Quarterback Joe Burrow and edge rusher Chase Young will be the first two players selected on Thursday night in the 2020 NFL Draft barring a shocking trade, but beyond Washington’s pick at No. 2, there’s very little consensus on what will happen next. Will a team trade up to No. 3 to take Tua Tagovailoa? Will the Lions use the pick on Ohio State star Jeff Okudah? Will the Patriots jump into the top 10?
ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released his final mock draft on Thursday morning, and there’s some major movement inside his top five within the last week. In his mock draft 4.0, released April 14th, Kiper had Okudah, Isaiah Simmons and Justin Herbert going third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. All three players dropped in his 5.0.
Kiper swapped Herbert with former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa, who had previously been at No. 6 to the Chargers. Instead, Miami gets one of the best QB prospects in the draft, and Los Angeles settles for a QB that our Steven Ruiz says teams should be avoiding.
The bigger surprises in Kiper’s top 5, though, come at No. 3 and No. 4. Instead of Okudah, Kiper has the Lions selecting Auburn’s Derrick Brown, who was sixth on our consensus big board, behind Okudah at third.
At No. 4, Kiper has the Giants selecting Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. Last week, Kiper was projecting Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons to New York. Wirfs ranked 10th on our big board, well behind Simmons at fifth.
