We’re on to 2020.
The 2019 NFL Draft just wrapped up, but Todd McShay wasted little time releasing a way-too-early 2020 mock draft Thursday on ESPN.com.
McShay acknowledged the piece for what it is — a premature look at the 2020 NFL Draft — and admitted he hasn’t even studied tape on most of the players yet, instead drawing on his existing knowledge from watching them in person and on TV last season. But it’s still a fun exercise that explores some names worth watching across college football in the months ahead.
Now, we have no idea what the draft order will look like when next April rolls around, as NFL season results and trades will dictate where each team picks. So, McShay used an order generated by Football Outsiders’ early projected records for 2019.
McShay has the Dolphins selecting Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 1 overall pick, which is interesting because Miami just acquired QB Josh Rosen from the Cardinals after Arizona chose Oklahoma signal-caller Kyler Murray with the top pick in this year’s draft.
To that end, McShay has the Cardinals picking Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with the No. 2 pick in 2020. LSU safety Grant Delpit, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young and Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert are projected to round out the top five, going to the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and Las Vegas (sorry, Oakland!) Raiders, respectively.
As for the Super Bowl LIII champions, McShay has the New England Patriots picking Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam with the No. 30 pick in 2020. All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski just retired this offseason, and the Patriots surprisingly didn’t address the position in this year’s draft.
Here’s McShay’s explanation for projecting Okwuegbunam to New England:
Albert O is a 6-5, 255-pound athlete with ability to create after the catch. He has 17 touchdowns over two seasons with the Tigers, and he could be a Rob Gronkowski replacement for Bill Belichick.
The Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints are the only two teams projected to have better records than the Patriots, according to Football Outsiders. McShay has the Chargers and Saints picking Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley and Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall, respectively.
