As we get close and closer to the 2020 NFL Draft, we continue to get more and more mock drafts coming out. One of the guys that we’ll see a lot of over the next couple of months is ESPN’s draft guru Todd McShay. He had a mock draft released at the tail-end of the year, but now he’s revised it a bit in his latest release of the top 32 players.
If you’ve been following any projections, you probably know at this point that both Chase Young and Jeff Okudah appear to be locks to go early in the first round, and it’s no different with McShay’s latest mock. In fact, he has both Young and Okudah going in the same slot, and to the same teams as what his sparring partner Mel Kiper does. Both have Young going second overall to the Washington Redskins, and Okudah right after him at the No. 3 spot to the Detroit Lions.
But there’s a new entrant to the first round for Ohio State — running back J.K. Dobbins. McShay didn’t have him as a potential late first-round pick a couple of months ago, but now has him being taken by the Kansas City Chiefs as the last pick in the round at No. 32 overall.
There’s no denying that Dobbins has first-round type talent, but running backs don’t have the appeal they used to prior to the lean towards big-time quarterbacks and defensive players.
It’ll be close on the all-time single-season rushing leader in Ohio State history going in round one. If he doesn’t, he might just be the steal of the draft.
Next … What Todd McShay says about all three players
Chase Young
This could be the easiest pick on the board, and considering the Redskins were 10th in the league with 46 sacks, it doesn’t have much to do with a particular need. No, this instead has everything to do with the special talent of Young, who has one of the highest grades I’ve given a player in two decades of scouting. Last year’s No. 2 pick and former Buckeyes teammate Nick Bosa was a difference-maker in Year 1, but the scary truth is that Young is an even better prospect. He can line up opposite Montez Sweat at defensive end or drop back into a 3-4 outside linebacker role. It doesn’t matter — Young will be in the face of opposing quarterbacks every Sunday. He led the nation with 16.5 sacks in 2019, and he missed two games.
Jeff Okudah
The Lions had the NFL’s worst pass defense, allowing 284.4 yards through the air per game, and tied for a league-worst seven interceptions. Darius Slay is 29 years old, Justin Coleman fits better in a nickel role and Rashaan Melvin is a free agent, so Detroit might look to address cornerback with a first-round pick for the first time since 1998 (Terry Fair). Okudah has the size, versatility, quickness and athleticism to be a No. 1 corner in the NFL. Detroit has to fix its porous defense, and getting a high-end defensive back like Okudah here is certainly a good place to start.
J.K. Dobbins
Watching Damien Williams scamper for a 38-yard Super Bowl-clinching touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, you might not remember that the six-year vet led the Chiefs in rushing in 2019 … with 498 yards. Indeed, the high-octane Kansas City offense ran through the arm of Patrick Mahomes, leaving a No. 23-ranked run game averaging less than 100 yards per game in its wake. Williams flashed at times, and 2019 sixth-rounder Darwin Thompson has promise, but coach Andy Reid covets a unique playmaker like Dobbins at the position. Dobbins is tough to bring down and quick when he hits the hole, breaking 2,000 rushing yards this past season and scoring 21 times on the ground. There isn’t any cornerback value here (maybe LSU’s Kristian Fulton), so even with three key players at the position hitting free agency, I’m opting to catch the run game up with Mahomes’ unstoppable passing attack.
