2020 full 1st-round NFL mock draft after the Super Bowl
By Sanjit T.
13. Indianapolis Colts: QB Jordan Love, Utah State
The Indianapolis Colts gave Jacoby Brissett a short term 2-year deal because they knew they didn’t have any other options after Andrew Luck retired prior to the 2019 season starting. This year, however, the Colts will be able to scout and find their future quarterback. Fill in Utah State’s Jordan Love.
Love has drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes due to his big arm and willingness to take deep shots. The Colts offense has been a run-first offense, and while Love learns the playbook, Brissett can continue to start. But over the course of 2020, and heading into 2021, Frank Reich will open the playbook for Love.
A big concern with Love is he threw for 20 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in 2019. However, a lot of that can be attributed to the changes at Utah State from 2018 to 2019. He lost his starting running back, Darwin Thompson to the NFL, his three main receivers, Dax Raymond, Ron’Quavion Tarver, and Jalen Greene, all to the NFL. And lastly, the whole coaching staff was changed. All of this led to Love struggling.
Jordan Love did show us what we know he can do during the Senior Bowl. He really impressed, and scouts believe he will be a first-round pick.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
Ndamukong Suh played more than any other interior defensive linemen for the Buccaneers last year. He was signed to a one-year deal for just that, short term help. With Vita Vea finishing his second year, I fully expect him to be recognized as the superstar he is this upcoming year. However, he can’t do it alone, so fill in Javon Kinlaw at pick No. 14.
Javon Kinlaw is 6-foot-6, 310-pound monster. He has all the physical traits you could want in a defensive tackle. Kinlaw has a quick get off, which translates to him getting very good pressure. 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. He and Vita Vea will be the most dominant defensive tackle duo in the NFL.
15. Denver Broncos: WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
The Denver Broncos have a very young talented offense, starting with their quarterback Drew Lock, who went 4-1 as a starter in 2019. They have also surrounded him with good young players on that side of the ball, including Dalton Risner, Phillip Lindsey, Noah Fant, Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, and Royce Freeman.
The craziest part is this teams only going to get better with experience. If the Broncos want to take this offense to the next level, they’d be wise to add one of the best playmakers, Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy would be a fantastic complementary route runner on the inside, to second-year receiver Courtland Sutton‘s outside ability. This will also give Lock three very good targets, in Sutton, Fant, and Jeudy.
The Alabama wide receiver is considered one of the best coming out of college. He is a great playmaker and runs very crisp routes. With the ball in his hands, Jeudy can make many people miss. Although I don’t think he is as good as Lamb, Jeudy will be a great complementary receiver.
The only knock on him is he’s had a little bit of a drop issue. He dropped seven passes on 78 targets or 9% of his targets.
16. Atlanta Falcons: DE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU
The Atlanta Falcons drafted the best way to draft, by need. They knew they needed to fix their offensive line, so they took two offensive linemen in the first round. This year, they will follow that up with taking another position of need, defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson. To make it more clear, they told the world they are not resigning Vic Beasley Jr.
Last season, the Falcons were the tenth-worst defense in points and the 11th-worst in passing yards, all that would change with a good pass rusher. Chaisson has more potential than any other player in this draft. His pass-rush skills are off the charts.
It starts with his explosiveness. He is super quick off the line off scrimmage. He plays with great technique and utilizes his hands very well. The only knock on him is finishing. He only had six sacks in 2019.
17. Dallas Cowboys: CB Kristian Fulton, LSU
The Dallas Cowboys moved on from Jason Garrett and upgraded to one of the league’s winningest coaches, Mike McCarthy. Fresh off a season in which Dak Prescott threw for over 4900 yards, this offense is going to be very interesting in 2020.
To match the offensives potential greatness, the Cowboys defense should take the best corner in the draft, LSU’s Kristian Fulton.
The Cowboys need players in the secondary who can force turnovers. Last year they had the fewest in the league with only seven. Fulton is a great fit for this Cowboys team that likes to play a ton of man to man. Fulton has great man to man technique and is very quick with his feet. He should be able to translate to a good corner who can play both the inside and outside.
18. Miami Dolphins (f/PIT): DE Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
Tank for Tua is what the Dolphins were doing this year. Although they didn’t do a great job because they didn’t end up with the first pick, they will still most likely end up with Tua, the second best quarterback.
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.