Touchdown Wire’s mock draft 4.0: Anticipating trades and surprises

In Touchdown Wire’s mock draft 4.0, trades alter the strategy of several teams, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the heart of the action.

17. Dallas Cowboys: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

(Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

The Cowboys added to their defensive line during free agency, acquiring Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe. But they still have a need on the edge opposite Demarcus Lawrence, and they can fill it by drafting the LSU edge-rusher.

Chaisson might make for an interesting evaluation in the scouting community, raising the question of tools versus production. Chaisson has the tool kit to take over a game, but he never really showed that while at LSU. His production did take a big step forward last season, as his seven sacks, seven hits and 21 quarterback hurries were all career highs. In addition, he recorded four or more pressures in each of his last four games of the season.

But he does have an array of moves and the natural bend that are critical to playing the position at a high level:

With the presence of Lawrence on one edge, the Cowboys can bet on Chaisson producing on the other with his set of traits and skills.

18. Washington Redskins: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

VIA trade with the Washington Redskins. Miami sends pick  Nos. 5 and 18 in exchange for pick No. 2.

Having traded out of the second spot, Washington is on the clock again in the first round. The addition of Jeff Okudah earlier provides a top-flight cornerback, and now Washington can turn to the offensive line with this selection.

The relationship with left tackle Trent Williams seems strained beyond repair, meaning Washington should look to address that position with this selection. Trading back to 18 puts them out of range for one of the top four tackles, but there are two others making some first-round noise: Austin Jackson from USC and Josh Jones from Houston.

The Redskins roll with Jones, who put together a solid week of work in Mobile for the Senior Bowl. There are some, including Pro Football Focus and Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, that put Jones alongside the top four tackles in the draft:

Jones has been almost dominant as a pass blocker over his time at Houston. PFF charted him with allowing just 18 pressures on 1,282 pass blocking snaps over the past three years. By contrast, according to PFF’s charting, the Redskins’ starting tackle tandem last year of Morgan Moses and Donald Penn allowed 37 and 34 pressures, respectively.

While trading out of the No. 2 spot means Washington passes on Chase Young, coming out of the draft with a lockdown cornerback and a potential bedrock left tackle in the first round would be a haul.

19. Las Vegas Raiders: C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

The Raiders made some solid acquisitions on both sides of the football and even added to their cornerback room in free agency, signing Eli Apple. Now, Apple was pretty solid as a press coverage cornerback, allowing just 0.87 yards per press coverage snap during the 2019 season, which led us at Touchdown Wire to name him one of the league’s top reclamation projects for the 2020 season.

Nevertheless, the Raiders could still look to add talent at corner, leading them to C.J. Henderson from Florida. The former Gator took a step back last season, perhaps due to injuries, allowing 20 receptions on 37 targets for 389 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and a passer rating of 109.0 when targeted. He also finished the season without an interception. That is a far cry from what he did as a freshman in 2017, when he allowed a passer rating of 74.1 with three touchdowns and four interceptions, and a huge drop from 2018, when he allowed a passer rating of just 49.4 when targeted.

He remains, despite that drop-off, a very solid man-coverage cornerback. Turn on the tape, and you will see why. Watch as he stays in perfect positioning on this vertical route and then makes the play at the catch point:

With Apple and Henderson, the Raiders might have a stout duo of coverage corners.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars, Grant Delpit, S, LSU

(Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)

As the Jaguars look to rebuild their defense, they address another position on that side of the football with their second first-round selection. Javon Kinlaw gives them an athletic presence up front, and now they add athleticism on the back of the defense by grabbing the LSU safety.

Grant Delpit may have his detractors, and those who doubt him point to missed tackles as a red flag. But Delpit has the size, length and athleticism to erase tight ends early in the NFL. Delpit also has the change-of-direction ability and route recognition that make him savvy in zone coverage, as well as a force down near the line of scrimmage. He is also a versatile defender that the Jaguars could use in a variety of ways. Last season alone, he saw snaps at free safety (385), box safety (149), slot cornerback (316), defensive line (24) and even at boundary cornerback (10). The team that does not overthink the tackling issues and looks at what he brings to the table is going to be happy with its decision.

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU

(Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports)

Down the stretch last season, Carson Wentz was throwing to a cast of thousands at the wide receiver spot. His most consistent target was likely Greg Ward Jr., a former college quarterback who grew into a role as a slot receiver. Even though Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson are slated to come back from injury, the Eagles need more help at wide receiver.

Enter Jalen Reagor, who despite poor quarterback play at TCU put enough on film — and performed well enough at the combine — to lock up a first-round selection. Reagor is scary after the catch but still has enough in the tank to get open deep, making him almost an ideal fit for Doug Pederson’s West Coast offense. Watch as he gets inside of this defender and then stacks him on his back. Only a poor throw prevents the touchdown:

But before you classify him as just a burner, watch the footwork on this Dino post route:

His route-running, vertical awareness and ability after the catch will make him a huge asset in the Eagles’ offense.

22. Minnesota Vikings: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

Last year, the following cornerbacks saw the bulk of coverage snaps for the Minnesota Vikings: Mackensie Alexander (369), Trae Waynes (461) and Xavier Rhodes (472).

All three players have new homes. Only Mike Hughes, who was fourth in coverage snaps for the Vikings with 326 returns next season.

That makes cornerback a need. Minnesota could also consider a wide receiver here in this spot, but while that position is deep in this draft, cornerback starts to thin out. With a few of the top corners already off the board, Minnesota grabs a solid fit with Jeff Gladney from TCU. Gladney is a stout coverage corner who plays down on underneath routes with the ability to break deep and stay on vertical stuff. He is also effective at the line of scrimmage with the ability to re-route receivers using his footwork. Mike Zimmer could plug him in opposite Hughes and feel comfortable about his secondary.

23. New England Patriots: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama

(Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

But Jordan Love is still on the board …

Yes, the New England Patriots need a new starting quarterback for the first time in a lifetime, but the plan in Foxborough does seem to be the Jarrett Stidham Show. The organization appears pleased with what he displayed from a developmental perspective a season ago, and the acquisition of Brian Hoyer as a potential backup/mentor points to Stidham taking the reins.

That leads us to other needs on this roster. Quietly, the Patriots’ defense needs some new blood, given losses on that side of the football. Linebacker might be a need, with Elandon Roberts, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins all leaving town, but Bill Belichick also lost safety Duron Harmon. Belichick values the safety position and relies heavily on a number of three-safety packages. That makes Xavier McKinney a likely target for Belichick.

Last season, the Crimson Tide used McKinney all over the field, including at free safety (272 snaps), box safety (285 snaps) and in the slot (227 snaps). That makes him ideal to both replace Harmon, but also serve as a backstop for veteran Patrick Chung, who sees a large percentage of his snaps down in the box or even aligned as a linebacker. Coming from Nick Saban’s system, which asks a lot of its defensive players, McKinney will be ready to step into Belichick’s defensive scheme on Day One. That might help, given the potential for rookie minicamp and even training camp to be delayed in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.

24. New Orleans Saints: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

(Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

The Saints don’t have a ton of needs, and they already addressed one of their biggest in free agency when they added wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to work opposite Michael Thomas. Linebacker is another need, and they can shore up that position by grabbing the raw but talented Patrick Queen from LSU.

Queen is young — set to turn 21 right before the 2020 season begins — and he might need to add some mass at the next level, but he looks the part of the modern NFL linebacker. He is great in coverage and shows the ability to read and drive down on underneath routes better than most of his peers. He allowed just  half a yard per coverage snap this season, which is an incredible statistic against SEC competition, and it was his first season with a big number of snaps (780 in 2019, as opposed to just 250 in 2018). With his potential for growth and high ceiling, Queen just might give the Saints a cornerstone defensive piece with this pick.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5