Five quarterbacks hear their name in the first half of our post-combine, 2020 NFL Mock Draft. Wideouts Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb endure a drastic slide. Isaiah Simmons continues to creep up towards Chase Young territory in terms of grading, while offensive tackles dominate the first round.
While we tend to avoid trades in mock drafts, we decided to give it a try this time around, as the 2020 NFL Draft will likely be riddled with them come draft day.
Jump to: Round 1 Mock Continued (Picks 17-32)
2020 NFL Mock Draft (Picks 1-16)
- 1) Cincinnati Bengals
- Joe Burrow | QB | LSU
Unless Cincinnati is wowed by a trade offer, Joe Burrow will be the Bengals quarterback next season. Andy Dalton appears to be on his way out of town, and Ryan Finley proved to be nothing more than a potential backup in this league. With news that Cinci plans on franchising AJ Green, along with the presence of Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon, John Ross, and Auden Tate, Burrow will have more than enough pieces in place to excel.
- 2) Washington Redskins
- Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State
Quarterback rumors will continue to circulate in Washington, as Dwayne Haskins’ confidence continues to be berated despite any football games taking place. Isaiah Simmons’ rise up draft boards may make the ‘Skins more inclined to potentially trade down and not worry about losing out on Chase Young.
Yet, when it’s all said and done, chances are they stay put and select the best player in the class. 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) Los Angeles Chargers (Trade w/ DET)
- Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama
The Bolts jump ahead of Miami in order to snag their guy. Tagovailoa is my QB1, and would likely be many others’ QB1 were it not for his injury concerns. The Chargers have the type of talent to help a young quarterback thrive, and Tyrod Taylor is decent enough to start while Tua works his way back to full health.
- 4) Miami Dolphins (Trade w/ NYG)
- Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon
Similar to what the Bears did when selecting Mitchell Trubisky, Miami moves up one slot to ensure that they don’t get leapfrogged and miss out on a quarterback. Herbert offers arguably more upside than either Tagovailoa or Burrow, and his athletic ability will make him serviceable while he continues to grow as a passer at the pro level, ala Josh Allen.
- 5) New York Giants (Trade w/ MIA)
- Isaiah Simmons | LB/S | Clemson
Dave Gettleman mocks Peter King as he moves back one spot, collecting draft capital and still landing a likely top-two player on their draft board. Simmons wowed at the combine, but all that did was solidify what we already know about the former Clemson standout. He’s not a safety in a linebacker’s body. He’s a linebacker with safety traits, which is exactly the type of player the Giants need to bolster their defense.
- 6) Detroit Lions (Trade w/ LAC)
- Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio State
The Lions move back from third-overall and still snag the player they were likely eyeing at three. Darius Slay is all but certainly gone, while Justin Coleman is a nice slot-corner who struggled when asked to play outside a season ago. Okudah gives Matt Patricia the Stephon Gilmore-type talent he’s looking for to build his defense around.
- 7) Carolina Panthers
- Derrick Brown | DL | Auburn
With Luke Kuechly no longer in Carolina to clean up at the second level, the Panthers must shore up their defensive line. Gerald McCoy will be turning 32-years old, and is an impending free agent. Vernon Butler has proven to be a major disappointment, evident by his 59.0 PFF grade. Brown is a player that many experts see as a top-five talent in this class.
- 8) Arizona Cardinals
- Tristan Wirfs | OT | Iowa
Wirfs has been our top tackle for as long as we can remember. Following his combine performance, it appears the rest of the league and draft experts are starting to catch up.
With DJ Humphries recently re-upped in Arizona, Wirfs’ one downfall of playing predominantly on the right side at Iowa becomes a non-issue with the Cardinals. While a wideout would be a welcomed addition, coach Kingsbury has already stated he believes there will be top wideouts available through the fourth round in this extremely deep class.
- 9) Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jedrick Wills Jr. | OT| Alabama
Andrew Norwell has proven to be a free agency miss for the Jags, while Cam Robinson would likely be best served sliding inside. Wills Jr. would team up with Jawaan Taylor to give Jacksonville one of the better young offensive tackle duos in football.
- 10) Cleveland Browns
- Mekhi Becton | OT | Louisville
No team’s need in the NFL is more glaring than the Browns’ desperation for an offensive tackle, and that was before Greg Robinson’s arrest. Becton has entrenched himself as a top tackle in this class over the past month or so. The Louisville product is a dancing bear standing at 6’7” and weighing in at nearly 370 pounds.
- 11) New York Jets
- Andrew Thomas | OT | Georgia
A wide receiver makes a ton of sense here, until you remember that Adam Gase is the one calling the shots in New York. Gase showed in his time in Miami and his handling of Le’Veon Bell a season ago that he doesn’t highly value skill position players.
If you won’t give Sam Darnold a number one target, you might as well buy him more time with protection. Both Jets starting offensive tackles from 2019 are set to hit free agency.
Not too long ago Thomas was the locked-in OT1 in this class, while the rest of the draft world overthinks their selections, New York lands a potential franchise cornerstone.
- 12) Las Vegas Raiders
- Jerry Jeudy | WR | Alabama
The Raiders should be standing at the podium before Roger Goddell announces that they are on the clock if they get word that Jerry Jeudy and/or CeeDee Lamb is still on the board.
We’ll side with Jeudy this time around. Our number one receiver is arguably the best route runner to come out of college in the last 10-years, and his extra level of speed separates him from Lamb on our current board.
- 13) Indianapolis Colts
- Jordan Love | QB | Utah State
As it appears, Jordan Love will likely hear his name called before this selection, likely with a team opting to trade up to acquire him. While many fans may not view him as a first-round quarterback, chances are he will be.
The Colts have remained non-committal on Jacoby Brissett, and even if they sign a player like Philip Rivers, he would only serve as a stop-gap solution for a year or two.
- 14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jacob Eason | QB | Washington
If you don’t view Love as a first-round quarterback, then chances are you definitely don’t see Eason as one. However, the drop off between Love and Eason to the next quarterback on most people’s boards appears to be drastic, which is why you can expect teams to gamble on the two players.
Rumors of Teddy Bridgewater being a target for the Bucs offseason have circulated, but for now are just that, rumors. Jameis Winston could very well return to Tampa Bay next season, but almost undoubtedly not under his current contract demands. If Tampa opts to move on from Jameis, Jacob Eason has been compared to Carson Palmer, a player that Bucs HC Bruce Arians worked wonders with during their time together in Arizona.
- 15) Denver Broncos
- CeeDee Lamb | WR | Oklahoma
The idea of grabbing Lamb at the 15th-overall pick seems nearly unfathomable. Yet, with quarterbacks and offensive tackles continuing climbing the ranks, the Broncos are rewarded for their patience.
Lamb is a top-10 player in this class and gives promising signal-caller Drew Lock a legitimate WR1 talent to go alongside Courtland Sutton.
- 16) Atlanta Falcons
- Javon Kinlaw | DL | South Carolina
Kinlaw’s athletic traits along with his elite length and frame make him scheme flexible, a must in the Falcons defensive scheme. The Falcons have already moved on from Vic Beasley, who led the team in sacks a season ago with eight. Kinlaw had a 90.7 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2019.
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2020 NFL Mock Draft, Post-Combine Edition: 5 QBs in the Top-15