2020 NFL Draft: First-Round 2020 NFL mock draft with counterintuitive picks throughout
By John Newman
Jaylon Johnson. 22. player. 60. Cornerback. Utah. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
The Minnesota Vikings have drafted three cornerbacks in the first round since 2013. While replacing Stefon Diggs on the offense might be considered a bigger need, this defense has needed an upgrade at cornerback for two seasons now. Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes were the only two cornerbacks on the 2019 roster to see more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. Now they are both gone and the team needs a new cornerback quickly.
In Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson, the Vikings are getting a physical, tough playmaker. With seven interceptions and 102 total tackles in his college career, Johnson is a productive player who will be able to reinforce a Vikings defensive unit that has slowly started to come apart after their phenomenal 2017 regular-season performance.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Wide Receiver. 23. player. 47. Clemson. Tee Higgins
With Brady gone, many mock drafts have the New England Patriots selecting the “quarterback of the future” in the first round of 2020 NFL Draft. But reports have suggested Bill Belichick likes Jarrett Stidham, the Patriots backup quarterback drafted in the fourth round last year.
They’ve also got Cody Kessler and a head coach who isn’t liable to make any decision on next year’s quarterback until he has processed all his options. With several redemption quarterbacks like Cam Newton and Jameis Winston hanging around free agency, along with 12 draft picks this year, who is to say they draft a quarterback at all this year?
If Belichick doesn’t feel great about any of the quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft, he can always just bring in a great playmaker. Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins would fit the bill here, as he is a talented wide receiver who could help bring back to life a unit that was disappointing in 2019. Higgins had 25 touchdowns in the last two seasons of his Clemson career and looks primed to translate his skills to the NFL.
Oklahoma. Jalen Hurts. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Quarterback. 24. player. 15
The New Orleans Saints lost their primary backup to the Panthers in free agency this year and third-string quarterback Taysom Hill sounds like he wants to be a starter, either with the Saints or somewhere else.
They still have Drew Brees leading the offense but how many more seasons does he have in him before he decides to call it a career? This team could go from one of the best quarterback situations to one of the worst in 2021 if they don’t have a developmental quarterback in the wings ready to start this autumn.
Jalen Hurts has been written off in the 2020 NFL Draft as not being “pro-ready”. True, he does have some accuracy issues and could use a season or two of NFL coaching to iron out his throwing mechanics. But his ability to run and make complicated deep passes makes Hurts a unique prospect for the Saints here. They can develop him for a season behind Brees and use him periodically during the season as a change of pace/trick play quarterback.
Hurts has played in a college playoff game each of the last four seasons and handled tough situations in college like a professional. He has won 56 games in four seasons, for two complex football programs, playing in two of the best conferences in the NCAA. Some NFL general managers will like that. He would be limited as a starter in 2020 but since the Saints love to swap quarterbacks in the middle of a game, limited would be fine for Hurts in 2020.