2020 NFL Draft: Complete Schedule, Order and Latest Mocks for Top Prospects
Sound the alarms. The 2020 NFL draft is now just five days away from finally going down.
This draft might just be the most highly anticipated one in the history of the sport. The draft is always the main attraction of the offseason—it's the lifeblood of the NFL and shapes the league for years to come. However, with the entire sports world on hiatus, the draft is the only game in town.
Or on Zoom.
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This draft has a little bit of everything. It features a No. 1 pick who's a foregone conclusion and could be the next big star in the league. Joe Burrow took over college football in 2019 and now figures to be the face of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise.
Tua Tagovailoa may have joined him in that discussion if it weren't for his injuries. The former Alabama quarterback dominated the college football landscape in his time with the Crimson Tide, but a troublesome injury history has potentially dropped his stock. Or maybe it hasn't. We won't really know until Thursday when he hears his name called.
With the event just a few days away, here's a look at the entire schedule, first-round order and where the latest mocks have the top prospects going.
NFL Draft Schedule
Round 1: Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 25 at 12 p.m. ET
2020 NFL Draft 1st-Round Order
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Washington
3. Detroit Lions
4. New York Giants
5. Miami Dolphins
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Carolina Panthers
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Cleveland Browns
11. New York Jets
12. Las Vegas Raiders
13. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis Colts)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15. Denver Broncos
16. Atlanta Falcons
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Miami Dolphins (from Pittsburgh Steelers)
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago Bears)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)
21. Philadelphia Eagles
22. Minnesota Vikings (from Buffalo Bills)
23. New England Patriots
24. New Orleans Saints
25. Minnesota Vikings
26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston Texans)
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Baltimore Ravens
29. Tennessee Titans
30. Green Bay Packers
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Complete order for all seven rounds can be found at NFL.com.
Latest Mocks and Top Prospects
With the rumor mill churning out material at warp speed and team's making final preparations for the event, the experts are all over the place with some of the top prospects. Below, is a look at some of the top prospects not named Joe Burrow and where they reside on some expert mocks. Experts featured include Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report and Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
Jeremiah: No. 6 to the Los Angeles Chargers
Miller: No. 5 to the Miami Dolphins
Brugler: No. 6 to the Los Angeles Chargers
Tagovailoa has been one of the most talked-about prospects in this draft. Based on what he did in college, he should be a shoo-in as the second quarterback taken on Thursday night. He was efficient and productive in leading Alabama to a national championship.
But it isn't that simple. Concerns over the hip injury that ended his final season in Alabama and previous ankle injuries have reportedly been a cause for concern. Miller reported earlier in the week that the star quarterback could, "absolutely fall in this draft because of injury concerns."
It's interesting to see the reports then look at mock drafts. In addition to Miller's report, The Athletic's Bob McGinn reported that Tagovailoa is off of three team's board entirely because of health concerns.
Yet those who are in the know and filling out mock drafts still have Tagovailoa as a top 10 selection. After a full season of "Tanking for Tua," it would be shocking if the Dolphins don't take him. But it's looking more and more likely that might be the case.
This is the paradox of the draft. On one hand, it's hard to believe any reports that come out right now. Teams are notorious for trying to manipulate the draft board through the media. However, when there's this much smoke, it's hard to ignore.
Teams are investing serious draft capital and money into an early selection at quarterback. These are the types of selections that are directly tied into job security. Will a GM be ready to hitch their wagon to a six-foot quarterback with an injury history?
That's one of the most intriguing questions of the entire draft.
Isaiah Simmons, LB/S, Clemson
Jeremiah: No. 10 to the Cleveland Browns
Miller: No. 4 to the New York Giants
Brugler: No. 7 to the Carolina Panthers
Simmons is one of the most unique prospects available in the draft so it's no surprise that calculating his value has been difficult in most mocks.
To put it simply, Simmons is the ideal next-generation defender. He played all over the field at Clemson, patrolling the middle as a linebacker, coming off the edge to rush the passer and even lining up in the slot to defend receivers. He's the ultimate Swiss Army Knife.
As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted, teams don't even agree about where they would have him play:
If he didn't have the attention of scouts and fans from what he did on tape he commanded it at the combine. Once he showcased 4.39 speed in the 40-yard dash, the hype went to another level.
Given his unique skill-set, how does his value compare to that of a franchise offensive tackle? That's the question that a team like the New York Giants, who find themselves picking at No. 4, will have to ask themselves.
Miller believes the G-Men will ultimately answer that question in favor of Simmons in his most up-to-date mock. However, Brugler thinks it will be the Panthers who can't ultimately pass on the talented defender. He would be the ideal replacement for Luke Kuechly on that roster.
Jeremiah believes Simmons could be in for a slide. He has the Browns surprisingly passing up on a tackle to nab the Clemson product.
He's projected all over the place within the top 10 and is definitely one of the prospects who could shake up how the board falls on draft night. If Simmons falls outside of the first 10 picks it would be a huge storyline.
Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
Jeremiah: No. 15 to the Denver Broncos
Miller: No. 9 to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Brugler: No. 20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars
It's telling that Miller and Brugler both have Kinlaw going to the same team at different picks. Miller sees him going to Jacksonville as a top-10 pick, whereas Brugler believes the Jags could hold off on him the first time around and still get him at No. 20.
Thus, the conversation around Kinlaw is encapsulated in just two mock drafts. Jeremiah splits the difference in putting Kinlaw with the Broncos at 15.
Derrick Brown is the consensus top defensive tackle in the draft, but depending on who you look at, Kinlaw either isn't far behind or might even be better.
That tends to be the belief over at Pro Football Focus:
Kinlaw (6'5", 34 7/8" arms, 324 pounds) is a slightly longer prospect than Brown (6'5", 34 1/4" arms, 326 pounds), but they have nearly identical builds. Kinlaw put up 10 sacks the last two seasons in the SEC, Brown put up 8.5.
They profile very closely together. Brown comes across on tape as the more polished run defender. Kinlaw appears to offer more pass-rush upside and a quicker first step.
Brown has been a popular top 10 selection in mocks since December. Kinlaw has not and is only finding himself in a few here and there. Come draft day it might turn out there should have been more who had him going that early.
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