Tag: 2020 NFL Draft

Titans select OL in first round of Draft Wire’s 2020 NFL mock draft

Many Tennessee Titans fans are concerned about the future of the quarterback position between now and the 2020 NFL season.

Many Tennessee Titans fans are concerned about the future of the quarterback position between now and the 2020 NFL season.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the team will select a signal-caller in the first round come April, despite the fact both Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota aren’t under contract for next season.

The Draft Wire’s latest mock draft has Tennessee picking at No. 16 overall, behind the Miami Dolphins and ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles.

It also has them selecting an offensive lineman instead of a signal-caller in Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz.

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The analysts at The Draft Network made note of Biadasz’s strengths in a recent analysis.

“Heart and soul of one of the best offensive fronts in the country (2017 and 2018),” it read. “Takes pride in executing assignments and completing tasks successfully. Shows the demeanor and nastiness in order to galvanize an entire group. Loves the process of battles. Fights and strains during every second of plays and displays the want to of playing through the conclusion of plays. Filled out frame in all portions, which are put to good use. Country strength is an easy term to use to describe just how overbearing his natural strength can be for interior defenders. When able to firmly grip and latch on, Biadasz makes it difficult for rushers to disengage from him. Punch timing and locations remained consistent and enables many winning repetitions.”

Obviously, he comes with a list of cons as well.

“Has a propensity of mixing up his approaches when blocking certain techniques,” the analysis read. “These various techniques lead to a mixture of different postures and stances with his lower half. Sometimes his base is too wide, while others it will be too narrow. Large reason why he finishes some plays on his knees or completely falling off balance to the ground.”

It will certainly be interesting to see which prospect, and which positional need the Titans choose to address next year.

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Quarterback is appealing with such a strong class filled with names like Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, Justin Herbert and others — but it’s also evident the Titans have more work to do within the offensive line to this point in the season.

Lions move up to No. 10 in the 2020 NFL Draft order with 3rd straight loss

The Detroit Lions moved into the top 10 in the 2020 NFL Draft order with their sixth loss in seven games

Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys was the third in a row for the Detroit Lions. The defeat dropped Detroit to 3-6-1, but it did move the team up in the 2020 NFL Draft order.

The loss moved the Lions into the No. 10 overall spot. Cleveland’s win on Thursday night pushed the Browns to 4-6 and a better record than the Lions, who sat at No. 11 entering Week 11.

This week’s Lions opponent, the Washington Redskins, currently sits at No. 2 overall with their 1-9 record. There are five other teams with three wins, including the 3-7-1 Arizona Cardinals. Based on strength of schedule, the Lions would win the tiebreaker with the Cardinals (whom they tied) and get the higher draft pick if they both wind up with the same record.

The order entering Monday Night Football in Week 11 for all teams with four or fewer wins, courtesy of Tankathon:

Browns now officially own the Texans’ 3rd-round pick for Duke Johnson

Johnson has 60 carries for 327 yards and 24 receptions for 232 yards in Houston in 2019

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Duke Johnson was active for the Houston Texans in Week 11. When the running back made the active roster for the team’s 41-7 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, it finalized the trade that sent him from Cleveland to Houston this past summer.

Because Johnson has been active for 10 Texans games, the Browns now are guaranteed to earn the Texans’ third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The trade had a conditional draft pick, and the condition was Johnson being active for 10 or more games.

Had Johnson not hit the 10-game threshold, the Browns would have received Houston’s fourth-round pick.

Johnson has 60 carries for 327 yards and 24 receptions for 232 yards in Houston in 2019.

How the Dolphins can enter 2020 draft with three picks in top 20

The Miami Dolphins’ postseason hopes are all but officially over with the team sitting at 2-8. We’ll give you a moment, we know this is sudden and difficult news to swallow. But the push to the postseason will still captivate Dolphins fans …

The Miami Dolphins’ postseason hopes are all but officially over with the team sitting at 2-8. We’ll give you a moment, we know this is sudden and difficult news to swallow.

But the push to the postseason will still captivate Dolphins fans everywhere, because Miami has a lot of skin in the game during this stretch run to the playoffs — namely where the draft picks of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans fall in the draft order. They belong to Miami. This year, more than ever, Dolphins fans should stay tuned into the final leg of the 2019 season. Because while the Pittsburgh Steelers currently sit at 5-5 and the Houston Texans are currently 6-4, both are legit threats to miss the playoffs all together: which would give the Dolphins three picks within the first 20 overall selections in the 2020 NFL Draft.

How do we get there?

Well the Dolphins are locked in. They’ll probably finish the season 3-13 or 4-12. They still hold games against the New York Jets, the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals: they ought to find a win or two along the way. But with many of the top teams still facing each other as well, Miami’s odds of landing a top-5 overall pick are nearly guaranteed at this point unless Dan Marino, Jason Taylor and Richmond Webb show up next week to play the Browns and the rest of the season.

What about the Steelers and the Texans?

Pittsburgh, at 5-5, has a realistic shot to go 4-2 over their final 6 games. They play the Bengals, Browns, Cardinals, Bills, Jets and Ravens. But 9 wins probably doesn’t get you into the postseason in the AFC this season. The Steelers’ hole was mighty big at 1-4 — likely too big to dig out of. The critical games to ensure Pittsburgh doesn’t snag a wild card spot are the obvious games against the Bills and Ravens. Dolphins fans should root hard for Steelers losses there. If they come, Pittsburgh is effective out. Period.

The Texans? They’re 6-4 and they’re facing a pretty interesting final stretch. They play the Colts, Patriots, Broncos, Titans, Bucs and Titans again. At 6-4, Houston can also go 4-2 over this stretch and miss the playoffs. The biggest game in this stretch is the one this week: a home game on Thursday Night against the Colts. We are all Colts fans for this one! If Houston drops their home game against Indy this week and falls in Foxboro to the Patriots the following week to fall to 6-6, the table is set for the Dolphins’ picks to fall into the top-20, even if the Texans were to win out and finish 10-6.

How? Three teams: the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and the Oakland Raiders. If the Colts take the AFC South and push the Texans into the wild card chase, the Dolphins will benefit from every Bills and Raiders win the rest of the way. Buffalo, at 7-3, would need to finish with 4 wins the rest of the way to lock in one spot over Houston. They play the Broncos, Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, Patriots and Jets. Denver, New York and Pittsburgh are all “should win” games — so the pressure then comes to find one win out of three tries against Dallas, Baltimore and New England. The Ravens game is at home.

The Raiders? They’re at 6-4 — so they’ll need to catch fire to ensure they lock Houston out. The good news is the schedule is pretty soft: Jets, Chiefs, Titans, Jaguars, Chargers and Broncos await. The Raiders have better records than every team there except the Chiefs. Could they win all those games?

If they do, Miami would be sitting pretty for the 2020 NFL Draft.

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An updated look at Dolphins’ 2020 1st-round picks after Week 11

Where do each of the Miami Dolphins’ 1st-round picks sit in the current NFL Draft order with 6 games left to play?

All right, everyone. It is time to step back off the ledge. The Miami Dolphins entered Week 11 riding a two-game winning streak, which had seen their odds to finish with the top pick go from about 2 in 3 to 1 in 5. So the pursuit of the top pick? Throw it on ice — because the Dolphins will have to lose out in order to get to that juncture and the Bengals will need to find another win hiding on their schedule aside of a hypothetical win over the Dolphins.

And after some positive run by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans, Dolphins fans began to stress, seeing each of the team’s three first-round draft picks swell to the top of the charts. But all three teams lost this weekend. And some critical competition also won — which has aided the Dolphins’ first-round picks greatly. Let’s get a few more weeks like this one and go from there, shall we?

Here’s where Miami’s picks currently stand:

Miami’s Pick: 4th overall

Business as usual here. The Giants, Redskins and Bengals sit ahead of the Dolphins. Cincinnati is winless at 0-10, the Redskins are 1-9 and the Giants, like the Dolphins, are 2-8 — but the Giants have a softer strength of schedule.

If you like promising foreshadowing, here’s some for you: The Dolphins still have to play the Giants. The Redskins? They play the Giants the following weekend. And Washington also plays a Lions team that is without Matt Stafford and 1-6 in their last seven games. The Bengals still need to play the Jets and Dolphins.

There are 3-4 wins left to be divided among this top four in the order … some of them guaranteed to go to teams other than Miami.

Pittsburgh’s Pick: 15th overall

The Steelers fell to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football and lost center Maurkice Pouncey for the next three games. Mercifully for the Dolphins, the NFL decided not to suspend QB Mason Rudolph, too — who looked completely lost for the Steelers on Thursday night.

RB James Conner is banged up and so is WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Can Minkah Fitzpatrick play wide receiver?

The Steelers sit at 5-5 and play the Bengals this weekend. We are all Bengals fans.

Houston’s Pick: 25th overall

The Texans got absolutely destroyed by the Baltimore Ravens this weekend — like almost as bad as the Dolphins’ loss to Baltimore levels of bad. And that’s great news, given what the postseason forecast holds for the Texans.

But that’s not even the best news. The Texans and Colts are tied atop the AFC South rankings at 6-4 (…why did Miami have to win that game in Week 10?!) and the Oakland Raiders also sit at 6-4 – and out of the playoffs as things currently stand.

Could the Texans miss the playoffs? They’re in for now on tiebreakers, but it is possible this pick could climb even higher.

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OL issues painfully apparent for Dolphins in Week 11 loss to Bills

The Dolphins’ offensive line was crippling in the second matchup this season against the Bills. Should Miami’s draft plans covet OL more?

The Miami Dolphins found themselves in real trouble yesterday after coming out sluggish on offense against the Buffalo Bills. While the halftime score of 23-14 seemed somewhat competitive, keep in mind seven of those points came thanks to a 101-yard kickoff return by Jakeem Grant just before the half. To provide context on Miami’s offensive struggles, the Bills defensive line accounted for six sacks on the afternoon while holding the Dolphins run game to a paltry 23 yards on 13 attempts.

Combine these figures with the apparent “eye test” of Miami’s offensive effort against the Bills and it becomes clear once again that the offensive line is a problem in Miami. A big one.

There are so many holes in the Dolphins’ tanking conspiracy that keep it from holding water — Miami has still won two of their last three games and continues to play aggressive. But with that success comes a higher draft order position — and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering a severe injury this past weekend, perhaps Miami should consider a 2020 NFL Draft strategy that focuses on the trenches.

For those of us who have been saying that the Dolphins should be “Bailing for Burrow”, that in itself looks more difficult by the week. While the LSU Tigers starting man under center is still healthy and heavy favorite to win the Heisman, with Tagovailoa’s injury it is safe to assume that Joe Burrow will be QB1 for many teams — including the 0-10 Cincinnati Bengals.

Yes, Miami can still trade all the picks they’ve stockpiled to draft at whatever spot they want and still have an excess of picks left over — but is it smarter to draft the offensive lineman they want first and get the quarterback later?

Since Laremy Tunsil was shipped to the Houston Texans in the preseason, woes in the protection scheme have been rampant.  If Miami doesn’t address these shortcomings, they find themselves putting their future franchise field general in a situation similar to the one Tagovailoa currently finds himself.

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Texans officially give up 2020 third-round pick to Browns from the RB Duke Johnson trade

The Houston Texans officially will give up a 2020 third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns as part of the trade for RB Duke Johnson.

Not only the Houston Texans lose 41-7 to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium, but they also lost a 2020 third-round draft pick.

One of the conditions of the trade with the Cleveland Browns for running back Duke Johnson was that the Texans would give up a third-round pick if Johnson was active for at least 10 games in 2019. On Sunday, Johnson was on the game day 46. As a result, rather than giving the Browns a fourth-round pick, the selection was upped to a third-rounder.

The Texans may not have got good value out of Johnson on Sunday as he caught two passes for four yards and rushed six times for 40. However, he has been a key part of a dual attack in the Houston backfield alongside running back Carlos Hyde that has helped the club stay diverse in their offensive attack despite Pro Bowl running back Lamar Miller being out for the season with a torn ACL.

Houston doesn’t have a third-round pick as they dealt their third-rounder obtained in the Jadeveon Clowney trade to the Oakland Raiders for cornerback Gareon Conley.

Could Jalen Hurts creep into the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft?

What will the NFL do with the riddle of Jalen Hurts?

Oklahoma Sooners coach Lincoln Riley has produced back-to-back first-overall picks in the NFL draft with quarterbacks Baker Mayfield in 2018 and Kyler Murray in 2019. So why isn’t Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts getting hyped to be a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Hurts is a polarizing prospect, with Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling putting the quarterback in the second round and ESPN’s NFL draft insider Mel Kiper putting him in the fourth- or fifth-round. Kiper said Hurts took a “monumental leap” as a passer this season, but he still doesn’t envision Hurts going in the first three rounds. Here’s what Kiper said on Nov. 7 on ESPN — he’s describing the type of player that will tantalize talent evaluators.

“I think he’s developing into that (a franchise quarterback). Nobody ever thought he would be. I think his development started two years ago at Alabama. He looked like a different quarterback from what he was, so it’s not just what’s happened with Lincoln (Riley), who has done a great job at it. He is a quarterback whisperer, and he is a quarterback mind. But I think it started under Nick Saban at Alabama, and I think if you look at where Jalen is right now at Oklahoma, he could end up being a fourth- or fifth-round pick. Not early, but I think day three is when I think somebody brings him in to the fold. … You know there’s a kid who has an enormous skillset in terms of the mindset of a quarterback — he has it — the willingness to do all the things necessary to develop the skills that he has.”

Hurts’ game against Baylor on Saturday should help his case to keep moving up draft boards (and to stay in the college football playoff hunt). Admittedly Baylor’s passing defense — from a schematic and talent standpoint — won’t challenge Hurts in ways that feels comparable to the NFL. But the Bears did challenge Hurts mentally, and he responded by leading his team on a 25-point comeback. (It’s a deficit Tom Brady knows can be a challenging one to overcome. **cough** 28-3 **cough**)

His first-half stats (8/14 for 80 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) were vastly different than his second-half stats (22/29, 217 yards, 3 TDs). I hate to say it but perhaps he has that “it” factor — the unquantifiable element that seems so necessary for underdog quarterbacks like Brady, Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. Because make no mistake: Hurts is an underdog. (Comparisons to Brady, Wilson and Brees are premature. I’m sorry I’m incidentally making them.) Hurts is not a polished product, particularly when looking at his abilities as a pocket passer. He got benched in a national championship game in a 2017 season at Alabama when he completed 60.8% percent of his passes for 2,081 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception. Those are paltry numbers when compared to his 2019 stats — which have him solidly in the Heisman race.

Under Riley, Hurts has showed physical tools that are just ridiculous. He has 152 carries 983 yards and 15 touchdowns. (15 RUSHING TDS!) That’s a pace that will wallop what Murray did last season (140 rushes, 1,001 yards and 12 TDS).

But of course, Hurts’ production as a runner is, perhaps, a product of his shortcomings as a passer. Hurts’ counting stats are likely to finish below what Murray and Mayfield accomplished in their final seasons under Riley. But from an efficiency standpoint, Hurts has been stellar. He is completing 73% of his passes for 12.3 yards per attempt. That’s better than Murray (69%, 11.0) and Mayfield (70.5%, 11.5).

This isn’t to say that Hurts is a better pro prospect than those players (although, he’s probably a better college football player.) The question will be whether an NFL team is interested and confident enough to customize an NFL system around Hurts’ unique gifts, while developing his passing abilities, much like the Baltimore Ravens did with Lamar Jackson, another outside-the-box but electric threat. And just like Jackson snuck into the back end of the first round, Hurts seems like the type of prospect who could do the same, as the hype continues to grow.

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Tua Tagovailoa injury alters 2020 first-round QB conversation

The Tua Tagovailoa injury appears to alter the draft.

“Tank for Tua” was a common theme surrounding the 2020 NFL draft. After benching Andy Dalton, perhaps no team was more linked to the idea than the Cincinnati Bengals.

As always, the draft outlook can change in a matter of moments. Saturday, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a serious hip injury against Mississippi State.

Tagovailoa was quickly ruled out for the rest of the season, which changes the complexion of the College Football Playoff dramatically. Conversations about whether Tagovailoa should’ve been in the game at all while up 35-7 take center stage.

Aaron Suttles of The Athletic provided the initial information on the extent of the injury:

Word of a full recovery went out later:

Tua himself wasn’t far behind in going public:

With immediate concerns out of the way, it’s worth looking at how the unfortunate circumstance impacts the top of the 2020 draft.

Tua, alongside LSU’s Joe Burrow, was one of two favorites to come off the board first overall. That figures to change now. The path to the draft for Tua is massive — he has to get healthy, show he’s healthy via medical checks, go through the normal draft process and then convince NFL teams he can stay healthy.

With a big question mark there now, the focus fully shifts to Burrow. But remaining slotted with the first pick, no matter how bad things seem, isn’t guaranteed. For now, the only other quarterback with a surefire first-round slotting is Oregon’s Justin Herbert, but he’s had problems keeping pace with Tua and Burrow in the national mindshare.

Maybe another passer emerges during the draft process after the collegiate season. But the potential constricting of first-round options for teams in need of passers is unfortunate. Obviously, the hope is Tua recovers enough to get back in the conversation, but the medical questions NFL front offices were set to put him through just became all the more daunting.

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Jags land 2 pass catchers and 2 DBs in Draft Wire 3-round mock draft

The Jags could use a starting cornerback after trading Jalen Ramsey and Draft Wire slotted the Jags a successor in their latest mock.

Despite the emergence of receiver DJ Chark, many draft pundits have continued to mock Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s not to say we disagree here at the Jags Wire as Lamb is having an unreal season, racking up 44 receptions for 983 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Our comrades at Draft Wire are amongst those on the web who like the fit and slotted him to the Jags in their latest mock draft. They also slotted the Jags a new cornerback to start at Jalen Ramsey’s old spot in Louisiana State’s Kristian Fulton with their second first-round selection form Los Angeles Rams.

13. Jacksonville Jaguars | CeeDee Lamb | WR | Oklahoma

No matter who is playing quarterback for the Jags next year, that passer will need a blue-chip No. 1 receiver to make this offense reach its potential. Lamb has been a one-man highlight reel all season long, and has all the tools to be that player from Day 1.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR) | Kristian Fulton | CB | LSU

After trading away arguably the league’s best corner in Jalen Ramsey, the Jags obviously have a gaping hole on the roster. Why not use one of the picks they got in return to fill that need? Fulton is big, physical, and immediate starter material.

Adding one of college’s most elite playmakers in Lamb sounds like a win in my book. Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew II, and coordinator John DeFilippo certainly wouldn’t complain either, as they could throw some nightmare formations at the opposition with Chark, Lamb, Westbrook, and Conley.

Fulton would be another welcomed addition. We’ve mentioned him in the past as our own Daniel Griffis did a breakdown on him, singling out his hip flexibility and versatility.

The Jags didn’t stop with just one pass catcher in Draft Wire’s mock, though, and were slotted Washington tight end Hunter Bryant, who would provide some much-needed help at the tight end position. They also double-dipped in the secondary by drafting Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield, Jr.

46. Jacksonville Jaguars | Hunter Bryant | TE | Washington

77. Jacksonville Jaguars | Antoine Winfield, Jr. | S | Minnesota

Sure, fans will be quick to point out the fact that the Jags just drafted Josh Oliver, however, we’ve yet to see much out of him. Additionally, the position has been very injury prone with James O’Shaughnessy and Geoff Swaim going on injured reserve and Oliver himself missing the Jags’ first six games. Adding the 6-foot-2, 239-pound Bryant onto the roster could work wonders for the Jags passing offense because he’s tremendous after the catch and is a problem for defensive backs to bring down.

As for Winfield, his name may sound very familiar. That’s because he’s the son of retired NFL great Antoine Winfield Sr., who was a three-time Pro Bowler. Needless to say, Winfield’s elite athleticism rubbed off on his son, who is a rising name in the 2020 NFL Draft after his two-pick performance against Penn State. He has the ball skills in which the Jags could use in their backfield, though Jarrod Wilson and Ronnie Harrison certainly aren’t bad players.