25. Minnesota Vikings: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
Having addressed the wide receiver position a few selections earlier, the Vikings now turn to the defensive side of the football. Jeff Gladney offers speed to burn on the outside as well as a lockdown cornerback’s mentality. He plays fearlessly and aggressively on throws in front of him, but he has the burners to recover if the receiver tries to shake him in the vertical game. He is also an experienced press cornerback, with the feet to match his hands at the line of scrimmage. Down the field, Gladney was a force. On throws of more than 20 yards, he allowed just six receptions on 20 targets. Back in 2018, his best season at TCU, he allowed a passer rating of just 45.0 on 72 targets.
26. Miami Dolphins: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
It is fascinating to watch members of the Bill Belichick coaching tree branch out on their own. While Matt Patricia is adjusting to life on the hot seat and Bill O’Brien is doing … something, Brian Flores is quietly assembling the kind of defense he and his mentor built with the New England Patriots. The Dolphins added Kyle Van Noy to serve in the same role he did in New England, as an off-ball linebacker who can both attack the pocket and play in space. With the addition of Byron Jones, Flores has a tandem of cornerbacks that allow the Dolphins to play a lot of man coverage on the outside. But something that both Flores and his mentor value is versatility at the safety spot. Look at Devin McCourty for example: a college cornerback who can line up at free safety on one play and down on the boundary the next.
Xavier McKinney is that kind of player. He played in a variety of roles for Alabama last season, from free safety to box safety to slot cornerback. Flores can use him as a matchup piece on the defensive side of the football, tasking him with man coverage on tight ends or even wide receivers, or using him to provide help over the top.
27. Seattle Seahawks: Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin
A quiet area of need for the Seattle Seahawks is up front on the defensive side of the football. They did bring Bruce Irvin back in free agency, and there are hopes that they can re-sign Jadeveon Clowney as well, but even if Clowney does return, pass-rush is still a question mark.
Zack Baun was listed as a linebacker on the Wisconsin Badgers’ depth chart but is is a versatile player in the mold of Kyle Van Noy. You could see him set the edge on first down, run with a slot receiver on second down, and collapse the pocket off the edge on third down. He can give the Seahawks another pass-rushing piece, while also giving them a Swiss Army knife type of defender they can utilize in a variety of ways. As a pass-rusher, he displays an impressive set of tools, including a solid dip/rip combination, but he was also solid in coverage for the Badgers. Pete Carroll and Co. will find lots of creative ways to employ him on Sundays.
28. Baltimore Ravens: Cesar Ruiz, OL, Michigan
The Baltimore Ravens could go a number of different directions with this selection, as they have a variety of needs that must be addressed in this draft. Many believe they will look to add a linebacker in this spot, with Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray a popular selection in mock drafts. But they can afford to pass on Murray at this spot and address the position a bit later, perhaps with one of their two second-round selections (Nos. 55 and 60) and look to help their interior offensive line. Let’s not forget, the Ravens lost right guard Marshal Yanda to retirement and center Matt Skura is coming off a brutal knee injury suffered in November.
Cesar Ruiz is a tough, experienced interior offensive lineman with the ability to play both center and guard. He has the versatility to play in both a gap/power and a zone scheme, and is a stout pass protector who gave up just a single sack in the past two seasons with the Wolverines. He is also very young, set to turn 21 during the summer. Ruiz could be the heart of the Ravens’ offensive line for the next decade.
29. Tennessee Titans: Cameron Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State
As we near the end of the first round, we get to some teams that can afford to be a bit more selective with their thought process, given how their rosters currently stand. The Tennessee Titans are one such team, fresh off their run to the AFC Championship Game and without an absolute glaring need to address with this pick. They could look to add a pass-rusher, and Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos is a popular selection for them in mock drafts. They could look at offensive tackle after the loss of Jack Conklin, but with each of the Fab Five off the board, they can be patient at that spot.
Another position of need is cornerback. Slot cornerback could be an issue, with Logan Ryan’s status up in the air and Malcolm Butler coming off a season shortened due to a wrist injury. Adding a corner would be a wise move, and that leads us to Cameron Dantzler, the Mississippi State product. Dantzler is a long and rangy cornerback, with experience in both man and zone coverage schemes. He plays tough and physical at the catch point and has perhaps the best press technique of any cornerback in this group. He might need to add a few pounds, and his recent virtual pro day has some questioning his 40-yard dash time (he ran a 4.64 at the combine and dropped to a sub-4.4), so he could potentially fall out of the first round. But put on the tape, and you see what you want from a cornerback. So if the Titans trust the tape, they’ll like what they see.
30. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
One of the best parts of each draft cycle is coming across a player who everyone else in the Draft Industrial Complex is raving about, and you now finally have a chance to watch him. That was my experience with Arizona State wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. We often talk about speedy wide receivers like Henry Ruggs III as “home run hitters,” players who can turn a simple slant route into a huge play in the blink of an eye. Aiyuk is also that kind of player. His ability to maintain speed into and out of his cuts is among the best in this class. His game against Washington State was a thing of beauty, as he was dominant throughout the contest, catching seven passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns. The Green Bay Packers need to add another receiver across from Davante Adams, and Aiyuk is the kind of game-changer at the position they absolutely need.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
Lacking another pick until the fifth round, the San Francisco 49ers are a prime candidate to trade out of this pick. But with the chance to grab a player like this, they’ll sit tight and turn in a card.
Laviska Shenault is a wide receiver in name only. In reality, he is an offensive weapon, the yin to the yang of Isaiah Simmons. Over the past two seasons, Shenault has been used by Colorado as an outside receiver, a slot receiver, a tight end, a running back and even at quarterback. In the Pro Football Focus draft guide, lead draft analyst Mike Renner compared him to Saquon Barkley, of all people. Ask Colorado quarterback Steven Montez his favorite route to throw, and he’ll tell you it was the one Shenault was running.
But to capture his true potential, Shenault will need a creative offensive mind designing ways to utilize him on the offensive side of the football. Letting Kyle Shanahan get his hands on him seems almost unfair. With the loss of Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, wide receiver is a definite need, and Shenault is a big addition to this offense. Pairing him with Shanahan’s creative mind is something the entire league should fear.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
The defending Super Bowl champions don’t have a ton of glaring needs, and to be honest, a quarterback as good as Patrick Mahomes can mask most deficiencies. But cornerback is definitely a position they need to address. Bashaud Breeland, last year’s starter at one cornerback slot, is gone. Kendall Fuller, another big piece of their secondary, is also gone. They need corner help.
That brings us to Auburn’s Noah Igbinoghene. He is a physical, press cornerback who would be a fit in what Steve Spagnuolo calls for the Chiefs defense. Igbinoghene is also a long, explosive cornerback who posted a 4.48 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, coupled with a 37-inch vertical. He plays long, with nearly 32-inch arms, and plays physically from snap to catch point. Pro Football Focus charted him with 210 press-coverage snaps in 2019, the second-most of any cornerback in this class. He is also very young, as he will turn 21 at the end of his rookie season. Igbinoghene is almost a perfect fit in Kansas City, but if the Chiefs wait, he won’t be on the board when they pick again.
After 10 years practicing law in the Washington, D.C., area, Mark Schofield now dedicates his time to his first love: football. The former Wesleyan University quarterback’s writing has been featured in The Washington Post, Bleacher Report, SB Nation, Pro Football Weekly and the Matt Waldman Rookie Scouting Portfolio.