NFL Mock Draft 2020: Post-CFP Championship Predictions for 1st-Round Prospects
January 14, 2020
The 2019 college football season concluded Monday with LSU's win over Clemson in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
For a handful of players, the predraft process begins. The NFL Scouting Combine, which begins Feb. 23, will be the next opportunity for the top prospects in the 2020 class to impress NFL coaches and executives.
With the focus for football fans turning slowly toward draft season, here's an updated mock draft and a few burning questions.
2020 First-Round Mock Draft
1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
2. Washington Redskins: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
3. Detroit Lions: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
4. New York Giants: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
5. Miami Dolphins: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
6. Los Angeles Chargers: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
7. Carolina Panthers: Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
8. Arizona Cardinals: A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa
9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
10. Cleveland Browns: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson
11. New York Jets: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
12. Las Vegas Raiders: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
13. Indianapolis Colts: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Grant Delpit, S, LSU
15. Denver Broncos: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
16. Atlanta Falcons: K'Lavon Chaisson, OLB, LSU
17. Dallas Cowboys: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
18. Miami Dolphins (via Steelers): Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State
19. Las Vegas Raiders (via Bears): Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Rams): Austin Jackson, OT, USC
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
22. Buffalo Bills: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
23. New England Patriots: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
24. New Orleans Saints: Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
25. Minnesota Vikings: Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
26. Miami Dolphins (via Texans): Josh Jones, OT, Houston
27. Seattle Seahawks: Terrell Lewis, OLB, Alabama
28. Baltimore Ravens: AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson
29. Tennessee Titans*: Julian Okwara, DE, Notre Dame
30. Green Bay Packers*: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
31. Kansas City Chiefs*: D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia
32. San Francisco 49ers*: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
Draft order is via Tankathon.
How Much Does Tagovailoa Announcement Impact First Round?
Few were surprised when Tua Tagovailoa announced his decision to enter the 2020 draft. Despite dislocating his hip in November, the Alabama quarterback is still widely viewed as a first-round prospect.
With Tagovailoa now in the draft pool, there seems to be a gulf between the top three passers and the rest of the class.
In his most recent big board, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Tagovailoa (No. 7), Joe Burrow (No. 2) and Justin Herbert (No. 28) among the top 32 prospects. Jordan Love (No. 45) and Jacob Eason (No. 46) were the only other QBs in the top 50.
Doctors expect Tagovailoa will be able to start throwing again in the spring, which means teams will have little opportunity to evaluate how he looks prior to the draft. That may not matter too much based on the scarcity of elite quarterback prospects.
One of the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions or New York Giants could hold all of the cards should teams attempt to move up in the first round in order to get Tagovailoa. None of those three is in desperate need of a quarterback, so it could make sense to move back and collect an extra pick or two for the trouble.
How Many LSU, Clemson Underclassmen Declare Following Title Game?
For obvious reasons, none of the top underclassmen from LSU and Clemson have announced their intentions to either return to school or make the jump to the NFL for next season. The floodgates should start to open with the national championship concluded.
Clemson can probably count on losing Isaiah Simmons and Tee Higgins.
Simmons is a jack-of-all-trades on defense who had 95 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks and three interceptions entering Monday. Higgins is the team's leading receiver with 56 receptions for 1,115 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Head coach Dabo Swinney might lose his leading rusher as well since it's hard to see what Travis Etienne would gain in terms of his draft stock by spending one more year with the team.
On the other sideline, Jim Thorpe Award winner Grant Delpit and K'Lavon Chaisson could potentially be off the board in the first round. Justin Jefferson helped himself with his 227-yard, four-touchdown effort in the Peach Bowl as well.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be a wild card too. A hamstring injury limited the junior in the playoff semifinal, but he had 1,290 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season.
Joe Burrow's departure could allow Edwards-Helaire to assume a larger role in 2020, thus showcasing him for the 2021 draft. Edwards-Helaire might also think LSU's offense could take a step backward without Burrow, and what better time to make the jump than after a run to the national title game.
Will Anybody Overtake Joe Burrow for the No. 1 Spot?
The Cincinnati Bengals will in all likelihood attempt to find a new quarterback this offseason, somebody who can be the long-term successor to Andy Dalton.
Cincinnati benched Dalton midway through the 2019 season, which allowed head coach Zac Taylor to take a look at 2019 fourth-round pick Ryan Finley. Finley threw for 474 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in three appearances.
Dalton has one more year left on his contract, so it doesn't make much sense to stick with him for 2020 when the Bengals have the No. 1 overall pick. Teams with playoff aspirations that strike out in free agency would probably view Dalton as a short-term fix at quarterback.
All of that is to say Burrow can probably start house-hunting in Cincinnati already.
The Bengals are so bad they can go in a number of directions in the first round and address a roster need.
AJ Green is a free agent, so Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb could step right in and be the No. 1 wideout. Chase Young could play opposite former teammate Sam Hubbard to give Cincinnati a dynamic pass-rushing duo. Jeffrey Okudah would be an upgrade over Dre Kirkpatrick and William Jackson III.
Perhaps the Bengals trade down in the belief more draft picks would equal more overall value.
And yet, finding a franchise quarterback is so hard that it's hard to see how Cincinnati would turn down the opportunity to build around Burrow. Beyond what he'd do on the field, he'd energize the fanbase after a year in which the team had the NFL's second-worst attendance.