Thursday will be one of the most unique experiences the NFL Draft has ever had. Because of COVID-19 the three-day event will be held virtually, beginning with the first-round in primetime. It's obviously an unusual setup for teams, who are used to being logjammed between the draft center and the organization's "war room". Now everything will be done via computers, and the initial reports after Monday's mock draft was... interesting.
How team executives responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in salary can't handle things like computers and the Internet is comical, providing the potential for some crazy things to happen. For the actual selection of the draft picks themselves, there's little drama near the top. As for the rest of the top-10... here's our predictions as to how it will go:
1) Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Burrow: The Heisman Trophy winner entered the 2019 season as a day three selection at best. One record-shattering season later, he's going to be the number one pick on Thursday after a 5,671-yard, 60-touchdown season that led LSU to a national championship. He'll be thrown into the fire with an iffy offensive line and a division that features the Ravens and Steelers, not to mention the high-ceiling Browns. But the team handed out $113 million in free agency to DJ Reader, Trae Waynes and Vonn Bell to shore up the defense, perhaps giving Burrow a fighting chance as a rookie.
2) Washington Redskins - Chase Young: The Redskins could play with the No. 2 overall selection, as they don't need one of the non-Burrow quarterbacks that will be available. With Dwayne Haskins entering his second year under center, they could leverage things to move down later into the top-10 and stockpile picks. If no one ponies up - remember, it was a king's ransom for Washington to trade up for Robert Griffin III back in 2012 and for the Rams to get Jared Goff in 2016 - then the obvious choice is Chase Young. The Ohio State edge rusher shattered the school record for sacks with 16.5 in 12 games and is considered a generational talent. Washington's defense was about league-average last year, and in the upper third in sacks. Young can help lift the unit into the top-10.
3) Detroit Lions - Jeff Okudah: All reports indicate the Lions want to trade down, given the number of quarterbacks compared to QB-needy teams. Someone like Miami has the draft capital to pull the trigger, but with the fifth pick the chances are someone they like will still be there. That means the Lions - who have Matthew Stafford with a big salary cap hit through 2022 - will likely have to draft someone. Enter Okudah, the best cornerback available in a decent draft for defensive backs. Detroit traded their top cover man this offseason, with Darius Slay shipped to Philadelphia. The Ohio State product could in theory be that replacement, with good speed (4.48 40-yard dash), athleticism and cover skills.
4) New York Giants - Tristan Wirfs: The Giants have been linked to two players the most - Wirfs and Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons. We'll lean that Dave Gettleman will want to protect his young quarterback with Wirfs, the behemoth from Iowa. The 6-5, 320-lb. Hawkeye has immense strength, setting the program record with a 450-lb. power clean. A right tackle in college, there are questions about whether he's a tackle or a guard, but either way the Giants could use another anchor to protect Daniel Jones and open up holes for Saquon Barkley.
5) Miami Dolphins - Tua Tagovailoa: The biggest question mark in the entire draft. There's no doubting Tua's effectiveness in college - look at the below efficiency chart for the Alabama QB compared to other recent college signal-callers!
There are a ton of conflicting rumors about the state of his dislocated hip. Some doctors reportedly say he's fine, teams claim he would fail a physical, and everything in-between has been thrown out there. Even if Tua isn't 100 percent for 2020, the Dolphins brought back Ryan Fitzpatrick on a one-year deal. Let Tagovailoa sit behind a highly respected veteran for a year - heck, even eight games - and let him be the quarterback of the future.
6) Los Angeles Chargers - Justin Herbert: With Tua off the board, another QB-needy team will have to choose between Nevada's Jordan Love and Oregon's Justin Herbert. They'll go with the latter, the West Coast kid with a laid back personality. His stats compared to the likes of Burrow and Tua don't stack up (3,471 yards, 32 touchdowns) but teams drool over quarterbacks his size. At 6-6, 236-lbs with the ability to move - he ran for three scores in the Rose Bowl - and a cannon for an arm, he's going in the top-10. The Chargers have weapons for him in Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Hunter Henry, putting him in a position to have some success right away.
7) Carolina Panthers - Isaiah Simmons: The Panthers just made Christian McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in NFL history and signed Teddy Bridgewater to be the quarterback, leading to Cam Newton's release. There's been a lot of talk about the Carolina offense the last few weeks, but the defense is where the irreplaceable needs to be replaced. A long history of concussions and other injuries were a factor in Luke Keuchly's decision to retire at age 28, and seven-time All-Pros don't just grow on trees. But if Simmons falls to the Panthers at seven, he's as close as they might get. The biggest problem with the Clemson product is that no one really knows his position... because he can play them all. He's listed as a linebacker, standing at 6-4 and 238 lbs. But he has 4.39 speed, racked up 16.5 tackles for loss in 2019 and picked off three passes. Put him in the box, ask him to cover, he can basically do it all. Not a bad "problem" to have.
8) Arizona Cardinals - Jedrick Wills, Jr.: The Cardinals' top five free agent signings, costing a combined $77 million, were all on the defensive side. Offensively they have a promising young quarterback in Kyler Murray and a good left tackle in DJ Humphries. So, it makes sense to grab a right tackle who, according to Pro Football Focus, allowed just one sack in his college career. The 20-year-old checks in at 6-4, 312 lbs. with positive grades in both pass protection and the run game. So the Alabama product will swap one crimson jersey for another.
9) Jacksonville Jaguars - CeeDee Lamb: For the last year you've probably heard that this is one of the best wide receiver classes in a long time, maybe ever. But not one taken until the ninth pick? With so many options likely available in the second and third rounds, that could be the case on Thursday. And although the Jaguars need a quarterback, with three off the board already we think they'll take the best available player, and that's Lamb. The Oklahoma alum has all the tools in the wideout arsenal: he runs routes well, can make contested catches, and when he gets in space he's near-impossible to tackle. He's not big - at 6-2 and 198 lbs. - and not the fastest (4.5 40 time), but he's undoubtedly a playmaker.
10) Cleveland Browns - Mekhi Becton: Similar to the Cardinals, the Browns have a solid right side of the offensive line after signing Jack Conklin. So it's only fitting that they go out and get the best remaining left tackle available, Becton. A monster of a man, at 6-7, 340 lbs. he is nimble for someone his size and has a seven-foot wingspan. You're not getting around him easily. The Cleveland offense is loaded with potential. It was a disappointing sophomore season for Baker Mayfield, but he still has Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry out wide, they paid Austin Hooper big money at tight end and have both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield. If they put it all together, watch out.
