The rehabilitation process of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has become one of the most interesting storylines to monitor leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft. Can he return to throwing in the spring and show that he still warrants top 10 consideration? Will his rehab take longer to the point where he returns to Alabama and prepares for the 2021 NFL Draft? A decision will need to be made in the next two months.
NFL teams are not waiting around to find out, however, at least in this mock draft. Three quarterbacks are taken in our latest first round projection, and you can find out where Tagovailoa currently projects below.
The order of selections below is based on the current draft order. Position rankings are based on our top 32 composite big board.
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
With Tagovailoa injured, the decision for Cincinnati essentially boils down to Chase Young and Burrow. The Bengals have already made their bed with Andy Dalton, and Ryan Finley is not the answer, so they bring in Burrow.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
The Redskins need talent. Young is the best prospect regardless of position. Washington gets lucky that they took a quarterback last year and the team ahead of them needs one this season.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Isaiah Simmons or Okudah would be great options for New York, as they could not go wrong with either. The addition of Okudah allows them to finally move on from Janoris Jenkins and his huge cap hit, however.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
The Dolphins need talent across the board. Simmons is developing as a pass rusher but he is fantastic in open space. Miami can build their defense around his length and athleticism.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
The Jets seem hellbent on taking an offensive lineman. They have made their strategy obvious, and Thomas is the best available. If he is available, I think Joe Douglas would have a hard time bypassing him.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
In an ideal world, Bruce Arians would get a Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow. He has had enough of the turnovers with Jameis Winston. Given the injury to Tagovailoa, Herbert is the best option in this spot. Arians will need to continue drilling mechanics and footwork consistency into him until it becomes second nature.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
The Broncos traded Emmanuel Sanders and, while Courtland Sutton has been great, they need another outlet. Jeudy is great value here. His best trait is his attention to detail, which suggests he will be in the league for a long time.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
Who knew that moving the wide receivers coach to defense would be the answer to their problems? Epenesa can provide them some pass rush on the edge as they continue to build depth on that side of the ball.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Corey Peters has been solid in Arizona but he is not getting any younger. Brown can come in and learn from the savvy veteran.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
The Lions' season has slowly revealed potential needs at defensive back, running back and elsewhere. However, they opt to aid three positions with the additions of the body mover, Wirfs.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Travis Benjamin is relatively cheap if he returns next season but Ruggs would bring some much-needed explosion to this offense. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams working on the edge with Ruggs and Hunter Henry underneath is scary.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
In some cases, the draft board does not fall together as desired. Lamb is a tremendous talent with elite body control but the Jaguars realistically have bigger needs. They jump on the best talent available, however.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
The same scenario plays out for the Browns each week. In an ideal world, a sure-fire offensive tackle would be sitting there waiting for them. It has not been the case though. Delpit is the best player available and his addition becomes even more important following an Achilles injury to Morgan Burnett and the potential departure of Damarious Randall in free agency.
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From
Chicago Bears
Round 1 - Pick 14
Fulton is tough. Oakland drafted Trayvon Mullen a year ago but then they parted with Gareon Conley. Mike Mayock has made a lot of great decisions already so Las Vegas should be confident in whoever their new general manager chooses.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Philadelphia could use some secondary and linebacker help and Chaisson, who has elite traits, solves one of those needs.
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From
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 1 - Pick 16
Build the front for whichever running back and quarterback is brought to Miami.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Tennessee's offensive line has regressed a bit in surprising fashion this season. Biadasz adds some new blood up the middle.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Offensive tackle has been a consistent need for the Panthers. Leatherwood is a solid option and much less of a risk than Greg Little.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
If Tagovailoa returns to throwing in the spring, then teams should not allow him to slide from the first round. Jon Gruden wants to push the ball downfield, and that is not a strength of Tagovailoa. Justin Herbert would be a better fit here but he is already gone. Tagovailoa is a better fit for Arians, but No. 6 is probably too high given his injury.
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 20
Jacksonville added Lamb earlier in the process and now they get Bryce Hall to cover him in practice. The trade of Jalen Ramsey created a void in their secondary that Hall can fill when he returns from his own injury.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
As I say every week, Dallas needs some help in their secondary. Byron Jones could potentially leave in free agency, which creates a need.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Kinlaw can occupy blockers, but he also pushes the pocket. Indianapolis could have a fun-to-watch defense with the linebackers they currently have plus Kinlaw drawing attention in front of them.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 23
Kalen Ballage is not the answer in Miami. Swift is great in pass protection, provides a safety net as a checkdown option and is a great running back. The Philadelphia native is the total package.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Minnesota is getting to the point where they will have to make decisions at all levels of their defense. They could be one of the more interesting teams to follow this offseason.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Coming into the season, Henderson was a top-10 talent. Injuries and a slight dip in play have him closer to the end of the first round. Kansas City needs some help at the cornerback position.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Weaver and the Bills are a great fit because he allows them to move on from Jerry Hughes and create some cap space in addition to providing another talented piece to that young defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
The Packers could not stand to watch Higgins fall any further, and he is too great of a player to slip out of the first round. Green Bay has some Davante Adams insurance.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Just because Russell Wilson can escape pressure and make magical plays does not mean he should all the time.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Moses and Baltimore are just a great fit. He brings leadership and a toughness that NFL fans have seen from the Ravens defense for years.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Speaking of great fits, Shenault is perfect for what Sean Payton wants to do in that offense. He brings a lot of versatility to one of the best offensive playcallers in the business.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Isaiah Wynn has returned from injury but this is the second consecutive year that he has been injured. Niang can play right tackle, as he did at TCU, or he could play left tackle and the Patriots could move Wynn to guard, which is where many pegged him coming out of Georgia.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
The secondary has been better than expected and the defensive line has been tremendous. By adding a healthy Kwon Alexander and Murray, San Francisco can really start to build something special on that side of the ball.
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