9. Denver Broncos: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
VIA trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Terms of the trade: Jacksonville trades No. 9 overall pick to Denver in exchange for picks Nos. 15 and 46.
We have our first trade.
The Denver Broncos were sitting pretty just a few weeks ago with the 15th overall selection. But then circumstances changed in front of them. The Indianapolis Colts, a team perhaps eyeing a quarterback with the 13th selection, traded out of that spot with the San Francisco 49ers. The New York Jets lost Robby Anderson. Suddenly, a number of teams that might be looking to acquire a wide receiver are in front of Denver, and that includes the Las Vegas Raiders, who would love to add another wideout.
Given that the Broncos need to put another weapon in place for Drew Lock, they cannot afford to see who might fall to them at 15. So they trade up with the Jacksonville Jaguars and make sure they get their guy.
That guy? CeeDee Lamb, a well-rounded wide receiver with a tremendous catch radius and incredible route-running skills. Pairing him with Courtland Sutton, along with tight end Noah Fant working the middle of the field, gives Lock some ideal weapons to throw to over the next few seasons.
10. Cleveland Browns: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
Cleveland was one of the more active teams in free agency, and one of their big acquisitions was a huge addition to the offensive line. The Browns added right tackle Jack Conklin, and in doing so made sure they have one bookend tackle in place to protect Baker Mayfield.
But they still need to lock down the other side of the line. With both Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills Jr. off the board, the Browns have perhaps the top tackle in the class — and a left tackle at that — fall into their laps. Thomas allowed just a single sack last season while protecting Jake Fromm’s blind side, and on film he has the movement skills, strength and footwork needed for an NFL left tackle.
11. New York Jets: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
This offseason, the New York Jets focused on protecting Sam Darnold. They added guard Greg Van Roten, guard Josh Andrews, center Connor McGovern, and left tackle George Fant. They also signed guard Alex Lewis to a contract extension and even signed centers Jimmy Murray and Brad Lundblade to futures contracts.
But with the loss of Robby Anderson in free agency, wide receiver is a position of need. That brings them to Jerry Jeudy, the Alabama prospect who has drawn favorable comparisons to players such as Amari Cooper, Santonio Holmes and even Odell Beckham Jr. Jeudy is a full-body route-runner, skilled enough to give the Jets a full route tree as a rookie. He also has the ability to play both inside and outside. Darnold now has a new go-to target to scan for when he drops back to pass.
12. Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
The mini-run of wide receivers continues here with the Las Vegas Raiders. Jon Gruden, Mike Mayock and Co. made some interesting moves this offseason. The acquisition of linebacker Cory Littleton was a solid move, and the addition of quarterback Marcus Mariota pairs Mayock with his favorite quarterback from the 2015 draft. But they still need weapons on offense. Adding Nelson Agholor makes sense schematically, but until the former Philadelphia Eagle addresses his issues at the catch point, he remains a big question mark.
What is not a question mark? The speed Henry Ruggs brings to the table. He posted a blazing 4.27 in the 40-yard dash back in February, and he gives the Raiders a player who can turn the five-yard slant into an 80-yard house call. But Ruggs is more than a speedster. He plays fearlessly over the middle, releases cleanly off the line of scrimmage — even against press coverage — and is, as you would expect, a weapon in the jet sweep. The NFL is a copycat league, and given that Gruden and Mayock see twice a season how Andy Reid employs Tyreek Hill and his speed, now they have a comparable weapon of their own.
13. San Francisco 49ers: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
Two things happened when the San Francisco 49ers executed a trade with the Indianapolis Colts to get this selection. First, they put themselves in position to grab one of the top three receivers in the draft. Second, they traded away star defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to do so.
However, with the Denver Broncos making a hypothetical move of their own to jump from No. 15 to No. 9 and grab wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, now John Lynch and Co. need to shift gears. With the depth at the wide receiver position — and another pick later in the first round — the organization can look instead to replace what they lost in Buckner.
What they get in Kinlaw is another disruptive, explosive force in the interior of their defensive line. Kinlaw has the first step, the hand technique and the competitive toughness to be a force on the inside of any defensive line. Putting him on the inside of a group that already has Arik Armstead, Solomon Thomas and Nick Bosa seems almost unfair. Sometimes the NFL just is.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
With the move to sign Tom Brady and bring him south to “Tompa Bay,” the Buccaneers now need to make sure they protect their big investment. They obviously have the weapons in place, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. But when it comes to Brady, protection is key. A dirty secret about how the veteran passer played last season is how he fared against pressure. Pro Football Focus charted the former Patriot with an adjusted completion percentage of just 59.5% last season under duress, which ranked 21st in the NFL.
(That was still a touch better than Jameis Winston, who checked in with a mark of 58.0%, but I digress).
So protecting Brady is critical. Mekhi Becton has been involved in everything from Bobby Petrino’s pro-style passing game to Scott Satterfield’s zone option and quick-passing concepts, so it would be interesting to see him adjust to Bruce Arians’ downfield aerial attack, rooted as it is in Sid Gillman’s genius and Air Coryell. He’d also be doing a lot less run-blocking than he did in 2019; under Satterfield, the Cardinals ran the ball 43.7 times per game and attempted just 23.2 passes per contest. So, when Pro Football Focus tallies just 73 true pass sets for Becton in the 2019 season, there are schematic issues to consider. Still, Becton has the athleticism to work in this offense, and Brady has had massive left tackles before — in 2018, the Patriots had 6-foot-8, 380-pound Trent Brown protecting his blind side.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn
VIA trade with the Denver Broncos. Terms of the trade: Jacksonville trades No. 9 overall pick to Denver in exchange for Nos. 15 and 46.
With Josh Allen in place, and Yannick Ngakoue at least still on the roster via the franchise tag, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a pair of edge rushers that can put pressure on opposing passers. However, since the trade of Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens, they lack a consistent presence in the interior. Taven Bryan, a first-round pick in 2018, has yet to materialize into that type of player.
Derrick Brown can be that kind of player in the interior. Brown has the power and hand placement to be a force at the point of attack, but he also has the quick first step and penetration skills to be that kind of one-gapping, penetrating 3-technique defender the Jaguars lack at the moment. In addition, there are moments when Brown kicks to the outside a bit and flashes the ability to beat tackles as a pass-rusher. Without that kind of player in the fold, his value and fit make too much sense for Jacksonville.
16. Atlanta Falcons: C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
The Atlanta Falcons have some needs on the defensive side of the football. They could look to address interior defensive line and give Grady Jarrett a running mate, but with both Javon Kinlaw and Derrick Brown off the board, they would be smart to look elsewhere. Edge is also an option, but the acquisition of Dante Fowler in free agency makes it a bit less of a need than another position:
Cornerback.
With Desmond Trufant off to the Lions, the Falcons have a mix of question marks on the outside of their secondary. Damontae Kazee has seen time at corner, but is probably better used at safety. Players such as Isaiah Oliver, Jordan Miller and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are potential pieces, but this secondary lacks a true man-coverage corner with lockdown potential.
C.J. Henderson is that type of player. He has exceptional footwork, patience at the line of scrimmage when he is in press alignment, schematic diversity and the speed to run with any wide receiver. Henderson might get dinged in some corners for some tackling issues — even looking at times like he was making some business decisions — but corners are paid to cover. He can do that, and do it well.