17. Dallas Cowboys: CJ Henderson, CB, Florida
The Dallas Cowboys have a ton of decisions to make this off-season. How do they handle Dak Prescott? How do they handle Amari Cooper? How do they handle Byron Jones? With it seeming likely that Jones tests the free agency market (and the Philadelphia Eagles seem all too willing to swoop ini with an offer) it is likely the Cowboys need to find a cornerback early in this draft.
They find that in Henderson, the Florida CB. He faced questions this past season about his willingness to stick his nose in against the run, and people have wondered if he made a few “business decisions” last year. But you draft corners to shut down receivers first, and help against the run second.
Henderson can do the first part of the job description, and do it very well. That, plus the 40-time he posted of 4.39, is going to help his draft position. If Dallas has to go corner here — and signs seem to indicate they will need to — Henderson makes a ton of sense.
18. Miami Dolphins: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU
Miami has needs at a variety of positions, and having addressed the quarterback spot with their first of three potential picks in the first round, they turn to defense here and draft Chaisson, the LSU EDGE defender.
This is an interesting EDGE class, but something Chaisson said last week in Indianapolis has me thinking that he will be on the radar of Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. When addressing the media Chaisson said, “I’m the most valuable player in this draft. When you hire someone, do you want someone that speaks one language or three languages? I can speak three…rush the passer, drop in coverage, and I can play the run.”
Bill Belichick, who stresses versatility all over the football field, instilled that in Flores when the two were together in New England. Flores will love how he can use Chaisson in a variety of roles, and he is a good fit for how Miami wants to mold their defense. Think of him as potentially in a Kyle Van Noy mold, who spends most of his time on the edge but can be used in coverage as well.
19. Las Vegas Raiders: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
Having addressed one of their big needs with their earlier first round pick, the WR position, Las Vegas can turn to the defensive side of the football. Cornerback is certainly an option here, with players like Kristian Fulton, Jeff Gladney and Noah Igbinoghene on the board, But last week in Indianapolis Raiders general manager Mike Mayock stressed the need for dynamic playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.
Then you start looking about trying to matchup with those guys on defense and when you start looking in any division, particularly ours and the tight ends for instance that we have to play in our division, and you kind of go, ‘who matches up?’ You want to play man coverage, who can matchup with those type of guys? They’re big guys that run fast, who do we have? So, I think more and more defenses around the league are saying who are the guys that you don’t necessarily have to put a label on that are dynamic football players.
The Raiders get that in Murray, an athletic linebacker from Oklahoma with sideline-to-slideline ability and the athleticism to handle increased man coverage responsibilities in the NFL. Murray showed that athleticism at the combine, when he posted a 4.52 40-yard dash, a vertical of 38” and a broad jump of 10’9”. A good fit for the modern NFL defense.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars: Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
Jacksonville enters the draft with needs on defense, both up front and at the second level. Having addressed the defensive front earlier by selecting Kinlaw, they address the third level of their defense now with Fulton, the LSU cornerback.
In Fulton, the Jaguars get a press-man ready corner, who is sticky in man coverage situations and does a very good job playing through the catch point. He is also able to play in a variety of roles, including in off-man coverage as well in a variety of zone schemes.
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
As someone who co-hosts an Eagles’ podcast (titled The QB Scho Show with Michael Kist on Bleeding Green Radio – check it out) I can tell you that Eagles fans are looking for the team to address two needs this off-season: secondary help and wide receiver.
The thinking of Jefferson here is two-fold. First, it does seem like Byron Jones might make a move to Philadelphia, which would give the Eagles a top-flight cornerback to address a big hole they have on the defensive side of the football. Second, when both Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson addressed the media last Tuesday, one thing was clear: They need to help Carson Wentz and get him weapons. Pederson also said that all teams were looking for “speed” in the upcoming draft.
They get that from Jefferson. The LSU receiver was dominant out of the slot last year for the Tigers, but with his impressive 40-yard dash time and his size, he could be used in a variety of roles in the NFL. With questions swirling about the status of Alshon Jeffrey, the health of DeSean Jackson, the development of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and the rest of the WR room, the Eagles give Wentz a guy who can step in and contribute on day one in a variety of roles.
In addition, Jefferson’s experience last year in Joe Brady’s offense will give him a boost coming in and learning Pederson’s system.
22. Buffalo Bills: Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
One of the more fascinating aspects of the 2019 NFL season was the transition we saw from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Imagine if, prior to his draft, someone told you that during his second season in the NFL Allen would be more of a timing and rhythm passer, and would struggle with the deep ball?
You would have thought that person was insane.
But that is what happened last year. Under Brian Daboll’s tutelage Allen improved working underneath (the acquisition of Cole Beasley helped in that area) but truly struggled down the field. If the Bills – and Allen – are going to take the leap forward everyone in Buffalo hopes they do, the vertical passing game needs to click.
Mims, the Baylor product, can help in that effort. He was one of the winners of the combine, but when you watch him on film you can see how he can be an impact player early in the vertical passing game. He was at his best working on the vertical stem, whether in the back-shoulder game or on pure vertical routes. His ability to stress the defense down the field would open up room for Beasley, John Brown and Dawson Knox to work underneath, and tax defenses as multiple levels of the field.
23. New England Patriots: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
BradyWatch 2020 might be generating the most attention, but the New England Patriots have other questions they need to answer in the weeks ahead.
Many expect the Patriots to go in one of three directions with this selection: Address quarterback in this spot (if Brady leaves), give Brady a weapon (if he stays) or trade down to accumulate value (the standard Belichick move).
But there is another option…
On the defensive side of the football the Patriots might be down two linebackers by the time free agency is over. Both Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins are going to test free agency, and given how both players performed last season (and for Van Noy the past few seasons) they likely command big contracts on the open market. Couple that with the wear on Dont’a Hightower and his injury history, and the Patriots have a need at the linebacker spot.
Queen seems built to be a Belichick linebacker. He is athletic enough to be a three-down linebacker in the NFL, can play as WILL in their base looks next to Hightower and give them some flexibility on passing situations.
24. New Orleans Saints: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
Imagine pairing Michael Thomas, one of the elite wide receivers in the game, with a running mate who can operate out of the Z receiver spot, can stress the defense downfield and is a dynamic play-maker in his own right?
That is what the Saints would do if they grab Reagor here.
Consider how Kyle Crabbs from The Draft Network described the TCU wideout:
Jalen Reagor is one of the most dynamic receiving prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft. Reagor’s skill set fits best when projecting forward into a vertical passing offense as a Z-receiver, where he can defeat press coverage, attack down the field and force defenses to respect his speed or pay the consequences. Reagor brings explosive burst and simultaneous control on his stems to carry himself for separation — he’s got upside to work inside as a slot receiver as well.
Imagine, if you will, the Saints running one of these two concepts (taken from Payton’s 2000 New York Giants playbook):
On the first you can see Reagor in the X role, taking the top off the defense while Thomas works underneath. On the second, you have both of them working over the middle with one underneath and the other on the deeper dig. Good luck covering that.
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