The 2020 NFL Draft is now officially only one week away and the Packers, Eagles and Browns all make trades in a 3-round NFL mock draft.
Maybe because we’re all stuck in quarantine and time has become a loose construct at this point but it feels like just a couple of weeks ago that the top 2020 NFL Draft prospects were gathered in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. But in reality, that was six weeks ago and now we’re just one week away from the 2020 NFL Draft beginning on Thursday, April 23.
Of course, with the COVID-19 outbreak canceling the public event in Las Vegas, the league is planning for an unprecedented virtual draft as Roger Goodell will announce the picks from his basement and over 50 prospects will be live from their own homes to hear their names announced. It should be quite the show.
But as we’re one week away from the draft, it’s obviously time for not just an occasional NFL Mock Draft but a big influx of them. Subsequently, we’re going to have one 2020 NFL Mock Draft per day leading up to April 23 to try and get as many different wild and crazy scenarios as possible covered.
Just one week out, we start with the pick that has little drama about it as the Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock — but after that, all bets are off in this mock draft, which was compiled using The Draft Network’s mock draft machine and TDN Premium (subscription required).
There is little drama here. The Bengals are going to select Joe Burrow, no matter what rumors you may have heard about the Dolphins or anyone else trading up. Cincinnati needs a long-term change at quarterback from Andy Dalton and the LSU product is an elite prospect at the position. He’ll step into a relatively good situation and could spearhead an instant turnaround.
Speaking of things that aren’t going to happen, why in the world would the Redskins trade out of the No. 2 overall pick unless they’re getting a king’s ransom? It seems unlikely that any team would want to do that with Washington. Their consolation prize is Chase Young, the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s not the freak athlete Garrett or the Bosas are but he’s plenty toolsy with just as much, if not more, polish as a rusher. He’ll make a huge impact on Day 1.
After trading Darius Slay this offseason, you could say that the Lions have a pretty large need at cornerback. Should they stay at the No. 3 pick, which they do in this NFL Mock Draft, they’ll have the opportunity to address that. Jeffrey Okudah is the top corner in the class by a wide margin. He checks every physical box while having the instincts and technique to be a top-end cornerback in the NFL right away.
One week away from the 2020 draft, there is growing buzz that the Giants could take an offensive tackle here. Frankly, I think they probably should do that in the interest of maximizing what both quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley bring to the table. But at the same time, they need a linebacker and Isaiah Simmons is an ultra-versatile game-changer out of Clemson at the position. He’s too good to pass up here for Big Blue.