2020 NFL Draft first-round mock draft: Quarterback reshuffle

Phillip Rivers is not the answer. He is aging and has not brought postseason success to the Chargers yet throughout his extensive tenure in the NFL. With the recent injury to Tua Tagovailoa, his draft stock will fall due to the concerns surrounding him and a great landing spot would be Los Angeles.

An offense stacked with weapons such as Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry, Melvin Gordon, and Austin Ekeler should not be struggling this much. The team as a whole should not have a top 15 draft pick with defensive pieces Casey Hayward, Joey Bosa, and Melvin Ingram. A new face under center who has proven to be a top quarterback in the 2020 draft class is what is needed in Los Angeles.

Given time to develop under the future hall of famer, Tagovailoa can continue his recovery and hone his skills for when Rivers’ tenure comes to an end. The “fans” of the Chargers would also appear, as the Rams begin to struggle and a young, hopeful prodigy comes to save Dean Spanos.

Tua Tagovailoa scouting report can be found here.

With a similar frame to the aforementioned Yetur Gross-Matos, Epenesa also comes in at 6’5″, and weighs a hefty 277 lbs. Even with that extra weight, Epenesa earns the higher selection in this mock draft due to his additional explosiveness off of the line of scrimmage and more polished pass-rush moves.

Epenesa has impressive burst off of the line of scrimmage for a 6’5″ edge rusher and can eat tackles to the corner on some snaps. If not beaten, tackles need to watch for a variety of power moves to throw them off balance with a relentless rush through contact.

In the run game, Epenesa is able to jump off of the line of scrimmage with such speed that he can blow-up plays in the backfield before they can start (ex: pistol handoff to Saquon Barkley taken out at the point of exchange in the backfield). This kind of explosiveness is not only a down & distance impact but also a momentum play.

Tamp Bay has their pleasantly surprising sack-specialist Shaquill Barrett becoming a free agent this offseason, and a direct replacement on a rookie contract such as Epenesa is a perfect solution. Paired alongside former top selection Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh, Epenesa will be in a winning situation under Bruce Arians.

Joe Burrow has risen up draft boards since the beginning of the college football season, gaining traction with impressive performances against top opponents such as Texas, Auburn, and Alabama. His smart passing and ability to place the ball to a variety of mid-range targets have become an attractive part of his game for NFL scouts.

Burrow is a willing runner but does not rely on it heavily like many college prospects (ex: Jalen Hurts). His smart decision making keeps the ball in the offense’s hands and is extremely valuable in a prospective day one NFL starter. Burrow’s arm talent and mechanics are up to par, if not exceeding, and will improve with physical maturity and time.

One genuine concern about Burrow is how he has handled pressure, which will only get worse at the NFL level. This is something Burrow will hopefully grow out of, but needs to be done throughout a reasonable time frame. Rookie quarterbacks who are thrown into the fire fail because they begin to “see ghosts” and forever stay fearful of defensive pressure.

Denver is in desperate need of a quality player under center. The team is built to compete with plenty of young talent, but the right man under center has yet to be found. Offensive playmakers such as Courtland Sutton, Phillip Lindsay, and Noah Fant have produced even with the lack of talent heading their unit. Is Burrow the one to capitalize on this roster?

Joe Burrow’s scouting report can be found here.

Derrick Brown will be one of the most physically dominant interior defensive linemen in the NFL his rookie year. At 6’5″, 318 lbs, he is built to eat space on the interior and wreak havoc on running games. Even for a player 50 lbs lighter than him, his explosiveness off of the line of scrimmage is incredible to watch.

When defending the run, Brown cannot only stand his ground but push the opposition into the backfield and shed his block with a two-hand push. His size and strength give him the ability to arm-tackle most running backs, or at the very least slow them for long enough to have teammates join in on the tackle.

On the pass rush, Brown uses his size and strength to bullrush and build his pass rush from there. When rushing the passer, Brown looks to set up his moves by getting the opposition off-balance on the bullrush, and then use a swim move to gain leverage and get next to his blocker. Many minor holding calls are missed on interior pass-rushes, meaning they simply need to be fought through, and Brown has the physical tools to do so.

Offensive lines would contribute additional resources to prevent the one-on-one situations on the interior throughout Auburn’s season. This kind of defensive presence is rare to have on the inside, and Arizona has lacked that presence since the departure of Calais Campbell.

Solomon Kindley is a powerful, compact guard who run blocks with aggression and pass blocks with a strong base. At 6’4″, 335 lbs, Kindley has the reach to compete with even lengthier defensive tackles, and can also outweigh them in most cases.

Kindley’s pass blocking revolves around a good, low hip level as well as choppy strides and great hand placement. Rather than focusing on countering pass rush moves, Kindley takes his backsteps and then immediately engages into the shoulder pads of the pass rusher. This ‘hug’ technique is used commonly by the Green Bay Packers offensive line, gripping by the shoulder pads to avoid more counters and be able to “steer” the defender.

Kindley is also surprisingly agile for his size thanks to the aforementioned choppy strides, making him a prime candidate for being a pulling guard. Kindley can still be a strong zone-run blocker for Le’veon Bell in New York.

The New York Jets need to retool their offensive line after the disaster in the position group for Sam Darnold this season. Part of this collapse can be blamed solely on coaching (ex: Adam Gase not changing from wide passing formations to account help block the Patriot’s zero-blitz), but personnel will always be a factor.