Mike Fanelli & Givanni Damico | March 25th, 2020
The 2020 NFL league year officially kicked off about a week ago. Since then we have had dozens and dozens of players move in free agency as well as several trades, including some no one saw coming. However, free agency is cooling off and most of the big name players have agreed to new deals. With the NFL draft less than a month away, it’s time to focus again on mock drafts.
In this mock draft, Mike and Gio will take turns making picks for every NFL team. This is a two-round mock draft, so be sure to be on the lookout for round two tomorrow. Also, keep in mind, we have no idea what we are talking about and absolutely hate your favorite team. In fact, if not for the editors saying we couldn’t, we would have given your favorite team a kicker with every one of their picks. Without further ado, the Bengals are on the clock.
1) Bengals – Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
There has been plenty of rumors that the Dolphins will use several of their picks to move up for Burrow. However, I don’t believe it and Burrow will officially be a Bengal in about a month. – Mike
2) Redskins – Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State
Could a team offer the Redskins a bounty of picks to move up to grab a quarterback? Possibly. However, with the Panthers out of the quarterback market, there are now just two teams in the top 10 in desperate need of a quarterback. Unless the offer is way too good to pass up, expect Young to join several former Ohio State teammates in D.C. – Mike
*** Lions trade pick #3 to the Chargers for picks #6, #37, and a 2021 third round pick ***
3) Chargers (via Lions) – Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
The Chargers move up to get their franchise quarterback. Tyrod Taylor is not going to get the job done in Los Angeles. The Chargers have their choice of quarterback here, but I think Herbert is a better scheme fit. – Gio
4) Giants – Tristan Wirfs, OL, Iowa
The Giants added Cameron Fleming in free agency but haven’t done anything else to improve the offensive line. Wirfs had a great combine and is rumored to be the Giants’ top graded offensive lineman. Whether he plays tackle or guard, Wirfs would be the Giants’ top offensive lineman the second he is drafted. – Mike
5) Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
“Tank for Tua” has been a thing for well over a year now, so the Dolphins aren’t going to miss their shot here. Tua would make this offense prolific, and they have plenty of draft capital to give him protection and weapons throughout the rest of the draft. – Gio
6) Lions (via Chargers) – Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
The Lions moved down because there neither the Lions nor Dolphins are a threat to take their guy, so they gain extra draft capital along the way. Okudah leaves no room for “sloppy” play (yes we are still laughing at that) on the football field. He’ll join Desmond Trufant in an attempt to revamp this Lions’ secondary. – Gio
7) Panthers – Isaiah Simmons, LB/SAF, Clemson
In comes Teddy Bridgewater, out goes Cam Newton. With the quarterback position addressed, the Panthers can go with the best play available with this spot. Luke Kuechly retired earlier this offseason, leaving Shaq Thompson without a running mate at linebacker. The Panthers have an open starting spot at safety as well. Simmons is so versatile, he can play in either spot. – Mike
8) Cardinals – Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
With the extraordinary addition of DeAndre Hopkins, the Cardinals are much less likely to take a receiver at this pick. They take my favorite tackle in the draft to pair with the recently-extended D.J. Humphries to protect their franchise quarterback. The future is looking bright for Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals. – Gio
*** Jaguars trade picks #9 and #116 to the Jets for picks #11 and #79 ***
9) Jets (via Jaguars) – Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
I love Thomas. He’s already polished enough to be a day-one starter without hesitation. I don’t dislike the other tackles here, but I think Thomas would be the smarter pick here. Let’s face it; the Jets still need offensive line help. Signing George Fant, Connor McGovern, Alex Lewis, and Greg Van Roten would be great if they were looking for depth, not starters. They overpaid Lewis and Fant, both of whom haven’t proved their worth to this point. Thomas would instantly become the best offensive lineman on this team. – Gio
10) Browns – Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
Adding Jack Conklin in free agency was a nice start to fixing the offensive line but that’s not enough. Baker Mayfield is in arguably a “make it or break it” season and if the Browns are going to give him a fair shake at proving he’s the guy, they need to get him a left tackle as they currently don’t have one on the roster. – Mike
11) Jaguars (via Jets) – Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn
The Jaguars cut Marcell Dareus and have a whole to fill now. Brown is a monster and a top talent in the draft. He’s great at stopping the run and just as good at getting after the quarterback. Not many defensive tackles flash the pass-rushing excellency that we see from Brown. – Gio
12) Raiders – CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
The Raiders didn’t do much to improve their offense other than adding a million tight ends. They’ll be rivaling the Bears soon for tight end numbers. Lamb will immediately be WR1 on this team with Tyrell Williams on the other side and Hunter Renfrow in the slot. That’s not too bad of a trio. Lamb is an electrifying athlete. His route tree is limited but his pure athleticism and strength make up for it. – Gio
13) 49ers (via Colts) – Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
I like Henry Ruggs III as a prospect more than Jeudy, but Jeudy fits the San Francisco scheme better because they already have Deebo Samuel who plays like Ruggs (in a way). Jeudy is still a fantastic athlete with soft hands, and pairing him with Samuel along with Kendrick Bourne and company will fill in the hole that Emmanuel Sanders made when he left. – Gio
14) Buccaneers – Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
I was tempted to give the Buccaneers a quarterback with this pick but that wouldn’t make Tom Brady very happy. Instead, they turn to the defensive side of the ball. Ndamukong Suh was just re-signed earlier today but it’s just for one year. Giving Vita Vea a running mate upfront for years to come is critical and that trio of defensive linemen would scare the hell out of opposing offensive linemen. – Mike
15) Broncos – Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
The top three receivers fly off the board within four picks. Ruggs will complement Courtland Sutton very well and give Drew Lock a new toy to play with. With the addition of Graham Glasgow upfront, this offense is starting to come together and they may be in the running for a wild card spot in the AFC. – Gio
16) Falcons – C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
With the loss of Trufant, Atlanta has Isaiah Oliver atop the depth chart at corner. They need to improve here if they want a shot at competing next year, although even the acquisition of Henderson won’t put them in the running yet. Henderson excels in man coverage, but people criticize his tackling ability. This isn’t a big deal for me because he does everything else right for the most part, and his technique can be improved on. – Gio
*** Cowboys trade pick #17 to the Saints for picks #24, #88, and a 2021 first round pick ***
17) Saints (via Cowboys) – Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
Brady is gone and the Patriots are up (bleep’s) creek without a paddle. Unless Jarrett Stidham is their next franchise quarterback, the Patriots won’t win the division for the millionth year in a row. The Saints don’t want to be in that position and with Bridgewater gone, they need to find their next franchise quarterback. If you think Taysom Hill (who almost 30 years old) is the heir apparent to Brees, go seek professional help immediately. Love is a raw prospect but with a year or two sitting behind Brees and working with Sean Payton, it all but guarantees he will become a franchise quarterback. – Mike
18) Dolphins (via Steelers) – Josh Jones, OT, Houston
The Dolphins reach down the board just a little bit to protect their new quarterback. Jones is extremely strong and will instantly be an upgrade overJulie’n Davenport. This isn’t a flashy pick for Miami, but it’s an extremely important pick. – Gio
19) Raiders (via Bears) – Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
Adding Eli Apple doesn’t give me much more faith in this secondary than I had before they signed him. Fulton is certainly an upgrade over Apple. Las Vegas is my favorite landing spot for Fulton because he should start immediately and he has Pro Bowl potential. – Gio
*** Jaguars trade pick #20 to the Seahawks for picks #27, #101, and a 2021 third round pick ***
20) Seahawks (via Jaguars, Rams) – K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU
The Seahawks were tied for the second-fewest sacks in the league last season with 28. Now Jadeveon Clowney and Ezekiel Ansah are free agents and aren’t likely to return. Even if they did, the Seahawks need to add pass rushers. Chaisson had a career-high 6.5 sacks in his last season at LSU which is one more than Clowney and Ansah had combined last season. – Mike
21) Eagles – Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
Signing Javon Hargrave and trading for Darius Slay to replace Timmy Jernigan and Ronald Darby were two excellent moves. However, the Eagles have a big hole at linebacker that needs to be plugged. Murray would step in day one and become the leader of the linebacker unit. With the additions of Hargrave, Slay, and Murray, the Eagles would finally have a great defense on all three levels. – Mike
22) Vikings (via Bills) – Xavier McKinney, SAF, Alabama
The Vikings lost Andrew Sendejo and Anthony Harris is almost certainly being traded somewhere. This leaves a huge hole for McKinney to fill. Many believe that the Vikings should take an offensive tackle here, and I would agree if there was a good enough tackle here. – Gio
23) Patriots – Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
It sounds like the Patriots will roll with Stidham and Brian Hoyer at quarterback (at least for now), so don’t expect them to take a quarterback in the first round and possibly trade back if possible. However, with Queen on the board, the Patriots pass on the chance to trade back. Three of their four starting linebackers from last season (Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts, and Kyle Van Noy) all left in free agency. Giving Dont’a Hightower some help is the Patriots’ biggest need on defense. – Mike
24) Cowboys (via Saints) – Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
Byron Jones is now a Dolphin while Both Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis will be free agents after the 2020 season. With limit cap space going forward, the Cowboys need to invest heavily at cornerback during the draft. After moving down and collecting an extra first-round pick next year, the Cowboys still grab themselves a first-round graded cornerback. – Mike
25) Vikings – Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
The Vikings secondary was atrocious last year. Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander are gone, leaving the injury-ridden Mike Hughes and now Gladney to man the starting cornerback positions. These two picks would make their secondary threatening again. – Gio
26) Dolphins (via Texans) – Grant Delpit, SAF, LSU
The Dolphins cut Reshad Jones to save some cap space, and Delpit would fill that hole and potentially be better than Jones was. The reigning Thorpe award winner will join a Dolphins team with a changed culture thanks to Brian Flores, and it’s a culture that I love so far. – Gio
27) Jaguars (via Seahawks) – A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
Jacksonville missed out on the top corners in the draft, but Terrell isn’t too much worse as a prospect than Gladney. The fact of the matter is that Jacksonville has lost their top two cornerbacks in the past year, and Terrell is certainly an upgrade over who they currently have on the roster. – Gio
28) Ravens – Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
On paper, the Ravens don’t have a pressing need. However, you can never give Lamar Jackson too many weapons. Shenault was used in several ways at Colorado and I expect Greg Roman to find several creative ways to use him in their offense. – Mike
29) Titans – A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa
Cameron Wake was released and Kamalei Correa is still a free agent. While adding Vic Beasley is a nice investment, he’s on a one year prove it deal and hasn’t been consistent so far in his NFL career. Meanwhile, Harold Landry and Jeffery Simmons can’t rush the passer all on their own. Thankfully, Epenesa has a history of rushing the passer, registering 22 sacks over his last two seasons at Iowa. – Mike
*** Packers trade picks #30 and #94 to the Panthers for picks #38, #69, and #184 ***
30) Panthers (via Packers) – Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State
With several teams ahead of them at the top of the second round in need of pass rushers, the Panthers pay the price of a third-round pick swap and a sixth-round pick to grab the last pure pass rusher with a first-round grade. Brian Burns had a great rookie season but Mario Addison left in free agency, opening up the other starting edge spot. Gross-Matos would step in day one and form a great young pass rush duo with Burns. – Mike
*** 49ers trade pick #31 to the Jaguars for picks #42, #101, and #137 ***
31) Jaguars (via 49ers) – Zack Baun, EDGE/LB, Wisconsin
Baun is a pass-rusher. Whether you line him up at EDGE or outside linebacker, he will be rushing the passer. The Jaguars need more help in this area, so they make the trade up to get a tremendous talent. – Gio
32) Chiefs – Cesar Ruiz, iOL, Michigan
There aren’t any cornerbacks worth a draft pick here, so the Chiefs take Ruiz to start over Nick Allegretti or potentially Austin Reiter. Ruiz can play center or guard, which helps the Chiefs because they can play him where they need him. Don’t fret, Chiefs fans. You’ll get your cornerback in round two. – Gio
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