2020 full 1st-round NFL mock draft heading into Divisional Round
By Sanjit T.
13. Indianapolis Colts: DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
The Colts defense doesn’t give up many big plays, but they did regress this past season. One of the reasons is because they are not that great on that defensive line. Fill in Javon Kinlaw, who, at 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, has all the physical traits you could want.
Kinlaw can not only stuff the run, but he is a very solid pass rusher. Last year he totaled 40 pressures and was given a pass-rush grade of 90.7 by Pro Football Focus, making him an elite pass rusher. Pair up Kinlaw with Darius Leonard, and you have two building blocks of the future.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: FS Grant Delpit, LSU
Given that the Buccaneers gave up the fourth-most points and second-most catches on defense, but were the No. 1 defense against the run, they need to fix that balance. LSU’s Grant Delpit is considered the best safety in this draft class with an emphasis on coverage. He has given up nine catches on 17 targets but has gotten his hands on the ball six times.
Delpit is a playmaker in coverage but will need to sure up his tackling. Last year he had 20 missed tackles. But given this is the best run-stopping defense and he is one of the best in coverage, he might not need to tackle a whole lot.
15. Denver Broncos: WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
The Denver Broncos have a very good young offense, starting with their quarterback Drew Lock, who went 4-1 as a starter in 2019. To take it to the next level, they have surrounded him with some good young players including Dalton Risner, Phillip Lindsey, Noah Fant, Courtland Sutton, and Royce Freeman.
If this team can add another playmaker, like Jerry Jeudy, this offense can take a huge step forward and could push for a playoff spot. The Alabama wide receiver is considered one of the best coming out of college. Some have him going as high as the 4th overall pick, however, since wide receivers are not valued too high in the draft, I don’t think he will go in the top-10.
Jeudy is a great playmaker and runs very crisp routes. But like some recent Alabama wide receivers, including Amari Cooper, Jeudy had a little bit of a drop issue. He dropped seven passes on 78 targets or 9% of his targets. This will need to be cleaned up, and if he does, he could be a fantastic complementary route runner inside to Sutton‘s outside ability.
16. Atlanta Falcons: CB Kristian Fulton, LSU
The Atlanta Falcons drafted for need last year, taking two offensive linemen in the first round. This year, they will follow that up with taking another position of need, cornerback. Last season, the Falcons were the tenth-worst defense in points and the 11th-worst in passing yards.
Since today’s NFL is a passing league, they will need to fix that secondary. Although the Falcons have spent a 5th, 4th, and 2nd round pick on corners the past two years, they’re not there yet. Fill in LSU’s Kristian Fulton, who was the highest-graded cornerback in SEC play this season by PFF.
Fulton is a great man to man player with quick feet. He should be able to translate to a good slot corner for the Falcons, leaving Desmond Trufant and Isaiah Oliver on the outsides. With Fulton, the Falcons shouldn’t need to draft another corner.
17. Dallas Cowboys: CB Trevon Diggs, Alabama
The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from Jason Garrett and upgraded to one of the league’s winningest coaches, Mike McCarthy. With Dak Prescott coming off his best season, throwing for over 4900 yards, that offense won’t be needing much more help.
Instead, they should focus on a need, drafting players in the secondary who can force turnovers, as last year they had the fewest in the league with seven. Alabama’s Trevon Diggs will be a great fit for this Cowboys team.
In 2019, he allowed 22 catches from 52 targets for 309 yards and a passer rating of 44.5, which is as close of a dominant season you will see. Diggs should come in and be able to win a starting spot right away.
18. Miami Dolphins (f/PIT): DE Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
The Dolphins tanked last season to get a top quarterback and stock draft picks. Since they took a quarterback earlier in the day, they can turn their focus to the defensive side of the ball. With this pick, defensive end Julian Okwara is their guy.
By taking an edge player on defense, this will help the Dolphins get after the opposing quarterbacks in the division. Okwara is a lengthy defensive end who can get after the quarterback. He has an explosive quick step and will need to work on certain parts of his game, but his ceiling might be the highest in this draft class.