MacGinnis, 24, all-Southeast Conference at Kentucky, went 10 for 10 with a longest field goal of 46 yards in five games with the XFL’s Dallas Renegades before the league stopped its season because of the coronavirus pandemic and ceased operations April 10.
MacGinnis had kicked for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football before that attempt at a spring football league folded in April 2019.
Both men’s field-goal accuracy in their most recent seasons compare favorably with Zuerlein’s 72.7% in 2019, his lowest in the the Rams’ four seasons in Los Angeles.
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THIS AND THAT
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PROSPECT PROFILES Have two wide receivers from the same college team ever gone in the first round together in the same draft? We found three occasions.
It last happened in 2007 – LSU’s Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis.
Bowe, picked 23rd, had some moments for the Chiefs, but was a knucklehead and couldn’t sustain it. Davis, chosen 27th by the Chargers, didn’t make it – perhaps due to injuries. Like Alabama this year, LSU had a first round pick, now on the City Council in Bustville, number one overall JaMARCUS RUSSELL.
This is the only prior QB-2 WR first round trio and would seem to be reason to hesitate with Alabama’s gang (the LSU trio were not coached by Nick Saban in 2006, it was Les Miles).
In 2001 – Miami, FL’s Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne both went in the first round.
In 1997 – Florida’s Reidel Anthony and Ike Hilliard went in the first round. They went within the first 16 picks.
Clemson’s DeANDRE HOPKINS and SAMMY WATKINS were both first rounders – but one year apart in 2013 and ’14.
Tennessee had first round WRs in three straight seasons in the early 80s, led by Willie Gault (also Anthony Hancock and Clyde Duncan).
Let’s look at Jeudy and Ruggs.
JERRY JEUDY Born and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Jeudy played for the Deerfield Beach High School Bucks as did Michigan’s Denard Robinson and DE JASON PIERRE-PAUL. Although they went to different high schools, Jeudy grew up with Ravens QB LAMAR JACKSON.
Jeudy and former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson grew up together and used play backyard football against each other.
Jeudy’s juke moves in the open-field can actually be credited to Jackson.
“Actually, when I was younger, Lamar Jackson … hit me with one of those moves before, and ever since then, I took it from him and started adding it to my game,” Jeudy said eariler this season.
Jeudy had a tough time during his senior high school football season as detailed detailed in 2016 by David Furones in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
A widely acknowledged blue-chipper who’s set to play receiver at Alabama next year, Jeudy has more than lived up to his five-star rating to lead the Bucks to their first state semifinal since 2007 — their deepest playoff run of his preps career.
But the four years of eager anticipation to reach this point have been tempered for Jeudy by an equally momentous dread. And last week, as he was coming off the football field following a win over Atlantic that sent Deerfield to the Class 8A semifinals, Jeudy’s dread too came true.
Aaliyah, his 7-year-old sister, a “miracle baby” who’d had health complications since birth, had died.
“I love you sis,” Jeudy tweeted the next day, “you in a better place now.”
He also posted a photo of Aaliyah, tiny in her sickness, but with a look of hope and love shining past the breathing tube lashed across her face.
“I swear I’m going to make it for you and mommy.”
Jeudy did not do interviews this week and left Wednesday night’s practice early to be with his mother.
Deerfield coach Jevon Glenn, who’s back on the field after a bout last week with stomach flu, said last weekend was rough on Jeudy, whose spirits are low.
After his older siblings left home and now have families of their own, Jeudy played a major role in helping his mom take care of Aaliyah, who also had an in-home nurse.
“When he came out Monday, I was going to tell him to take Monday off and just relax and gather himself,” Glenn said. “He said it would be better for him to be with the guys.
“He’s leaning on his teammates and his football family to help him get through this tough time right now.”
At Alabama, Jeudy spent three years on campus, playing some as a true freshman in 2017. In his two seasons as a starter, he combined for 145 catches for 2,478 yards and 24 TDs. He won the Biletnikoff Award last year.
He comes across as likeable and engaging. This from Walter Football:
“Sources from a handful of teams have named Jeudy, independently, for being a great interview. His football I.Q., character and passion for the game has impressed evaluators. On top of that, his competitiveness and desire to win has also excited teams. At Alabama, Jeudy was part of a talented receiving corps that spread the ball around, so his unselfish nature was known as well.”
He stumbled into what those who like to make controversies sought to exploit when he revealed the story behind a piece of jewelry. But it seems to have fizzled. The AP:
Former star receiver for the University of Alabama football team Jerry Jeudy on Tuesday apologized to anyone he offended with his fashion statement at the NFL combine.
Jeudy sported a gold Star of David pendant around his neck during his media session Tuesday at the annual gathering of top NFL prospects.
Asked about its significance he explained it was in reference to the first syllable of his surname.
“My last name’s Jeudy. People sometimes call me ‘Jew,’ … So, I just got a Jewish star,” he explained. “I’m not Jewish, though.”
Jerry Jeudy wears a Star of David pendant around his neck. Why?
“My last name is Jeudy. People call me Jew for short. …I’m not Jewish though.” 😂
Jeudy, the headliner of a deep wide receiver class, later tweeted an apology.
“Don’t mean no disrespect to the Jewish people! I’m sorry to the people who take my chain offensive!!” Jeudy wrote.
@jerryjeudy Don’t mean no disrespect to the Jewish people! I’m sorry to the people who take my chain offensive!!
It wasn’t immediately clear who had found the chain offensive, and online reactions to the statement were overwhelmingly positive.
Jeudy ran a 4.45 in the 40 at the Combine, not in the league of his Alabama teammate Henry Ruggs.
HENRY RUGGS III Henry Ruggs III, from Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, played with Jeudy at Alabama, and generally produced about half the stats as his teammate. In the last two years, he had 86 catches for 1,487 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Like Jeudy, he had a tough loss in high school. Chase Goodbread of NFL.com chronicled what happened in a long story here. The short version is that Ruggs and his very best friend, Rod Scott, an accomplished basketball player were going to drive to Birmingham for a girls basketball game. Ruggs caught the flu or virus and couldn’t go. Scott caught a ride with four other friends and didn’t have his seat belt on in the back seat when an accident occurred that ejected him through the front window to his death.
Scott’s death sent shockwaves through Lee High — though he’d only been at the school for two years after transferring, he’d ingrained himself in the Class of 2016 not only on the basketball floor, but in the hallways with an engaging personality. The Montgomery Public School System dispatched more than a dozen grief counselors to Lee, setting them up in the school library. Enough students took advantage of the opportunity to pack the library for days following Scott’s death.
“You’re supposed to get closure, but I don’t think this school got it,” said Lee basketball coach Bryant Johnson. “It’s still fresh for a lot of people.”
After three years of advocacy from the Scott family, a new state law requiring backseat passengers to wear a seat belt, named for Scott, passed this summer and was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey in June.
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Overnight, the flu hit Ruggs like a wrecking ball.
The day before Scott’s death, he’d not even begun feeling the symptoms yet, and set a plan to drive his brother, Kevontae, and Scott to Birmingham the next day for the basketball game. Barely 12 hours later, he was curled up in bed-ridden misery. He threw up around 3 a.m. and battled a fever of 100-plus degrees. Not long before the three were supposed to leave, he told Kevontae he didn’t feel up to going to the game, so Scott caught a ride with other friends.
Scott’s father recalls the time on his phone read 10:16 a.m. when it rang with the worst news he’s ever received. Minutes later, word hit the Ruggs home. Kevontae took Ruggs’ truck straight to the hospital and had just arrived when Ruggs called and demanded he return to give him a ride. But Ruggs was too distraught to wait, and his instinct to run took over. He sprinted on foot to Baptist Medical, about a mile from his home. He ran so fast, his brother hadn’t even gotten the truck off hospital property yet when he saw Ruggs, picked him up and turned back to the ER.
Henry got out of the truck and collapsed from a flu-driven exhaustion. Instant guilt set in. Rod wasn’t supposed to be in that mangled Camry with other friends; he was supposed to be in Henry’s truck, with Henry at the wheel and navigating them safely to the game.
If I’d not gotten sick, Rod would be OK.
If I’d just gone to the game sick, Rod would be OK.
Whew.
Ruggs gets his speed from his mom, if his mom is to be believed. The AP:
Nataki Ruggs wants to see her middle son break the NFL scouting combine’s 40-yard-dash record Thursday evening at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Nataki wants Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III to prove he is the fastest draft prospect ever, faster than Bengals wide receiver John Ross, who set the combine record of 4.22 seconds as a Washington Huskie in 2017.
But she also wants Henry to prove he is faster than his mother.
Nataki Ruggs, 44, was a high school track athlete in Junction City, Kan., and she maintains she ran a 4.23 during a workout one chilly spring day.
“Track was my focus. That was what I wanted,” she recalled recently. She said her sprinting career was curtailed by a serious knee injury suffered when she was recruited to run hurdles in a meet, without having done it before. “To know that my son has taken that torch and he’s going on with it the way I wished I could have — I want to see him break it for those purposes,” she said.
Henry, who ran a 4.25 during spring football practice last year, has been known for his speed since he was a toddler in his hometown of Montgomery, Ala.. That has always spurred comparisons. Inevitably at family gatherings, a relative will tell him, “Well, your mama was something else, out there,” Nataki Ruggs said.
Ruggs ran a 4.27 at the Combine – the fastest at the 2020 combine, but still disappointing. Bleacher Report offered this discussion of his speed:
Ruggs’ time was the fastest since John Ross III set the combine speed record with a 4.22-second 40 in 2017. Ross has since battled injuries, ineffectiveness, some Bengals organizational ineptitude and early-career speculation about a move to cornerback. In three NFL seasons, he has caught just 49 passes for 10 touchdowns.
Ross isn’t the only combine sprint champion to have a disappointing career. There are few true success stories on this Pro Football Reference list of wide receivers who ran combine sprints of 4.3 seconds or faster. Donte’ Stallworth had a fine career, Marquise Goodwin has been very good in short windows between long injuries, and Darrius Heyward-Bey has lasted forever as a special teams ace and team leader. But the rest of the list is full of fringe players, injury cases and guys who never found a true offensive role.
Per talk show provocateur Skip Bayless, Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin postulated that no receiver who ran a sub-4.3 sprint has ever reached the Hall of Fame because that’s too fast to remain under control while running pass routes. It’s an…ahem…interesting theory that supposes, among other things, that really fast receivers are somehow incapable of slowing down a little when necessary. It’s more likely that no receiver with a sub-4.3 second 40 time is in the Hall of Fame because we don’t have precision times for players who entered the draft before 2000, times below 4.3 seconds are very rare, and some of the players who achieved them (like Goodwin) were track stars who also happened to play some college football, making them a little smaller, less polished and possibly a bit more fragile.
So how do we know Ruggs won’t suffer the same fate as guys like Ross? That’s simple. Trust the on-field results, not the hundredths of a second on a stopwatch.
Speed is Ruggs’ best attribute as a receiver, of course. He was once clocked at 23.27 miles per hour in a game by wearable GPS trackers. When Ruggs catches a screen pass, defenders often immediately take two steps backward so he doesn’t blow past them, creating easy yards-after-catch opportunities. And press coverage is almost never an option.
But Ruggs also has very good hands. He’s a feisty, capable blocker. He has been durable through three seasons as a receiver and returner in the grueling SEC. His route running needs refinement, but he’s not some guy who just traded his running shoes for cleats on Sundays.
“I feel like I bring everything,” Ruggs said on Tuesday, while answering umpteen questions about how fast he is. “I’m a playmaker. I don’t just pride myself on just speed. I want to be a guy can do everything on the field. I get downfield to block for my teammates, just as they do the same for me. I play without the ball, and with the ball in my hands I can make a play.”
Ruggs has the confidence, the toughness, the mentality and the tape. And, oh yeah, the speed.
So how do the two compare? Chris Simms would take Ruggs, especially for the offense of his friend Kyle Shanahan.
When it comes to choosing between the two Alabama products who headline the wide receiver group, NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms thinks the decision is easy.
@Ali_joseph1 Replying to @CSimmsQB If you’re San Francisco and at 13 ruggs and jeudy are both available, who do you take?
@CSimmsQB Ruggs no question. Bourne and Pettis are similar in style to a Jeudy. 49ers don’t need that guy. Man, SF in 21 personnel with Ruggs, Kittle, Deebo, Juzycyck at FB and their RBs. Wow, watch out.
In case you didn’t know, Simms was a college teammate of Niners coach Kyle Shanahan, and the two remain very close friends.
Simms has said in recent weeks that the hype surrounding Jerry Jeudy wasn’t shared by some within NFL circles.
Throw in Oklahoma WR CEEDEE LAMB who we profiled into the discussion – and here is how NFL.com’s experts see it:
Who should be the first wide receiver selected in the draft?
Nate Burleson Lamb will make the QB’s job easy CeeDee Lamb is the total package and has a game that will translate at the next level. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound wideout is an experienced route runner with a catch radius the size of a garage door. The team that picks him will be giving its quarterback an incredible asset and someone who will routinely make plays with the ball in his hands.
Brian Baldinger Ruggs brings element that can’t be matched Henry Ruggs is my No. 1 receiver in this year’s draft class simply because he changes the game the most. He brings a different kind of speed that will give defenses major problems — remember, he ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and was disappointed. He’s like the Cheetah, Tyreek Hill, but bigger and stronger. That’s a dangerous skill set.
Maurice Jones-Drew Jeudy’s route running sets him apart It has to be Jerry Jeudy. What he did over his final two seasons at Alabama speaks for itself — 145 catches for 2,478 yards (17.1 yards per catch) and 24 touchdowns. Jeudy is an excellent route runner, and that type of receiver will always have a place in this league. He’ll make an impact from Day 1.
David Carr Ruggs is a combination of two of NFL’s top deep threats One of these players will elevate an offense to different heights, and as good as Jeudy and Lamb are, they aren’t the lightning-in-a-bottle player that you can’t take your eyes off. Ruggs is. The speedster is a combination of DeSean Jackson and Tyreek Hill. He has home run ability from anywhere on the field.
DeAngelo Hall Lamb edges the two Alabama receivers in key categories I’m going with Lamb on this one. He runs routes well, is smooth in and out of his breaks, attacks the ball in the air and has run-after-the-catch ability. To me, he’s the best at all of these things. Plus, he has shown he can be a playmaker any time the ball is in his hands.
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2020 DRAFT Two rounds of Mock Draft from Mel Kiper, Jr. of ESPN.com:
Two rounds. Sixty-four picks. Let’s jump into my NFL Mock Draft 4.0, projecting first- and second-round picks in the 2020 NFL draft.
We’re just over a week away from Round 1 (Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN App), and I wanted to go a little deeper than in my Mock Draft 3.0. You’ll notice a few changes in the first 32 picks based on what I have heard lately, and then I predicted picks 33-64, from Cincinnati to Seattle. I tried to fill post-free-agency needs and also follow my rankings to find value picks.
ROUND 1
1. Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow, QB, LSU The Bengals are in a great position to reset their franchise and take the Heisman Trophy winner, who is the clear best quarterback in this class. Burrow should energize a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990. Now, can Cincinnati get anything in a trade for Andy Dalton, or will it cut him after the draft?
2. Washington Redskins Chase Young, DE, Ohio State Unless Washington trades back to try to add more picks — and it would take a huge haul, as I mentioned in my mailbag last week — I’m sticking with Young, a sensational edge rusher and one of the most NFL-ready defenders I have graded in the past few years. Ron Rivera’s defense has some talent, and now all eyes are on quarterback Dwayne Haskins in Year 2.
3. Detroit Lions Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State After trading away Darius Slay, the Lions brought in Desmond Trufant, but he’s no longer a No. 1 corner. Okudah could be that guy, and he’d instantly help the league’s last-ranked pass defense. Detroit could solicit trade offers to add valuable picks, but Matt Patricia is 9-22-1 in two seasons as coach, so he needs to win now to keep his job. His best bet might be taking the draft’s best cornerback.
4. New York Giants Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson The Giants should take an offensive tackle with one of their first two picks, but I wouldn’t pass on Simmons, who has rare athleticism and versatility. Stick him at outside linebacker and let him chase down ball carriers, rush the passer and cover tight ends. Simmons never has to leave the field. New coach Joe Judge will love him.
5. Miami Dolphins Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon Here’s the first curveball of my new Mock Draft. As I wrote last week, there has been some buzz around Herbert to Miami, and it’s real. The 6-foot-6 signal-caller has a lot of supporters across the league, and they love his upside and traits. And Herbert doesn’t have the durability concerns that have a few teams worried about Tua Tagovailoa’s future. On my board, I have Tagovailoa higher, but this is about projecting what I believe teams will do. And nine days from the start of Round 1, I’m leaning Herbert to Miami.
6. Los Angeles Chargers Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama With Herbert going to Miami in this scenario, Tagovailoa is there for the Chargers, and he’d create some much-needed buzz around a team that is competing with the Rams in a huge market. The Chargers also have Tyrod Taylor to play right away, so Tagovailoa could take his time with his rehab from the injury that ended his season in November. If the Chargers decide to pass on a quarterback with this pick, keep an eye on their taking the top offensive tackle on the board.
7. Carolina Panthers Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn Carolina would probably jump at Isaiah Simmons or Jeff Okudah if either fell to No. 7, but Brown is a great fallback pick. And this is a major position of need for the Panthers, who lost the middle of their defense this offseason (Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, Vernon Butler and Luke Kuechly are all gone). Brown is the best all-around defensive tackle in this draft, even if he’s not likely to pick up double-digit sacks every year.
8. Arizona Cardinals Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa As I mentioned in my Mock Draft 3.0, I like the fit of Wirfs in Arizona, because he could start from Day 1 at right tackle and help protect Kyler Murray, who took way too many sacks as a rookie. Arizona could also target defensive line, even after it signed Jordan Phillips in free agency. If Derrick Brown is available here, the Cardinals would have a tough decision to make.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama If the Jaguars are going all-in on Gardner Minshew, they could get him another weapon here. And Jeudy, who had 26 career touchdowns at Alabama, would be a great complement to DJ Chark and Dede Westbrook. He is a superb route runner and smooth-hands catcher who is dynamic after the catch. Jacksonville is another team that is likely to keep a close eye on defensive tackles Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw.
10. Cleveland Browns Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville Cleveland has a gaping hole at the left tackle spot and a valuable pick to help fill it, either with Becton or another lineman such as Jedrick Wills Jr., who played mostly on the right side at Alabama but has the athleticism to play on the left. Becton, one of my favorite prospects in this class, is a 6-foot-7, 364-pound road grader in the run game who also is light on his feet. Baker Mayfield has no excuse in 2020 if his tackles are Becton and free-agent signing Jack Conklin.
11. New York Jets Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama I thought about CeeDee Lamb here, but ultimately this class is much deeper with wide receivers than it is with offensive tackles. And if the Jets can get a starting tackle with Wills and address the receiver position in Round 2 (No. 48), that’s better than the inverse. They could get two immediate starters in the top 50 picks. According to my friends at ESPN Stats & Information, the Crimson Tide averaged 7.7 yards per rush outside the right tackle in 2019, which ranked third in the FBS. Wills would help get Le’Veon Bell going.
12. Las Vegas Raiders CJ Henderson, CB, Florida After picking three players in the first round in 2019, the Raiders have two more this year. And just like 2019, they still have needs in the secondary, where they got solid play from second-round pick Trayvon Mullen but don’t have much else at cornerback. Henderson would be an upgrade. I brought up the possibility of a quarterback with this pick when I played draft dominoes, and check out Vegas’ next pick for more on where I landed.
13. San Francisco 49ers (from IND) CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma I love this pick for the 49ers, who lost Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. Lamb is a big-play threat and a technician as a route runner, and he’d be a great complement to the versatility of Deebo Samuel. San Francisco has two first-round picks — it got this one after trading DeForest Buckner to the Colts — but doesn’t have picks in the second, third or fourth rounds, so watch out for a potential trade down to accumulate more assets.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia I’ll stick with offensive tackle here, as it is the best way to help Tom Brady and a Bucs team that is trying to win now. Thomas started the past two seasons at left tackle for the Bulldogs, but he was their starting right tackle as a freshman, so he has some experience there. This is too high for a running back, but Tampa Bay could address that position in Round 2.
15. Denver Broncos Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU Jefferson is one of the hottest names in the draft. After catching 111 passes with 18 touchdowns for the national champs last year, he surprised scouts with a 4.43 40-yard dash at the combine, and I called him a riser. Well, he’s still rising. An even 100 of his catches for LSU last season came out of the slot, and that’s where he’d fit best for Denver, which has a stud young outside target in Courtland Sutton.
16. Atlanta Falcons K’Lavon Chaisson, OLB, LSU Dan Quinn’s defense has undergone several changes this offseason, but there are still holes at edge rusher, cornerback and defensive tackle. And even after swapping Vic Beasley Jr. for Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency, I still look at Chaisson as the best value here because of the upside he brings as a versatile pass-rusher. After Chase Young, he’s the best edge rusher in this class.
17. Dallas Cowboys Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama McKinney called me out last week because I didn’t rank him as my No. 1 safety. I have Antoine Winfield Jr. just a little bit higher because of his versatility to play slot corner. But McKinney is the best pure safety in this class, and he’d be a great fit in Dallas, which has some talent on defense but lost starters Byron Jones, Robert Quinn, Maliek Collins and Jeff Heath. The Cowboys brought in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for short-term help, but McKinney could be the future.
18. Miami Dolphins (from PIT) Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina The Dolphins addressed their defense in free agency, but it was one of the league’s worst units last season. Miami gave up 30.9 points per game and had just 23 sacks, which both ranked last in the NFL. So let’s continue to help this unit with Kinlaw, who is the best player left on my board. At 6-foot-5, 324 pounds, he could play some nose tackle or slide out to end in a 3-4 defense. With five picks in the first two rounds, the Dolphins can afford to take the best player available and not reach for needs.
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from CHI) Jordan Love, QB, Utah State Now you’ll see why I passed on Love for the Raiders at No. 12. Since I’m not going to predict trades in this Mock Draft, I feel good about Love being here. Now, that could change on draft day, and a team could move above the Raiders to get him. But this would be a coup for Las Vegas, which isn’t tied to Derek Carr or Marcus Mariota past 2020. If Jon Gruden & Co. decide to pass on a quarterback, wide receiver is the most likely position for them to target.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR) Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma This pick has been hard to gauge for the past few months. The Jaguars have several needs, including off-ball linebacker, defensive line, wide receiver, tight end, cornerback and right tackle. So if I’m giving them a wideout at No. 9, it makes sense to go defense here. Jacksonville brought in middle linebacker Joe Schobert in free agency, but Murray has the versatility to play any linebacker spot. He’s a tremendous athlete and tackling machine.
21. Philadelphia Eagles Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama This pick should be the best wide receiver on their board. Philadelphia doesn’t have many roster holes, but there’s a big one at wideout. And really, if I’m running the Eagles, I would look at trading up a few spots to get my guy. I suspect they’d be thrilled to get Ruggs, who is one of the fastest players in this class and is underrated as a route runner. This is a team that can win the NFC East again.
22. Minnesota Vikings (from BUF) Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State As I mentioned in my Mock Draft 3.0, the Vikings don’t have much at receiver beyond Adam Thielen. In a deep receiver class, they have to take one here or at No. 25. And in this scenario, I’m giving them one of the best playmakers in the class in Aiyuk, who averaged 18.3 yards per catch (and 31.8 yards per kickoff return) last season. Aiyuk is a great athlete who plays bigger than his 6-foot frame. He has an 81-inch wingspan, which is only an inch behind Calvin Johnson’s.
23. New England Patriots Zack Baun, OLB, Wisconsin It’s really tough to predict what Bill Belichick is going to do in a draft, but we know that he likes versatile front-seven pieces. That’s Baun, who broke out for the Badgers last season with 12.5 sacks and 19.5 total tackles for loss. The Patriots lost linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts in free agency, so Baun fills a need. Since it appears New England is happy with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer at quarterback, I’ll stay away from that position.
24. New Orleans Saints A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson I wrote last week that there is a big drop-off after the top two corners in this class, at least on my board. I have first-round grades on only two corners. That doesn’t mean, however, that teams see it the same way, and Terrell has been getting some first-round buzz. New Orleans desperately has to upgrade with young talent at the cornerback position. Terrell is physically gifted — he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at 6-foot-1 — though he had an inconsistent 2019 season.
25. Minnesota Vikings Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah Again, Johnson doesn’t have a first-round grade on my board, but with length and athleticism he fits the profile of what Mike Zimmer likes in his defensive backs. Johnson is a bit of a wild card because he played the 2019 season with a torn labrum and had surgery in February, which means not every team will have a full picture on his rehab. He’d be a good fit in Minnesota, which lost Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander from last year’s team.
26. Miami Dolphins (from HOU) Antoine Winfield Jr., S/CB, Minnesota Winfield is one of my favorite prospects in this class, a Swiss Army knife in the secondary who could play deep safety or slot corner. He had seven interceptions last season, and he’s not afraid to tackle, either. The only knock on him is size — he’s just 5-foot-9, which has contributed to injury questions. The last first-round defensive back under 5-foot-10? That would be Antoine Winfield Sr. 21 years ago, and he had a great career. This pick means the Dolphins’ first round is done with a safety, quarterback (Justin Herbert) and defensive tackle (Javon Kinlaw). Those are immediate upgrades.
27. Seattle Seahawks Cesar Ruiz, C/G, Michigan Seattle wants to be a run-first team, and it could upgrade at guard, where Ruiz is my top-ranked interior offensive lineman. He started the past two seasons at center for the Wolverines but is athletic enough to play either guard spot. Since it appears Jadeveon Clowney won’t return to Seattle, I thought about defensive end here. Iowa’s AJ Epenesa could be a fit.
28. Baltimore Ravens Patrick Queen, ILB, LSU The Ravens lost a few defensive linemen this offseason, but they upgraded by trading for Calais Campbell and signing Derek Wolfe. What they haven’t replaced, however, is inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, who left the team in free agency last year and whose absence was felt throughout the 2019 season. Queen, a run-and-hit linebacker with stellar instincts, could fill that void. With Marshal Yanda retiring, guard is another option here.
29. Tennessee Titans Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State Tennessee added Vic Beasley Jr. on a one-year deal in free agency, but it should still take a close look at the edge rushers at the end of Round 1. Gross-Matos had a steady but unspectacular 2019 season, putting up 15 tackles for loss with 9.5 sacks. He would likely play end in the Titans’ 3-4 defense, but he could play outside linebacker, too.
30. Green Bay Packers Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson If the Packers want to get over the hump in the final stage of Aaron Rodgers’ career, they’re going to have to give him better targets outside of Davante Adams. Adding Devin Funchess isn’t going to cut it. At 6-foot-3, Higgins is a big target who gobbled up touchdowns in college (his 27 tied for most in school history with Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins). He could take some of Jimmy Graham’s red zone targets.
31. San Francisco 49ers Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn Since I gave the 49ers a wide receiver with their first pick, consider this two needs filled. The defense had issues on the other side of Richard Sherman all last season, and Sherman is 32 and only signed through 2020. San Francisco has to get younger here. Igbinoghene is raw, but he has tremendous upside. He’s also a dynamite kick returner — check out this 96-yard TD return. As I mentioned earlier, the 49ers could trade down from this pick with teams wanting to get back into the first round to draft someone and attain his fifth-year option.
32. Kansas City Chiefs D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia As McShay pointed out in his two-round Mock Draft, there aren’t many teams picking in the first round that have a hole at running back. Miami, maybe? Atlanta would have been a possibility, but then it brought in Todd Gurley. That’s why Swift to Kansas City makes sense here. Andy Reid would get the most of him in the passing game, and Swift could break off chunks of yardage on the ground. Cornerback and guard are also options for the Super Bowl champs.
ROUND 2
33. Cincinnati Bengals Josh Jones, OT, Houston The Bengals get back 2019 first-rounder Jonah Williams, who missed his entire rookie season with a shoulder injury, so that fills the left tackle opening. But there are still holes at guard and right tackle. Jones started 45 games for the Cougars at left tackle, but some teams think he will move inside to guard. This would cap an ideal top two picks for Cincinnati.
34. Indianapolis Colts (from WSH) Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor The Colts traded out of Round 1 when they added defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from the 49ers, and the loss of that pick stings less because they have Washington’s second-rounder, which comes from the Redskins trading back into Round 1 last year (to add pass-rusher Montez Sweat). Injuries limited top wideout T.Y. Hilton to just 45 catches, and 2019 second-round pick Parris Campbell never got going. Mims is a freaky athlete who will catch a few deep balls from Philip Rivers.
35. Detroit Lions Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU Matt Patricia really needs to fix the Lions’ defense, and Blacklock could slide in as a starter next to free-agent addition Danny Shelton. Blacklock played a lot of nose tackle at TCU, but he could rush the passer more in Detroit’s 4-3 defense.
36. New York Giants Austin Jackson, OT, USC I wrote earlier that the Giants needed to take an offensive tackle early, and Jackson could fall into their lap at No. 36. He played 1,680 straight snaps at left tackle for the Trojans over the past two seasons, but he is still a developmental project in my eyes. He’ll take some time to adjust, but he could be New York’s long-term starter at either tackle spot.
37. Los Angeles Chargers J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State This is a great landing spot for Dobbins, a north-south runner who ran for 2,003 yards last season. With Melvin Gordon gone and Austin Ekeler taking over the lead role, Dobbins can work his way into the rotation and pick up first downs. The Chargers have the talent to make a run at a wild-card spot this season — if they can get consistent quarterback play.
38. Carolina Panthers Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU Carolina is at the very beginning stages of its rebuild, so it needs to take the best player available (or trade down to add more assets). And with an open spot opposite Donte Jackson, that target could be a cornerback. Fulton looked like a future first-rounder at times last season, but he also had some inconsistent games. He is great in press coverage, though, and could be a steal.
39. Miami Dolphins Robert Hunt, G, Louisiana This isn’t a great class for interior offensive linemen, but Hunt is one of my favorites. He just mauls defenders in the run game. He also has some versatility because he started games at left guard, left tackle and right tackle for the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Dolphins had the league’s worst rushing attack last season, and Hunt would help.
40. Houston Texans (from ARI) A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa Epenesa has first-round tape, but he’s not going to be for every team. He’s not a quick-twitch edge rusher; in fact, at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, he might be better at end in a 3-4 in the NFL. Still, I trust the tape, and I don’t think he’ll drop out of the first 40 picks. He’d get to learn the tricks of the trade from J.J. Watt in Houston.
41. Cleveland Browns Grant Delpit, S, LSU Last year, the Browns got a first-round talent from LSU on Day 2 in cornerback Greedy Williams. In this scenario, an LSU safety with first-round talent drops to Cleveland on Day 2. I thought at one point that Delpit might go in the top 10 picks, but his inconsistency throughout the 2019 season will likely see him drop to the second round. If he can put it all together, he could be a Pro Bowl all-around safety.
42. Jacksonville Jaguars Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M I thought about defensive tackle for the Jaguars’ two first-round picks, but this would be a great draft for them if they can get Madubuike here. After Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw, Madubuike is the defensive tackle with the most pass-rushing upside — he had 34 pressures and 18 tackles for loss last season. Taven Bryan, a first-round pick in 2018, hasn’t worked out, so Jacksonville needs to push him with another young DT.
43. Chicago Bears (from LV) Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame I’m not sold on Jimmy Graham making an impact this season, and neither Trey Burton nor Adam Shaheen has worked out in Chicago. Kmet is the best tight end in an unspectacular class, but the talent is there for him to be a good blocker and receiver. This pick comes from the Raiders in the Khalil Mack trade, and the Bears still have their own at No. 50.
44. Indianapolis Colts Jacob Eason, QB, Washington Surprised? Don’t be. Philip Rivers is a stopgap for a team trying to get back to the playoffs, and Jacoby Brissett is under contract only through the 2020 season. Eason, who has a massive arm and a 6-foot-6 frame, could be the perfect understudy for Rivers. Eason isn’t ready to play immediately, so he needs a coaching staff that will be patient.
45. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin How about this help for Tom Brady? Ronald Jones II was in and out of Bruce Arians’ doghouse last season, so it wouldn’t be surprising for the Bucs to target a running back on Day 2. Taylor rushed for 6,174 yards in his career, but he also lost 15 fumbles, and that’s how you catch Arians’ ire. Taylor’s 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine was an eye-opener, though, and there’s a chance he’s the top back off the board.
46. Denver Broncos Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State I got Denver a wide receiver in Round 1, so let’s help John Elway’s defense here. Arnette, who played the entire 2019 season with a broken wrist, isn’t as physically gifted as his teammate Jeff Okudah, but he has some potential as a press-man corner. The Broncos get back slot corner Bryce Callahan, who missed all of last season, but they could use someone to make a push for the outside spot opposite newly acquired A.J. Bouye.
47. Atlanta Falcons Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois Keanu Neal, a first-round pick in 2016, has had some horrible injury luck and played in only four games over the past two seasons. That has opened a void at safety in Atlanta. Chinn, who had 13 career interceptions for the Salukis and looked great at Senior Bowl practices, ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at the combine, a fantastic time for a 221-pound defensive back. He’s legit.
48. New York Jets Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame Robby Anderson is gone, and Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder sit atop the Jets’ wide receiver depth chart. Let’s give Sam Darnold more weapons so Adam Gase can fully evaluate the third-year quarterback. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Claypool lit up the combine with a 4.42 40 and 40.5-inch vertical, and he has a high ceiling if he can get in the right situation. He’d get early reps in New York.
49. Pittsburgh Steelers Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma I was asked last week about the possibility of Hurts going in the first round, and I said that he’s likely going on Day 2. Well, Hurts is a hot name right now, and I don’t think he gets out of the second round. Coaches and scouts love Hurts’ intangibles, and he improved his accuracy in his season under Lincoln Riley. He fits in Pittsburgh, where neither Mason Rudolph nor Devlin Hodges showed much while filling in for Ben Roethlisberger, 38, last season.
50. Chicago Bears KJ Hamler, WR, Penn State Whether it’s Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback in 2020, the Bears need weapons. That’s why I got them a tight end at No. 43, and that’s why I’m going with a wide receiver here. Hamler, who is only 5-foot-9, 178 pounds, is explosive in space and can play in the slot or outside. Though he wasn’t able to work out at the combine because of a hamstring injury, I feel comfortable saying he’s one of the fastest players in the class. His problem last season was drops — he had nine. If he can get that corrected, Chicago will have a really good player on its hands.
51. Dallas Cowboys Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU This means I’m going all secondary for the Cowboys, for whom I grabbed safety Xavier McKinney in Round 1. With Byron Jones off to Miami in free agency, Gladney could challenge to start on the outside with Anthony Brown and Chidobe Awuzie. Gladney’s 26 pass breakups over the past two seasons were the most in the entire FBS.
52. Los Angeles Rams Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU With Todd Gurley gone, do the Rams really know what they have at running back? Veteran Malcolm Brown and 2019 third-round pick Darrell Henderson Jr. both averaged less than 4 yards per carry in limited opportunities last season. The 5-foot-7 Edwards-Helaire was tremendous for the national champs in 2019, becoming the first player in SEC history with 1,000 rushing yards and 50 receptions in a season. Give him some receiving reps in L.A. and he’d be a great option for Jared Goff. The Rams also have needs along the offensive line and the front seven.
53. Philadelphia Eagles Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech I love this pick for the Eagles, who could get an immediate starter at middle linebacker. Brooks, my No. 3 ILB, is a 240-pound tackling machine and sideline-to-sideline defender who surprised me with a 4.54 40 at the combine. I liked his tape, but I didn’t know he was that explosive. He could be a menace in the NFC East for years to come.
54. Buffalo Bills Julian Okwara, DE/OLB, Notre Dame Okwara, who broke his leg in November and didn’t work out at the combine, has some versatility as a defensive end in a 4-3 defense or an outside linebacker in a 3-4. He’d be an end in Buffalo. The Bills added veteran Mario Addison to take over for Shaq Lawson, who left in free agency, but there are plenty of reps in the rotation for Okwara.
55. Baltimore Ravens (from ATL/NE) Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU Reagor was a touchdown waiting to happen in the Big 12, but he was let down by poor quarterback play last season, and he had too many drops in 2018. Still, I have a second-round grade on him because of his athleticism and ability after the catch. The Ravens have one diminutive speedster in Marquise Brown, but Reagor could provide some pop in the passing and return game in 2020.
56. Miami Dolphins (from NO) Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC Let’s finish Miami’s five picks with a pass-catcher to help out Justin Herbert. Pittman has great hands and a 6-foot-4 frame, and his 4.52 40 at the combine was a great time for his size. He’s a smooth route runner who knows how to get open. The Dolphins got a breakout season from DeVante Parker in 2019 — and undrafted free agent Preston Williams impressed in eight games — but their depth chart for outside receivers is barren after that. And if you’re keeping score, that’s three offensive players and two defenders for the Dolphins in the first two rounds.
57. Los Angeles Rams (from HOU) Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas Even after trading away Brandin Cooks to get this pick, wide receiver isn’t among the Rams’ most pressing needs. But since I don’t have an edge rusher or guard with a second-round grade, I’m going to look to Duvernay, a dynamic wideout who ranked third in the FBS with 106 catches and fifth with 1,386 receiving yards while working mostly from the slot. Duvernay also ran a 4.39 40 at the combine.
58. Minnesota Vikings Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State I gave Minnesota a wide receiver and cornerback in Round 1, so let’s fill out the Vikings’ list of weakest positions with an offensive tackle. Cleveland, who started 40 games at left tackle for Boise State, looked great in agility drills at the combine and ran a 4.93 40, the third fastest among offensive linemen. He’s not just a workout warrior, though; he has stellar tape. Cleveland could be the swing tackle in Year 1 for the Vikings or push left tackle Riley Reiff over to guard.
59. Seattle Seahawks Ashtyn Davis, S, California A groin injury has limited Davis during the pre-draft process — he had to skip Senior Bowl practices and didn’t work out at the combine — but the former walk-on is an elite athlete (he was also an elite hurdler at Cal). At 6 feet, 202 pounds, Davis isn’t the biggest safety, but he has some coverage traits and instincts that can’t be taught. In time, he could also play some cornerback.
60. Baltimore Ravens Matt Hennessy, C, Temple With Marshal Yanda retiring, the Ravens will have an open competition for his vacant right guard spot, and Ben Powers, R.J. Prince and Patrick Mekari are expected to be involved. Hennessy, a three-year starter at center for the Owls, could win that job. The Ravens want to run the ball — they set the NFL single-season record with 3,296 rushing yards in 2019 — so they need to find a road grader to replace Yanda and keep their offense rolling.
61. Tennessee Titans Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama Logan Ryan is still unsigned, and Tennessee could use an injection of talent at the cornerback spot. Diggs, a converted wide receiver and brother of new Bills wideout Stefon Diggs, is still raw, but he has the tools to be an NFL starter. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Diggs allowed just 30% of passes to be completed when he was the primary defender in 2019, the third-lowest percentage in the FBS.
62. Green Bay Packers Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton The Packers like 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger, but they should add another tight end to replace Jimmy Graham. Trautman, who was the Flyers’ scout-team quarterback in 2015, bulked up his 6-foot-5 frame to 255 pounds and developed into a threat with the ball in his hands. He is Dayton’s record holder for career receptions (178) and receiving yards (2,295). He needs time to develop as a blocker, but that’s nearly every tight end coming into the NFL these days.
63. Kansas City Chiefs (from SF) Cameron Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State The lanky 6-foot-2 Dantzler was getting some first-round buzz last season, but he disappointed at the combine with a 4.64 40, and he could still drop to Round 3. I’d take him here, though, especially for a Kansas City team that lost Kendall Fuller and needs to add more competition in the secondary. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chiefs added another wideout to their corps with this pick.
64. Seattle Seahawks (from KC) Marlon Davidson, DE, Auburn The Seahawks are coming off a disappointing season defensively, and I expect them to target an end with one of their three picks in the first two rounds. With a huge 6-foot-3, 303-pound frame, Davidson fits the profile of defensive lineman that Seattle likes. There aren’t many 300-pounders with his bend and athleticism off the edge; that’s why I wanted him on my superteam.
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