ESPN’s Todd McShay releases 2020 NFL mock draft 1.0: Initial thoughts

Initial thoughts on Todd McShay’s first attempt at a 2020 NFL mock draft.

On Monday night, ESPN’s Todd McShay released his 2020 NFL mock draft 1.0. You can see his selections and analysis on each pick here (ESPN+ required). In this post, we are going to look at the highlights of this 2020 NFL mock draft and see what McShay generally has different than the rest of the industry.

McShay is one of the most well-respected and plugged-in NFL draft reports around and when he is making predictions on a potential fit or draft stock on a player, we should pay attention. Let’s take a look at the most interesting picks in this 2020 NFL mock draft.

• No surprise at the top as LSU quarterback Joe Burrow goes to the Cincinnati Bengals and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young goes to the New York Giants with the first two picks. Those two feel pretty much set in stone at this point.
• Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa goes fourth to the Miami Dolphins. Tua’s hip injury will be a major wildcard of his draft stock but seeing a guy like McShay having him at the top is a great sign.
• Andrew Thomas is the first offensive lineman off of the board (to the New York Jets at number seven overall) and is the only offensive lineman in the first 23 picks. Alex Leatherwood is the next offensive lineman off of the board (to the Dolphins at number 24).
• A pair of Iowa Hawkeyes go much later than we have seen in most early mock drafts. Defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa went 29 to the New Orleans Saints and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs went 30 to the New England Patriots. Most mock drafts have Epenesa and Wirfs in the top ten. Are we too high on Epenesa and Wirfs? McShay certainly seems to think so.
• McShay had LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson going to the Indianapolis Colts at number 15 overall. Jefferson is certainly an exciting prospect, but most have him as more of an early-round selection. Boise State DE Curtis Weaver (No. 20 to Miami, Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk (23 to Buffalo) and Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins (No. 31 to San Francisco) also stand out as guys who have seemed to fly high up the board.
• Dobbins is the second running back off of the board, with only D’Andre Swift going higher (No. 21 to Tennessee).

Do any particular picks from this mock draft stand out to you? Perhaps there is a particular fit between team and player that you like? Let us know in the comments section below.