2020 NFL Draft: Latest rumors surrounding the top 10 picks

The 2020 NFL Draft is going to be fascinating from start to finish, and rumors have been swirling with just about every team in the top 10 picks.

What is the latest around the NFL regarding the top 10 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft?

With just over a week before the first round of the 2020 draft, rumors have been swirling and because it’s lying season, it’s critical to sift through all of the information and make informed decisions on what to believe and what to ignore.

Here are the latest rumors for all of the teams picking in the top 10.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

There’s no mystery or rumor here. The Bengals are taking LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Teams are apparently allowed three one-hour meetings with prospects leading up to the draft over FaceTime or Zoom call, and the Bengals have been maxing out that time, per SI.com’s Albert Breer.

2. Washington Redskins

Peter King of NBC Sports says ‘no one in my sphere’ thinks Ron Rivera will do anything but submit his pick of Chase Young with the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

3. Detroit Lions

The Lions have long been rumored to be either taking Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah or trading down off their third overall spot.

Trading off of the third overall pick will require some team to be absolutely head over heels for a player, and there’s been little to indicate recently that that will happen.

Okudah seems as likely as anyone here, but there has been some building buzz for Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, too.

4. New York Giants

It’s never a terrible idea to listen to what Peter Schrager has to say regarding the New York Giants, as he has a great connection to general manager Dave Gettleman dating back to Gettleman’s days with Carolina.

Schrager thinks the Giants are going offensive tackle with the 4th overall pick, and right now he’s projecting Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.

5. Miami Dolphins

In recent days, maybe weeks, the tide has shifted dramatically off of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa and firmly onto Oregon QB Justin Herbert.

Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks, Mel Kiper Jr., Peter Schrager — everyone has the Dolphins taking Herbert right now, which means their connections around the league, probably some with the Dolphins, has caught wind that Miami is leaning toward Herbert, whose health right now is obviously not a concern.

Read the tea leaves here that for now, Herbert is the clear leader in the clubhouse for the 5th overall pick if the Dolphins go QB.

6. Los Angeles Chargers

Nobody knows anything here, just like usual.

However…

Peter King heard that Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn is ‘legitimately bullish’ on last year’s backup QB Tyrod Taylor.

Could this mean the Chargers are preparing to go a different direction than Tua or QB in general with the 6th overall pick?

It very well could.

Daniel Jeremiah does radio for the Chargers during the season, so he’s a source worth monitoring. As someone who knows the team very well, DJ seems to really like the idea of Isaiah Simmons to make their defense even more intimidating than it already is.

The Chargers could also go after the best left tackle in the draft — Andrew Thomas — with this pick and solidify their OL.

7. Carolina Panthers

New head coach Matt Rhule wants players with leadership qualities, high character, and lots of speed.

The player that most makes sense if he’s on the board is Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, but the Panthers would also probably love Auburn’s Derrick Brown or South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw.

8. Arizona Cardinals

Peter Schrager of NFL Network also has a strong ‘in’ with Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Although a month ago the idea was definitely CeeDee Lamb being paired up with Kyler Murray like they were at Oklahoma, that has changed.

The Cardinals take Derrick Brown from Auburn in Schrager’s latest mock draft, but they could also solidify their offensive line at this pick with Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, Andrew Thomas, or Mekhi Becton.

The Cardinals at 8 feel like one of the key spots for teams looking to trade up for a specific player. Teams could be looking at linemen, receivers, or cornerback CJ Henderson. The Cardinals, without a second-round pick, could be enticed by recouping that second-round asset.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars apparently want to give Gardner Minshew a shot to be their QB of the future, which a year ago at this time would have been considered crazy talk.

But Minshew did a great job as a rookie all things considered, and the Jaguars are merely a darkhorse team to go QB in the first round and far from a guarantee to do so.

Actually, the Jaguars will probably use the 9th pick in the draft on Florida’s CJ Henderson if no one trades up ahead of them for him. That, and it feels more likely than not that they will trade defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. For their sake, hopefully they can get yet another first-round pick in return.

10. Cleveland Browns

The Browns clearly need a left tackle at this spot, but which one?

Right now, the leader in the clubhouse might be Georgia’s Andrew Thomas.

Again, Thomas is probably the most refined left tackle prospect in the draft at this point, even if he’s not the most athletic and doesn’t have the highest ‘ceiling’. He’s a plug-and-play stud at the position and the Browns need that.

He’s also coming from an offense at Georgia that will be similar to what Kevin Stefanski will want to run in Cleveland. The stars may be aligning here.