21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Eagles) – Josh Jones – OT – Houston
Tampa trade back, get a 3rd round pick to draft a pass-catching back for Tom Brady and a top 5 tackle to protect him. A day one starter and instant improvement to a mid-tier o-line already featuring Ali Marpet.
Jones is another quick lineman who’s loose and agile in order to mirror an edge rusher. He’s of great height and weight to be a starting right tackle. A pretty impressive looking line to protect Brady in his final few years as a starter.
22. Minnesota Vikings (Bills) – Justin Jefferson – WR – LSU
Minnesota needs a DB and a receiver out of this first round, they could go with AJ Terrell or Trevon Diggs, Stefon’s brother, here. The now Stefon Diggs-less Minnesota Vikings select Justin Jefferson out of LSU, with the pick they received for him. They get the number two receiver to partner Adam Thielen.
At 6ft3 he’s a RedZone threat, who should accompany Thielen nicely, and be a nice target for Kirk Cousins. The Vikings may need to dip back in on Day 2 or 3 to draft a speed guy, as Jefferson lacks the speed to burn past DB’s deep.
23. New England Patriots – AJ Epenesa – EDGE – Iowa
A pretty early pick here for New England’s standard, they could go QB, Safety, Running Back, we don’t know they’re a mysterious organisation. For once they have a huge amount of holes. I’ve got them drafting AJ Epenesa out of Iowa, not only is he the best player left on my board, but he’s also a scheme fit for the Belichick defense.
Miami has eyes on him and could even take him at 26 if the Pats pass on him. Either way, I expect they’ll be seeing a lot of Epenesa in the near future. He has the length, size, strength and the motor to set a tough edge for that Patriots defense.
24. New Orleans Saints – Kenneth Murray – LB – Oklahoma
Last time out, I had the Saints trading up to get Jordan Love but that’s not going to happen I don’t think. They are in win-now mode and in desperate need of a linebacker to boost one of the best rosters in the league. Murray covers sideline to sideline with great speed and has the biggest upside of all linebackers, bar Simmons.
Murray’s got a lot of buzz since the combine and makes his way to the first round for the first time in my mock. Teammates and coaches rave about how much of a leader he is and how hard he works, one of the standout players on that front in this entire draft.
25. Minnesota Vikings – AJ Terrell – CB – Clemson
AJ Terrell is another guy rising up my draft board and into the first round, making his way to Minnesota. He’s both tall and fast, with speed and length to match up with Davantae Adams and Kenny Golladay in the AFC North.
Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander all departed this off-season, the Vikings could double up at the position in a later round.
He’s a terrific tackler and a prospect with very good straight-line speed. The only downside to Terrell is the fact he’s got quite a low ceiling. At this current point in time, I see more athlete than player. His technique needs developing, something I’m sure Mike Zimmer and his staff will enjoy.
26. Miami Dolphins trade pick to Indianapolis Colts
MIA gets picks 44, 75, 160 in 2020 Draft
IND gets picks 26, 227 in 2020 Draft
Indianapolis Colts – Jordan Love – QB – Utah State
The Colts are an impressive young team with a tonne of cap space to extend those running out of contract, and with Philip Rivers on a one year deal they take his successor in Jordan Love. He ends up in a near-perfect situation being able to sit back and learn from quality coaches in Indy.
I like Love, he’s just a tad raw and needs coaching. He has the biggest upside of all QB’s in this draft. If you watch Love’s tape he’s a similar signal-caller to 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes. Accuracy is a big issue, the Colts will try and work with that
27. Seattle Seahawks – K’Lavon Chaisson – EDGE – LSU
Seattle has a bit of a hit and miss record with first-round picks, taking projects over sure things. Chaisson is another project pick for the Seahawks with tremendous upside. He’s an intriguing prospect and will still be the pick even if the Hawks do resign Jadeveon Clowney.
Knowing John Schneider we could see a trade at some point in this first round from Seattle. I’m going to keep them where they are for now. They’re a young team rebuilding their defense from the legion of boom days, so here’s another piece for them to coach up to hopefully pro-bowl level. That is entirely possible bearing in mind Chaisson’s extremely high upside.
28. Baltimore Ravens – Patrick Queen – LB – LSU
We’ve got a really fast linebacker group this year, and the Baltimore Ravens are the pinnacle of speed, what better fit than Patrick Queen. Baltimore is in need of a linebacker and takes the best one left, yet another LSU Tiger off the board.
They’ve improved their defense a lot already in free agency, and add another piece to embark on another deep playoff run with Lamar Jackson at the helm.
He’s a very fast, three down, sideline to sideline linebacker, just like Isaiah Simmons and Murray, but lacks the strength you’re going to need to shed blocks in the NFL. If Queen can improve that, then the Ravens have got themselves a steal.
29. Tennessee Titans – Neville Gallimore – DT – Oklahoma
Same pick as last time out, one of the best players left on the board in a key need. Jurrell Casey was on a LOT of money, so it was smart to get rid of him, especially when another top defensive lineman like Gallimore is available at pick 29, yes 29!
The Titans decided to settle on Ryan Tannehill as their quarterback for the next few years, whilst applying the franchise tag to Derrick Henry.
That then means that they’re keeping the two standout stars from last season’s impressive end, and having another crack at a first Super Bowl trophy for the city of Nashville. Two options here, d-line or corner, all the top corners are off the board, so unless they love a guy, Gallimore is the selection.
30. Green Bay Packers – Laviska Shenault – WR – Colorado
Last week I had Brandon Aiyuk at this spot, but Shenualt has fallen in this mock and would be interesting in their offensive scheme. Beyond Davantae Adams, Green Bay lacked that firepower a Sean McVay disciple needs in his offense last season. Shenault has the skill set to be used on jet sweeps and screen passes
He has elite run after catch ability and can be moved around, we could even see him at running back. I like the size of his route tree, he’s a quality route runner. Finally, Shenault is one of the best in the class at picking up yards after the catch. Bar durability concerns, the only downside to his game is the fact he could be slightly bigger.
31. San Francisco 49ers – Brandon Aiyuk – WR – Arizona State
My favourite receiver in this class, Aiyuk is a great addition to Kyle Shanahan’s offense. They lost Emmanuel Sanders in the offseason and are reportedly floating Dante Pettis’s name in trade talks. San Francisco could trade down here, as they need day 2 picks desperately. Aiyuk is too good to pass on however.
As soon as the ball hits his hands Aiyuk comes alive, it’s really entertaining. He’s off an impressive performance at the NFL Combine, especially the bench press drill. He’s got a strong build, as seen at that combine which makes him great after the catch.
32. Kansas City Chiefs – JK Dobbins – RB – Ohio State
The Chiefs don’t have many holes or much cap room in fact, so they have to be careful. They have needed a running back for a while, probably since Kareem Hunt was released, I like Damien Williams don’t get me wrong I just believe they could do with another back.
Dobbins is an upgrade on Damien Williams and has the potential to be a bigger and slightly better Devonta Freeman. Having a guy who can catch passes in the backfield is the selling point for Kansas City, they like to spread the ball around.
Notable available players
- Jalen Hurts – QB – Oklahoma
- Jacob Eason – QB – Washington
- Jonathan Taylor -RB – Wisconsin
- D’Andre Swift – RB – Georgia
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire – RB – LSU
- Zack Moss – RB – Utah
- Tee Higgins – WR – Clemson
- Denzel Mims – WR – Baylor
- Cole Kmet – TE – UCLA
- Cesar Ruiz – C – Michigan
- Lloyd Cushenbury – C – LSU
- Damien Lewis – G – LSU
- Justin Madubike – DT – Texas A&M
- Yetur Gross-Matos – EDGE – Penn State
- Marlon Davidson – EDGE – Auburn
- Bradley Anae – EDGE – Utah
- Jaylon Johnson – CB – Utah
- Jeff Gladney – CB – TCU
- Kristian Fulton – CB – LSU
- Damon Arnette – CB – Ohio State
- Grant Delpit – S – LSU
- Antoine Winfield Jr. – S – Maryland
- Ashtyn Davis – S – California
- Jeremy Chinn – S/LB – Southern Illinois
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