25. Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
With Stefon Diggs heading to Buffalo, the Vikings need to add at the wide receiver spot. Their offense needs a receiver who can create after the catch as well as someone who can win at the catch point for Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings can get both in Justin Jefferson. The LSU wideout can make defenders miss after the catch, and if Cousins needs a ball-winner, Jefferson can be that guy, too. Pro Football Focus charting indicates that Jefferson had the best contested-catch conversion rate out of any receiver in this draft class, and his grade on contested-catch situations was 92.3 percent, the strongest category for him.
LSU did not use him a ton in the vertical passing game, as he operated primarily out of the slot, but he posted a 4.43 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, showing that he can get downfield as well, if needed.
Questions about Jefferson center on his ability — or perhaps lack thereof — to create on his own. LSU used him on crossers and in-breaking routes where he could find soft spots and grass, and that makes his ability to consistently beat man coverage a question mark. But in Minnesota’s offense, where those routes off of play-action are a staple, he would be an ideal fit and in position to contribute immediately.
26. Miami Dolphins: Zach Baun, LB, Wisconsin
After the trade up to grab Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins are finally back on the clock. Should the board fall this way, they could go in a few different directions. They could look to add a running back, but with the addition of Jordan Howard in free agency, that becomes a position the Dolphins can wait to address. They could look to an offensive tackle, but with the top five players at that position off the board, forcing a pick is not in their best interest. Yes, Austin Jackson is well liked in NFL circles and has some raw tools, but his failure to progress from 2018 to 2019 is a bit unsettling.
Brian Flores and Chris Grier can look to the defensive side of the ball and make another smart addition, adding Zach Baun from Wisconsin. Baun might have a similar skill set to Kyle Van Noy, whom the Dolphins added in free agency, but where Van Noy has the ability to play both inside and outside on the second level, Baun might be best utilized on the outside to begin his NFL career.
The Wisconsin product has the athleticism to operate in space and as a man- or zone-coverage defender, plus the pass-rushing skills to be a factor coming off the edge. Last season, he generated pressure on 16.5 percent of his pass-rushing opportunities, which tied him for sixth in the nation. Flores will now have a defense that can cover and pressure — everything he wants on that side of the football.
27. Seattle Seahawks: Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State
While the market for free agent edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney remains a question, the Seahawks still will need to add to their pass rush even if he returns to the Pacific Northwest. Last year, even with Clowney in the fold, the Seahawks generated more pressure than just one NFL team: the Miami Dolphins. Whether Clowney is back or not, they need another pass-rusher.
Yetur Gross-Matos gets them that player. He might be raw, but his length, size and pass-rushing moves make him a very interesting option for Seattle. Watching him on film, you do see that some of his best work comes when he is kicked inside, but with Bruce Irvin returning to Seattle and potentially Clowney as well, Pete Carroll could conceivably use him inside and get him favorable matchups to start his career. Even with some of these questions about his game, Gross-Matos tallied nine sacks, five quarterback hits and 22 QB hurries. Seattle would like that kind of production out of someone not named Clowney next season.
28. Baltimore Ravens: Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
Eric DeCosta has been busy this offseason, making some acquisitions with a focus on the defensive side of the football. The Ravens traded for Calais Campbell and added Jihad Ward, and after the acquisition of Michael Brockers fell through, they added Derek Wolfe on the open market. They also used the franchise tag on outside linebacker/edge rusher Matt Judon.
Offensively, the Ravens traded away Hayden Hurst and saw Marshal Yanda retire. Yet given the tight end depth already in place, plus the fact that the later rounds are probably a better time to target the interior offensive line, DeCosta can look elsewhere. Here he adds a deep ball threat for Lamar Jackson with Denzel Mims, the Baylor wideout.
Mims might not be the most refined route-runner — and part of that is due to operating in an offense that asked him to run either a slant or a go most of the time — but he is a vertical threat and a great weapon on back-shoulder throws. He has also enjoyed a stellar pre-draft process, first in Mobile for the Senior Bowl and then at Indianapolis for the combine, when he posted a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash with a 1.51 10-yard split. Given how often the Ravens use 12 personnel, they could roll out a combination of Mims and Hollywood Brown as their two wideouts next season and really put some stress on defenses.
29. Tennessee Titans: Cameron Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State
The Titans, fresh off their run to the AFC Championship Game, are doing what they can to get the band back together. They reached a long-term extension with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, enabling them to apply the franchise tag to running back Derrick Henry. They also made some acquisitions in free agency, including Vic Beasley, but the release of Cameron Wake makes pass-rush an option for them with this selection.
However, they also need to address the secondary. Perhaps they find a way to bring Logan Ryan back into the fold, as he is still available on the open market, but both he and Malcolm Butler struggled at times last season. That makes cornerback an option at this spot, and the Titans address the position by adding Cameron Dantzler from Mississippi State.
This might be a surprising selection, with both Trevon Diggs and A.J. Terrell on the board, but the Titans are looking at the scheme fit with this pick. A year ago, the Titans were predominantly a zone-coverage team, running zone on 64 percent of their snaps. Dantzler is solid in both zone and man coverage, while Diggs and Terrell are at their best in man coverage. That flexibility makes the Mississippi State product a wise choice for Tennessee.
30. Green Bay Packers: Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado
Now let’s have some fun.
Some of the best information you can learn about a prospect during the media portions of the scouting combine are when you ask their teammates about them. Especially when you ask a quarterback about his receivers. During his media session in Indianapolis, Colorado quarterback Steven Montez gushed about his favorite target, Laviska Shenault: “Laviska is a security blanket. He’s supremely talented. He’s a big target. He’s fast. He can kind [of] do it all. I think he’s unguardable.”
Shenault aggravated a groin injury at the combine, which subsequently required surgery, so the 4.58 that he posted in the 40-yard dash should be taken with a grain of salt. When healthy, he is a weapon all over the field, as Colorado used him at boundary wide receiver, in the slot, in the backfield, at quarterback and even at tight end. He is dynamic with the football in his hands, and he broke 29 tackles in 2018 and 15 tackles in 2019. He could be a running back if he wanted to, and Pro Football Focus lead analyst Mike Renner compared him to Saquon Barkley, of all players — and if you want some video evidence to support that position:
At the Senior Bowl, I asked @CUBuffsFootball LB Davion Taylor if there was a play he will always remember about WR Laviska Shenault. This is it.
4th-and-1. Tie game. 1 minute left. Watch Shenault plow over a LB!
“I’ve never seen anything like it. He can do anything.” #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/9XJ8m2T4rD
— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) January 31, 2020
Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur would love to have another receiving threat across from Davante Adams, but Shenault gives them more than that. He gives the Packers an offensive weapon that can win matchups at various levels of the field. From the slot, out of the backfield and out wide, Shenault can win one-on-one situations. With positionless football becoming the wave of the future, Shenault is a great selection for Green Bay.
31. Indianapolis Colts: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
VIA trade with the San Francisco 49ers. Indianapolis sends picks No. 34 and 122 in exchange for pick No. 31.
The Colts and the 49ers already executed one pre-draft trade, with the Colts sending San Francisco the 13th overall selection for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. But they are not done trading, and with quarterback Jordan Love falling almost out of the first round, the Colts dip back into the first and grab their quarterback of the future.
From San Francisco’s perspective, currently without another selection until the fifth round, some additional picks on Day 2 would be a nice acquisition. For the Colts, despite signing Philip Rivers in free agency, the veteran QB is probably a one- to two-year plan at most. In Love, the Colts and Frank Reich can acquire their quarterback for the next five years, but put him on a developmental arc similar to what Patrick Mahomes enjoyed behind Alex Smith in Kansas City.
Love has a tremendous arm and upper-level athleticism, but he’ll need some time to develop. Landing in Indianapolis with a coach in Reich who has some experience developing a QB is an ideal spot.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
The defending Super Bowl champions don’t have a ton of needs at this point, but some depth at cornerback would be at or near the top of any such list. They lost Kendall Fuller to Washington in free agency, and adding a corner to the mix makes a lot of sense.
Trevon Diggs, the Alabama cornerback, would be an ideal selection for the Chiefs, and his ability to step in and be a press-coverage corner, coupled with his experience in a diversified coverage scheme under Nick Saban, makes him a likely Week 1 starter in the NFL. Pro Football Focus charted him with allowing a completion rate of just 42.3 percent, and he forced incompletions over 20 percent of the times he was targeted.
Diggs was also a machine deeper down the field. When targeted between 10 and 19 yards downfield, he allowed just four catches on 11 targets for a meager 21.4 passer rating. On downfield throws, Diggs was almost as good, giving up a catch on just four of his 18 targets for a passer rating of just 37.5.