17. Dallas Cowboys – K’Lavon Chaisson, OLB LSU
Despite glaring holes in their secondary, it seems more and more likely that the Dallas Cowboys will look to the linebacker position with their first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
If they do, then K’Lavon Chaisson is a player who can contribute in all three aspects of the position, bringing versatility and explosiveness to the defense. Don’t just take my word for it though. This is what Chaisson had to say about his value during the NFL Combine:
“I speak three languages. I do pass rush. I do dropping in coverage. I can cover anyone you want me to cover. I can play the run.”
48 percent of the Twitter mock draft vote agreed on taking Chaisson over Kristian Fulton, A.J. Epenesa, and Xavier McKinney.
18. Miami Dolphins – Xavier McKinney, S Alabama
With their second selection in the first round of the Twitter mock draft, the Miami Dolphins select Xavier McKinney, safety from Alabama.
McKinney would come in and fill the gap left by the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade. With the addition of Byron Jones in free agency, it would begin a rebuild of the secondary and 41 percent voted for that as a favorable scenario.
There seems to be two factions of Dolphins fans as we head into the NFL Draft. The other faction sees addressing the offensive line as the big need, and 35 percent voted for USC’s Austin Jackson as the pick here.
19. Las Vegas Raiders – Jordan Love, QB Utah State
With the need at wide receiver addressed with pick 12, there are multiple ways the Raiders could use pick 19. The most popular option in mock drafts around the internet is that they address the need at cornerback with someone like Trevon Diggs or Clemson’s A.J. Terrell. 35 percent agreed that Diggs would be the best fit for the Raiders here.
However, 36 percent of our Twitter mock draft voted for Jordan Love to be the long term replacement under center in Las Vegas.
For Love, it would be an ideal landing spot in many respects. It’s unlikely he would be asked to start immediately, allowing him to learn from Derek Carr and the recently acquired Marcus Mariota. However, I’m not sure it would be the best use of a first-round pick for a Raiders team that has several holes to fill.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars – Justin Jefferson, WR LSU
With their second selection in the first round, the Jacksonville Jaguars add some offensive firepower for Gardner Minshew as he looks to solidify himself as a starting-caliber player in the NFL.
Justin Jefferson would give Minshew another genuine receiving threat alongside another former LSU wide receiver, D.J Chark. Amongst the adoration of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, it sometimes gets forgotten how good Jefferson was in LSU’s run to the national championship.
Whilst 36 percent of the vote went to Jefferson, Jaguars fans are clearly mindful of how much work needs to be done on the defense as 29 percent voted for tackling machine, Kenneth Murray as the pick here.
21. Philadelphia Eagles – Denzel Mims, WR Baylor
The two big needs for the Philadelphia Eagles heading into 2020 were cornerback and wide receiver. With the free agency addition of Darius Slay, it would appear that they will turn their attention to the wide receiver position in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In our Twitter mock draft, we offered the Eagles three wide receiver options and 51 percent voted for Denzel Mims.
Personally, I don’t think any other receiver has used the NFL Draft process to improve their draft stock better than Mims. He was outstanding at the Senior Bowl and continued to impress at the NFL Combine.
Despite a standout campaign for Baylor, with a highlight reel of showcase catches, I don’t think anyone would have taken him in the first round prior to those two events but he has really impressed scouts and analysts alike.
22. Minnesota Vikings – Trevon Diggs, CB Alabama
After trading Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in the envious position of having two first-round picks. It would make logical sense for them to use at least one of them to replace Diggs’ lost production.
Here, however, they solve another glaring need. There was a mass exodus from the Vikings defensive back room in free agency, and they desperately need to come out of the first round with a starting-caliber corner.
Thankfully this cornerback class is deep and they land Trevon Diggs here.
Diggs is Tony Pauline’s CB3 after Okudah and Henderson, pointing to his upside as a large, physical, and athletic cornerback in his scouting report.
23. New England Patriots – A.J. Epenesa, DE Iowa
For the first time in 20 years, the New England Patriots go into the NFL Draft with their biggest need being the quarterback position. It makes for a truly intriguing three days at the NFL Draft. However, historically the Patriots don’t trade up in the first round, and the top quarterbacks haven’t fallen to them in our Twitter mock draft, so they look to address another need.
Despite drafting an edge rusher in Chase Winovich in 2019, 50 percent of voters select A.J. Epenesa.
The Patriots had a formidable defense in 2019 but lacked a true pass-rush presence off the edge. Several of the players that provided that rotational pass rush are now gone. Epenesa came into 2019 as one of the top edge rushers in college football. After a poor NFL Combine performance, Epenesa drops to the team that will make the best use of his skillset.
24. New Orleans Saints – Patrick Queen, LB LSU
The New Orleans Saints addressed their needs in the secondary during NFL free agency, with safety Malcolm Jenkins returning home to Louisiana and keeping D.J. Swearinger and P.J. Williams in house.
They make another hometown move in the first round by selecting LSU linebacker Patrick Queen to bolster their linebacker group.
Queen brings a winning mentality to the team after securing the national championship with LSU. He performed at his best in the biggest games so he should adapt well to playing in the NFL.
Queen excels in coverage, which has probably given him the edge over Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray here, with 43 percent voting for Queen versus 32 percent for Murray.
25. Minnesota Vikings – Jalen Reagor, WR TCU
After addressing their need at cornerback with pick 22 in our Twitter mock draft, the Vikings find a replacement for Stefon Diggs in TCU’s Jalen Reagor.
Similar to the Eagles, we gave the wide receiver needy Vikings three receiving options. Reagor just pipped Clemson’s Tee Higgins with 34 percent of the vote.
Reagor is one of the most intriguing prospects in the NFL Draft. He’s clearly an offensive weapon but has been hampered by inconsistent quarterback play during his time at TCU. If the Vikings can find the best way to utilize him then he will be a valuable target for Kirk Cousins.
Reagor also adds special teams value as an explosive kick returner.
26. Miami Dolphins – D’Andre Swift, RB Georgia
Long has been the debate about whether a team should use a first-round pick on a running back. In a deep class of running back talent, the debate on who is RB1 has been equally long.
If a running back is to be taken in the first round, the Dolphins seem the logical fit and they take D’Andre Swift with their final first-rounder in our Twitter mock draft.
Swift gives the Dolphins a quick and shifty running back who can also contribute in the passing game, with over 500 receiving yards and four touchdowns from his time at Georgia.
As with the 18th pick, offensive line improvements are clearly at the forefront of the Dolphins needs, with Swift narrowly edging out Austin Jackson in our twitter mock draft.
27. Seattle Seahawks – Yetur Gross-Matos, DE Penn State
Whilst the Seahawks added Bruce Irvin in free agency, there is no escaping that they need to add pass rushers during the NFL Draft. There is still uncertainty as to whether Jadeveon Clowney returns to Seattle and whilst it is early to call last year’s first-round pick, L.J. Collier, a bust, he hasn’t had the sort of impact that the Seahawks would have expected.
Yetur Gross-Matos was extremely productive in the BIG 10 with 15 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 2019 alone. There’s no denying that he is an explosive presence on the field, and his heart-breaking back story will have you reaching for the tissues when he is drafted.
However, he is far from the finished article and will need to add some size and strength if the Seahawks are to get a full return on their investment.
28. Baltimore Ravens – Kenneth Murray, LB Oklahoma
The Baltimore Ravens had the fourth overall defense by total yards given up in 2019, and the rich get richer from our 2020 Twitter mock draft with one of the best linebackers in this NFL Draft class.
Although the Ravens had one of the best defenses in the NFL, they struggled to consistently pressure and sack the opposition quarterback.
Kenneth Murray gives them a tough-tackling, playmaking linebacker who explodes into the backfield. He has been in the top-three in the Big 12 for solo tackles in the last two seasons and led Oklahoma in tackles for loss in 2019. Murray will contribute to stopping the run game, forcing teams into throwing on a stellar secondary.
Murray had 60 percent of the vote making him the clear choice over tackle prospects Isaiah Wilson and Ezra Cleveland, and the top remaining wide receiver, Penn State’s K.J. Hamler.
29. Tennessee Titans – A.J. Terrell, CB Clemson
With Jack Conklin departing from the Tennessee Titans in free agency, there is a fair assumption that they will be a team that ensures another offensive tackle creeps into the first round. Those suggestions were confirmed in our Twitter mock draft with Georgia’s right tackle, Isaiah Wilson, attracting 35 percent of the vote.
However, there is no escaping that cornerback is the biggest need for the Titans and here they fill that need with Clemson’s A.J. Terrell. He received 38 percent of the vote.
After being torched by Ja’Marr Chase in the national championship, Terrell’s reputation took a beating, but he has consistently been a top performer at the position. If the theory that good corners aren’t targeted rings true, then consider him a good addition to the Titans secondary. He saw just 44 targets through the whole college football regular season.
30. Green Bay Packers – Tee Higgins, WR Clemson
With the 30th pick in our 2020 Twitter mock draft, we gave the Green Bay Packers two distinct options, protect or provide. They can protect Aaron Rodgers with the top interior lineman in the class, Cesar Ruiz, or sleeper tackle prospect, Ezra Cleveland. Alternatively, they can provide Rodgers with some much need receiver weaponry in K.J Hamler or Tee Higgins.
With 42 percent of the vote, Tee Higgins offers the Packers a receiving threat who is equally capable of going up and getting the ball in contested catches or making plays on shorter underneath passes. He was extremely productive at Clemson, equalling the school touchdown record set by DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins.
Higgins has the potential to challenge for the Packers WR2 spot behind Davante Adams.
31. San Francisco 49ers – Marlon Davidson, DE Auburn
After replacing Sanders and upgrading their wide receiver group with CeeDee Lamb at the 13th overall spot, the 49ers look to address the defensive line with the addition of Auburn’s Marlon Davidson.
Davidson has flown under the radar at Auburn after playing in the shadow of Derrick Brown. He fully emerged from that shadow with a highly productive 2019 campaign. He followed that up during the week of the Senior Bowl, putting on a dominant performance on the first day of practice. Although a minor injury meant he would sit out the rest of the week, the impression had already been made.
It may take some time for the 49ers to figure out how best to use Davidson, but when they do, he will be a solid addition to the defensive line as they look for a Super Bowl return.
32. Kansas City Chiefs – Jeff Gladney, CB TCU
The reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs don’t have too many glaring holes in their roster. However, the final pick of the first round is likely to be used on either a cornerback, running back, or even wide receiver, with the absence of a first-round caliber linebacker.
With 40 percent of the vote in our 2020 Twitter mock draft, they land former TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney.
Gladney brings a physicality and competitiveness that is tough to play against. He’s a real pest of a cornerback who sticks to receivers like glue. Gladney also has great ball hawk skills, leading the Big 12 in pass breakups in 2019.
Question marks over his size will determine his role in the NFL but he makes an excellent addition to a secondary which is stronger at the safety position than at cornerback.
With that, the Pro Football Network Twitter Mock Draft 2020 is complete. Follow us at @PFN365 on Twitter for a blockbuster week of NFL Draft coverage.