CBS Sports’ new 2020 mock draft foresees an LSU star going to the Bucs

See which LSU star defender would be a perfect fit in Todd Bowles’ system with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft after a 7-9 finish in 2019. It’s a far cry from the fifth pick they held in last year’s draft, but they can still find great value at that spot in the middle of the first round.

Recent mock drafts have been all over the place when it comes to the Bucs, namely because we don’t have a solid idea of what they’re going to do until free agency starts. Tampa Bay has a number of big-name free agents hitting the open market, so once we know which players they decide to bring back and which they decide to let walk, it’s hard to pinpoint what their top priority is going into the draft.

For now, though, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports likes the Bucs taking LSU star edge K’Lavon Chaisson in his latest mock draft.

Here’s Trapasso on the selection:

“Shaq Barrett and Chaisson would formulate one heck of a dynamic edge-rushing duo in Todd Bowles’ defense.”

Chaisson would also get to reunite with former LSU teammate Devin White, who the Bucs took with that fifth pick in last year’s draft. Picking an LSU star worked out for the Bucs last year. Why not go back to that same well?

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Maurice Jones-Drew predicts the Bucs go defense in his first mock draft

See which player Maurice Jones-Drew thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will snag with the 14th pick in April’s 2020 NFL Draft.

We’ve had 2020 mock drafts coming at us left and right since the 2019 NFL season ended, and today is no exception.

NFL analyst and former running back Maurice Jones-Drew is getting in on the action, releasing his first mock draft today. While some of his NFL Network colleagues have suggested the Bucs will look to find their next franchise quarterback with the 14th pick in April’s draft, MJD is sticking with defense and predicting Tampa Bay will select defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina.

Per MJD:

“Kinlaw is a man among boys. This will be a value pick for the Bucs, and they can’t pass on this type of talent — keep in mind that Ndamukong Suh is a pending free agent.”

While it remains to be seen whether or not Suh returns to the Bucs next year, star pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul recently posted this cryptic message on Instagram, leading many to wonder if his time in a Bucs uniform is over.

The Bucs’ draft priorities will again become clearer once we see what they do at the start of free agency. Still, Kinlaw would be a great addition no matter what.

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Bucs select South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw in latest Draft Wire mock draft

See why Luke Easterling of Draft Wire thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will pick up a defensive tackle in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Buccaneers have a number of big-name free agents hitting the open market this offseason, several of which are defensive players. The Bucs are clearly hoping to strike a long-term deal with linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019, but there are other decisions that will need to be made.

Ndamukong Suh, who signed a one-year deal last offseason to replace Gerald McCoy, is another free agent who could be leaving the Bucs, which is why Luke Easterling of Draft Wire has Tampa Bay picking up a defensive tackle in South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw with the 14th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Per Easterling:

“Tampa Bay’s defensive front was dominant in 2020, leading the NFL in rush defense and boasting the NFL’s sack leader. Still, the unit has a ton of expiring contracts, and veteran Ndamukong Suh’s spot could be most in need of filling. Kinlaw’s dominant tape was followed up by a fantastic performance in Senior Bowl practices, making him an ideal pick here.”

Adding another young cog along the defensive line would be an ideal situation for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. But again, the Bucs’ draft needs will become clearer once free agency hits and we see which players they try to retain.

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Lions mock draft roundup: Is a Top-3 prospect pool emerging?

Another week examining the most recent 2020 mock drafts and the same three prospects continue to be mocked to the Lions: Jeffrey Okudah, Derrick Brown, and Isaiah Simmons.

Writers are beginning to incorporate trades into their mock drafts, which shakes things up a bit, but if the Lions stay at pick No. 3, the general consensus seems to be that they’ll grab one of the three players mentioned above.

Let’s take a closer look at what has changed this week.

CB Jeffrey Okudah, OSU (6-1, 200)

Currently being mocked by, USA Today’s Nate Davis, ESPN’s Todd McShay, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, Kristopher Knox, Scott Polacek, and Joe Tansey, Pro Football Network’s Nick Farabaugh, Fantasy Pros’ Bobby Sylvester, Baltimore Sun’s C.J. Doon, NJ.com’s Darryl Slater, Bleeding Green Nation’s Ben Natan, NFL Mocks’ Branden Peplowski, With the First Pick’s Nicholas Perlich, among others, that you can find at NFL Mock Database

Reuter: “Okudah’s speed, size and length offer a rare combination at the position. The Lions allowed a league-worst 284.4 pass yards a game in 2019 and tied for the fewest interceptions in the league (seven).”

Wilson: “Okudah’s effort vs. Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl last month was the closest thing we’ve seen to a shutdown corner during the ’19 season; he put the clamps on Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross for most of the night and solidified his place as the No. 1 cornerback in this draft class.”

Miller: “The Lions have several needs, most on defense, and could also look at auctioning off this selection to a team like the Miami Dolphins who want to trade up for a quarterback. In a mock draft without trade predictions, what makes the most sense is drafting a shutdown cornerback prospect who is solid on and off the field with excellent size (6’1″, 200 lbs), instincts, toughness and character.”

DT Derrick Brown, Auburn (6-5, 325)

Currently being mocked by Detroit News’ Justin Rogers, SB Nation’s Dan Kadar, and Cover 1’s Russell Brown

Rogers: “Ideally, the Lions are able to trade down from this spot, pick up some extra draft equity and still get one of the top defenders on their board. Staying put, the polished and productive interior lineman fills one of Detroit’s biggest needs, which only becomes more glaring if “Snacks” Harrison retires.”

Kadar: “For as easy as it is to predict Young to Washington, it’s still difficult to get a grasp on what the Lions could do with the third overall pick. This could be a spot for a trade up if Miami gets anxious about missing out on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Lions could also go a few different directions if they make the pick. This week, it’s Brown, the brutish defensive lineman who pushes blockers around with ease.”

Brown: “Truly, the Lions should trade back regardless of what offer presents itself. By the time we get to April, defensive tackle could be their biggest need. Brown is the most disruptive interior defensive lineman in this class and he’d be a perfect fit in Patricia’s multiple front defense.”

LB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson (6-3, 228)

Currently being mocked by CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards, Cover 1’s Christian Page, NFL Draft Lounge’s Eric Kirschbaum, and Blogging the Boys’ David Howman

Edwards: “Detroit is an interesting team early in the draft. They could trade the pick to a team looking to trade up for a quarterback or could take the best player on their board. Simmons is a defensive chess piece that will elevate everyone’s play.

Page: “Simmons would be an ideal candidate to play matchup-specific coverage similar to how Matt Patricia used Patrick Chung in New England, among others.”

Trades

Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling: Lions trade pick No. 3 to the Miami Dolphins for picks No. 5 and No. 26 overall. The Lions selected Jeffrey Okudah, CB, OSU at five and Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State at 26.

PFF’s Mike Renner: Lions trade pick No. 3 to the Miami Dolphins for picks No. 5 and No. 26 overall. The Lions selected Jeffrey Okudah, CB, OSU at five and Utah State’s Jordan Love at 26.

With the First Pick’s Randy Gurzi: Lions trade pick No. 3 to the Miami Dolphins for picks No. 5 and No. 26 overall. The Lions selected Isaiah Simmons, S/LB, Clemson at five and K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU at 26.

Mockout’s Micky McKeon: Lions trade pick No. 3 to the Las Vegas Raiders for picks No. 12 and 19 in the first round. Lions grab K’Lavon Chaisson, JACK, LSU at 12 and Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU at 19.

Mock draft watch: Browns get instant OL help in Draft Wire’s latest

Wills played RT in college but can transition to left tackle if the Browns so choose

The book is out on the Cleveland Browns and their primary need in the 2020 NFL Draft. Nearly every contemporary mock draft features the Browns snagging an offensive tackle with the No. 10 overall pick.

The latest offering from our friends at Draft Wire and editor Luke Easterling is no different. Despite several trades above the Browns that thin the eligible herd, Cleveland still winds up landing an instant starter in Alabama OT Jedrick Wills.

There’s no denying the amount of talent this offense has at the skill positions, but it’ll be all for naught if the Browns don’t improve their offensive line in a big way this offseason. Wills has been a fast riser throughout this season, and could easily be off the board by this pick. If he’s not, he’d be the perfect blend of need and value for Cleveland.

Wills gets the nod over Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton, both of whom were still on the board. Georgia’s Andrew Thomas was the first OT taken, going to the Giants at No. 7 overall after New York traded back from No. 4.

2020 NFL mock draft: Post-Super Bowl projections with trades

Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling throws out some potential trade scenarios in his latest projection for the first round of the 2020 NFL draft

I’ve watched the Super Bowl from many different places, but this was the first year in which I took in the big game while flying over the Atlantic.

On our way to attend my wife’s graduation in England, my nine-year-old daughter and I huddled around the screen in our seats and watched the NFL season come to an entertaining and dramatic end. It was a worthy ending to the league’s 100th season.

You know it’s always draft season around here, but now it’s official, as all 32 teams now enter the offseason with their sights set on getting to where Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs just went.

To that end, here’s an updated look at how the first round of the 2020 NFL draft could shake out, with a few trade scenarios that could spice things up:

*denotes projected trade

1. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow | QB | LSU

This has seemed like a foregone conclusion for so long, that we’re starting to get to the point in the process where rumors and speculation start to swirl to the contrary. Don’t buy into the boredom; Burrow has always been the guy for the Bengals, and that’s not going to change between now and draft day.

2. Washington Redskins

Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State

This is an absolute no-brainer for Washington, unless they’re bowled over by a trade offer from another team. They have bigger needs at other positions, but there’s no way they should pass up a rare talent like Young at such a premium spot. He’s the best overall prospect in this entire class.

3. Miami Dolphins (from DET)*

Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama

This move just makes too much sense. Tagovailoa seems destined for Miami, as long as his recovery is in a good place. If the medicals are in order, though, the Dolphins will likely have to make a small jump up the board to make sure another team doesn’t leapfrog them. The position is too important, and Tua is too good a player, to risk losing out.

4. Carolina Panthers (from NYG)*

Justin Herbert | QB | Oregon

While the Dolphins moving up for Tagovailoa wouldn’t be a surprise, this move might be a bit more of a shock. New head coach Matt Rhule will be overseeing a huge rebuild, though, and will likely want to hand-pick his quarterback. Herbert followed up a solid career at Oregon with a Rose Bowl MVP and a strong week at the Senior Bowl, making him worthy of top-five consideration.

5. Detroit Lions (from MIA)*

Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio State

This is a fantastic scenario for the Lions, who trade back a couple of spots, get an extra first-round pick, and still land the player they likely would have taken at their original spot. Okudah is by far this year’s top corner prospect, and would team up with Darius Slay to give Detroit one of the league’s best tandems at a premium position. Don’t rule out Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown here, either.

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Todd McShay mock draft 2.0 has Cowboys choosing Xavier McKinney over Grant Delpit

The Cowboys need help at the safety position, but ESPN’s Todd McShay thinks they’ll bypass the one most fans are clamoring for.

Grant Delpit got all the safety love, it seemed, from NFL teams who closed out 2019 looking to bolster their back ends in 2020. Playing for the national champs certainly helped catapult the two-time consensus All-America selection and Jim Thorpe Award winner into the spotlight. Even causal fans who may have tuned to see what all the Joe Burrow fuss was about probably came away impressed by the ballhawking defensive back who’ll certainly be a first-round talent come April.

Draft guru Todd McShay, in his most-recently-updated mock (paywall), indeed thinks Dallas will go with an SEC safety to provide the team some much-needed secondary help. But with the 17th overall pick, he has the Cowboys zigging when everyone expects them to zag.

Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama

Jerry Jones has quite an offseason ahead of him. Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Robert Quinn and Byron Jones headline a talented — and expensive — list of players headed toward free agency. If cornerback Jones is one of the odd men out, a secondary that mostly held passing offenses at bay but struggled to produce takeaways gets weaker. And the Cowboys have needed a safety since the days when Roy Williams and Darren Woodson roamed the defensive backfield. McKinney has some range as a deep safety — he pulled in three interceptions on the back end for Bama last season.

McShay believes the Cowboys will actually pass on Delpit, leaving him on the board to land in New England with the 23rd pick.

McKinney, bidding farewell to Tuscaloosa as a junior, is listed as a 6-foot-1-inch 200-pounder. He played in 13 games as a true freshman coming out of Roswell, Georgia. He became a starter for the Crimson Tide as a sophomore and ended the season as MVP of the 2018 Orange Bowl. Last season, he recorded 95 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles to go with his three interceptions. He was named first-team All-SEC for those efforts.

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Todd McShay’s new mock draft won’t rule out the Bucs taking a QB at 14

See why Todd McShay thinks the Buccaneers could go a number of ways in the first round of April’s NFL draft.

Now that Super Bowl LIV is over and the 2019 season is officially in the books, we can turn our attention to April’s all-important NFL draft, where team’s who missed out on hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this year will look to find the missing piece to their Super Bowl puzzle.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hold the 14th pick in the draft, will be one of those teams. The Bucs finished just 7-9 in 2019, but their strong finish down the stretch has many people thinking playoffs next season. But, there are a lot of decisions that the front office needs to make between now and then, namely, what to do with quarterback Jameis Winston.

The Bucs also have to deal with the fact that they have a number of big-name free agents hitting the open market, especially pass rushers. So, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Todd McShay has the Bucs thinking defensive end in his latest mock draft. McShay predicts Tampa Bay will select K’Lavon Chaisson out of LSU with the 14th overall pick.

Per McShay:

“Pass rushing was a strength for the Bucs in 2019, but they are now faced with free agency for Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh, Carl Nassib and Beau Allen — and expect Barrett to get paid after his incredible season. No matter how it shakes out, Tampa Bay will likely now need help getting after the QB off the edge, and a strong late-season push from Chaisson (4.5 sacks in his final four games) has him in play in this range. He’d bring a lot of speed to the front.”

The Bucs hit a home run last year when they selected a defensive player out of LSU in the first round — linebacker Devin White.

Despite the convincing case for Chaisson, McShay doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Bucs go with a quarterback.

“But don’t rule out a quarterback if GM Jason Licht decides Jameis Winston isn’t in the team’s 2020 plans. If Herbert is already off the board, Utah State’s Jordan Love, who is rising after the Senior Bowl, could be another option.”

It’s going to be an interesting offseason in Tampa Bay.

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Mel Kiper NFL mock draft 1.0: Broncos select WR Henry Ruggs

In his first 2020 NFL mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Broncos selecting Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs.

In his first 2020 NFL mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Broncos selecting Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III with the 15th overall pick (subscription required for link).

Ruggs (6-0, 190 pounds) is a speedy receiver who caught 86 passes for 1,487 yards and 18 touchdowns during his final two seasons with the Crimson Tide. He is widely considered one of the top WRs in this year’s draft class.

Kiper said he also considered cornerback at No. 15 because Denver might lose Chirs Harris during free agency. Kiper also pondered the possibility of Justin Simmons leaving and needing to be replaced but that seems unlikely.

Todd McShay, Kiper’s ESPN colleague, predicted the Broncos would select LSU safety Grant Delpit in his first 2020 NFL mock draft. Given that Denver aims to re-sign Simmons, Delpit would be a surprise at No. 15.

The draft will take place in Las Vegas from April 23-25. The Broncos are projected to have 12 picks, including seven in the first four rounds.

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Panthers 2020 mock draft: The Senior Bowl edition

So, we came up with a new mock where we were limited to only players taking part in the Senior Bowl. Here is how the Panthers made out.

The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama (Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET) is the true beginning of the NFL draft season and a time when more accurate mock drafts are starting to take shape.

So, we came up with a new mock where we were limited to only players taking part in the Senior Bowl. Here is how the Panthers made out.

7. Javon Kinlaw: DT, South Carolina

While Derrick Brown seems to be the consensus favorite among defensive tackles, he is not in Mobile and is therefore ineligible for this particular exercise. Fortunately, Kinlaw is available and there is no question he’ll make an instant impact for whichever team drafts him. He was so dominant early this week that he sat out after only a couple days of practice, having already proved himself. Kinlaw is easily the top player in Mobile and is working his way up to a potential top-10 selection.

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