NFL Mock Draft 2020: Projecting Landing Spots for Jerry Jeudy, Top WRs

The 2020 NFL draft boasts one of the deepest receiver classes of all time and, at the very least, the most stacked since 2014. There are great prospects at most positions, but the wide receiver group is a cut above the rest.

Choosing between them is difficult and, in six years, looking back at their draft order should be just as interesting as looking back at 2014's now.

Pro Bowlers Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., Davante Adams, Allen Robinson and Jarvis Landry (in order of selection) were all drafted in 2014's first two rounds. Sammy Watkins was drafted ahead of all of them, while guys like Marqise Lee and Paul Richardson went before the latter three. John Brown, picked at the back of the third round, was the 15th receiver chosen.

This draft may not feature 15 receivers drafted in the first three rounds, but its potential is cut from the same cloth. Unlike other years, teams drafting the best player available are likely to jump at a receiver early in 2020. There were five receivers drafted in 2014's first round, and we can expect six to go in Round 1 this year.

FantasyPros' top four in 2019 mock-draft accuracy (Charlie Campbell, Walter Cherepinsky, Evan Silva and Ben Standig) all also have six receivers going in the first round.

Here's our first-round mock for 2020 followed by analysis of three intriguing receiver decisions in Las Vegas, San Francisco and New Orleans.

2020 NFL Mock Draft

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

2. Washington: Chase Young, Edge, Ohio State

3. Detroit Lions: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

4. New York Giants: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

5. Miami Dolphins: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

6. Los Angeles Chargers: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

7. Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn

8. Arizona Cardinals: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

10. Cleveland Browns: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville

11. New York Jets: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

12. Las Vegas Raiders: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

13. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis): CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

15. Denver Broncos: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

16. Atlanta Falcons: K'Lavon Chaisson, Edge, LSU

17. Dallas Cowboys: C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida

18. Miami Dolphins (from Pittsburgh): D'Andre Swift, RB, Wisconsin

19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago): Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU

22. Minnesota Vikings (from Buffalo): Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State

23. New England Patriots: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

24. New Orleans Saints: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado

25. Minnesota Vikings: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston): Austin Jackson, OT, USC

27. Seattle Seahawks: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

28. Baltimore Ravens: Grant Delpit, S, LSU

29. Tennessee Titans: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State

30. Green Bay Packers: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson

31. San Francisco 49ers: Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

Jon Gruden Gets Jeudy, Sets Stage for Las Vegas Offense

The Las Vegas Raiders still need a true No. 1 receiver to put on a show. The question is just whether it should be Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb.

Jeudy isn't the fastest, tallest or most physical receiver in this class. But he balances all three excellently while priding himself on crisp routes and versatility. He kept it simple when asked about his best trait during his NFL combine press conference: "My best is being able to do it all."

He learned from Calvin Ridley, modeled his routes after Amari Cooper's college tape and credits former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian for teaching him NFL schemes.

At 6'1" and 193 pounds with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, Jeudy, physically, is your archetypal wideout. What sets him apart is his dedication to the craft. The standout receiver studies "very crafty routerunners that know how to get open," a list that includes, aside from Ridley and Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp.

Jalen Hurts, the only quarterback to play with both Jeudy and Lamb, described Jeudy as a "sly cat" to NFL Radio's Brady Quinn. That suits Gruden's team, which already has large, physical pass-catchers in Darren Waller and Tyrell Williams.

Tangibles, intangibles and a team in need of both from the position. Jeudy's speed and pro-ready skill set make him a better fit for Las Vegas than Lamb.

Lamb Is the No-Brainer Pick to Fix Kyle Shanahan's Offense

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is known as an offensive guru, but his team lost in the Super Bowl because of the passing game's shortcomings. Lamb is the 1B to Jeudy's 1A in this draft and even ranked higher by some. Whoever drops to the 49ers at No. 13 is a perfect pick.

The Niners lost major production following DeForest Buckner's trade to the Indianapolis Colts, but that defensive front is still an intimidating group. What's less menacing is the receiver corps.

With George Kittle amassing double-teams, no 49er surpassed 42 receiving yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The biggest stage magnified the team's greatest weakness.

Emmanuel Sanders has since gone to the New Orleans Saints. And Deebo Samuel is excellent but running back-sized at 5'11", 214 pounds—making him better suited to creative slot and gadget work. Kendrick Bourne and Dante Pettis are both over 6'0" and have potential, but neither is close to Lamb's ceiling. Travis Benjamin and Marquise Goodwin are both incredibly fast and can stretch defenses, but neither is over 5'10" or 181 pounds.

At 6'2", 198 pounds with a 4.50-second 40-yard dash, Lamb's athleticism grades phenomenally and was the highest among the receivers graded by the NFL at the combine (at 6.81, he and Jeudy were the only two to meet or surpass the 6.80 mark). He is best described by Hurts: "It's insane. He's a grown man when he's on the field."

Or by himself, as he was quick to describe the strongest part of his game during his combine press conference: "Yards after the catch. I enjoy making people miss."

Lamb's highlights show it all. He's not a blazer, but defenders are routinely punished after the catch and struggle to overcome his physicality and successfully contest toss-up balls. The 49ers could opt for a defensive lineman, cornerback or offensive lineman, but Lamb simply opens up Shanahan's offense.

A tall, fast, dangerous receiver outside should make teams uncomfortable stacking the box against Raheem Mostert. And you can be sure that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's life becomes much easier with a wideout who can reliably win jump balls.

From Colorado's Black and Gold to New Orleans', Shenault Jr. Fits Perfectly

"I think I'm an athlete. I want to play everywhere. I want to help out as much as possible at any position. ... I want to be able to create mismatches everywhere on the field." Could anyone sound like more of a fit for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints' offensive philosophy?

As Laviska Shenault Jr. described in his combine press conference, he is an offensive Swiss Army knife. And that is New Orleans' modus operandi.

The Saints have other needs, particularly along the offensive line and at corner. They could even think long term and go for Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. But Drew Brees and Co. want to contend in 2020 and, at No. 24, Shenault Jr. gives them the greatest chance to do so.

Michael Thomas brings the pain, Sanders brings the speed and Shenault Jr. can bring everything in between. That may feel like Taysom Hill's role, but there is no reason to believe that an offense already comfortable innovatively using versatile players, like Hill and Alvin Kamara, can't use another multi-pronged weapon (also, at 33, Sanders is a short-term fix).

It might be Colorado's Saints-like golden black-and-white uniforms. It might be Shenault Jr.'s locks. Or it might just be the game-breaking playmaking that leaves defenders juked, stiff-armed and generally out-classed. Whatever it is, Shenault boasts a certain something that screams AK41 mojo and MT13 attitude.

There are concerns, though. Like a taller, slower Deebo Samuel, Shenault Jr. is 6'1" and 227 pounds with a 4.58-second 40-yard dash. He played at a smaller school in Colorado, explaining some of the more obnoxious trucks and jukes. And he has a scattered injury history.

But the Saints already have speed. Thomas absorbs opponents' tightest coverage. And Shenault Jr. was tough enough to have played through most of his injuries. The ceiling his versatility offers to a vertically limited Brees-led offense is obvious.

And that multifaceted upside is exemplified by the three players he models his game after: Jarvis Landry (for "his aggressiveness and dog mentality"), Larry Fitzgerald (because "he's about business when he gets on that field") and Julio Jones.

Saints fans won't like thinking about the latter, but they will understand Shenault's aspirations all too well and appreciate his reasoning: "His aggressiveness and his athletic ability to do things is just crazy to me. And I think I'm a freak like him."