When I wrote the traditional “What every team needs before free agency starts” article that Touchdown Wire published on March 11, it really stood out just how many NFL teams are in desperate need of top-level cornerbacks. Or second-level cornerbacks who might develop into top-level cornerbacks over time. The more I reviewed cornerback play at the NFL level both in-season and in the lead-up to free agency and the draft, the more I realized the severity of the shortage at that position.
I tend to think NFL teams are thinking about this as well, and it could upend what we think about the 2020 draft.
In this case, the run on cornerbacks (which, given overall team needs and the structure of the modern passing game, I absolutely believe could happen) creates a domino effect in which some very talented players (LSU safety Grant Delpit, LSU receiver Justin Jefferson, and Iowa edge-rusher A.J. Epenesa among them) miss the first round, and quarterbacks with physical potential but volatile results (Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts) could find themselves outside the top 32 picks as well.
I should put a side note here that Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa are the only quarterbacks in this draft class I think are worthy of first-round grades, so that affects my mock with one exception — the team that now has to replace the greatest quarterback ever. And that’s more in the abstract than anything else.
Having the Colts move out of the first round after trading for 49ers defensive lineman DeForest Bucker also adds to a new quarterback picture, as the Colts seemed likely to pick a quarterback with the 13th overall selection. With Philip Rivers around in the short term, that probably has changed.
With all that said, here’s one way the draft could shake out in the post-free agency landscape:
Picks: 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32
1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
Nothing changes up top. Burrow is the best player in this draft class at the most important position, so that’s a no-brainer. The Bengals still have Andy Dalton on the roster for the moment, despite some noise about his future with the Patriots, which comes from analysts who apparently haven’t watched any Dalton tape since about 2015. Grabbing defensive tackle D.J. Reader is a sneaky good move, and opposing offenses will not enjoy having to deal with Reader and Geno Atkins next to each other. There are still a ton of needs here, which one would expect from a team that finished 2-14 last season, but the Bengals get the quarterback thing sorted out here.
2. Washington Redskins: Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State
The Redskins brought Kendall Fuller back from Kansas City on a four-year, $40 million deal with $10 million guaranteed despite some uninspiring tape during Fuller’s time in Kansas City after the Alex Smith trade. They also released Josh Norman (which was the right call) and traded Quinton Dunbar, their one good cornerback last season, to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick (which was definitely the wrong call). Not sure what Ron Rivera and the front office is thinking here, but despite this positional shortfall, we think they will reinforce the defensive line with Young, as opposed to taking Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah. In that case, the strategy in the nation’s capital will be to offset a really iffy secondary with all kinds of pressure up front.
3. Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
Somebody, please save Matt Patricia from himself. The Lions played more man coverage (54%) than any other team last year, so of course Patricia offloaded Darius Slay, one of the NFL’s better man coverage cornerbacks, in another one of his culture-changing moves. The Lions then signed ex-Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant, who is not at all a top-tier man-coverage guy. Whatever. At least the Lions can get better in the secondary with the selection of Okudah, who played man and match concepts at a very high level for the Buckeyes over the past three seasons.
4. New York Giants: Isaiah Simmons, Defense, Clemson
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman made some atypically strong moves in free agency, acquiring cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez to help a defense in desperate need. The decision to apply the franchise tag to defensive lineman Leonard Williams was utterly mystifying, except when you consider Gettleman’s history of surety that his way is the right way. Bradberry projects as a top cornerback, and Martinez is a good run-stopping linebacker who gets lost in coverage quite easily. To further help this defense, let’s give them Isaiah Simmons, who has become the prototype of the modern do-it-all linebacker, and can show up anywhere from the edge to the slot to any ‘backer position to safety.
5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
Before the Dolphins are even able to avail themselves of their three first-round draft picks, they took the NFL’s biggest barrel of cap dollars and made quite the splash with the acquisitions of cornerback Byron Jones, linebacker Kyle Van Noy, guard Ereck Flowers, running back Jordan Howard and defensive linemen Emmanuel Ogbah and Shaq Lawson. Mostly good stuff there, so now, it’s time to select the guy Nick Saban has compared to both Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers to get the long-term quarterback situation right. All signs point to Tagovailoa’s hip situation as a positive over time, and if he plays up to his potential, the once-tanking Dolphins suddenly become pretty interesting.
6. Los Angeles Chargers: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
The Chargers have said they’re cool with Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback to kick off the post-Philip Rivers era, which has everyone thinking they’ll take a quarterback with the sixth overall pick. But here’s the hidden factor: Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn was the Bills’ offensive designer and running backs coach in 2015 and 2016, when Taylor threw 37 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. Lynn knows what Taylor is and isn’t, and that the quarterback shouldn’t be judged by his disastrous turn in Cleveland. Taylor can be a bridge guy as the Chargers address other needs. Primary among them right now is the hole at left tackle after the team traded Russell Okung to the Panthers for guard Trai Turner. Now consider the free-agency deal that brings Bryan Bulaga in to play right tackle and add Thomas’ combination of strength at the point of attack and mobility in space. All of a sudden, Lynn has a new and more fundamentally sound offense. … Unless you think taking Justin Herbert here is a full-round reach based on potential, which I do.
7. Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
It would be easy to project a cornerback here after James Bradberry signed with the Giants, but let’s assume the Panthers want to stick with their most glaring non-quarterback sore spot in 2019 — a run defense that did not defend much at all. With Teddy Bridgewater on board to take care of the quarterback situation, Brown would be an excellent interior run-stuffer and disruptor who can line up anywhere from nose tackle to end with above-average to great results. At the scouting combine, new Panthers head coach Matt Rhule talked a lot about the importance of defensive positional versatility, and Brown fits the bill.
8. Arizona Cardinals: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
One imagines that in the back of his mind, Kyler Murray may still want former Sooners teammate CeeDee Lamb in his receiving corps in the Valley of the Sun. But after head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim were able perform highway robbery on the perennially outmatched Bill O’Brien, bringing DeAndre Hopkins aboard to catch passes with Larry Fitzgerald, even Murray might agree that the most important thing now for the future of the Cardinals’ offense is an offensive line that will help its quarterback reduce his league-high total of 48 sacks from 2019. Granted, more than enough of those sacks were Murray’s fault as he was figuring things out at the NFL level, but with the addition of Wills, who has the potential to lock down the right tackle position immediately and transition to the blind side over time, that right-handed mobile passing game takes things to a new level — which allows Murray to do the same.
Picks: 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32
9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
Now the rebuild begins. With Calais Campbell off to Baltimore, the Jaguars have managed to eliminate nearly every impact player on a defense that was one half away from Super Bowl LII in January 2018. Most of that had to do with former executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin telling everyone to get the heck off his lawn, but regardless, general manager Dave Caldwell has quite the job in front of him if he’s going to make this defense relevant again. Secondary is a need, but the Jags can address that with the 20th overall pick — which they will do in this mock. For now, let’s give Jacksonville a preternatural force on the interior defensive line in Kinlaw, who might be even better than Derrick Brown at one-tech and three-tech down the road when he learns the nuances of those positions.
10. Cleveland Browns: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
New Browns general manager Andrew Berry, 32, is the youngest at his position in the NFL, and he started his tenure by putting the Browns on the right path in a couple of different ways. Signing tight end Austin Hooper and right tackle Jack Conklin will help a lot with an offense that, under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, will run a ton of right-handed boot-action stuff with two tight ends. Now, it’s time to address the left tackle position, left vacant by the utterly replaceable Greg Robinson. At 6-foot-7 and 364 pounds, Becton doesn’t look like the ideal “move” tackle, but he absolutely blew up the combine with his athletic exploits, and he’s played both left and right tackle in a system that had him in heavy zone/slide blocking in a play-action passing game. Becton needs refinement in his pass sets, but he allowed just one sack and six total pressures in 314 pass-blocking snaps in 2019. A Becton/Conklin combination at tackle would be a massive upgrade over what the Browns presented last season.
11. New York Jets: Tristan Wirfs, OL, Iowa
The Jets and new general manager Joe Douglas have done a lot to retool an offensive line that was responsible for 24 sacks and 188 pressures in 2019, per Pro Football Focus. The additions of tackle George Fant, center Connor McGovern and guards Josh Andrews and Greg Van Roten show the extent to which Douglas realizes the need for improvement. But none of those guys are top-tier starters, which still leaves an opening for someone like Wirfs, the weightlifting monster of a tackle who was the first true freshman to start at offensive tackle for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. Some believe that Wirfs projects better as a guard at the next level, given his combination of strength and athleticism. But based on the tape, I think he could be a rock star over time at either guard position, right tackle, or protecting Sam Darnold’s blind side.
12. Las Vegas Raiders: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Last season, Hunter Renfrow and Tyrell Williams were the only Raiders wide receivers to catch over 40 passes — and neither caught 50. Signing Nelson Agholor to a one-year deal isn’t going to pick up much of that slack. Jon Gruden needs a route perfectionist in his highly advanced West Coast offense with its modern designs, and Jeudy would be a perfect fit. Not only can Jeudy tie defenders in knots with his on-field moves; he’s also got the kind of top-end speed required for big plays all over the field. He’ll upend a cornerback in press coverage at the line of scrimmage with his quick movement, and from there it’s off to the races. Jeudy is as ding-proof a player as you’ll find in this draft class.
13. San Francisco 49ers: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
The 49ers’ roster is one with very few holes. Cornerback was one of them in a relative sense when Ahkello Witherspoon was on the field, and only marginally less so when Emmanuel Moseley replaced Witherspoon for performance reasons as the season progressed and into the postseason. Richard Sherman had one of the more remarkable bounce-back seasons in recent NFL history last year, but he’ll also be 32 when the next season starts. Given that uncertainty, and understanding what the 49ers want out of their cornerbacks — big, physical defenders who can take the alpha to the field in a defense based more on execution than schematic diversity — Diggs would be a great addition. The brother of former Vikings and current Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, Trevon allowed 15 receptions on 50 targets last season for 266 yards and one touchdown in 2019, per Sports Info Solutions. If you combine his three interceptions and 12 pass breakups last season, he negated as many receptions as he allowed. Shoring up the cornerback position for the next few years beyond Sherman could extend the 49ers’ championship window into something pretty formidable.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josh Jones, OT, Houston
In case you missed it, the Buccaneers made an interesting acquisition at the quarterback position last week. With Tom Brady on board, expect Bruce Arians to modify his “no risk-it, no biscuit” philosophy to a point to mesh with Brady’s perfectionism, and expect Brady to start to turn it loose once he realizes that his targets are no longer Julian Edelman and the Pips. So, Brady’s probably going to have more five- and seven-step drops than he’s had since he was burning everyone with bombs to Randy Moss. With that in mind, and given a group of offensive tackles that allowed 13 sacks and 82 total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, it would be nice to give Brady some time to get those deep passes down the field. A spread/zone blocker in college for the most part, Jones will need time and development to become a high-level run-blocker, but when you have the chance to select a guy who’s allowed just 18 pressures on 1,282 pass-blocking snaps over the past three years, and you now have the greatest quarterback in NFL history plying his trade for you, I’d say it’s a pretty good match.
15. Denver Broncos: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
Last season, Courtland Sutton led the Broncos with 72 receptions on 124 targets for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. The next most prolific receiver was Emmanuel Sanders, whom Denver traded to San Francisco halfway through the season. Given the investment in franchise quarterback du jour Drew Lock, and given that the biggest free-agency deal Denver has made so far is a two-year deal for running back Melvin Gordon, it’s safe to say there’s a need here. Last season, Lamb led all draftable receivers in yards per target (14.3), yards per route run (3.9), and yards after catch per reception (11.2). He’s a plus player in just about every relevant receiving attribute with the possible exception of route diversity, and that can be improved over time with an athlete of this caliber. In the short term, Lamb gives Lock another immediate target and makes Sutton even more dangerous.
16. Atlanta Falcons: C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
It’s not that the Falcons were wrong for letting Desmond Trufant head to Detroit in free agency — when you can save $10.75 million in cap room by releasing a cornerback who allowed five touchdowns and an opponent passer rating of 106.3 last season, that just makes sense. But even with the re-signing of Blidi Wreh-Wilson, there’s not a lot in Atlanta’s cornerback room that provides a lot of encouragement, despite the late-season upswing in performance that took root when Raheem Morris took over the defense. Now, the Falcons need another cornerback with the ability to be a zone-based shot-caller, and Henderson qualifies. He’s played at a very high level over the past three seasons, excelling both in coverage in man and zone concepts, both outside and in the slot. He gave up a few deep shots in 2019 as he worked through an ankle injury, but his 2018 tape is about as clean as you’ll see in this cornerback class.
Picks: 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32
17. Dallas Cowboys: Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
The Cowboys hired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan to replace Rod Marinelli as part of a major coaching overhaul. Nolan has worked with linebackers for the Chargers and Saints over the past four seasons. He last served as a defensive coordinator in 2014 for the Falcons. So, it’s probably a bit alarming for Nolan to hit the ground running with the free-agency losses of cornerback Byron Jones, edge-rusher Robert Quinn and underrated defensive lineman Maliek Collins. The loss of Jones is perhaps the biggest, as it leaves the Cowboys without a true No. 1 cornerback. Jaylon Johnson may not get as many name checks as other top cornerbacks in this draft class, but he’s just as good as anyone in the sub-Okudah group. In three seasons as a starter with the Utes, he gave up just three touchdowns to seven interceptions and never allowed an opponent passer rating higher than 57.6.
18. Miami Dolphins (From Pittsburgh Steelers): Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
Last season, DeVante Parker was the only member of the Dolphins’ receiving corps who caught more than six passes of 20 or more air yards — he grabbed 14 on 29 deep attempts for 478 yards and five touchdowns. If the Dolphins are to improve their passing game, Miami clearly needs a player with the kinds of attributes that lead to more deep success.
Enter Henry Ruggs III, who appears to have those attributes.
The comparisons to Santonio Holmes and Santana Moss are instructive, as Ruggs is more than just a pure speed guy — he has the field understanding and route savvy to be more than a situational player. Last season, he caught just four passes of 20 air yards or more (a function of Alabama’s offense) — and three of them were for touchdowns. Whatever you throw to Ruggs, from a bubble screen to a deep post, he’s got the potential to take it to the house. His 24 touchdowns on 98 catches for his career with the Crimson Tide is all you need to know.
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago Bears): Xavier McKinney, DB, Alabama
The Raiders lost Karl Joseph to the Browns in free agency, which leaves their safety rotation rather bleak. Though Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock did a lot to improve their defense at other positions, this still must be addressed. At the scouting combine, Mayock had a lot to say about the value of multi-positional defensive players.
“When you start looking at any division, particularly ours, and the tight ends, for instance, that we have to play in our division, and you kind of go, ‘Who matches up?’ Do you want to play man coverage, and who matches up with those type of guys. They’re big guys who run fast. Who do we have? So more and more defenses around the league are saying, who are the guys you don’t necessarily have to put a label on?”
One such label-free player is McKinney, who played 285 snaps in the box, 271 snaps at free safety and 227 snaps in the slot for the Crimson Tide in 2019, per Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound McKinney also played 38 snaps on the defensive line and five snaps at outside corner, to make his versatility even more impressive. He’d do a lot to solve the Raiders’ tight end problem — and several other matchup nightmares.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams): Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
This is one of the two first-round picks Jacksonville got from the Rams in the Jalen Ramsey trade, so the Jags might as well use it to improve their secondary. With Ramsey out the door and A.J. Bouye traded to Denver for a fourth-round pick, cornerback seems like the most pressing need. But Tre Herndon and D.J. Hayden were actually pretty decent last year, and they’re both under contract in 2020. The safety situation was far more dismal last season, and Winfield — who picked off seven passes in 2019 after two injury-plagued seasons — would fix that in a big hurry. The son of the former Bills and Vikings cornerback, Winfield has prime athleticism to do everything from blitzing to patrolling the deep third, and his on-field acumen makes him play even faster than he is.
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
The Eagles got better on defense in free agency with the acquisitions of defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and linebacker Jatavis Brown, although the loss of defensive back Malcolm Jenkins to the Saints will sting on the field and in the locker room. But just about everyone knows what still ails the Eagles based on last season — a receiving group that couldn’t stay healthy. Yes, it would be great if DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery could be on the field together in 2020 and beyond, but it’s time for head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman to start preparing for contingencies. You may look at Reagor’s 2019 numbers (43 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns) and wonder why he’s considered a first-round talent. Go back to 2018, when he didn’t have one of the NCAA’s worst quarterback situations, and watch him burn defenses for 72 catches, 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns. Every draft class has that one receiver who will blow up as soon as he has a functional NFL quarterback, and Reagor could very well be the 2020 version. If you want to know how explosive he can be, consider that 449 of Reagor’s 611 yards last season came through the air before the catch last season.
22. Minnesota Vikings (from Buffalo Bills): Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
Mike Zimmer lost his three most-utilized cornerbacks at the start of the 2020 league year with the release of Xavier Rhodes, and the Bengals’ signing Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander. Based on performance, Alexander is the only cornerback Zimmer is likely to miss. Now that one of the better cornerback educators needs a new group to teach, let’s give Zimmer new blood in the person of Gladney, the TCU star who presented especially tough challenges against speedy receivers through his collegiate career. Not only can Gladney trail the fastest receivers up the chute and against the boundary, he also has the recovery speed, footwork and leaping ability to turn potential big plays into picks. An aggressive tackler with the ability to blitz, Gladney would fit perfectly in Zimmer’s zone-heavy, execution-based defense.
23. New England Patriots: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
The match of Love, who threw 17 interceptions and just 20 touchdowns in 2019, to the head coach who demands more of his quarterback than any other in terms of ruthless efficiency, seems like a weird one. And it is. This pick doesn’t have to be Love. (“Why Can’t This Be Love?” Van Halen might reply). It could be Jalen Hurts. Or the Patriots could pursue Cam Newton or any one of a number of options that give Bill Belichick a more athletic quarterback for the post-Tom Brady era. Belichick, who has every trend in football history stored in the supercomputer between his ears, is well aware of the changes at the quarterback position over the past five to 10 years, and he has to have wondered more than once what his offense would look like with a Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson of his own.
24. New Orleans Saints: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
The Saints addressed their primary pre-free agency need with the wise signing of receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who will do a lot to bridge the 119-reception gap between wide receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn in 2019. Now, since New Orleans’ defense played with five or more defensive backs on the field on 83% of its snaps, and Demario Davis was their only above-average linebacker last season, let’s maybe give defensive coordinator Dennis Allen a little more to work with. Queen would be an excellent addition because he plays the run so well and aggressively for his size (6-foot, 229 pounds), and he shows impressive potential in coverage. There are positional nuances to be worked out, as Queen was just a one-year starter in college, but the upside is obvious.
Picks: 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32
25. Minnesota Vikings: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
As we’ve already detailed, the mass exodus out of Minnesota’s cornerback room — the release of Xavier Rhodes and Bengals’ signing of both Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander — is only a problem in that Alexander was pretty good in the slot last season. That said, the trade of receiver Stefon Diggs to Buffalo opens up a rather large hole in the Vikings’ passing game, and given the team’s continued commitment to Kirk Cousins, a new contested-catch receiver who can go deep with a wide catch radius will be a must. It’s possible for Minnesota to address one of the cornerback spots with the first-rounder they picked up in the Diggs trade, but that receivers room would look a lot better right now with Higgins, who proved in three years at Clemson that he could do all those things. Last season, 815 of Higgins’ 1,167 receiving yards last season came through the air before the catch.
26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston Texans): Zack Moss, RB, Utah
Since 1970, just five quarterbacks have led their teams in rushing yards: Bobby Douglass for the 1972 Bears, Randall Cunningham for the 1987-1990 Eagles, Russell Wilson for the 2017 Seahawks, Josh Allen for the 2018 Bills … and 37-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick for the 2019 Dolphins. Fitzpatrick was able to accomplish this ignoble feat with just 243 yards on the ground, and he also led Miami with four rushing touchdowns.
An embarrassment? Quite. Picking up former Bears and Eagles running back Jordan Howard in free agency helps, but there is no current NFL team more in need of quality running backs. To that end, let’s give the Dolphins a new hammer for their running game in the person of Moss, who gained 1,416 yards on 235 carries last season and broke 89 total tackles along the way. Moss combines power and elusiveness on a level that brings peak Marshawn Lynch to mind, and if we’re splitting hairs over his downfield speed … well, he’s got answers for that, as well.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Seattle Seahawks): Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State
Hypothetical trade alert: Even if the Seahawks are able to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, they’ll still need edge-rush help. General manager John Schneider and his allies will have to free up some cap space for this move, but let’s have Seattle trading its first-round pick to the Jaguars for edge-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, the franchise-tagged star who would be a force in Pete Carroll’s pass-rush packages. If Ngakoue becomes another former key cog in Jacksonville’s depleted defense, Penn State’s Gross-Matos could help to replace Ngakoue’s suddenness and effort through the snap. Last season, despite needing a lot of work with hand use and rush diversity (something that can be said of many collegiate ends), Gross-Matos managed nine sacks, five quarterback hits and 22 quarterback hurries. Once he develops the ability to do more than shoot gaps and wrestle people to the ground, he could be a very dangerous individual.
28. Baltimore Ravens: Zack Baun, LB/EDGE, Wisconsin
The acquisitions of Earl Thomas and Marcus Peters turned the Ravens’ 2019 defense from good to great. Because the secondary was top-shelf, Baltimore was able to blitz to a nearly alarming degree — 54.9% of its snaps, by far the most of any NFL team. Edge-rusher Matthew Judon was the primary beneficiary of this strategy last season, and the Ravens responded by placing the franchise tag on him. If defensive coordinator Don Martindale is to back himself out of this blitz-heavy approach, he’ll need more top-tier pass-rushers. Baltimore also has a need for coverage linebackers, and Baun is able to fill both requirements to a unique degree. In 2019, he put up 12.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 28 quarterback hurries. Over the past two seasons, per Pro Football Focus, he played coverage 195 times, allowing just 112 yards, picking off two passes. He’s a unique player who would fit very well into what the Ravens want to do.
29. Tennessee Titans: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU
Pairing ex-Falcons edge-rusher Vic Beasley with Harold Landry gives the Titans an ostensibly impressive set of bookends if Beasley can regain his 2016 form (15.5 sacks and 65 total pressures) after subsequent seasons that have been relatively pedestrian. If Beasley can’t, and/or if Landry can’t hit the proverbial next level, there will be a need for developmental edge talent. Few players in this class scream both developmental and talent more than Chaisson, who has ridiculous athleticism to do everything from bending the edge against some of the NCAA’s best tackles, to surprising with his off-ball versatility. Not unlike Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, another LSU alum, Chaisson will require some patience and coaching before he puts it all together, but the rewards could be extreme.
30. Green Bay Packers: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
Last season, the gap between Green Bay’s top receiver (Davante Adams) and all their other wide receivers was almost as stark as any NFL offense faced. There’s no questioning Adams’ abilities, but beyond that, there’s a whole lot of maybe. What Aaron Rodgers needs, and what tight end Jimmy Graham couldn’t consistently provide in 2019, is a contested-catch receiver who can make plays downfield and create openings for other targets. Shenault may be raw in some respects, but he’s been a yards-after-catch monster during his entire time at Colorado (something Rodgers has always appreciated), and at 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, he can put the sting on cornerbacks in tight situations, take the ball on gadget plays and burn defenders downfield. In Matt LaFleur’s offense, Shenault might be a decent player in his first season, with a chance to explode in future years as he tightens up the little things.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
Last season, the 49ers made it all the way to the Super Bowl with the best offensive play-designer in the NFL (head coach Kyle Shanahan) drawing up wizardry that transformed tight end George Kittle into a one-man wrecking crew and turned rookie receiver Deebo Samuel into a fascinating weapon all over the field. What the 49ers do not have, heading into the 2020 season — especially with the departure of Emmanuel Sanders — is a high-volume receiver who can extricate himself from different kinds of coverage and present a serious threat both downfield and after the catch in a more traditional sense. Aiyuk has the ability to both of those things. Last season, he caught 65 passes for 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns, averaged 10.9 yards per reception after the catch and had 384 yards on just 19 deep targets, per Pro Football Focus. With his smooth style and understanding of the nuances of his position, Aiyuk could bridge the gap and complete the scope of attributes for San Francisco’s receiving corps — especially with Shanahan calling the shots.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
The defending NFL champs don’t have many issues on offense, and with the combination of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and super-DB Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City’s defense was just good enough to take everything over the top. Regarding the cornerback group, re-signing Bashaud Breeland would be a really good move, and both Charvarius Ward and Rashad Fenton have shown potential. Still, Spagnoulo surely wouldn’t mind more talent in the cornerback room, especially after the Kendall Fuller era didn’t quite work out as expected. Terrell might be known a bit too much for getting roasted by LSU’s receivers in the national championship game. But aside from that series of disasters — he allowed five receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns, per PFF — Terrell projects well as a very good outside corner over time. Even considering that LSU game, he still allowed just 23 catches on 44 targets for 392 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 86.6.
Picks: 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32
Touchdown Wire editor Doug Farrar previously covered football for Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, the Washington Post, and Football Outsiders. His first book, “The Genius of Desperation,” a schematic history of professional football, was published by Triumph Books in 2018 and won the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Nelson Ross Award for “Outstanding recent achievement in pro football research and historiography.”
