2020 NFL Draft: First-Round 2020 NFL mock draft mid-free agency

After missing out on the top four tackles in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Jets are forced to turn their attention to another position on offense; wide receiver. Leaving tackle for later, as picking any of the remaining ones here would be a massive reach, the Jets take the best and most dynamic receiver in the class. CeeDee Lamb is a do-it-all wide-out in the mold of Stefon Diggs and Chris Godwin.

He’s not the biggest guy on the field but his playing style makes it seems that way and he plays bigger than he weighs. He’s good at just about everything, from contested catches to creating yards after the catch. He would instantly provide quarterback  Sam Darnold with something he has yet to have in his tenure as a Jet; a true number one wide-out.

The Las Vegas Raiders need a wide receiver and cornerback in the first round this year. Luckily for them, there are multiple players at the positions who can help them out with that. With the 12th pick and Lamb gone, the Raiders pick Florida product C.J. Henderson.

He excels in man coverage and can stick to most receivers he faces off against. The big question surrounding him is his tackling and coach Gruden will likely be willing to look past that if it means grabbing a corner who can cover as good as Henderson.

After trading away DeForest Buckner to the Colts for the 13th overall pick, many think the 49ers could go with defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw here. However, their defensive line is stacked even without Buckner and the 49ers could use another good target opposite receiver, Deebo Samuel.

Jerry Jeudy provides them with that and coach Kyle Shanahan would go crazy with the ways he could deploy Jeudy on the offense. Jeudy would boost the offense to another level and give quarterback Jimmy Garrapolo a standout number one target. This would very possibly put the 49ers’ offense on par with their defense and a big threat to return to the Super Bowl in 2020.

The Jacksonville defense is only a handful of seasons removed from being one of the best in the NFL, but things change fast in the league and so has the Jaguars defense. Gone are leaders like Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, and Telvin Smith. Even premier edge defender Yannick Ngakoue is on his way out of town.

So the Jaguars need to leave the first two days of the 2020 NFL Draft with at least two potentially impactful defenders and they grab the first one here at 14, after trading down. Derrick Brown from Auburn is someone many think could be their pick at nine overall, so getting the powerful interior defender after trading back is a win.

Brown is a big body that uses his mass well, excellently maneuvering himself to block running lanes and using his weight and strength to his advantage, bullying opponents into the backfield. He is a huge asset in the run game and with some more time, he could turn into an equally big asset against the pass.

This is a match made in football heaven. The Denver Broncos already possess their prototypical number one receiver but need a good compliment to him to line-up on the other side of the field. The Alabama speedster, Henry Ruggs, brings the obvious to the table with his blinding speed, but he is much more than a vertical threat. Ruggs can run plenty of routes and his route-running prowess is no joke.

Overall, Ruggs is a slightly slower, but more complete Tyreek Hill and giving quarterback Drew Lock this receiver will complete the process of overhauling the offense in Denver.

With the Detroit Lions sitting at 18th overall in need of a strong interior pass rusher and Atlanta not liking the way the board has fallen so far, the two make a deal that sends an early fourth to the Falcons for dropping back just two spots. The Lions know that it’s highly unlikely that Javon Kinlaw slips past the Cowboys at 17 overall, so they jump them to solidify the interior of their defensive line early in the draft.

Kinlaw looks like he could be a special pass rusher on the inside of the defense and a solid run defender as well to boot. He’s not quite on the same level as Brown yet, which is why he goes a couple of spots later, but his pass-rushing is already better and has a higher ceiling thanks to his powerful upper body strength. Adding Kinlaw here and Okudah at five overall puts a new, positive spin on what was previously an unexciting defense.

After seeing the Lions jump them and no doubt snagging the man they were zeroing in on, the  Dallas Cowboys have to reset and come up with another option quickly. After losing defensive end Robert Quinn to free agency the Cowboys need to pair another quality pass-rushing option with defensive end Demarcus Lawrence.

They do that by adding the quick edge rusher from LSU. K’Lavon Chaisson will play mostly as a stand-up rusher but his speed and quickness around the edge would provide the Lions with a linebacker who can close the gap to the quarterback quickly while also providing adequate coverage when called upon to do so.

After trading back from their original 2020 NFL Draft spot, the Atlanta Falcons need to find a way to address what could be the biggest hole on their roster right now. The cornerback position for the Falcons is shockingly bare of quality options and adding Jeff Gladney from TCU toward the back-end of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft would help to start restocking the position for them.

Gladney is a corner who will be able to excel in man coverage but can also hold his own when tasked with zone responsibilities. He is aggressive with receivers and isn’t afraid to match-up with anyone you assign to him and is the cornerback the Falcons need to take over and remold that room on the team.

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted a sticky man coverage corner earlier in this round and now look to improve the options quarterback Derek Carr has to throw to. Justin Jefferson is an elite route runner and can create separation all over the field from crossing routes over the middle of the field to deep routes down the sideline. His combine solidified his name being called in the first round, showing everyone he does indeed have 4.4 speed.

He was something of a security blanket for Burrow at LSU, as he was often on the receiving end of big plays from Burrow that initially broke down. Jefferson would be a good target and steady presence for Carr in Las Vegas.

Jacksonville looked to improve their defense earlier when they took defensive lineman Derrick Brown and now turn their attention to finishing up an offensive position. They have many solid receivers on the roster already, namely D.J. Chark, but most are on the smaller side and win in much the same way.

Adding Denzel Mims from Baylor gives them a big-bodied wide out to complement the corps they have already as he can easily win downfield jump balls and a guy who can provide starter Gardner Minshew with a larger target over the middle of the field.