The 2020 NFL Draft, excuse me, I mean the VIRTUAL NFL Draft will begin tonight -- assuming every general manager has his WiFi password handy. That means this will be my final mock draft of the spring. While I tend to take a more experimental approach to my other mocks, in my final mock, I'm trying to accurately predict what will happen.
It's a fool's errand given the nature of the whole enterprise, but it's also a great way to keep one's mind occupied considering nothing else is going on in the world of sports. My final mock sees plenty of trades, and not just at the top.
The first three picks are all quarterbacks, and two of the teams taking them had to trade up to get there.
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
As has been the case since the NFL season ended, there's no intrigue here. Roughly 99.99 percent of mock drafts have the Bengals taking Burrow for a reason.
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Mock Trade from
Washington Redskins
Round 1 - Pick 2
If the Dolphins are set on getting their QB in this draft, they're not going to be able to sit at No. 5 to do so. Here I have them sending two of their firsts (Nos. 5 and 18) to Washington to get Herbert.
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Mock Trade from
Detroit Lions
Round 1 - Pick 3
The Lions suddenly find themselves in a spot where Jacksonville and the Chargers are vying to move up for Tua, and Jacksonville wins the bidding by including both their firsts this year (plus more). I don't think the Jaguars are sold on Gardner Minshew being the long-term answer, but he does provide insurance should Tua not be 100 percent ready for the season.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and the Giants get very lucky here. With the run on QBs at the top, Chase Young, whom I believe to be the best prospect in this draft, falls to them at No. 4. They still need an OT, but the chance to draft Young was too much to pass up on.
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Mock Trade from
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 5
The Redskins moved down from No. 2 because, even though Chase Young is a terrific prospect, he's not good enough to fill all of Washington's holes. So they get extra picks and start their draft with the top OT on their board.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
The Chargers miss out on getting their QB but address another significant need on the offensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Carolina has its pick of the three top defensive players still on the board and goes with the corner. Okudah has the potential to be a shutdown corner in the NFL, and that's an extremely valuable asset these days.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
By stealing DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans, Arizona puts itself in a position to take an offensive tackle to help protect Kyler Murray, who is loving the hell out of this offseason, I'm sure.
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Mock Trade from
Detroit Lions
Round 1 - Pick 9
Seeing a run on tackles, Tampa Bay decides to move up and take Thomas to help protect the new franchise, Tom Brady. Tampa swaps firsts with Detroit, as well as its third-rounder this year and a conditional future pick.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
The bad news for Cleveland is that all the top tackles are gone before it gets to pick, and that's the most pressing concern. The good news is that Isaiah Simmons still finds himself on the board, and he's a nice consolation prize.
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Mock Trade from
New York Jets
Round 1 - Pick 11
The Vikings are still in a win-now mode despite trading Stefon Diggs, and they use the No. 22 pick they received in that deal in a package to move up and take the top WR on their board before the WR run is expected to begin.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
There is no receiver in this draft with a higher ceiling than Ruggs. He can develop into an Antonio Brown-like player, and he's extremely dangerous in the return game.
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From
Indianapolis Colts
Round 1 - Pick 13
Plenty of teams will have Lamb as the No. 1 WR on their board, and the Niners get him here as the third taken. I'm imagining him and George Kittle having a competition to see who can break the most open-field tackles.
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Mock Trade from
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 1 - Pick 14
It's not the most pressing need for the Lions, but if Brown falls to them here after they traded down twice and picked up more picks, there's no way they could pass on him.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
With the top tackles off the board, I went back and forth on the Broncos going receiver or corner here. They go with Justin Jefferson, who could be everything Emmanuel Sanders had been.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Here's a dirty little secret between you and me: Derrick Brown was the more impactful player in college, but I think Kinlaw will be the better player in the NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
The Cowboys have a need at corner now that Byron Jones is gone, and Henderson has shown a knack for being a reliable playmaker in his college career.
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Mock Trade from
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 18
The Redskins missed out on Chase Young after trading down, but they're still able to get one of the top edge rushers in this draft in Chaisson.
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From
Chicago Bears
Round 1 - Pick 19
The Raiders go back to the SEC West to address another one of their biggest needs. Fulton and Ruggs would be a terrific start to their 2020 draft.
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Mock Trade from
Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 1 - Pick 20
The Lions turn the No. 3 pick into Derrick Brown, Jeff Gladney, and more draft picks. While some Lions fans likely have their hearts set on Okudah, it'd be hard to be upset with the team if this is how the first round plays out.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Eagles fans will want a WR here, but with the top guys gone, and such a deep class overall, Philly addresses another primary need at safety.
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Mock Trade from
New York Jets
Round 1 - Pick 22
The Chargers still need a QB, and with the Patriots up next, they convince the Jets to trade out of the first round altogether. The Chargers get somebody they can groom behind Tyrod Taylor, or perhaps start right away. The Jets turn the No. 11 pick into a lot more draft picks while also potentially keeping a QB away from a division rival.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
I would expect the Patriots to try and trade down out of this spot, but the problem was I couldn't figure out who would be trying to trade up for it. So the Pats address a need, even if it isn't the most pressing one.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Michael Thomas is already impossible to cover, and by adding Mims (not to mention Emmanuel Sanders) the Saints add a vertical threat to their offense defenses will have to respect, giving Thomas even more room to do his thing.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
The Vikings were able to hold on to No. 25 when they traded up for Jeudy, and use it to address another major need. I went back and forth between Johnson and an offensive tackle, but I think Johnson's a better prospect than any of the tackles remaining.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 26
The Dolphins leave the first round with a franchise QB in Herbert, as well as an answer at safety in Delpit. While they still need to address the offensive line, they have roughly 45 picks left in the draft to do just that.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
I've had Gross-Matos here for my last few mocks, as he just strikes me as the kind of player the Seahawks like on their defensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
I toyed with the idea of Baltimore being the team to break the RB seal here, but LB is a more significant need, and Queen makes a lot of sense on this defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
While there's nearly a consensus about who the top four OTs are -- if not the order of them -- after that opinions vary, and Boise State's Ezra Cleveland is a name that's picking up steam lately.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
If the draft indeed goes the way I'm projecting it to, I have a hard time believing the Packers don't take a receiver here. It might not be Reagor -- I considered Shenault and Aiyuk as well -- but, in my opinion, he makes the most sense for Green Bay.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Wouldn't be surprised if the Niners trade out of this spot. If they don't, they would likely address their need at corner after getting CeeDee Lamb earlier.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
I've had the Chiefs messing around with running backs in this spot in previous mocks, but the truth is they would likely address a few needs on defense. Terrell would be more valuable to Kansas City than any of the running backs still waiting to be drafted.
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