Trio of Terps Selected in NFL Redraft

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, wide receiver DJ Moore and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue selected in the mock draft

Using the 2020 NFL Draft order, ESPN released a four-round mock draft centered around each NFL team undergoing a roster rebuild. With every NFL player available, each team reporter was required to draft one quarterback, non-QB offensive player, defensive player and wild card selection open to any position.

With the entire league at their disposal, Maryland is one of 16 FBS teams with three or more selections as former wide receivers Stefon Diggs and DJ Moore made the cut, while defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was the highest selection in the second round. Diggs, who was traded this offseason from the Vikings to the Buffalo Bills, was the fifteenth wide receiver chosen after going in the 101 overall fourth round to the Baltimore Ravens. Arguably the best four-man team in this draft, Diggs joined quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Julio Jones with defensive end JJ Watt opposite of the trio. Diggs’ fourth round selection was attributed to “the top player left at the No. 101 pick,” according to Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley.

Moore, meanwhile, was one of the final picks in the draft after going 126 overall to the Detroit Lions. “Moore ranked ninth in the NFL with 1,175 receiving yards in 2019 despite catching passes from three different quarterbacks,” Lions reporter Michael Rothstein wrote. “He'll settle in nicely with [Lamar] Jackson, who set an NFL QB rushing record with 1,206 rush yards last season but also had a league-high 36 passing TDs.”

Ngakoue has been the center of trade discussions with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason after going back and forth with front office, though the fifth-year pass-rusher remains on the team heading into summer. His production through his first four years has turned the head of NFL general managers, though, as his explosion off the edge has helped him tally 37.5 sacks. His skillset is why Ngakoue was the ninth defensive end selected, going 61 overall to the New York Giants. “After that, I had to wait awhile (57 picks) but still tabbed one of the league's best pass-rushers in Ngakoue. Again, positional value was key. I got the most important offensive position with my first pick and the most important defensive position with my second,” Giants reporter Jordan Raanan added.

As the Terps had a pair of prospects selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Maryland will look to add more in the years to come with running back Anthony McFarland, cornerback Antoine Brooks and safety Darnell Savage among those in the early stages of their NFL careers. Meanwhile, student-athletes began reporting back to College Park today ahead of next week’s tentative beginning of voluntary, individual workouts.