2020 NFL Draft: Consensus First-Round Picks for all 32 Teams

Alabama safety Xavier McKinney has been late to move up NFL draft boards but is quietly earning more and more fans in the draft community after reviewing his film. He is now in the discussion as possibly the best safety in the 2020 NFL Draft.

In 2019, McKinney was number one in the SEC in solo tackles (59) and second in forced fumbles (6), according to Sports Reference. The Atlanta Falcons were twentieth in defensive yards allowed, according to NFL.com. With the NFC South as competitive as ever, they will need help at all levels of the defense.

Falcons safety Keanu Neal may be a phenomenal athlete but he has missed 28 games over the last two seasons. With the departure of secondary talent this offseason, the Falcons will need to focus on their secondary in this year’s draft.

The Dallas Cowboys have needed help at the safety position since the 2019 NFL Draft. They nearly pried Jamal Adams away from the Jets during the 2019 season, only for the Jets to nix the deal at the trade deadline. Safety has been the consensus need for this team’s defense for over a year.

Grant Delpit has been falling on some people’s draft boards because of his propensity to miss tackles. But there is no way to watch his film and not see an elite safety in the NFL. He has speed, coverage skills and can throttle downfield in the run game like no other safety in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys have plenty of help upfront anyway when it comes to stopping the run. What they need is a deep safety who can move around downfield and assist cornerbacks in coverage. With an elite safety like Delpit, the Cowboys should have the number one defense in the NFC East this season. Considering they lost the de-facto NFC East Championship game in Week 16 last season 17-9, one downfield turnover could have been the difference they needed to secure a playoff spot.

Josh Jones will be the elite left tackle replacement for Laremy Tunsil, whom the Dolphins traded before the beginning of the 2019 season. With the Dolphins future franchise quarterback secured earlier in the 2020 NFL Draft, they must now protect their investment. With eight picks in the first two rounds of the 2020 and 2021 NFL Draft, the Dolphins should have no problem finding suitable blockers on the offensive line.

At 6-foot-7, 310-pounds, Jones has the size and rare blocking power to keep Miami’s future quarterback safe. Jones has all the skills general managers are looking for and has four seasons of starting experience to back that up.

Javon Kinlaw will be a terror in the AFC West, as the Raiders will bring him on board to settle down a shaky defensive line. The Raiders signed Maliek Collins to a one year deal this offseason. But a more permanent solution between the tackles is needed in Las Vegas.

Kinlaw has a unique athletic profile that will translate well to the NFL. At 6-foot-6, he will severely disrupt the interior of opposing offensive lines. Kinlaw can expect plenty of double-teams, opening up space in the box for linebackers and pass rushers. Not to mention Kinlaw is no slouch when pass rushing also.

The Jaguars have bid adieu to Calais Cambell in free agency and will likely trade Yannick Ngakoue before the 2020 season starts. The whole point of trading away the Jaguars pillars of the once-legendary 2017 defense was to replace them in the 2020 NFL Draft.

While the team may be tempted to trade back with this pick, they will need to add help along the defensive line. After Young, A.J. Epenesa is the best defensive end in this year’s draft class. He has the speed, strength and sudden jump off the snap to be a bully at the line of scrimmage. His highlight film shows a highly sophisticated, smart pass rusher who can be utilized as an “every-down” edge defender.