A NEVER-TOO-EARLY LOOK AT THE 2020 DRAFT
Because I know you guys love the draft like I do, I figured I’d pass along five quick things I already know about how next year’s class is shaping up.
• The quarterbacks figure to be better. I had one executive tell me that Herbert, as a prospect, is good enough already to be graded in the area Mayfield and Darnold were last year. A handful of others have told me Herbert would have been the first quarterback off the board this year if he’d declared (and maybe if Kliff Kingsbury wasn’t holding the first pick). And you know about Tagovailoa, whom Alabama coaches have compared to Drew Brees for scouts coming through Tuscaloosa. Throw in Georgia’s Jake Fromm, plus potential surprises (remember, Haskins and Murray were one-year starters), and it looks like a good year ahead.
• The receiver crop should be as good as this year’s was shaky. Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault and the Alabama trio of Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and Devonta Smith are all promising going into the 2019 season, and teams know it. Take what the Colts, with a receiver need, did this offseason as evidence: signing Devin Funchess to a one-year deal to Band-Aid the issue, knowing what could be coming.
• There are a few guys who should benefit from returning to school, like Allen did in going back to Kentucky for 2018. Herbert is one, although for developmental reasons more so than boosting his draft position. Alabama’s Raekwon Davis and Auburn’s Derrick Brown are two more.
• Ohio State has another freak defensive end on the way, on the heels of Nick Bosa going second overall. Chase Young, a true junior, has been pegged as a 2020 top-five pick by coaches since he arrived on campus in the summer of 2017, and will get another year to develop under D-line guru Larry Johnson.
• Another LSU defensive back could make up for the fall of Greedy Williams on draft day—safety Grant Delpit. The NFL has had its eyes on Delpit for a while now, and last fall he became just the ninth unanimous All-American in school history. He’s a blast to watch, and should go high in the 2020 draft.
Pro Football Focus notes that Ole Miss senior RB Scottie Phillips leads all returning SEC running backs in "conversion" runs.
Not sure what a "conversion" run is? That's okay. In this case, it means a run that either went for a first down or a touchdown. In 2018, Phillips had 58 of those types of runs, one more than Missouri tailback Larry Rountree. With the Rebels bringing in a new quarterback and losing star wideouts A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss is likely to lean on their run game more in 2019. That could mean a big, big year for Phillips this fall.
SOURCE: PFF College on Twitter
Apr 30, 2019, 7:20 PM ET
The Athletic's Dane Brugler projects the Denver Broncos to select Colorado junior WR Laviska Shenault with the 12th pick in his 2020 NFL Mock Draft.
This would be a fun pick, and certainly would make Broncos' fans happy to see a local production. Shenault was absolutely dominant when healthy last year, picking up 1,011 yards on 86 catches as a sophomore. "Shenault has something special in him, and Colorado wisely does whatever it can to get the football in his hands," Brugler writes. If he can stay healthy, this seems very reasonable.
SOURCE: The Athletic
Apr 30, 2019, 6:45 PM ET
In his first 2020 mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay projected Iowa senior QB Nathan Stanley to be drafted with the No. 31 pick.
While McShay refers to the 2020 class as a good quarterback class, that sentiment does not show out strongly in his early mock for next spring. The veteran evaluator has just three signal-callers -- Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Stanley -- coming off the board in the first round, leaving the likes of Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason (both popular first-round mockees elsewhere) sitting on the sideline. As for Stanley, specifically, McShay believes that his decision to return to school for the coming season is one that will pay off in high style down the road. In 2018, Stanley threw for 2,852 yards (59.3-percent completions) with a 26/10 TD/INT ratio.
SOURCE: ESPN Insider
May 2, 2019, 5:32 PM ET
In his first 2020 mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay projects four receivers to fly off the board in the first 10 picks.
That early run on receivers starts with Alabama's Jerry Jeudy at No. 2, followed by Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb (No. 7), Colorado's Laviska Shenault (No. and Texas' Collin Johnson (No. 9). But wait, there's more! Further down he has another two wideouts coming off the board in Round 1 in Bama's Henry Ruggs (No. 22) and Clemson's Tee Higgins (No. 27). That's six receivers in McShay's first round. For context, just two receivers were drafted in this past draft's first round. The 2020 class is much, much more loaded at the skill positions than this past one.
SOURCE: ESPN Insider
May 2, 2019, 3:39 PM ET
I agree with the last sentence, but it's worth noting that 2019 mock drafts from this time last year had 5-7 WRs off the board in the 1st round as well, with a couple in the top 10.In his first 2020 mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay projects four receivers to fly off the board in the first 10 picks.
That early run on receivers starts with Alabama's Jerry Jeudy at No. 2, followed by Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb (No. 7), Colorado's Laviska Shenault (No. and Texas' Collin Johnson (No. 9). But wait, there's more! Further down he has another two wideouts coming off the board in Round 1 in Bama's Henry Ruggs (No. 22) and Clemson's Tee Higgins (No. 27). That's six receivers in McShay's first round. For context, just two receivers were drafted in this past draft's first round. The 2020 class is much, much more loaded at the skill positions than this past one.
SOURCE: ESPN Insider
May 2, 2019, 3:39 PM ET
Stanford redshirt senior QB K.J. Costello was third in Passing EPA in 2018 among returning quarterbacks.
Costello (6'4/216) was quietly 16th in passing yards and 13th in passing touchdowns last year with Stanford experimenting with slightly less rushing. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy has already said that Costello is on his watch list, so expectations for him are high. One thing Costello will have to overcome this year is a major turnover in skill position talent with JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Bryce Love, and Kaden Smith all off to the NFL.
SOURCE: ESPN.com
May 3, 2019, 10:15 PM ET
Houston senior QB D'Eriq King has the best Total EPA among all returning quarterbacks.
King (5'11/195) was 15th in Passing EPA and 3rd in Rushing EPA among all FBS quarterbacks last year, so he's one of the best dual-threat 2020 NFL Draft prospects. King is coming off meniscus surgery, but expectations are still high for Houston, who finished top-5 in points per game in 2018.
SOURCE: ESPN.com
May 3, 2019, 9:35 PM ET
Oklahoma State junior WR Tylan Wallace had the most receiving yards in 2018 among returning players.
Wallace (6'0/185) posted a huge 86-1,491-12 receiving line as a sophomore, and he's basically a lock for at least 1,000 yards in 2019 if he stays healthy. Wallace will be competing for a 1st Round pick this year, but he's going up against one of the best receiver groups we've seen in a long while, so he's got his work cut out.
SOURCE: Sports Reference
May 3, 2019, 9:04 PM ET
ESPN's Todd McShay projects the New York Giants to select Colorado junior WR Laviska Shenault with the No. 8 overall selection in his 2020 mock draft.
McShay notes that "the Giants continue to look for receiving assets to replace Odell Beckham Jr., and the speedy, 6-2 Shenault would certainly give them an athletic target." Shenault broke onto the college football scene in a major way last season with 1,011 receiving yards on 86 receptions. In this mock draft, Shenault is actually the third wide receiver off the board with Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy selected at No. 2 overall and Oklahoma WR Ceedee Lamb at No. 7. Shenault is very much in play to be a first-round selection in the 2020 draft and potentially be the No. 1 wideout taken depending how the upcoming season plays out.
SOURCE: ESPN.com
May 4, 2019, 2:04 PM ET
Vanderbilt redshirt senior Ke'Shawn Vaughn is third in forced missed tackles per touch among returning SEC running backs.
Vaughn (5'10/205) led the SEC in yards after contact in 2018, so he's one of the top 2020 NFL Draft running back prospects. The only two running backs ahead of Vaughn on a per touch basis are Alabama's Najee Harris and Mississippi State's Kylin Hill, both runners with an NFL future.
SOURCE: PFF College on Twitter
May 4, 2019, 7:18 PM ET
Tennessee junior RB Tim Jordan is fifth in forced missed tackles per touch among returning SEC running backs.
Jordan (5'11/203) only trails Najee Harris, Kylin Hill, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and Isaiah Woullard, so it would be nice to see Jordan see more than 132 carries in 2019. His problem when it comes to getting more work is his Ty Chandler, who averaged more yards on his 115 carries. Either way, the Volunteers have two capable runners with sophomore Jeremy Banks also in the mix.
SOURCE: PFF College on Twitter
May 4, 2019, 7:40 PM ET
Louisiana redshirt junior RB Trey Ragas is the highest-graded returning running back in the Sun Belt Conference.
Ragas (5'11/227) was a great all-around running back as a sophomore, rushing for 1,181 yards while catching 25 passes. But Ragas isn't the only Ragin' Cajuns running back returning with Elijah Mitchell also back for his junior season. Pro Football Focus grades Ragas and Mitchell as the No. 1 and No. 2 returning runners in the Sun Belt.
SOURCE: PFF College on Twitter
May 4, 2019, 8:43 PM ET
Per Pro Football Focus, Alabama junior RB Najee Harris led returning SEC running backs in missed tackles forced per touch.
Harris bested Mississippi State's Kylin Hill (.26), forcing a missed tackle nearly once every three touches (0.32). After splitting work with Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs in 2018 Harris is poised to take on a much bigger workload this upcoming season. If Harris receives 200 touches he should be able to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark.
SOURCE: Pro Football Focus on Twitter
May 5, 2019, 1:46 PM ET
ESPN's Todd McShay projects Wisconsin junior RB Jonathan Taylor to be selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with pick No. 26 in his 2020 mock draft.
This would be a perfect fit for the high-powered Chiefs offense. Taylor (5'11/219) is an all-around back who rushed for 2,194 yards as a sophomore. He could post 6.000 career rushing yards by the time it's all said and done. No. 26 could be a little high given the value of the running back position but he certainly looks like a better prospect than 2019's No. 26 overall selection RB Josh Jacobs. Expect Taylor to be a fringe first round selection come next April.
SOURCE: ESPN.com
May 5, 2019, 1:36 PM ET
Yes. To your point, I have four firsts in one league and want even more.The 2020 class mocks are crazy. Basically saying 10 or 11 offensive skill position players in the first round with several in the top 15.
I know a lot can change, but it's hard not to just horde 2020 picks right now.
South Carolina senior QB Jake Bentley is fifth in adjusted completion percentage among returning SEC quarterbacks.
Bentley (6'4/224) is playing for his draft stock this season, and he's going to need to take a step forward to earn a draft spot because fifth in the SEC just isn't good enough. The senior will have every opportunity to do so, but Bentley will be doing it without second-round WR Deebo Samuel this time around. As a junior, Bentley tossed 27 touchdowns with 14 interceptions, so the goal should be 30/10 in 2019.
SOURCE: PFF College on Twitter
May 13, 2019, 9:23 PM ET
#1, but the time to trade for 2020 #1's isn't now. Anyone paying attention has been well aware of this class for some time. If there's a window it isn't going to open until dominoes start falling pre/in-season.Starting to catch 2020 rookie fever.....
What's the highest/best 2019 1st you think is equivalent to a random 2020 first round pick? In other words, how late would you have to be picking in the 2019 first round in order to trade it straight up for a random 2020 first?
At this point, I'm thinking it could be as high as #2...but curious what others think.
Didn't they say this about the 2019 class last year?
I'm not going to comment on specific sources, but the general word on the 19 and 20 classes this time last year were lukewarm and great, respectively. Unlike most years in this game, not much changed. I think the 19 class is better than they're being given credit for though.Didn't they say this about the 2019 class last year?
A fair point. But assuming that potential change in value of the 2019 1st between now and the beginning of the season is being factored in by generally knowledgeable owners....#1, but the time to trade for 2020 #1's isn't now. Anyone paying attention has been well aware of this class for some time. If there's a window it isn't going to open until dominoes start falling pre/in-season.
I currently have the following projected 2020 1st round picks: 1.1, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.9.Traded 2019 1.10 and 2.01 for 2019 3.11 and 2020 1st and 2nd. 2020 1st has a good shot at being the 1.01. I now have 3 2020 1sts and 2 2020 2nds and looking for more.
Oklahoma junior WR CeeDee Lamb ranks 14th on ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr's Big Board for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Lamb is one of five wideouts who rank on Kiper's Big Board, and the only one who ranks higher than the Sooner wideout is Alabama's Jerry Jeudy; who comes in first. Lamb put up big numbers last year (65/1,118/11) and he's going to be the top target with Marquis "Hollywood" Brown off for the NFL. It wouldn't be a huge surprise to us if both Lamb and Jeudy were top 10 picks next April.
SOURCE: ESPN
May 17, 2019, 9:17 PM ET
I traded the 1.7, 1.10 and 2.1 for 1sts next year (while also getting 3rds next year as well) and some of my league mates thought I was crazy to pass on some of the players that were available.Starting to catch 2020 rookie fever.....
What's the highest/best 2019 1st you think is equivalent to a random 2020 first round pick? In other words, how late would you have to be picking in the 2019 first round in order to trade it straight up for a random 2020 first?
At this point, I'm thinking it could be as high as #2...but curious what others think.