2020 Mock Draft 1.0
OK, for those new to these parts, well, I love the draft. The regulars know this.
We only trot a full first-round mock draft on draft day. Yes, we love the draft. You know this.
And we are going to stick with our picks for the contest from Tuesday, but they don't jive with this projection completely. (And yes, the Mrs. 5-at-10's entry will look a lot like this one.)
Cincinnati - Joe Burrow, QB, LSU. Slam dunk, right? And here's hoping the Bengals a) don't botch this one and b) don't waste our time dilly-dallying. Dilly-dally is an excellent phrase.
Washington - Chase Young, DE, THE Ohio State. I think the Redskins will deal, but who knows. It's the Redskins. I saw reports that the Falcons offered a truckload of picks to get here to get Young, but the 'Skins said no. I think a trade makes a lot of sense, but again, it's the Redskins.
Miami (from Detroit for 5 and 39) - Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon. This becomes the hinge point of this draft.
New York Giants - Jedrick Wills, T, Alabama. Yep, on an offense with that much star-power, raise your hand if you had Saban's right tackle as the first Tide player off the board.
Detroit (from Miami) - Jeff Okudah, CB, THE Ohio State. Here's a very earlier winner, if this plays out, because the Lions get an extra high second-round pick and the player they were going to take at 3 anyway.
San Diego - Isaiah Simmons. athlete, Clemson. And here's the point where the Tua panic sets in. Tackle is a real possibility here too. Simmons is too good to pass and the Chargers brass has high hopes for Tyrod Taylor, and if not, there are still free-agent QB options.
Carolina - Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn. The most common team-player connection this side of Burrow and the Bengals is Brown and the Panthers. That's not an accident.
Arizona - Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia. The Cards would love to have Simmons or Brown because the defense was dreadful. But the most complete offensive lineman in the draft completes a super-charged talent injection on that side of the ball.
Atlanta (from Jacksonville for 16 and 2021 No. 1) - C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida. The Falcons bigwigs - Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff - are in the biggest win-now scenario of any coach-GM combo in the league. So they deal this year's 1 and next year's 1 for the second-best corner in the draft.
Cleveland - Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa. The most athletic tackle in the draft is a perfect fit for a Browns offense that is flush with playmakers but light upfront. The Browns added Jack Conklin in free agency, but they still need another tackle.
Tampa Bay (from the New York Jets for 14 and a third-rounder) - Mekhi Becton, OL, Louisville. The Bucs have been the darlings of the offseason, adding Brady and Gronk. Well, if they do not add some protection for Brady, he won't be upright long.
Las Vegas Raiders (and yes, that felt strange to type) - Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama. In this model, you have to wonder if Jon Gruden is going to get a taste for Tua here, because, yes, he's still on the board. But the most complete WR in the draft is too much to pass up.
New England (deal with San Francisco for 23 overall and two third-rounders) - Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama. Yep, and let the entire league moan. OK, Tua is a top-five dude if healthy right? And who in the NFL has the best relationship with Tua's former coach Nick Saban? Yep, bet he's got the inside skinny on Tua's condition. Plus, the 49ers make a ton of sense, because a) they need picks, and b) this is a tip of the visor for the Pats sending Jimmy G to San Fran on the cheap.
New York Jets - CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma. The Jets have to address weapons and protection for Sam Darnold. Tackle could be an option here too.
Denver - Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama. The over/under on WRs in the first round is 5.5, and starting at 12 the run begins.
Jacksonville - Javon Kinlaw, DL, Sotuh Carolina. This scenario would make the Jags a candidate for winning round one, considering they are filling a major need on the defensive line, getting a top-10 talent like Kinlaw and adding a 2021 first-rounder from Atlanta.
Dallas - K'Lavon Chaisson, DE, LSU. Extreme athleticism makes Chaisson a coveted edge presence.
Miami - Xaiver McKinney, S, Alabama. In theory, this would have been the Steelers pick, but Miami got it by trading a former star Alabama safety and they replace Minkah Fitzpatrick with another former star Alabama safety.
Las Vegas - Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma. Very athletic and a tackling machine. Gruden could go in a lot of ways right here, and this will be the spot where Jordan Love's name will be whispered. A lot.
Jacksonville - DeAndre Swift, RB, Georgia. This is higher than most peg Swift, the unquestioned top RB in this class. But - and this draft gives the Jags a lot of impressive moves and decisions - if the Jags deal unhappy Leonard Fournette, this is a plug-and-place replacement and whatever the deal for Fournette brings.
Philadelphia - Jordan Jefferson, WR, LSU. The Eagles could move up because they desperately need a WR. (And here's betting they will hold their breath while the Jags pick right in front of them.)
Minnesota - AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson. The Vikings have holes at corner and receiver after an offseason purge left them without their top two cover guys and sent Stefan Diggs to Buffalo. Expect them to address each area with their two first-round picks.
San Francisco (from New England) - Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State. The 49ers may have the best roster in the league. Adding another perimeter piece would be nice.
New Orleans - Patrick Queen, LB, LSU. Fantastic fit for player and team. Also of note here could be Jordan Love.
Minnesota - Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson. Hey, like the way this played out for the Vikings.
Miami - Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State. Yes, we're pulling names from the boards now and trying to offer best guesses here.
Seattle - Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia. The Seahawks give Russell Wilson some help up front.
Baltimore Ravens - Josh Jones, OL, Houston. The Ravens could go linebacker too.
Tennessee - AJ Espinoza, DE, Iowa. Edge rusher is a primary need for a Titans team that will have to pressure QBs better to continue their ascent in the AFC.
Green Bay - Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame. He's the best tight end in the draft and that's clearly the Packers biggest need.
New Orleans (from San Francisco for a third rounder in 2020 and a second-rounder in 2021 ) - Jordan Love, QB, Utah State. And here's the replacement for Drew Brees.
Kansas City - Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota. Lots of folks have the Chiefs coveting DeAndre Swift, which would make a lot of sense. In this model, he's already gone. They could go J.K. Dobbins but another versatile safety/slot cover guy is always welcomed. The Chiefs have 20 of their 22 starters back; one of the holes is in the secondary.
Draft Contest
We have about two dozen in the draft contest. We will take admissions until 7 p.m. so there's that.
And yes, if my mock draft is anywhere close to right, well, the Tua story will be huge.
As for the contest, well, you know the drill - it's free - and all are invited to the Dodging the Draft While Feeling the Draft and Drinking a Draught Draft Doohickey.
Each of the below questions is worth one point. If there's a tie, we will have a Friday, day-two draft tie-breaker, which means we really want there to be a tie so we can extend the contest.
Here are the questions, and feel free to add your answers in the comments or email me at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com:
> Who will be the second QB drafted?
> How many SEC players will go in Round 1?
> First team to make a trade? (Clarification: The team with the higher pick will be deemed the first team to trade. For example, if the Giants trade the No. 2 pick to the Dolphins for picks 5 and 18, then the Giants is the answer. Clear?)
> More offensive or defensive players drafted in Round 1?
> Over/under 1.5 running backs drafted in Round 1?
> The Atlanta Falcons' first pick will be? (Clarification: This is the player picked. For example, if the Falcons pick Derrick Brown and trade him for more first-round picks and pick other players, the answer is Derrick Brown. Clear?)
> Who will be the first wide receiver drafted?
> Heck, let's go ahead and extend this beyond Thursday, right? In what round will Jake Fromm be picked?
Go.
Golf game on
Well, that's a ton of draft talk.
Now to the announcement that the Tiger/Peyton vs. Phil/Brady match is on.Will you watch that? Would you bet on it?
My answer is yes to both.
But here's hoping they learn from the miscues of the last Phil-Tiger match. Encourage the trash talk. And you almost have to have a large majority of the match be alternate shot.
Otherwise it will be Tiger vs. Phil with Brady and Manning just extending the broadcast.
This and that
- Speaking of the NFL draft, here's TFP all-around ace David Paschall's draft preview with some insights from former NFL GM and Chattanooga resident Buddy Nix.
- Here's today's A2 column about Chattanooga mayor Andy Berke sharing his vision with CNN and the nation and offering local reporters a lot of 'no comments.'
- Perfect time for MLB to announce their punishments for the Red Sox, right? And it's such a big-time sports organization move to come down the hardest on the video-board operator, right? The biggest detail in the Red Sox case is that the players do not believe they cheated; the players viewed it as everyday sign-stealing with modern technology. So there's that.
Today's questions
Are you in the draft contest? If not why not?
Hey, tell a friend. They could win some stuff.
As for today, April 23, let's review.
John Cena is 43.
William Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564. He died on this day in 1616. So there's that.
John Oliver is 43 today.
Rushmore of currently working talk show hosts? Does Oliver's role on HBO make it?Go and remember the contest and the mailbag.