Getty 2020 NFL Mock Draft Picks 17-32: Travis Etienne & Justin Jefferson
The NFL Draft season is officially upon us with the College Football Playoff National Championship game taking place on Monday. Speaking of the title game, Clemson’s Travis Etienne and LSU’s Justin Jefferson are two of the more talented prospects yet to be selected in our first round mock.
- 2020 NFL Draft Positional Rankings
- Big Board
- [Top 50]
- Offense
- [ QB | RB | WRs & TE | OT & IOL]
- Defense
- [EDGE & DL | LB | DB]
RETURN TO: Round 1 Mock: Picks 1-16
2020 NFL Mock Draft (Picks 17-32)
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- 17) Dallas Cowboys
- Grant Delpit | S | LSU
- This pick has become a mock-draft favorite on the web. It’s certainly understandable why. Dallas missed out on Earl Thomas last offseason. Grant Delpit is also a huge name who, prior to the start of this college season, seemed like a top-five lock. While Delpit took a step back this year, he’d still immediately serve as an upgrade over Jeff Heath and/or Xavier Woods.
- 18) Miami Dolphins
- Tristan Wirfs | OT | Iowa
- Wirfs is arguably the best lineman in the draft. The only reason he would fall this far is the lone fact that he played predominantly on the right side at Iowa. However, if Miami does indeed select Tua with their first pick, he would be the ideal person to protect the left-handed quarterback’s blindside.
- 19) Oakland/LV Raiders
- Kenneth Murray | LB | Oklahoma
- Vontaze Burfict’s days in the NFL seem to be numbered. None of the three starting linebackers for Oakland in the final game of the season owned a PFF grade higher than 59.8. Murray offers arguably the best range of any linebacker in this draft class.
- 20) Jacksonville Jaguars
- Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama
- Tre Herndon is a nice player, but he’s not the answer opposite AJ Bouye in Jacksonville. Trevon Diggs is the brother of Minnesota Vikings WR Stefon Diggs. Trevon is a fluid-hipped corner who stands at 6’2”, giving Jacksonville the size they lost when trading away Jalen Ramsey.
- 21) Philadelphia Eagles
- Laviska Shenault Jr. | WR | Colorado
- When you have a practice squad signee/former college quarterback serving as your WR1 in your offense, it’s safe to say it’s time to upgrade the position. Shenault Jr. is essentially a running back with the ball in his hands, and will automatically improve the NFL’s 20th ranked yards after catch receiving corps in football.
- 22) Buffalo Bills
- Justin Jefferson | WR | LSU
- Josh Allen showed great promise in his second NFL season. While John Brown and Cole Beasley played exceptionally in 2019, their ceiling is only so high. Jefferson, who stands at 6’3” would give Allen the type of big-bodied receiver he’s been missing since arriving in Buffalo.
- 23) New England Patriots
- K’Lavon Chaisson | EDGE | LSU
- K’lavon Chaisson offers maybe the highest upside of any edge rusher in this class. LSU lined him up everywhere on the football field, and he was even used to cover slots. A versatile playmaker at a position of need for the Patriots? It almost sounds too good to be true.
- 24) New Orleans Saints
- Jalen Reagor | WR | TCU
- New Orleans has seemingly been looking for a WR2 opposite Michael Thomas for years. A season ago it was Dez Bryant, this year they’ve even entertained the thought of kicking the tires on Antonio Brown in hopes of slightly shifting the coverage away from Thomas. Jalen Reagor could bring an element to this offense that has been missing since they traded away Brandin Cooks.
- 25) Minnesota Vikings
- CJ Henderson | CB | Florida
- Xavier Rhodes has become a shell of himself. A player who was once avoided at all costs is now the preferred target on the Vikings defense. A case could be made that no corner in this draft offers more high-end traits than Henderson.
- 26) Miami Dolphins
- Jonathan Taylor | RB | Wisconsin
- Is this an idiotic pick? Maybe. Maybe all running backs go to die in Miami. Kenyan Drake will likely attest to that sentiment. However, Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin are not going to get the job done in the Dolphins backfield. Jonathan Taylor has the capabilities of being a true workhorse back in the NFL.
- 27) Seattle Seahawks
- Yetur Gross-Matos | EDGE | Penn St.
- Jadeveon Clowney was a nice pickup for Seattle this past offseason, however, he’s struggled to stay healthy and is an impending free agent. Opposite him, the team lacks any semblance of a pass-rush. Gross-Matos is the type of height/weight/speed guy that the Seahawks organization drools over.
- 28) Baltimore Ravens
- Xavier McKinney | S | Alabama
- Just because Ozzie Newsome is out of town, doesn’t mean Baltimore will shy away from players out of Tuscaloosa. Earl Thomas is still playing at a super level. Yet, Brandon Carr will be 34 years old next season, while Tony Jefferson recorded a putrid 49.4 PFF grade before ending the year on IR.
- 29) Tennessee Titans
- Julian Okwara | EDGE | Notre Dame
- Tennessee possesses one of the most hard-nosed, tough defensive units in all of football. However, they could stand for an upgrade on the edge of their defense. No Titans player recorded more than five sacks in 2019.
- 30) Kansas City Chiefs
- Travis Etienne | RB | Clemson
- Imagine Etienne’s speed matched with players such as Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, it simply wouldn’t be fair. However, while Etienne offers game-breaking speed, his combination of superb balance and vision tends to get overlooked. Don’t overthink it, Etienne is more than capable of being a featured back in today’s NFL.
- 31) Green Bay Packers
- Brycen Hopkins | TE | Purdue
- Jimmy Graham is a shell of himself, and could find himself as a cap casualty prior to the start of 2020. Brycen Hopkins offers the flexibility to work out of the slot, while also serving as an in-line blocker in the run game.
- 32) San Francisco 49ers
- Jeff Gladney | CB | TCU
- Ahkello Witherspoon seems to have mostly fallen out of favor in San Francisco. Richard Sherman has been brilliant this season, but will be 32 years of age come 2020.
RETURN TO: Round 1 Mock: Picks 1-16