With Ron Rivera stunningly fired before Week 14, the stars are aligning for Cam Newton to be playing elsewhere in 2020.
Kyle Allen has flashed during his long audition as Carolina's starter, and while I don't think the franchise will nor should completely move on from him, he certainly hasn't been good enough to preclude the team from picking a quarterback in Round 1.
The order of selections below is based on teams' records through the first 13 weeks of the season. Position rankings are based on our Top 32 Composite Big Board.
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Now, to the picks.
Round 1 - Pick 1
Even after the win over the Jets on Sunday, the Bengals are in prime position to get the No. 1 overall pick and bring Burrow back to his home state.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
This has to be the pick for the Giants. No ifs, ands, or buts. Young is an elite defensive end prospect, and New York has had major problems on that side of the ball this year, especially when needing to get after the quarterback.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Get Dwayne Haskins some offensive line help, Washington. Donald Penn is near the end of his career, and it's not a positive development for a young quarterback if he's trying to learn the intricacies of the position with pressure constantly in his face.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
The Dolphins may play their way out of the top 5, but they may not be in a rush to get Tagovailoa onto the field as a rookie, which, given his injury, wouldn't be the worst thing.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Epenesa flourished as a part-time player in 2018 and has gone full throttle the past month or so after a solid start to the year. He's NFL strong with good pass-rushing moves.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
The Lions defense has gotten shredded by most teams this year, and Matt Patricia can't like that too much given his background. If he's still the head coach in 2020, expect him to prioritize the acquisition of a lockdown corner on the outside. Darius Slay could be released to save the club more than $10 million.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Simmons is going to continue the melding of linebacker and safety at the NFL thanks to his size, athleticism, and movement skills. He's what the Cardinals defense desperately needs.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
The Jaguars begin the reconstruction of their defense with Fulton to replace Jalen Ramsey.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
With Joe Douglas making the personnel decisions for Gang Green, expect the Jets to go offensive line early, especially considering what Douglas experienced in Philadelphia. Wirfs is a powerful left tackle with good feet for his size.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Even if the Philip Rivers era for the Chargers concludes after this season, the team does have ideal bridge quarterback Tyrod Taylor on the roster. With Burrow and Tagovailoa gone, Los Angeles dips into the Round 1 receiver well again with Jeudy.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
With Derek Wolfe now done for the year and set to hit free agency, the Broncos have to do some patchwork on their defensive line. Brown is a monstrous nose tackle with three technique explosiveness but thrives more against the run than he does as a pass rusher.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Based on my Twitter mentions, all of Philadelphia would boo if the team didn't pick receiver in Round 1. In Lamb, the Eagles get a well-rounded wideout with freakish yards-after-the-catch ability.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, who apparently does not have a burner account, goes with an old-school, mauling right tackle to shore up that side of the line for Jameis Winston.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
With a new coach in 2020, I envision Cam Newton in another NFL city next year. But that doesn't mean whoever is hired will solely tie himself to Kyle Allen. Herbert is probably too talented to pass on here.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
The Browns have to go left tackle if they can't land Trent Williams before the draft. Leatherwood has shined there for Alabama this season and has high-end athletic traits.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
The Raiders still need massive upgrades on the back end of their defense. When healthy, Delpit is one of the most explosive playmaking defenders in this class.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Shenault has possession-receiver size with slot-wideout type YAC skills. He's what the Colts need offensively.
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From
Chicago Bears
Round 1 - Pick 18
More secondary help for the Raiders here with Terrell, a glue-like cornerback with plus athleticism and good ball skills. We know how Mike Mayock likes Clemson prospects.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Can't move off this pick. Harold Landry is a solid pass-rushing piece but needs help.
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 20
The Jaguars have to add more youth to their defensive front and do that here with Kinlaw, a tall, 300-plus pounder with shades of Calais Campbell to his game.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
The Cowboys will probably let Byron Jones walk in free agency, which would leave a sizable hole at outside corner. Hall is the long, disruptive type to fit in that role in Dallas.
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From
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 1 - Pick 22
Becton is a mammoth left tackle who moves like he's much smaller and his feet are constantly moving. Smart investment for the Dolphins here.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Minnesota could use an injection of youth on the interior of its defensive line. Gallimore is a powerful, penetrating defensive tackle.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Kansas City needs to reinforce its offensive line. Lemieux is an experienced, decently mobile guard with the requisite balance to succeed right away.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 25
Weaver has looked like an NFL player for the past two seasons and even with more weight in 2019, he's thrived off the edge at Boise State.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Back to receiver for Buffalo, and if the board fell this way, I assume the Bills would decide between Higgins or LSU edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson. Higgins would give Buffalo the size it currently doesn't have at receiver.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
With Hopkins and 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger, the Packers would have two young pass-catching specialists at tight end.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
It wouldn't be crazy if Sean Payton saw some Brandin Cooks in Ruggs, and New Orleans could use some depth at receiver.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
I can't imagine Bill Belichick going receiver in Round 1 in back-to-back drafts. Instead he goes with a hybrid tight end/receiver/fullback in Bryant.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Ideal pairing here. Jackson may need a year to get NFL strong, but he certainly has early-pick athleticism.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Even with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey at corner, the Ravens go back to that position here with the physically overpowering Diggs. Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr are already in their 30s and set to hit free agency in 2020.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Even with Clowney likely to re-sign in Seattle, the Seahawks need more edge-rushing help. Chaisson was made to play as a linebacker/defensive end hybrid in Pete Carroll's system.
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