We’re less than two weeks to the start of the 2020 NFL Draft. Our friend Luke Easterling over at Draft Wire has released new mock draft projections covering all seven rounds. This time around he goes defense-heavy at the top end of the draft and offense-heavy later in the draft.
Here are my thoughts on the latest prospects that Draft Wire is sending to Kansas City:
32. Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama
“This defense was much improved in 2019, but they could still use another top talent to boost their corner lineup. Diggs is a big, athletic cover man with fantastic ball skills, with the frame and skill set Kansas City loves in their corners. Getting Diggs this late would be a huge win for the defending champs.“
63. Neville Gallimore | DL | Oklahoma
Gallimore has previously been clocked running a 4.76 40-yard dash. He was unable to repeat that time at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, but he got close, running a 4.79, which was the second-fastest by a defensive lineman over 300 pounds. Basically, this one explosive big man and he has the tape to back up his athleticism.
The Canadian defensive tackle would be a good mid-round option for the Chiefs if they’re looking for insurance on a player like Chris Jones. In the past two seasons at Oklahoma, Gallimore has accounted for 79 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, and 11.5 tackles for loss.
96. Willie Gay, Jr. | LB | Mississippi State
Gay is one of the fastest-rising players in the 2020 NFL Draft, largely due to his athleticism. He posted the second-fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.46). He also had top scores in the vertical jump and broad jump, showing off the same explosion often seen in his game tape.
The problem here is that Gay has just six starts during his entire college career. He ran into some academic and off-field issues during his junior season leading to just five games as a reserve in his final year of college football. If NFL teams can look past that, they’re getting a strong athlete that has a ton of potential.
138. Calvin Throckmorton | OL | Oregon
While I’m a bigger fan of Throckmorton’s teammate Shane Lemieux, he could be a good option for the Chiefs too. He’s an ironman, starting 52 consecutive games for the Ducks. He’s also versatile starting games at right tackle, left tackle, right guard and center. Throckmorton was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster and he played at left tackle. He didn’t have a good time either, struggling to contain Utah DE Bradlee Anae.
Despite his struggles in the all-star game, Throckmorton has been stunning in pass protection at Oregon, specifically at the right tackle position. He’s allowed no sacks in his last 935 snaps at that spot. If the Chiefs are looking for an understudy for Mitchell Schwartz, who can perhaps fill in at right guard in the meantime, they could do a whole lot worse than Throckmorton.
177. Lamical Perine | RB | Florida
Perine was actually my fifth-round option for the Chiefs in my article series choosing a player at a certain position in each round of the draft. Here is what I had to say about him there.
“At 5-11 and 216 pounds, Perine fits the mold of the prototypical Chiefs running back. He has good field vision to go with a great combination of patience, burst, and contact balance. He also does a great job getting tough yards in the red zone. He’s proven to be a really good pass-catcher, which should appeal to Kansas City. In 2019, he caught 40 passes for 262 yards and five touchdowns. Prior to that season, he’d only caught 28 passes in his career.“
You can read more about Perine here.
