Getty 2020 NFL Mock Draft Picks 1-16: Joe Burrow & Isaiah Simmons
The NFL Draft season is officially upon us with the College Football Playoff National Championship game taking place on Monday.
The title game gave us a front-row seat to some of the top 2020 NFL Draft prospects that will be available for selection come late April. Players such as Joe Burrow, Isaiah Simmons, and Travis Etienne are just some of the many prominent prospects from LSU and Clemson’s talent-packed teams.
- 2020 NFL Draft Positional Rankings
- Big Board
- [Top 50]
- Offense
- [ QB | RB | WRs & TE | OT & IOL]
- Defense
- [EDGE & DL | LB | DB]
2020 NFL Mock Draft (Picks 1-16)
- 1) Cincinnati Bengals
- Joe Burrow | QB | LSU
- Burrow has become the slamdunk first overall draft pick. Ryan Finley is clearly not the guy for Cinci, while Andy Dalton is nothing more than a bridge quarterback at this point in his career. Joe Burrow has completed 71% of his passes in every game this year. For as much as Cinci gets bagged on, a core of skill players consisting of Joe Mixon, AJ Green (barring a trade), John Ross, and Auden Tate is more than most rookie QBs will be gifted with this coming season.
- 2) Washington Redskins
- Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio St.
- A fairly obvious pick here. After selecting Dwayne Haskins in the first round a year ago, Washington will be able to snag the best overall player in the upcoming draft, Ohio State’s Chase Young. Ryan Kerrigan led all Washington edge rushers with just 5.5 sacks in 2019. Young recorded 16.5 sacks in just 10 games this season.
- 3) Detroit Lions
- Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio St.
- Darius Slay’s name has been riddled in trade talks for the better part of the past year. Justin Coleman is a nice slot-guy, but struggles on the outside. Okudah gives Matt Patricia a big-bodied corner to play the Stephone Gilmore position in his defense. Isaiah Simmons is a potential fit here as well.
- 4) New York Giants
- Jedrick Wills Jr. | OT | Alabama
- Speaking of Isaiah Simmons, Giants fans would love nothing more than to see a rangy specimen such as Simmons roam sideline to sideline for their defense. New York hasn’t had a linebacker worth mentioning since the Antonio Pierce days. However, goal number one in New York is protecting Daniel Jones. Jedrick Wills Jr. has shot up draft boards in recent weeks and is trending towards being the first lineman taken come April.
- 5) Miami Dolphins
- Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama
- It seems as if this pick is essentially set in stone. Miami has seemingly been eying Tua for years. In a way, the injury suffered by Tagovailoa will likely help ensure his selection by the ‘Phins. Ryan Fitzpatrick has enough magic left in the tank to serve as a stop-gap quarterback while Tua works his way back to full strength.
- 6) Los Angeles Chargers
- Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon
- Philip Rivers’ days as a Charger are likely coming to an end. Justin Herbert was a bit shaky this season, yet his attributes are off the charts. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have proven that in today’s NFL you can succeed based on raw talent while working through your development of becoming a legitimate passer.
- 7) Carolina Panthers
- Derrick Brown | DL | Auburn
- Derrick Brown is an athletic freak for his size, and someone who will likely be considered strongly to Detroit at three-overall. Vernon Butler has proven to be a major disappointment in Carolina, evident by his 59.0 PFF grade. Gerald McCoy, on the other hand, will be turning 32-years old, and he’ll be a free agent this offseason.
- 8) Arizona Cardinals
- Jerry Jeudy | WR | Alabama
- Arizona showed promise in 2019. They look to have struck gold with Kyler Murray, while the trade deadline deal for Kenyan Drake is proving to be one of the best acquisitions in all of 2019. Team up Jeudy, the best route-runner in the draft, with the two names mentioned above along with Christian Kirk, and the Cards suddenly have one of the most lethal offenses in all of football.
- 9) Jacksonville Jaguars
- Isaiah Simmons | LB/S | Clemson
- Simmons offers superb range and athleticism that the Jaguars have been missing from the linebacker position since Telvin Smith abruptly retired. The do-it-all defender offers positional flexibility and the capability to play on all three downs, having started his career at safety. The one-time elite defense needs all the help they can get.
- 10) Cleveland Browns
- Andrew Thomas | OT | Georgia
- Andrew Thomas to the Browns would be a match made in heaven. No team’s need in the NFL is more glaring than the Brown’s desperation for an offensive tackle. Cleveland will likely have to move up a few spots on draft day to ensure the services of Thomas. However, with Wills Jr. continuing his rise, Cleveland should be able to grab Thomas at a reasonable price.
- 11) New York Jets
- CeeDee Lamb | WR | Oklahoma
- Sam Darnold showed multiple glimpses of promise this season, however, the inconsistent play of Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder will not be enough to help speed up his development. CeeDee Lamb offers elite ball-skills and body control. He’d step in immediately, serving as team’s WR1, in return moving Anderson and Crowder down the pecking order to better suit their abilities.
- 12) Oakland/LV Raiders
- Tee Higgins | WR | Clemson
- While Henry Ruggs III is listed ahead of Higgins on the majority of draft boards, don’t be surprised to see the Raiders choose the latter on draft day. Higgins possesses great size, plus-speed, and a superb catch radius, seemingly all things missing from the Raiders passing attack. Oh, and did we mention he played his college ball at Clemson? (Insert Mike Mayock’s mouthwatering with excitement).
- 13) Indianapolis Colts
- Javon Kinlaw | DL | South Carolina
- The Colts need pass-rush help beyond Justin Houston. Indianapolis finds it in an unconventional way, scooping up interior defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw. The South Carolina product produced a superb 90.7 pass-rushing grade in 2019.
- 14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- D’Andre Swift | RB | Georgia
- Tampa can use all the defensive secondary help they can get. However, they may choose to allow some of their youngsters the opportunity to develop throughout the 2020 NFL season. D’Andre Swift is a do-it-all running back that will give Bruce Arians flashbacks of the prime David Johnson days.
- 15) Denver Broncos
- Henry Ruggs III | WR | Alabama
- It’s only been a handful of games, but an argument could be made that Drew Lock is already the best QB to make his way to Denver since Peyton Manning. Whether that is a compliment to Lock’s abilities or simply an indictment on John Elway’s GM’ing skills remains to be seen. However, Lock will need more than just Courtland Sutton to prove his worth. Lock’s cannon arm and Ruggs’ 4.25 speed seem like a match made in heaven.
- 16) Atlanta Falcons
- AJ Epenesa | DL | Iowa
- Epenesa, who has recorded 10.5+ sacks in each of the past two seasons would be a perfect fit at the Michael Bennett-position in the Dan Quinn-defense of Atlanta’s.
READ NEXT: Round 1 Mock Continued (Picks 17-32)