2020 NFL Draft: First-Round “What I would do” 2020 NFL mock draft

What’s not to like about Denzel Mims? He is a big, fast and athletic wide receiver who put up fantastic production in college. Mims is a tremendous playmaker on the outside and the Philadelphia Eagles have major needs at the wide receiver position. This feels like a strong fit for both sides.

We have connected Jeff Gladney to the Minnesota Vikings so many times now that it would be weird if he doesn’t end up there. Gladney is the next best cornerback on the board and the position stands out as a massive need for this team. He is a long and athletic cornerback prospect who shines in man coverage and has tremendous natural ball skills. This fit just makes too much sense for it not to happen.

I went back and forth with this pick many times. The New England Patriots appear happy with Jarrett Stidham and want to give him a chance to secure the position. However, they can still take a developmental quarterback and still give Stidham a chance to prove himself in 2020. Jordan Love is just too talented to ignore here.

Love is an extremely underdeveloped prospect who is not ready to come in and take meaningful snaps as a rookie. That being said, his raw upside is absolutely massive. He has a rocket for a right arm and tremendous athleticism at the quarterback position. Love also shows impressive pocket presence and flashes brilliant accuracy to all levels. He undoubtedly needs to work on his decision making in order to reach his full potential, but that ceiling is undoubtedly high.

In this scenario, the Patriots could bring Love along slowly and give Stidham his chance to start. Stidham is the starter in 2020, with Brian Hoyer as his primary backup. If Stidham kills it as the Patriots’ starting quarterback, they look to trade Love after the season. If he struggles or is just passable, they could go into 2021 with a legitimate quarterback competition where the best player becomes the franchise quarterback.

With the New Orleans Saints signing Emmanuel Sanders this offseason, the wide receiver position does not seem like an overly important need. I still think the Saints address the position eventually, but taking a linebacker in round one seems like the best use of resources.

Patrick Queen is an extremely athletic linebacker prospect who ranges from sideline-to-sideline with ease. He does a great job in coverage and is physical in the middle of the field. Pairing Queen with Demario Davis would give the Saints an explosive and exciting linebacker duo in the middle of the field.

Bad quarterback player led to poor production for Donovan Peoples-Jones in college and that will undoubtedly hurt his 2020 NFL Draft stock. That being said, it is easy to see how he can become a much more impactful player at the next level.

Peoples-Jones is a big wide receiver who has a wide catch radius and dominates in contested-catch situations. He shows tremendous natural ball skills and is an explosive athlete on the outside. There is a lot of talent at the wide receiver position in the 2020 NFL Draft, but do not sleep on Peoples-Jones. His combination of size, athleticism and natural playmaking ability makes him a viable selection in this range.

Earlier in this mock, the Miami Dolphins moved up and down the board and were able to add two valuable offensive assets. Here, they turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball and find an impact player to add to their secondary.

Antoine Winfield Jr. is an extremely aggressive safety prospect who is always flying around the field making plays. He is an impact in-the-box defender who works through traffic well and is a strong tackler in space. Winfield also does a great job in man coverage and has the combination of range and ball skills to shine in the deep zone. Simply put, this guy is a tremendous playmaker at the safety position who would immediately help an already talented Miami secondary.