2020 NFL Draft: Nebraska cornerback Lamar Jackson scouting report
By John Newman
Possible Draft Destinations
Several teams will be looking to draft a cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft. As the passing game becomes more and more relied on in the modern NFL offense, opposing team’s defenses will have to start focusing more on their secondary talent if they hope to nullify this passing increase.
Several teams will be in need of some serious cornerback help in the 2020 NFL Draft. Spotrac currently has 78 cornerbacks listed as free-agents in 2020, with several teams losing potentially up to four cornerbacks in free agency.
While their fan bases might hope they select a cornerback in the first round, a few teams will need more than just one cornerback to save their secondary from being carved up in the future.
The following is the most likely candidates I see taking a serious look at Jackson past the second round:
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings may need the most help out of any franchise in the NFL this offseason. They have three cornerbacks this off-season hitting free agency. When factoring in Xavier Rhodes underwhelming performance in 2019, it is expected by many people that Rhodes will be traded or released by the team this offseason to clear up potentially 10 million in cap space.
The team has 20 free-agents going into the 2020 offseason and only five million dollars in cap space, according to Overthecap.com.
Having a young, cost-controlled cornerback on the Vikings roster for the next several seasons would be helpful, as this offseason the Vikings will need to make some serious choices about who to pay and who to let go in free agency.
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Jackson would fit in nicely with the Vikings, as they have had a very successful defense the last three seasons and they would have a solid coaching corp to help develop Jackson going forward.
The Vikings will have to replace players lost in free agency in the 2020 NFL Draft. Without a ton of high-end cornerback talent available in free agency this offseason, it would help the Vikings defense to bring in a young, physical rookie cornerback like Jackson.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have finally got their defense in order this past season. They aren’t going to set any notable records, but their defense has been good enough to get them back to the AFC Championship Game for the second season in a row.
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In the offseason, they’ll have up to four cornerback positions lost in free agency, including Kendall Fuller and Morris Claiborne. If the Chiefs hope to keep their winning ways going in 2020, they will need a solid cornerback that can be drafted in the later rounds.
The Chiefs will be entering the second season of Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator in 2020. If Jackson can find a way to impress the Chiefs defensive staff in the Combine this offseason, he could earn himself a spot in the Chiefs secondary for several years to come.
Philadelphia Eagles
No team’s secondary underperformed as badly as the Philadelphia Eagles did in 2019. With the exception of Malcolm Jenkins, nearly every defensive back position is likely to be flipped heading into 2020.
Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills are likely to be shown the door this offseason and the team will likely need to completely rebuild the secondary going forward. After two back-to-back seasons of injuries and blown coverages, the Eagles will need to bring in some fresh talent headed into 2020.
The Eagles can potentially bring in a few free agents with their estimated 33 million in cap space, but a better long-term solution would be drafting a cornerback like Jackson to develop and play as a depth piece in 2020.
Jackson is the type of player the Eagles should be salivating to see come the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. With their receivers room also needing some fresh faces, along with an aging offensive and defensive line, the team will have several position groups in need of talent in the earlier rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Considering they will need at least two new cornerbacks in 2020, they could help reduce that cost by taking a player like Jackson in the third or fourth round, depending on interest.
Next. First-Round targets for the Philadelphia Eagles. dark
Jackson has been a dependable staple of the Nebraska defense for the last four seasons. The Eagles secondary has been anything but dependable for two seasons now. While Jackson may not be the flashiest cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles could potentially give Jackson a chance come next season.