2020 1st-round NFL Mock Draft: Alabama gets all of the love

New York has struggled to protect their quarterbacks since the overpaying of former Patriots tackle Nate Solder, and need to address the issue with young talent. Andrew Thomas has had a stellar year at Georgia with quarterback Jake Fromm and will look to continue this performance in the big apple.

Daniel Jones needs help on his side of the ball besides Saquon Barkley, and offensive line reinforcement currently resides much higher on the list of needs than another star wideout in the absence of Odell Beckham Jr. Improved tackle play would bring in a more consistent C-gap running game, allowing Barkley to stretch defenses to the boundaries by design.

At the peak of the edge-rushing class in the 2020 NFL Draft, Ohio St product Chase Young has had his season cut short due to NCAA regulations and tyranny. In his limited time this season, as well as last year in the absence of an injured Nick Bosa, Young has shown off a power-rusher skill set and the ability to produce pressure from both the 3 and 5 technique.

Washington currently has a young, volatile offense of Dwayne Haskins, Terry McLaurin, and Derrius Guice. On the defensive side though, Washington still has secondary stars Landon Collins and Josh Norman, as well as interior linemen Da’Ron Payne and Johnathan Allen.

With two already intimidating pass rushers, Washington could follow San Francisco’s lead in acquiring a number of top defensive linemen for a league-leading pass rush in the future.

In the secondary, Miami currently has Xavien Howard and not much else. Grant Delpit is a rangy LSU safety resembling a longer version of alumni Tyrann Mathieu and Jamal Adams. Delpit has been labeled as the top safety of the draft, and for good reason with his variety in contribution as well as his physical gifts.

Miami needs a defensive centerpiece to complement currently residing defensive players Christian Wilkins, Xavien Howard, and Raekwon McMillan. A rangy safety like Delpit can give Miami a secure backend safety net to allow a more aggressive front, covering large areas across the deep portions of the field.

Delpit has also shown a knack for being a strong nickel corner, a possible contribution throughout his rookie year while he develops.

As possibly the most disruptive pass-rusher in the country, Brown has earned a reputation among NFL scouts for his pure strength and overpowering style of play from the interior. Interior pressure against quarterbacks is one of the most disruptive things to deal with, moving quarterbacks off of their spot and interfering with timing on deep routes.

Atlanta currently has two other talented pass-rushers on the roster in Grady Jarrett and Vic Beasley.

Jarrett is currently under contract until 2022, but Beasley will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Brown will be under his rookie contract and give Atlanta needed cap flexibility as they look to enter a ‘retool’ period rather than a full-blown rebuild around Matt Ryan, and a strong defense is the starting point.