2020 NFL Mock Draft: Ideal Landing Spots for Top College Prospects

With only one more NFL game to be played in the 2019-20 season, 30 of the league's 32 teams are ready to move forward with offseason preparations, a major part of which will involve this April's draft.

Though this group of college prospects is not necessarily as deep as previous years, the 2020 draft will likely be as interesting as any draft in recent memory, in part due to the potential for significant quarterback swapping around the league. 

There's a case to be made for nearly half the league changing quarterbacks this offseason. Now, it's highly improbable that all of those teams will participate in the annual game of Quarterback Musical Chairs this spring, but the fact remains there will still be plenty of interest in this year's draft-eligible quarterbacks, likely leading to healthy speculation about trades up and down the draft order.

Of course, the NFL draft is not just for quarterbacks. The college football bowl season showcased a tremendous amount of talent throughout the NCAA's strongest squads. The College Football Playoff in particular reminded plenty of bummed fans that next year they might be able to root for a player who could lift their favorite team to higher heights.

2020 Round 1 NFL Mock Draft

1. Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

2. Washington, Chase Young, DE, Ohio State

3. Detroit Lions, Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

4. New York Giants, Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

5. Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

6. Los Angeles Chargers, Isaiah Simmons, OLB/S, Clemson

7. Carolina Panthers, Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

8. Arizona Cardinals, CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

9. Jacksonville Jaguars, Grant Delpit, S, LSU

10. Cleveland Browns, Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

11. New York Jets, CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

12. Las Vegas Raiders, Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson

13. Indianapolis Colts, Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama

15. Denver Broncos, Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford

16. Atlanta Falcons, Curtis Weaver, DE, Boise State

17. Dallas Cowboys, Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama

18. Miami Dolphins via Pittsburgh, A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa

19. Las Vegas Raiders via Chicago, Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

20. Jacksonville Jaguars via LA Rams, Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU

21. Philadelphia Eagles, Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

22. Buffalo Bills, Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado

23. New England Patriots, Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

24. New Orleans Saints, DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

25. Minnesota Vikings, Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State

26. Miami Dolphins via Houston, D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia

27. Seattle Seahawks, Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State

28. Baltimore Ravens, Terrell Lewis, OLB, Alabama

29. Tennessee Titans, Julian Okwara, DE, Notre Dame

30. Green Bay Packers, Anfernee Jennings, OLB, Alabama

31. Kansas City Chiefs, Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

32. San Francisco 49ers, Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia

Player-Team Fits of Note

Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

After being compared to Jalen Ramsey before the 2019 college football season even started by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, expectations were sky-high for Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah. Somehow, he's lived up to them.

That doesn't necessarily mean Okudah will immediately be a top-five cornerback in the NFL next year and make an All-Pro team in his second season like Ramsey has. But he showed steady improvement throughout his three years in Columbus, recording all three of his career interceptions in 2019 and also posting career-high tackle and pass deflection numbers this year.

With one-time All-Pro Darius Slay already on the roster, drafting Okudah may seem like overkill for the Lions. But Slay is a free agent next year and has publicly expressed his displeasure with the team this season, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him leave.

Bringing in the rookie this year would help them get a jump on replacing a dynamite talent like Slay.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

One of the chief lessons from Lamar Jackson's tremendous success with the Ravens this season, obvious as it may sound, is that coaches and general managers should put their players in the very best position to succeed, regardless of whether or not that fits their pre-existing play style preferences.

Perhaps the next team to put that logic to good use will be the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite a 5-10-1 record in Kyler Murray's rookie season, the Cardinals showed plenty of promise, including a seven-game stretch this year where he recorded a 100.5 passer rating with a 10-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. To help kick-start the next step in Murray's development, Arizona could draft an old teammate of his in Oklahoma wideout CeeDee Lamb. 

The two had excellent chemistry in Murray's one season as a starter in Norman, as Lamb caught 65 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018, and the receiver leveled up again with Jalen Hurts this year, averaging 21.4 yards per catch and recording 14 scores. And though the Sooners were picked apart in the CFP semifinal by LSU last month, it was through no fault of Lamb's, as he caught four passes for 119 yards in the defeat.

Larry Fitzgerald is set to return for his 17th season in 2020, and Christian Kirk has been solid through his first two years, but giving Murray a familiar face could bring him and the Cardinals much closer to playoff contention. 

Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

What's gotten lost in the Cleveland Browns' 6-10 2019 campaign is that for all the flaws the team displayed this year (and there were plenty), they still have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.

With Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry forming a deadly trio on offense, and Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Larry Ogunjobi leading an underrated defense, the Browns are above-average to great in nearly every segment of the roster. However, the offensive line is still a clear weak link. 

Quarterback Baker Mayfield was sacked 40 times this season, tied for seventh-most in the league, and Cleveland's porous offensive line led to a significant sophomore slump, as he finished second in the NFL with 21 interceptions thrown. However, bringing in a unanimous All-American like Thomas who both blocked against NFL-caliber edge-rushers every week in the SEC could revitalize Mayfield and, in turn, the offense as a whole.

Perhaps the Browns had so many problems last year that just one draft pick and a new head coach won't be enough to fix everything. But they're a start in the right direction.

A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa

With three first-round picks, the Miami Dolphins have ample opportunity to pounce on slightly undervalued prospects this year and, in a low-stakes environment with excellent coaches, hopefully help them reach their full potential. One such player who's been lost in the shuffle this draft cycle is Iowa edge-rusher A.J. Epenesa.

Despite being compared to future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt by a pro scout before the season, recording 22 sacks over the past two seasons and being named first-team All-Big Ten in both 2018 and 2019, Epenesa is ranked 31st on ESPN's Big Board and projects merely as a rotational edge-rusher at the pro level, according to their June 2019 scouting report of him.

His production and reputation do not seem to align anymore, and as such, he may become a classic sneaky late first-round steal. 

We've seen cases like this as recently as last year, where Florida defensive end Jachai Polite was a potential first-round draft pick in winter 2019 but ended up being a third-round pick. But Epenesa has a high motor and has seen results throughout his career thus far. For a Dolphins team that embraces hard-working players and needs all kinds of talent, he'd be a great fit.

Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

Alright, Patriots fans, slow your roll. Yes, though the rumor mill will be strong until he makes a decision, Tom Brady's not out of the door just yet. However, whether or not he sticks around for another year or two, it became clear this year that the GOAT is finally on the decline, and unless you want Jameis Winston or Jarrett Stidham to shepherd in the next era of Patriots football, it's time to turn to the draft for a new signal-caller.

It's impossible to know whether Justin Herbert is a Bill Belichick type of quarterback. Belichick is famous for adapting to his current opponent's defensive weakness and not having a favored play style, plus Bill Clinton was president during Darth Hoodie's last pre-Brady head coaching gig. But Herbert has attributes that would pique Belichick's interest. He's a great athlete with a great arm and a big frame, and though he's got plenty of weaknesses, would undoubtedly be put in a position to succeed with Belichick.

Though 2019 was mostly a down year for Tom Brady, he did show some flashes of his old self at times, so he may still have a bit of gas left. But as Peyton Manning showed several years ago, you never know when the tank will run out, so the Pats should be prepared for that worst-case scenario.