Trevor Lawrence In Unfamiliar Spot In Latest Mock Draft
Trevor Lawrence is still at least two months away from the start of his junior season, yet has still been considered the overwhelming favorite to go number one overall in next April's NFL Draft for quite some time.
The closer next year's draft gets though, the more cloudy the picture has started to become. Not only is Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields gaining some traction as a favorite, Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell is starting to climb the boards as well.
In its latest mock draft, USA Today's Draft Wire has the 6-foot-6, 330 pound Sewell going number one overall to the Washington Redskins. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah came away quite impressed after watching film on the Ducks big left tackle.
"Sewell has ideal size, quickness and power for the position. In the passing game, he's quick out of his stance and does a nice job of staying square against his opponent. He's a knee-bender and rarely lunges or loses his balance. He has extremely strong hands to lock on and steer edge rushers. He's very aware versus games/stunts and if he's free, he looks for work (nasty knockdowns)."- Daniel Jeremiah
"In the run game, Sewell consistently gets underneath defenders, uproots and moves them off the line of scrimmage. He excels when he's pulling or working up to the second level, and he gets there in a hurry. The 2019 Outland Trophy winner (best interior lineman) also collects plenty of knockdowns against second- and third-level defenders. He's effective on combo blocks, too, working with the guard. I love his overall demeanor and toughness."- Daniel Jeremiah
Draft Wire has Lawrence in somewhat of an unfamiliar spot, going number two overall to Jacksonville.
"Lawrence has started off his college career in a manner unparalleled in college football with overall grades of 90.7 and 91.0. He can bury you so many ways and is even a threat with his legs, as he broke 22 tackles on 62 carries last season.”- PFF's Mike Renner
The Jaguars will head into 2020 with Gardner Minshew as their starting quarterback after trading away Nick Foles back in March. Minshew is going into his second year in the league, and how he performs in 2020 will go a long ways toward deciding how the Jaguars will approach using their first round pick.
Draft Wire has Clemson running back Travis Etienne going to the Falcons at No. 13 overall. That would make two consecutive seasons the Falcons used a first-round pick on a Tiger, after taking cornerback A.J. Terrell at No. 16 in last April's draft.
Clemson left tackle Jackson Carman comes off the board at No. 25, going to the Seahawks. Although with another productive season as a junior, it is conceivable to think Carman could end up going much earlier in the first round.
They also have defensive end Xavier Thomas going in the second round to the Falcons with pick No. 45. Like Carmen however, with a strong showing next season, Thomas could easily start shooting up the draft boards.
Depending on how things play out, the Tigers could eventually have all four of these players taken in the first round. Before his season ending injury, wide receiver Justyn Ross was also considered to be a likely first round pick.
The school record for most first round picks in a single draft is three. That occurred in 2019 when Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, and Dexter Lawrence were all taken in the first round.
At the moment it would appear that the Tigers have a good shot a matching that mark in 2020. There is also the very strong possibility that they break that record outright.
