Tag: Javon Kinlaw

Todd McShay’s 2020 NFL Mock Draft has the Buccaneers adding size to their defensive line

See who Todd McShay foresees joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s not the holiday season until we get our first Todd McShay NFL mock draft.

With the Heisman Trophy ceremony out of the way and the College Football Playoff set — as well as the NFL regular season winding down — we can finally turn our attention to next year’s draft as we try and figure out where the nation’s top prospects will land.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s looking more and more likely that they’ll be picking in the middle of the first round. The Buccaneers were 3-7 at this point exactly one month ago, but they’ve gone on a four-game winning-streak since then to bring their record back to .500. Where once it looked like the Bucs were for sure going to look the draft for a new quarterback, it’s starting to look like Jameis Winston will return next year.

So, what position should the Bucs target if they don’t go quarterback? According to McShay’s first mock draft, he has Tampa Bay taking South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw with the 17th pick.

Here’s what McShay had to say about the (mock) selection:

“The Bucs still need to answer the ‘Is Jameis Winston our quarterback?’ question, and that offensive line shouldn’t be ignored. But with no value available on the board at either position, we turn to the best available player: Kinlaw. Ndamukong Suh, Beau Allen and Jason Pierre-Paul are all set to hit the open market, so Tampa Bay could use Kinlaw’s versatility and twitchiness on that defensive line.”

Kinlaw would certainly help fill the void in the defensive front should the Bucs lose Suh or others in the offseason. Suh only signed a one-year deal with the Bucs, so finding a true replacement for Gerald McCoy is still a priority for this team. Kinlaw looks to fit the bill.

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Who did Colts select in Draft Wire’s latest 3-round mock draft?

A look at the Colts’ crop in the latest mock draft.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-70 are facing official elimination from the playoffs when they travel south to take on the New Orleans Saints (10-3) in a primetime matchup Monday night.

With the Colts’ season all but over, much of the focus has been shifted to who they might select in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. While that is still a long way away, it will soon become the dominating topic of discussion.

Here is who the Colts took in Draft Wire’s latest three-round mock draft:

15. DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

36. WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

46. S Xavier McKinney, Alabama

77. CB Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State

What the Colts will actually do in the draft is impossible to tell. Even in the week leading up to the draft, it will be immensely difficult to figure out what direction they go in.

Many are vying for a quarterback in this year’s class. With the struggles of Jacoby Brissett and the questions that have risen with him as a franchise quarterback, there are many hoping that general manager Chris Ballard pulls the trigger if the opportunity presents itself.

If they don’t, though, there are other positions that need help as well. The Colts must add impact players to the interior defensive line. They must also add more depth to the wide receiver position.

Free agency will dictate much of what the Colts do in the draft, but there are plenty of options that could help them when April rolls around.

Draft Wire’s latest mock draft has Bucs adding size to their defensive line

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could find their defensive tackle of the future in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As we get closer and closer to the end of the 2019 NFL season, the draft order for 2020 is becoming clearer and clearer.

For the 4-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they currently hold the 12 spot, which in the past has produced some quality picks, like Vita Vea for the Bucs in 2018 and Deshaun Watson for the Texans the year before that.

While the Bucs would certainly love it if a quarterback of Watson’s caliber were available at that spot in the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s looking more and more likely that the three biggest QB names on the board — Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert — could be gone by the time Tampa Bay is on the clock, at least, according to the latest mock draft from Draft Wire.

While finding an offensive lineman might be the team’s biggest need after quarterback, Draft Wire has the Bucs adding size and strength to their already formidable defensive line with the selection of South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

Kinlaw, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound senior, could be the perfect replacement for Ndamukong Suh, who signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in the offseason shortly after the release of Gerald McCoy. Kinlaw is larger than Suh and also a decade younger. Pairing him with Vea could help the Bucs maintain their strong defensive front for years to come.

Kinlaw would certainly be a welcome addition, and given that the Bucs used several draft picks in April on their secondary, perhaps adding to the defensive line could be the way to go this time around.

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Draft Wire pairs Lions and DT Javon Kinlaw in consecutive Mock Drafts

In Draft Wire’s latest 2020 mock draft, they have the Detroit Lions targeting three potential defenders, all at serious positions of need.

With every loss, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) fan base interest in the 2020 NFL Draft grows. The latest updated draft order has the Lions picking 10th overall putting them in an excellent position to land another quality player and to the surprise of no one, that person plays on defense.

Our brother site Draft Wire has been knocking out draft content year-round and in their latest 3-round mock draft, not only do they have the Lions drafting defense in all three rounds, but they have paired the team with the same first-rounder in consecutive weeks.

With the 10th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select:

Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina, 6-5, 308

Here is Luke Easterling’s explanation for pairing Kinlaw with the Lions:

“Matt Patricia’s defense needs more help across the board in the trenches, making this pick a choice between the best value at defensive tackle or on the edge. In this scenario, Kinlaw’s incredible athleticism and limitless upside give him the nod.”

A 2-gapper who will primarily line up at the 3-technique, but can spend time at the 1, 4i, and 5-techniques. Kinlaw’s game is drenched in length and power which makes him an elite run defender, but he also possesses more pass-rushing skills than he is given credit for.

Lions Wire’s own Jeff Risdon has compared Kinlaw to the Pro Bowl version of Shaun Rogers because “they play with a similar style and destructive athletic dominance on the interior”.

With pick 42 in the second round, Easterling has the Lions selecting:

Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State, 6-5, 265

So you want a pass rusher, right? Well, Gross-Matos is a supreme athlete who has the size/length of Romeo Okwara combined with the positional versatility of Trey Flowers — both can also line up on the edge and at the 3-technique.

Gross-Matos is still raw in a lot of areas but he has a loaded toolbox and the potential to develop into an impact player.

With enough length and power to set the edge, Gross-Matos would fit like a glove in the coach Matt Patricia’s defensive scheme, while his pass-rushing ceiling would potentially fill a major hole in the Lions defensive front.

With pick 74 in the third round, Easterling has the Lions selecting:

Lavert Hill, CB, Michigan, 5-11, 181

The Lions stay local here, grabbing the Detroit Martin Luther King high school product. The Lions need help at corner and Hill fits the scheme profile as a multi-year starter in Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown’s aggressive man coverage defense.

Hill is very aggressive and attacks the ball with ferocity, which often leads to pass breakups and interceptions in coverage. In the video clip below, Hill shows his natural instincts to locate the ball at the same time as the receiver, then stacking the route to give him an angle on the ball. Just textbook stuff from Hill here:

That’s as good as you can do it.

Hill’s size does leave something to be desired in this scheme, but he has the identical measurements as Justin Coleman and offers the same ability to play in the slot and on the outside.

2020 NFL draft order: Look at where Eagles stand with 1st-round pick after Week 11

The Philadelphia Eagles would currently hold the No. 15 pick in the NFL Draft.

The Philadelphia Eagles currently sit at 5-5 on the NFL season, with hopes of a playoff run during the next six weeks.

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If the Eagles are unable to make the playoffs, they’ll settle somewhere into the middle of the first round, hoping to use that pick on a possible wide receiver or young cornerback. With Week 12 of the NFL regular season upon, Draft Wire broke the selection order for the NFL Draft and as it stands right now, the Eagles would be picking at No. 15 in the first round.

As it currently stands, the Eagles would have options at No. 15. If they decide to address the defensive line, they could target South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw, a strong and forceful defensive tackle.

If not a defensive tackle, the Birds could have their choice of either Oklahoma wideout CeeDee Lamb, Florida cornerback, CJ Henderson, Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Mock draft watch: Lions haul in major help in the latest 3-rounder from Draft Wire

Two ready-to-roll defensive linemen and an impact wide receiver join the Lions in this fantasy projection

The latest three-round mock draft update from our friends at Draft Wire is one that should pique some intrigue among Detroit Lions fans. Disconsolate over the direction of the defense? You’re gonna like this one…

This edition breaks from the prior versions where the first-rounder has been a defensive back. It’s still defensive help, just in much brawnier fashion at the No. 11 pick.

South Carolina’s wrecking ball of a defensive tackle that is Javon Kinlaw gets the nod in edit Luke Easterling’s latest. It’s a pick that makes a lot of sense,

Matt Patricia’s defense needs more help across the board in the trenches, making this pick a choice between the best value at defensive tackle or on the edge. In this scenario, Kinlaw’s incredible athleticism and limitless upside give him the nod.

I have personally compared Kinlaw to the healthy and motivated Shaun Rogers of his Pro Bowls years; they play with a similar style and destructive athletic dominance on the interior.

The second round brings talented Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson. With only Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones under contract at WR  after this season (and both potential free agents after 2020), adding receiving help is a major imperative.

In the third round, Draft Wire sticks close to Detroit. Michigan State EDGE Kenny Willekes joins the Lions with the No. 75 overall pick. That’s decent value for a high-floor, high-motor player who plays the run well on his way to the passer.