2020 NFL Draft first-round mock draft: Quarterback reshuffle

After missing on NC State center Garrett Bradbury last draft, Carolina continues to look to strengthen their offensive line from the inside with a center. This year Wisconsin standout Tyler Biadasz comes to the forefront.

With Wisconsin, Biadasz has been an integral piece in their power-running game with Johnathan Taylor. Frequent inside runs have shown off a consistent downfield-drive in his blocks and the ability to pivot defensive tackles outside of running lanes. Biadasz is not always going to look to put a defensive tackle on their back, but what he will at least do every snap is move bodies out of running lanes with good hand usage, as well as strong posture and balance.

In pass protection, Biadasz does well getting out of his stance and back-tracking to any inside rushes from 3-techniques. His hand placement is still quality against the pass-rush, and Biadasz will follow in Bradbury’s footsteps as the top center in the draft and being a plug-and-play piece for his new team.

Carolina needs to continue to build around Christian McCaffrey, and an integral interior lineman is a great addition. Hopefully, Carolina will also acquire a power running back to compliment McCaffrey (ex: Johnathan Taylor), which would perfectly compliment Biadasz’s skillset. “Keep Pounding” is going to make a comeback in 2020 with this pick.

Oakland has thus far relied on a responsible run-first offense, which has provided great success but needs to acquire exterior weapons for Derek Carr. Ceedee Lamb is the man for the job. The 6’2″ wideout uses his body well on boxouts and leverage-based routes near the boundary.

Oakland currently lacks a true outside playmaker, and Lamb will provide the kind of size and speed NFL offenses strive for from their wideouts. His body control and hands give the ability for spectacular playmaking that Oakland currently lacks from their receiving corps.

Lamb created the majority of his production deep on the outside, near the boundary. This by itself is not a negative, but he will need to vary his production when at the NFL level. Without high-level route running separation will be hard to come by against equally-physical corners.

Lamb also showcased his after-the-catch ability with drags and slants at Oklahoma, hitting home runs on a fair amount throughout his collegiate career. This catch-and-run strength will be a major draw for NFL management.

Yetur Gross-Matos is one of the biggest surprises in college football this year and has flown up draft boards with his sack production and run defense. Matos is one of the most complete edge prospects in the 2020 NFL draft and has shown a fantastic mix of skills for a 4-3 defensive end.

At 6’5″, 264 lbs, Matos can match the reach of opposing tackles on most occasions, and uses an assortment of power moves to overpower opposing tackles. Once a tackle leans in to take on Matos, his understanding of hand usage allows him to counter and fly by.

That is assuming the blocker gets his hands up in time since a vast amount of Matos’ production came on plays where he was next to the blocker by the time his hands were on Matos. Matos can easily shed blockers with his combination of size and burst, using his hands as counters and pushers instead of going head-on with conventional pass-rush moves.

Against the run, Matos has a great sense of outside runs and tackles consistently in the open field. He may not be the fastest player, but he is more than capable of chasing down players in the flats on outside runs.

LSU has become “Safety U.” Tyrann Mathieu, Jamal Adams, and now Grant Delpit are now three (future) top-tier safeties at the NFL level who possess a special kind of physicality and ball-play for the position. Delpit has shown a great nose for the ball and aggressive playstyle that have become staples of LSU safeties.

Delpit strongly resembles Jamal Adams in his style of play, combining deep coverage, and interior pursuit. With an extra 3 inches in height, yet losing 11 lbs on Adams, Delpit is a lengthier version that will be rangier with less physicality. Adams is the strong safety to Delpit’s free.

NFL defenses have begun to build their defenses around star-safeties instead of premier pass-rushers, and Jacksonville can move on from the Jalen Ramsey era with another physical, gifted player in the secondary.

Jeff Okudah is a lengthy, rangy 6’1″ corner out of Ohio St who has created his best play in man-trail technique. His speed and ball skills provide plenty of opportunities for turnovers, and his break on short routes to the flats is unmatched by any other corner in the 2020 NFL draft.

Okudah is one of the most physical safeties to come out of the draft since Jalen Ramsey, and that label should be worn proudly. Physical players in NFL secondaries have changed defensive identities, and having a corner who can crack down on the flats is extremely valuable.

Darius Slay currently lacks help in the secondary, especially after the departure of safety Quandre Diggs. Okudah is a perfect pairing alongside Slay to match his tight-man coverage style. Detroit is on the up and up, and this kind of acquisition could cement their defense.