Late risers and rumors before the 2020 NFL Draft
One of the things that makes the NFL draft so much fun is that for all of the preparation that goes into it, the whole thing really can be just one big crapshoot.
One crazy trade or reach can change the dynamic of an entire draft – and that is normal. We’ve had to learn to re-define that term these days and that will apply double to this draft.
Here are some of the late risers and rumors I’m hearing with the draft just hours away.
· The Miami Dolphins have explored the cost of swapping the fifth overall pick with the Detroit Lions at No. 3 overall, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This would tie in nicely with the theory I presented in my final mock, where the Lions actually take Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown rather than Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okuda, as many are projecting. Brown and Okuda are each likely to be available at No. 5 with the Dolphins presumably moving up either for a quarterback or offensive tackle and the Giants having a similar need for a burly blocker.
· Speaking of the Dolphins, the indications I was receiving Wednesday night from clubs was that the Dolphins have Oregon’s Justin Herbert higher on their board than Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and that he – not a tackle – is the reason for their call in to Detroit. Dolphins GM Chris Grier may be attempting to determine the cost it would take his club to move up in an effort to gauge how likely another team would do the same.
· Other teams exploring bold trades up include Atlanta, Jacksonville, Denver and Philadelphia and Green Bay.
· The Chargers currently pick sixth. I would be stunned if their choice is not either Herbert or Georgia left tackle Andrew Thomas, whomever remains on the board. One of them will be.
· Virtually every team practices the strategy of “always listening to trade own offers” but I’ve been told that the Panthers (No. 7), Cardinals (8), Jaguars (9) and Browns (10) are all actively looking into moves down the board if their favorite prospects aren’t available. Later, Seattle (27), Tennessee (29) and San Francisco (31) are having similar conversations.
· Going back to the Jaguars, who I projected to take Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, it has been widely reported, that the club is shopping pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue and running back Leonard Fournette. There has been some buzz in the past 24 hours of a deal sending Ngakoue to the Raiders, in fact. The surprising thing is that conversations with my sources suggest it could be Fournette who is actually the more likely to get peddled over the weekend, with the cost to get him apparently pretty low.
· With three picks in the third round (No. 77, 83 and 95), as well as their first (15) and second round (46) picks, John Elway and the Denver Broncos are quietly power players in this draft, capable of moving up easily, if necessary. The club has been linked with multiple receivers – no surprise given the live arm of young quarterback Drew Lock and the need for a complementary receiver beside Courtland Sutton and anyone who has seen Lock (or Elway) heave a deep ball, knows that both would love a speed demon like Ruggs. I projected a gutsy defensive pick to appease head coach Vin Fangio but the need for a receiver (and a cornerback) for this club is undeniable. The team is also thought to be very, very high on the top centers.
· The San Francisco 49ers have explored multiple trade down scenarios, I am told. The club currently has two first round picks (No. 13 and 31) due to the trading of DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis but then is not on the clock again until the 11 pick of the fifth round – a span of 125 selections. The club would love to add another big, physical 5-tech to replace Buckner. In my mock, South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw falls right into their lap at 13. If that does not occur, a receiver seems most likely with the big three of Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, as well as Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb very much in play. Baylor’s Denzel Mims would complement the receivers already on the roster best if the 49ers were to wait until 31 to add a receiver, though it is hard not to like the reliable routes offered by LSU’s Jordan Jefferson, who some feel is the best suited in this class to mimicking the almost immediate rapport Jimmy Garoppolo had with Emmanuel Sanders a year ago.
· The idea of “rising” prospects hours before the draft is a little naïve but leaks to the media do occur each year right before the festivities begin. Some players who it appears rank much higher on team boards than the media has reported include LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry, Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson, Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet, Tennessee defensive end Darrell Taylor and Louisiana-Lafayette offensive lineman Robert Hunt. Each was suggested as a prospect who could crash the first round as a “mock-buster.”
· While Tagovailoa is an obvious wildcard due to his medical – as is Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault and the afore-mentioned Taylor – Clemson outside linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons is the most polarizing prospect. Some believe teams are slow-playing him and that he is in play as early as No. 3 overall to Detroit. Others see him slipping deep into the teens with the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17 overall called Simmons’ “absolute floor,” should a tumble start. For what it is worth, Jerry Jones will reportedly be making the Cowboys’ decisions, alone, without feedback from his teams’ scouts or coaches.
Want more rumors? Did you read my Top 10 Bold Predictions for the 2020 NFL draft? This is the same article in which I correctly predicted the shocking Baker Mayfield selection at No. 1 overall two years ago, as well as D.K. Metcalf's dramatic slide last year.
