The Vikings make a big trade for Yannick Ngakoue while the Raiders move up for Justin Herbert in this 2020 NFL Mock Draft six days from the draft.
The NFL Draft has always been a type of phenomenon for football junkies everywhere. Few moments in sports can tip the hand of the direction a franchise is leaning better than early-round NFL Draft picks. Unlike many free-agent additions, these young players are viewed as building blocks of the future. They are long term investments.
Six days away from the 2020 NFL Draft beginning on April 23, we’re going on a daily tour of the draft with another NFL Mock Draft, this one going through the first two rounds (64 selections) with highly anticipated trades. However, it’s always smart to throw anticipation out the window.
In fact, there are three rules to follow when constructing an NFL Mock Draft:
- Rookie quarterbacks are always overrated. Always.
- If a player seems to make perfect sense, then there’s no way the team is taking him.
- Difference-makers who play in the trenches, whether offensive or defensive line, are far more valuable than skill players in the sense of the NFL Draft.
With those rules in mind, let’s get this 2020 NFL Mock Draft started. The Cincinnati Bengals are now on the clock with the least exciting selection of the first two rounds.
Joe Burrow has been the unanimous top pick since the end of the college season. While he may not be the best overall player in the draft or even the best quarterback on my board, Burrow is the best combination of high-ceiling, high-floor and low-risk. He is the Toyota Camry of quarterbacks.
It’s not that I don’t like Burrow’s abilities. In fact, I love his poise and leadership. He had a tremendous season for the LSU Tigers last year. But was it just one magical season? An outlier? Can he sustain that level of play in the NFL? Sure, he was terrific as the starting quarterback for the best team in the nation but what happens when you put him on the Bengals?
Either way, Cincinnati should have a safe and reliable quarterback for years.
Chase Young is the most physically gifted defensive prospect since Jadeveon Clowney and is the clear prize jewel of the 2020 draft. The Redskins have not been strangers to first-round picks in the front seven. Putting a turbo freak like Chase Young on the edge will give new head coach Ron Rivera the beginnings of a lights-out defense.
There will be some speculation leading up to the draft that the Redskins could be persuaded to trade out of the No. 2 pick by a team desperate to get their hands on the quarterback of their choice. However, there’s no way Young falls past the No. 3 pick. The Redskins know this. So does everyone else.
They will stay put and grab the best player in the draft — unless they’re completely blown away by an RGIII-type trade package. But who’s dumb enough to trade away three first-round picks to move up to No. 2? Wait…