Tag: mock

ESPN mock suggests Cowboys-Chiefs swap of 1st-round draft picks

The Dallas Cowboys are in the unenviable position of having several holes in need of filling and not many arrows in the quiver. After trading their fourth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for backup quarterback Trey Lance, Dallas is set to go …

The Dallas Cowboys are in the unenviable position of having several holes in need of filling and not many arrows in the quiver. After trading their fourth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for backup quarterback Trey Lance, Dallas is set to go over 80 selections between their third and fifth round slots.

Most Cowboys fans see this as a reason, an imperative really, to bail on either their first or second rounder in order to acquire another third or fourth round pick.

In a new mock scenario, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has envisioned fair compensation for all 32 first round picks, and for the Cowboys, he plots out moving down in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. He goes further though, also laying the ground work for a scenario where the Cowboys trade up in the first round, too.

Trade Details:

Chiefs get 1.24 (740 pts on Jimmy Johnson trade chart)
Cowboys get 1.32, 3.95, 5.159 (590+120+27.8 = 738.8 pts on chart)

The Cowboys are about to make a big financial splash, but it’s going to be on players they already have. CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are due new deals that should reset their respective positional markets. Dak Prescott holds all the leverage in his negotiations with the Cowboys, as the quarterback is entering the final year of his deal and cannot be franchised before the 2025 campaign. Those three players have combined to make just under $48 million per year on their current deals; their new contracts could add up to $135 million per season.

The only way to make that work is to cut back elsewhere, which is why the Cowboys have let a handful of starters leave this offseason without replacements. They are going to need to draft well and draft often to thrive with such a top-heavy roster, so moving down and adding two extra picks is logical.

Trade details:

Cowboys get: 1.20, 4.119 (850+58 = 908 pts)
Steelers get: 1.24, 3.87, 5.174 (916.8 pts)

It’s rare to see two of the league’s most storied franchises come together on a trade, but there’s some logic here for both parties. For the Cowboys, this is a chance to move up ahead of the Dolphins and Eagles for interior offensive line help. Assuming that Dallas pushed Tyler Smith to left tackle on a full-time basis, it could be looking to add Graham Barton (Duke) — Mel Kiper Jr.’s top-ranked center — to play guard or center.

While it’s enticing to move up and get the better prospect, Dallas simply can’t afford to end up with less picks than they currently have. It Dallas did the Steelers trade as proposed and grabbed a center, they are likely okay on offensive line with TJ Bass starting at left guard.

The problem is they would only have 2.56 and 4.119 to fill the linebacker and DT holes, and if they did that they’d be waiting until the sixth round, again, to address running back, but that would now be in competition with adding a wideout to the mix, plus getting depth for any other position.

Of the three options, standing pat or moving back seem like the only sensible ones for Dallas.

Latest CBS Sports mock shows Jags taking edge rusher at the top of the draft

Josh Edwards has the Jags sticking with the original plan and taking Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon in his latest mock draft.

There are several valid directions the Jaguars could go in with the first overall pick. There is no obvious value player that fits a position of need like Trevor Lawrence last year, but many feel that the team will draft either an edge rusher or pass rusher.

Even if Jacksonville chooses to go in that direction, there’s still some debate over which prospect to take. For most of the college football season, Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, a former No. 1 overall recruit, seemed to be the guy. But that was before a breakout season from Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, who finished as a Heisman finalist, complicated things.

Still, the latest mock draft from CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards shows the team sticking with the original plan and taking Thibodeaux. Here’s why.

Many are quick to assume Jacksonville will take one of the talented offensive linemen available, but there is still a case to be made for edge rusher. Thibodeaux has more athletic potential than Aidan Hutchinson, so the Jaguars take the Oregon product to pair with Josh Allen.

Thibodeaux’s talent advantage is hard to argue against, but there are valid concerns that he’s raw and Hutchinson is a more pro-ready player. Both have tremendous amounts of upside and should find success in the league, but this pick is about optimizing value for Jacksonville.

Whether that means taking Thibodeaux, Hutchinson or someone else, like Alabama left tackle, Evan Neal, the Jaguars absolutely need to get a Pro Bowl-caliber player with this pick.

7-round, 10-pick Cowboys Mock Draft: Defense and more defense

Defense, defense, defense. With the 2021 draft talent pool finalized and the landscape ever changing, the #Cowboys may need to throw all the darts at fixing the leaky unit. That’s what this particular mock is all about.

With the playoffs careening towards a conclusion and the Dallas Cowboys now several weeks removed from the end of their 2020 season, it’s time to expand the mock. We’re now running a seven-round exercise to help get a better grasp on the talent that could be available at certain points of the season. This week, the defense gets a bunch of help for Dan Quinn.

In real life draft news, the number of eligible prospects has been capped. Underclassmen and seniors who opted out of the 2020 season for COVID-19 concerns had until Monday to declare for the 2021 draft. They still have two days to change their minds, but no more can be added. Here’s a link to the current list. Also, the NFL has scrapped the scouting combine and in-person workouts, meaning that information will be tough to come by until Pro Days, and there’s still no idea how all of that translates. It’s going to be the wild, wild west for the 2021 draft season.

With that in mind, in this iteration there’s a heavy focus on defense. The thinking is, without as much information, more darts have to be thrown at the board so there are more chances of hitting the bulls eye. The team cannot risk not increasing the talent level of the defense so in this exercise conducted on The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Simulator, we centrally focus on that mission.

The first six picks are devoted; first attacking the defensive line, shifting priorities to the secondary, then back to the line and finally the linebackers. From there, some help for the offense, getting some depth for the line and the wideout positions.

Dane Brugler gives Cowboys Tyron Smith protection in 2-round mock draft

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s Mock Draft 2.0 brings the Dallas Cowboys their left tackle of the future in Rashawn Slater.

There’s room for optimism moving forward for the Dallas Cowboys. The disaster that was the 2020 campaign can largely be pinned on a rash of injuries not seen around the Metroplex in some time. To believe that the same kind of bad injury luck won’t rear its ugly head going forward would is fair, but not preparing for the worst would be foolish. This means there will be tough decisions for the front office come April’s NFL Draft.

The prevailing thought is that the Cowboys need to draft defense early and often. There’s no doubt that’s where the team has suffered the most over the years, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has another position in mind in his Mock Draft 2.0. With pick No. 10, Dallas selects:

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
Many fans will disapprove of any pick that isn’t a defensive player, but the Cowboys’ offensive line woes were a constant theme all season. Not only does Slater have NFL-ready talent, he offers the versatility to play tackle or guard, giving the Cowboys much-needed flexibility.

The elephant in the room here is the status of Tyron Smith, perhaps the oldest 30-year-old on the planet. From 2016-2019 he missed three games a season. Last year he played in only two and underwent neck surgery. There’s been a growing undercurrent of concern throughout the season that Smith could hang it up for good. He wouldn’t be the first Cowboys player to retire unexpectedly, but even if he’s able to play the majority of the year, it’s not the worst idea to have a backup plan as talented as Slater ready to go.

Players still on the board at the time are tight end Kyle Pitts out of Florida and cornerback Patrick Surtain II out of Alabama. The age old question of best player available vs. need will be on full display for Dallas in the first round come April. In the second round, Brugler has the Cowboys addressing a hole in the defense that’s existed for nearly two decade.

44. Dallas Cowboys — Trevon Moehrig, FS, TCU
The last time the Cowboys drafted a safety in the first two rounds was when they took Roy Williams in 2002, so Moehrig would go counter to the organization’s drafting history. But he would give Dallas a much-needed upgrade over free safety Xavier Woods.

Adding a safety with a top-50 pick seems like a pipe dream. One would be hard pressed to find another team that’s ignored a position as badly as the Cowboys have ignored free safety. For years it’s been a potpourri of mediocre free agents and mid-to-late-round draft picks manning the spot. This pick is almost too good to be true.

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Where do Florida’s pair of Kyles land in the NFL draft? USA TODAY Sports takes a look

Kyle Trask & Kyle Pitts have given impressive performances this year for UF and are expected to be taken in the NFL draft’s 1st round.

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Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in part below. 

Even for an event defined by uncertainty, this year’s NFL draft could produce an uncommon number of surprises.

With the coronavirus pandemic prompting massive shifts throughout college and the NFL, the scouting process has already been significantly disrupted. Teams will need to account for prospects who have opted out of this year’s season, and scouts’ access to players who are participating has been curtailed. Should such complications continue, intel might be at even more of a premium than usual.

But with the NFL’s regular season reaching its midway point and multiple teams already in dire straits, it’s only natural to look ahead to next year. USA TODAY Sports used the occasion to unveil its first mock draft for 2021, using the current tentative first-round order.

NEXT: Kyle Pitts

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Florida Gators TE Kyle Pitts selected in first-round of Todd McShay’s latest mock draft

Tight end Kyle Pitts was the only Florida Gator to appear in this mock first-round, going off the board to the Buffalo Bills at No. 23.

While we apparently will not see some of the names in action this fall due to the Big Ten and Pacific-12 Conferences postponing their 2020 seasons, ESPN’s Todd McShay released his latest 2021 National Football League Mock Draft on August 12 (subscription required).

The Jacksonville Jaguars, coached by former Syracuse Orange head man Doug Marrone, led the way, selecting Clemson Tigers junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1.

“OK, let’s begin with a no-brainer,” McShay started.

“Lawrence is a once-in-a-decade type of quarterback prospect who currently has our highest Scouts Inc. grade on a QB since Andrew Luck in 2012 (99).

“Jacksonville dealt Nick Foles in the offseason, leaving it with just Gardner Minshew II and Mike Glennon, and Lawrence would step right in for the Jaguars as an immediate game-breaking starter.

“With a big arm, great mobility for his 6-foot-6 frame, excellent poise under pressure and off-the-charts intangibles, it wouldn’t be long before he was among the game’s best.”

The “Washington Football Team,” formerly the Redskins, occupied the No. 2 spot, taking Alabama Crimson Tide junior cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

A Plantation native, Surtain earned Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team honors from the league’s coaches in 2018, and, along with LSU Tigers sophomore Derek Stingley, Jr., has a case to be made for best cornerback in the conference.

Oregon Ducks offensive tackle Penei Sewell, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields, and LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, all also juniors, rounded out McShay’s top-five to the Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins, respectively.

Tight end Kyle Pitts, another junior, was the only Florida Gator to appear in this mock first-round, going off the board to the Buffalo Bills, who recently signed head coach Sean McDermott to a contract extension, at No. 23.

“Stefon Diggs gives Josh Allen help outside, but what about the tight end position?” McShay posed.

“Dawson Knox had flashes in his rookie season, but Buffalo still has a long way to go in seeing what it has in its 2019 third-rounder. Even if Knox pans out, adding a versatile matchup piece like Pitts to the mix would be huge.

“He should continue to get bigger and stronger as a blocker, but his combination of length, speed and route running makes him a first-round talent. Pitts, who led the Gators with 54 catches last season, is the most dangerous seam-stretching tight end in the country.”

Other notable selections include Ohio State redshirt junior cornerback Shaun Wade to the New York Jets at No. 8, Alabama wideouts DeVonta Smith (senior) to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 10 and Jaylen Waddle (junior) to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 11, North Dakota State Bison redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Lance to the Chicago Bears at No. 14, and Michigan Wolverines senior receiver Nico Collins, a Pinson, Alabama native, to the Green Bay Packers at No. 18.

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ESPN has Redskins drafting with the No. 2 overall pick again in 2021

Just weeks after drafting Chase Young at No. 2 overall, the Redskins are being projected to finish at the same place in 2021 again.

The Washington Redskins may be new and improved in 2020, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be good.

After the 2020 schedule was released on Thursday night, many media pundits — including ourselves — made predictions on what their final record would be when all is said and done. Most people have the Redskins pegged for 5-6 wins. ESPN’s latest draft order projection doesn’t give them as much credit.

The Redskins are projected by ESPN to have the No. 2 overall pick once again in 2020, finishing one spot behind the Carolina Panthers. It isn’t so much the defense that causes the uncertainty, but the unknown development of QB Dwayne Haskins and the offense that leaves a lot left to be desired.

We forecast that the Redskins’ defense will improve in 2020, so the issue here is offense and specifically quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Haskins was the least valuable quarterback in the league last season according to both Football Outsiders’ DVOA and ESPN’s QBR. Haskins still has potential, and it’s wrong to write off a young quarterback completely after one bad half-season. Nevertheless, the record of young quarterbacks with similar performances is not a good one.

That’s not a good list to be on. Jared Goff and Alex Smith became capable NFL starters, and Matthew Stafford was close to making this list as a rookie. But overall, quarterbacks who play as poorly as Haskins do not develop into stars. Of course, part of Haskins’ poor performance was the lack of talent around him, but Washington didn’t exactly stock its lineup with new weapons this offseason. Cody Latimer isn’t changing much.

Best-case scenario: Washington’s defensive front full of first-round picks matures and coheres all at once, similar to the San Francisco defensive front a year ago. Chase Young has Nick Bosa’s rookie season. Haskins takes dramatic strides forward in his second season, following the path of Goff and Stafford instead of the path of Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles.

It may be tough to sit through another disastrous season that lands Washington with one of the top overall picks, but as there was in 2019, there will be the same in 2020 — a light at the end of the tunnel. A top-two pick means the Redskins will have the chance to draft either Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, or Oregon LT Penei Sewell, two incredible prospects who have a chance to completely turn around a franchise.

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Which Redskins will have an impact in fantasy football next season?

Fantasy football is a ways out, but it’s never too early to do some research and these are a few players in Washington to keep your eye on.

We don’t yet know when the 2020 NFL season will kick off, or what exactly it will look like whenever games do finally get underway, but one thing is for sure — when games start, fantasy football will be right alongside the action, step for step with the real contests.

The Washington Redskins may not be projected to win many games in 2020, but there are several players on the team who could end up making a difference on your fantasy team. Whether you play in a ‘Just For Fun’ league with your family or work colleagues, or you’re deep in the game with dynasty leagues and auction drafts, these are some names to keep in mind as you start to do draft prep for the coming season.

Redskins to Start With Confidence

Terry McLaurin

Derrius Guice

There really are only two players in Washington who you can have any amount of confidence when throwing into your starting lineup, and one of those players has dealt with a litany of injuries already in his young career, so it may be on a wing and a prayer that you entrust him with a RB2 or FLEX spot any given week. However, if either Terry McLaurin or Derrius Guice are healthy, you can definitely feel good about playing them.

McLaurin had an incredible rookie season, and he burst onto the scene in fantasy right off the bat, with over 60 yards and a touchdown in each of his first three games. As for Guice, he only played in five total games on the year, but he scored three touchdowns in that time, with 245 yards rushing, and seven receptions for 79 yards as well. Both are expected to get better this offseason, and both are projected to shoulder a major load in the Redskins’ offense going forward. Draft them, and start them without a second thought.

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USA TODAY’s ‘Way-too-early 2021 Mock’ has Redskins taking QB Trevor Lawrence No. 1

After having Chase Young fall into their lap in 2020, the Redskins might get lucky again in 2021 with a clear shot to draft Trevor Lawrence.

The rich get richer in the NFL sometimes, don’t they?

That seems to be an absolutely insane statement to say about the Washington Redskins, but when you consider that DE Chase Young fell into their laps with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the guy they are being mocked to get in 2021 may be just as good.

Our friends over at USA TODAY’s Draft Wire recently released their version of a ‘Way too Early 2021 Mock Draft,’ using Vegas Super Bowl odds to determine the order. Unfortunately for the Redskins, they come in last place. Fortunately, that means that Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence is coming to Washington with the No. 1 overall pick.

If you don’t know much about Lawrence, we wrote this earlier in the week when questioning if the Redskins might be apart of the ‘Lose for Lawrence’ sweepstakes:

Above all other prospects stands Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, who stole the show in 2018 when he burst onto the scene and won a National Championship in his freshman year. He almost followed it up again this past year, losing to Joe Burrow and LSU in the championship game. There will obviously be other big names in the class, but it seems like a foregone conclusion that Lawrence will be the first player taken off the board, and teams will likely Lose for Lawrence in the NFL this year, much like they Tanked for Tua last year.

At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Lawrence has a rocket-arm and an immaculate mane of hair. He is almost guaranteed to be the top quarterback taken off the board in 2021, and should the team at No. 1 be in need, he’ll most definitely be taken then. So will the Redskins be in need of a QB? Well, we can’t quite answer that question yet, but it’s not crazy to think. Though we saw some growth from Dwayne Haskins near the end of his rookie year, and all signs point towards him improving in 2020, there are still some doubts that he can be everything that Washington envisioned when drafting him at No. 15 overall in 2019. So if Haskins fails to make the leap, and the Redskins have a chance to draft one of the best QB prospects since Andrew Luck, what do they do? Some may think it’s a tough decision; I think it’s a great problem to have.

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Redskins biggest needs entering Day 3 of 2020 NFL Draft

The Redskins didn’t exactly pick for need in the first two days of the 2020 NFL Draft, so they’ll have a lot of work to do on Saturday.

With two of their seven total picks off the board, the Washington Redskins have a lot of work to do on Saturday if they are going to adequately fill out their roster needs in the 2020 NFL Draft.

While their first two picks have been very well-received by the fanbase, to say the least. neither of them did a whole lot to satisfy positions of need. Taking Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick was the easy choice, as he was the best player in the draft and the team could add him to an already stacked defensive line for free. However, with the No. 66 pick, the Redskins surprised a few people by drafting RB Antonio Gibson, out of Memphis. If you look past the position designation and the early selection of a RB, you’ll find that Gibson is an extremely talented player who can spread out wide and make a difference in the passing game as well. But to the naked eye, it first appeared like Washington reached for a running back when there were valuable players at positions of need on the board.

So as they enter the Day 3 action on Saturday with the second pick coming off the board in the fourth round, what positions might the Redskins take a look at drafting? Here’s our ranking of needs for the final day of the draft.

No. 1 — Tight End

Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet was the first TE taken off the board, and UCLA’s Devin Asiasi, Virginia’s Dalton Keene, and Dayton’s Adam Trautman followed suit, but for the most part, there are still a number of solid TE prospects left on the board. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington take a TE with their first pick on Saturday, but if they don’t there’s no way they make it out of the fourth round without one.

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