9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
The Jaguars are hitting the reset button. Most of the pieces from their run to the 2017 AFC Championship Game are elsewhere, save for Yannick Ngakoue, who is likely to be traded sometime in the next few weeks. They need help on both sides of the football, but with Calais Campbell now in Baltimore, Ngakoue likely heading out of town, and Taven Bryan not living up to his first-round billing, the interior of the defensive line could use an injection of talent.
Enter Javon Kinlaw, who can be a true disruptive force on the interior of the defensive line. Turn on his film, and you can see the explosiveness off the line, and his combination of length and burst will make an immediate impact for Jacksonville’s defense. As described in the Pro Football Focus draft guide, “Kinlaw’s blend of size, length, explosiveness, and production is a tried and true winning formula when projecting to the NFL. No one is a ‘sure thing’ in the NFL draft, but drafting Kinlaw is a very low-risk proposition.”
When it comes to applying pressure from the inside, Kinlaw checks that box. He had 26 hurries last season, and according to PFF, his pass-rush win rate of 18.1% placed him second in college football among all interior defensive lineman with 250 or more pass-rushing snaps. Only Missouri’s Jordan Elliott had a better mark.
10. Cleveland Browns: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
Free agency gave us a better idea of how the Browns’ offense is going to operate under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. They acquired tight end Austin Hooper, and given how often Stefanski ran 12 personnel last season with the Minnesota Vikings you can expect to see Hooper and even David Njoku a great deal. They acquired former Titans tackle Jack Conklin, and you can expect him sliding immediately into the right tackle spot in front of Baker Mayfield.
Yet they still need a left tackle, and that is where Andrew Thomas comes into the picture. A stalwart left tackle in the SEC, Thomas has a blend of power and athleticism that is ideal for the NFL. He moves extremely well, and that is an ideal fit for an offense expected to rely heavily on the outside zone running game.
Some observers might have concerns about how Georgia’s run-heavy offense, which uses tight ends heavily to aid in the blocking effort, might have lessened the load for Thomas. But any such worries can be alleviated by the offense he’ll be stepping into with the Browns. A system that relies heavily on 12 and even 21 personnel with new fullback Andy Janovich would be a great setting for Thomas to embark upon his NFL career.
11. New York Jets: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
The Jets need to do two things to help young quarterback Sam Darnold: shore up the offensive line and give him weapons — especially in the wake of Robby Anderson leaving town. They threw a lot of money at the first issue, adding George Fant, Connor McGovern and Greg Van Roten to the offensive line in free agency. Now they address the second, getting one of the top three wide receivers in this year’s draft.
CeeDee Lamb might not be the speed demon that the Jets lost in Anderson, but everything else the Oklahoma product brings to the table is near-elite. He is an advanced route-runner with great ball skills, and his 26 broken tackles flash what he can do with the football in his hands. Some might still have concerns about his long speed, but his 10-yard split of 1.46 seconds — which puts him in the 99th percentile among wide receivers — demonstrates that he can win where it matters in the NFL. With so many offenses concentrated in the short- and intermediate-areas of the field, especially Adam Gase’s system, Lamb is an ideal fit.
12. Las Vegas Raiders: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
The Raiders need more weapons on the outside for quarterback Derek Carr. Three wideouts on their current roster caught more than 35 passes a season ago: Hunter Renfrow (49) and Tyrell Williams (42) with the Raiders, and Nelson Agholor (39) with the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s it; that’s the list.
It is not a list that inspires confidence.
Gruden needs a solid route-runner for his West Coast system and a receiver that can win near the line of scrimmage. He will get that in Jeudy. His short-area quickness and change-of-direction ability make him an ideal fit for Gruden’s system, and his ability to turn short throws into huge plays are the philosophical root of the West Coast offense. He didn’t blow the doors off at the scouting combine, with a 20-yard shuttle of 4.53 seconds (just in the sixth percentile among wideouts). But like Lamb, his 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash (1.48 seconds) puts him in the 99th percentile among WRs and speaks to his ability to win in Gruden’s system. Get him involved on some slants, juke routes and crossers and let him thrive.
13. San Francisco 49ers: Henry Ruggs, III, WR, Alabama
It’s a run on wide receivers!
When the 49ers sent DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for this selection, it gave them two picks in the first round and a ton of options. San Francisco does not have a ton of holes, but the loss of Buckner up front might point them toward Auburn’s Derrick Brown if the board fell this way. They also could address the secondary, as our Doug Farrar predicted in his recent mock draft, tabbing Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs in this spot.
But with the chance to grab one of the top wideouts in this class to replace Emmanuel Sanders, who departed for the New Orleans Saints in free agency, John Lynch turns in the card with Ruggs’ name on it. Ruggs has exceptional speed; it shows on film, and it showed when he rocketed to a 4.27 40-yard dash at the combine. But he also posted a 42-inch vertical jump and a 10-yard split of 1.43 seconds, both impressive numbers. On film, he stresses defenses down the field, but don’t sleep on what he can do in the short and intermediate areas as well. According to charting from Pro Football Focus, Ruggs had 10 receptions on 14 targets for two touchdowns and a passer rating of 153.3 on throws from 0-9 yards, and 14 receptions on 18 targets for two touchdowns and a passer rating of 155.8 on throws from 10-19 yards. He is a solid route-runner, and with his speed, he’s a home-run threat even on the slant route:
In case you didn't already know, HENRY RUGGS IS INCREDIBLY FAST. pic.twitter.com/BKdh50EJh3
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 14, 2019
That will work in the NFL.
15. Denver Broncos: Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
John Elway would love to add a wide receiver in this draft, which would give Courtland Sutton a running mate and young quarterback Drew Lock another weapon in the passing game. But with the trio of Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb coming off the board in the prior three selections, the general manager needs to look at addressing another area.
The Broncos lost Chris Harris Jr. in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers, and even though they acquired A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars, cornerback is another area they could address at this spot. With Jeff Okudah off the board, they turn to Kristian Fulton, the talented cornerback from the defending national champions.
Fulton is a sticky man-coverage corner who has great balance, change of direction ability and clicks-and-closes like he is being shot out of a cannon. In the modern NFL, when a huge number of throws are attempted in the range of 10-19 yards, Fulton is as close to a shutdown corner as you can find. Pro Football Focus charted him allowing just nine receptions on 21 targets in that area of the field last season, for just a single touchdown while allowing a passer rating of just 63.2.
For good measure, PFF lead analyst Mike Renner offered A.J. Bouye as a comparison for Fulton in PFF’s draft guide. It wouldn’t be bad to have those two guys prowling your secondary.
16. Atlanta Falcons: Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn
The Falcons could go in two different directions at this spot. They might want to address the cornerback position, given the departure of Desmont Trufant. Or they could look to address the edge, given the loss of Vic Beasley. While they added Dante Fowler Jr. from the Los Angeles Rams, pass rushing is at a premium in today’s NFL.
But the value of Derrick Brown falling into their lap is just too good to pass up.
Brown is another top-flight interior defender with the ability to play almost anywhere up front, and the ability to truly be a destructive force against the run and as an interior pass-rusher. He has great hand usage for an interior defensive lineman, and over his time at Auburn, he developed into a premier pass rusher. Last season, he tallied 20 hurries, 10 quarterback hits and five sacks. Pairing him on the interior with Grady Jarrett immediately helps the entire Atlanta defense.