The Atlanta Falcons secure Chase Young, the top player in the 2020 NFL Draft, while the Redskins solidify the offensive line in a new 2020 NFL Mock Draft.
Though we’re only nine weeks through the college football season and well away from the NFL Scouting Combine, the 2020 NFL Draft landscape has already changed dramatically. Joe Burrow has climbed to the top-five in every 2020 NFL Mock Draft available, guys like Marvin Wilson and Tee Higgins have firmly entered the first round fray and much more.
Having said that, there have also been constants in the midst of this movement. Tua Tagovailoa — even with his recent ankle injury that held him out in Week 9 for Alabama — remains the top quarterback prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft. In the same vein, Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young has continued to look like the top overall player in the class.
Young has been wreaking havoc all season for the Buckeyes as they look like College Football Playoff contenders but he saved his best effort for the biggest stage yet. In a critical matchup against Wisconsin, Young exploded for four sacks, tying a school record at Ohio State. He’ll hear his name called within the first three picks of this 2020 NFL Mock Draft and, certainly, come April as well.
Because the narrative of the 2020 draft is centered on the quarterbacks, though, Young is not likely to be the top overall pick. That will allow a team that doesn’t need a franchise signal-caller to not have to be at the top selection to nab the best player in the draft. That’s a tremendous advantage for any team, especially one that’s bad enough to be picking in the top five.
Outside of Young, though, one of the other things that hasn’t changed is that this is an exceptionally deep draft class. Every team has the potential to get day-one starters in the first round, while the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars should be able to land multiple after they’ve acquired more draft capital via trades.
Things could change if there are any more blockbuster deals ahead of the 2019 NFL Trade Deadline but, as we go into Week 8, let’s make another first-round projection with a new 2020 NFL Mock Draft. As is customary here, the draft order is determined by our latest NFL Power Rankings.