2020 full 1st-round mock draft after the Scouting Combine
By Evan Groat
1. Cincinnati Bengals: QB, Joe Burrow, LSU
Has there ever been a more slam dunk pick than Joe Burrow to the Bengals? The southeast Ohio native had arguably the greatest season ever by a college quarterback, not only winning the Heisman Trophy, but also leading the LSU Tigers to the national title in a convincing win over the Clemson Tigers.
Burrow skipped the Senior Bowl and chose not to participate in the combine, so it appears that even he knows this is a no-brainer. Cincinnati has a second-year head coach, and plan on moving on from Andy Dalton, clearing the way for Burrow to be a Day 1 starter in his home state.
2. Washington Redskins: QB, Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Hear me out. Ron Rivera spoke with the media at the combine and admitted that they will be meeting with both Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. Some might think this is nothing but I believe there is a real chance the Redskins move on from Dwayne Haskins after one season.
Haskins struggled badly in limited starts last season, which makes it easy for the Redskins management to go in a different direction. Despite being a defensive-minded coach, Rivera knows the importance of having a franchise quarterback, and while it may have only been one season, Haskins has a lot of work to do before he is that.
3. Detroit Lions: CB, Jeff Okudah, Ohio State
If my mock draft included trades, this would be a place where I think one could occur, based on the quarterback-needy teams in this draft. With Tua off the board, the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers could try to make sure they get their guy by trading up a couple spots, but that does not happen here.
Jeffrey Okudah from Ohio State is a stud and Matt Patricia’s defense puts an emphasis on having a shutdown corner. With Darius Slay likely headed elsewhere for the 2020 NFL season, this Lions defense needs a new leader at the position group, and they get one here in the person of Okudah, the consensus top corner in this class.
4. New York Giants: DE, Chase Young-Ohio State
The Giants need to protect their new franchise quarterback but their defense was an abomination in 2019. Passing on his choice of a offensive tackle with be hard for Dave Gettleman, but the opportunity to add arguably the best player in the draft at a premium position is a no brainier.
No matter how good Daniel Jones is now, or is going to be in the future, the Giants are not going to win many games if they continue to trot out the collection of players they did on the defensive side of the ball last season. Young can change the game in an instant, and for a team needing help in terms of pass rush, he is just the answer they are looking for.