17. Dallas Cowboys: Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
The Cowboys hired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan to replace Rod Marinelli as part of a major coaching overhaul. Nolan has worked with linebackers for the Chargers and Saints over the past four seasons. He last served as a defensive coordinator in 2014 for the Falcons. So, it’s probably a bit alarming for Nolan to hit the ground running with the free-agency losses of cornerback Byron Jones, edge-rusher Robert Quinn and underrated defensive lineman Maliek Collins. The loss of Jones is perhaps the biggest, as it leaves the Cowboys without a true No. 1 cornerback. Jaylon Johnson may not get as many name checks as other top cornerbacks in this draft class, but he’s just as good as anyone in the sub-Okudah group. In three seasons as a starter with the Utes, he gave up just three touchdowns to seven interceptions and never allowed an opponent passer rating higher than 57.6.
18. Miami Dolphins (From Pittsburgh Steelers): Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
Last season, DeVante Parker was the only member of the Dolphins’ receiving corps who caught more than six passes of 20 or more air yards — he grabbed 14 on 29 deep attempts for 478 yards and five touchdowns. If the Dolphins are to improve their passing game, Miami clearly needs a player with the kinds of attributes that lead to more deep success.
Enter Henry Ruggs III, who appears to have those attributes.
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The comparisons to Santonio Holmes and Santana Moss are instructive, as Ruggs is more than just a pure speed guy — he has the field understanding and route savvy to be more than a situational player. Last season, he caught just four passes of 20 air yards or more (a function of Alabama’s offense) — and three of them were for touchdowns. Whatever you throw to Ruggs, from a bubble screen to a deep post, he’s got the potential to take it to the house. His 24 touchdowns on 98 catches for his career with the Crimson Tide is all you need to know.
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago Bears): Xavier McKinney, DB, Alabama
The Raiders lost Karl Joseph to the Browns in free agency, which leaves their safety rotation rather bleak. Though Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock did a lot to improve their defense at other positions, this still must be addressed. At the scouting combine, Mayock had a lot to say about the value of multi-positional defensive players.
“When you start looking at 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?’ Do you want to play man coverage, and who matches up with those type of guys. They’re big guys who run fast. Who do we have? So more and more defenses around the league are saying, who are the guys you don’t necessarily have to put a label on?”
One such label-free player is McKinney, who played 285 snaps in the box, 271 snaps at free safety and 227 snaps in the slot for the Crimson Tide in 2019, per Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound McKinney also played 38 snaps on the defensive line and five snaps at outside corner, to make his versatility even more impressive. He’d do a lot to solve the Raiders’ tight end problem — and several other matchup nightmares.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams): Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
This is one of the two first-round picks Jacksonville got from the Rams in the Jalen Ramsey trade, so the Jags might as well use it to improve their secondary. With Ramsey out the door and A.J. Bouye traded to Denver for a fourth-round pick, cornerback seems like the most pressing need. But Tre Herndon and D.J. Hayden were actually pretty decent last year, and they’re both under contract in 2020. The safety situation was far more dismal last season, and Winfield — who picked off seven passes in 2019 after two injury-plagued seasons — would fix that in a big hurry. The son of the former Bills and Vikings cornerback, Winfield has prime athleticism to do everything from blitzing to patrolling the deep third, and his on-field acumen makes him play even faster than he is.
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
The Eagles got better on defense in free agency with the acquisitions of defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and linebacker Jatavis Brown, although the loss of defensive back Malcolm Jenkins to the Saints will sting on the field and in the locker room. But just about everyone knows what still ails the Eagles based on last season — a receiving group that couldn’t stay healthy. Yes, it would be great if DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery could be on the field together in 2020 and beyond, but it’s time for head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman to start preparing for contingencies. You may look at Reagor’s 2019 numbers (43 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns) and wonder why he’s considered a first-round talent. Go back to 2018, when he didn’t have one of the NCAA’s worst quarterback situations, and watch him burn defenses for 72 catches, 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns. Every draft class has that one receiver who will blow up as soon as he has a functional NFL quarterback, and Reagor could very well be the 2020 version. If you want to know how explosive he can be, consider that 449 of Reagor’s 611 yards last season came through the air before the catch last season.
22. Minnesota Vikings (from Buffalo Bills): Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
Mike Zimmer lost his three most-utilized cornerbacks at the start of the 2020 league year with the release of Xavier Rhodes, and the Bengals’ signing Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander. Based on performance, Alexander is the only cornerback Zimmer is likely to miss. Now that one of the better cornerback educators needs a new group to teach, let’s give Zimmer new blood in the person of Gladney, the TCU star who presented especially tough challenges against speedy receivers through his collegiate career. Not only can Gladney trail the fastest receivers up the chute and against the boundary, he also has the recovery speed, footwork and leaping ability to turn potential big plays into picks. An aggressive tackler with the ability to blitz, Gladney would fit perfectly in Zimmer’s zone-heavy, execution-based defense.
23. New England Patriots: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
The match of Love, who threw 17 interceptions and just 20 touchdowns in 2019, to the head coach who demands more of his quarterback than any other in terms of ruthless efficiency, seems like a weird one. And it is. This pick doesn’t have to be Love. (“Why Can’t This Be Love?” Van Halen might reply). It could be Jalen Hurts. Or the Patriots could pursue Cam Newton or any one of a number of options that give Bill Belichick a more athletic quarterback for the post-Tom Brady era. Belichick, who has every trend in football history stored in the supercomputer between his ears, is well aware of the changes at the quarterback position over the past five to 10 years, and he has to have wondered more than once what his offense would look like with a Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson of his own.
24. New Orleans Saints: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
The Saints addressed their primary pre-free agency need with the wise signing of receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who will do a lot to bridge the 119-reception gap between wide receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn in 2019. Now, since New Orleans’ defense played with five or more defensive backs on the field on 83% of its snaps, and Demario Davis was their only above-average linebacker last season, let’s maybe give defensive coordinator Dennis Allen a little more to work with. Queen would be an excellent addition because he plays the run so well and aggressively for his size (6-foot, 229 pounds), and he shows impressive potential in coverage. There are positional nuances to be worked out, as Queen was just a one-year starter in college, but the upside is obvious.