NFL Mock Draft Picks 1 to 5
NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1 to 5
The NFL draft is just around the corner, and may be the only sports action we will get for a LONG TIME. So instead of dwelling on that fact, we might as well look forward to it with plenty of hope. This draft class is loaded with premium talent, especially at WR, and big trades may be happening. Players like Yannick Ngakoue and Brandin Cooks have been shopped actively on the market. This might be one of the craziest drafts of the century containing talent at nearly every single position.
1. The Cincinnati Bengals select: Joe Burrow, QB out of LSU
Joe Burrow has broken so many records, and for the past few months it seems the Bengals have been wanting him badly. He even has noticed and has embraced it. With the franchise tag being placed on A.J. Green, they seem hopeful about Burrow and still have Dalton for leadership.
They certainly don’t want to rush him, and it make sense. At the same time, Dalton could be on his way out. It seems over the last two year Cincy has been cutting ties with veterans of this team, the latest being Dre Kirkpatrick. An active member in FA, and currently in the market for some more help or picks, Dalton may be on his way to a team like New England. His time in the Queen City is quickly diminishing, and while he never was very impressive, he always played at an average level.
Joe Burrow had one of the greatest college seasons of all time. He posted 5,671 passing yards on 76.3%, overall had 6,039 total offensive yards. He led the nation in all three categories. To further add to his resume, Burrow threw for 60 TDs in 15 games and led his team to a National Championship.
Unlike certain QBs of the past like Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott, he is coming into the NFL with an knack to read defensive schemes and plays. He is able to recognize different coverages and rotations and thus adjust accordingly better than any other QB in this draft. Further proving his raw talent, he know how to drop bombs. On deep passing he threw for 22 TDs and only 2 INTs the whole year. This only shows a small scope of his NFL potential and with Bengals he will develop very fast. This is the most ideal spot for him to land and he will be a force in the NFL.
2. The Washington Redskins select: Chase Young, DE out of Ohio State
Coming into the draft with huge uncertainty at the QB position, the Redskins are in this limbo. It’s the age old question: draft the most talented player of the draft or draft the QB of your future. I think that Riverboat Ron has faith in Haskins. It was only one year he played, in which he was rushed to starting due to injuries. While he started off considerably bad, as the season approached the end he showed a flash of what could be.
He had 564 yards in the last 4 games. You may be thinking,”That’s under 200 yards a game.” But it is deeper than that. In those games he wasn’t provided the opportunity to pass much simply because their was not a point in winning. He still threw for 8.05 YPA (70 pass attempts) and had a 5-1 TD-INT ratio. Must I add the fact he had no real WR1, it shows he has the makings of a perennial pro-bowler.
So answers the question, the Redskins choose Chase Young over Tua Tagovailoa. Chase Young comes into the draft with the highest combine grade, 7.37. He has all the qualities you want from a DE. Just like Aaron Donald, Chase’s body frame is perfect for what he needs to do. He has incredible strength, size, and length, in turn creates historic athleticism for someone at his position.
He will be a game-changing player for the Redskins defense, and paired with Montez Sweat, can create the NFL’s next premier defensive line. The only glaring weaknesses from him is his first step. While it’s extremely explosive and is like Lebron driving in the lane, he pops up too fast and sometimes creates a stiffness in his back. It slows him down, and worsens his pass rush, which by the way is still pretty good. No way he can be passed up, unless a trade goes down.
🚨Trade Alert🚨
The Miami Dolphins send the 5th, 39th and 70th picks
The Detroit Lions send the 3rd pick
3. The Miami Dolphins select: Tua Tagovailoa, QB out of Alabama
Tua comes into the draft with the most uncertainty. Previous to last season he was consensus top 3 pick in the draft, but after his hip injury he is a very risky pick. On March 9th, he had been cleared to progress back into playing football. So what’s really in store for the QB from Bama’
One of the biggest things you love to see in a QB is footwork and mobility, and Tua has both. He is incredible at managing space and staying calm, cool and collected. He knows how to take advantage of each of his receivers strengths and makes quick reads. He actively moves around and has eyes shooting everywhere, playing bluff with every WR and making it harder for safeties to move into proper coverage and make smart reads.
His movement as a runner helps him avoid pressure and turn sacks into 5+ yard pickups. In my own opinion, he will be better than Burrow overall. Burrow may have short and medium passes better, but Tua is a marksman from deep, and while statistically Burrow was better, Tua’s mechanics have shown that he has the developmental traits to become the best deep ball passer in the NFL He is also set up on a team that’s already stocking up on talent with Jordan Howard and DeVante Adams being his weapons. It’s clear the Dolphins are ready to turn from mediocrity to success, and one of the last pieces can be Tua.
4. The New York Giants select: Jedrick Willis Jr., OT out of Alabama
Last year, the Giants paid big money for their offensive line, and those players currently take up over 20% of their salary cap. Yet, Football Outsiders ranked their line just 25th amongst all 32 NFL teams, with their left tackle being ranked 17th out of all LTs, and their interior linemen ranked 26th respectively (both out of 32). Combine that with the fact that 20% of their runs were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage due to linemen error, things certainly do not look bright here. Combine that with the fact that they are sacked the 8th most in terms of probability at 8.1% of QB dropbacks, for Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to succeed, they need to resolve this issue.
The answer is Jedrick Willis. He spent 2 years starting at Alabama, protecting Tua’s blindside and will look to immensely improve the offense frontmen. This is a player who has not stopped improving since he started at Alabama. Every year, he showed immense growth. Taking his talent to the NFL level will only further increase in potential. His biggest quality is his power. His initial punch is so strong, it almost even sends you back when you watch him. He pushes up and creates stiffness in defenders, not like many others you’ll see. To add to where the Giants lack, he is phenomenal run blocker.
His speed athleticism for someone his size gets him to the second level to provide extra aid for the RB. Yet, sometimes he plays sloppy. It seems he is uber confident in his power, which leads to the sacrifice of technique for strength. This leads to some stamina issues as the game continues on, and you can see he gets slower coming out of his stance. Another issue for him is his discipline. He wants to be fast and is so aggressive he jumps his own QBs snap count. Nonetheless, Willis is a player who has All Pro type potential and his mindset will carry him high in his career.
5. The Detroit Lions select: Jeff Okudah, CB out of Ohio State
The Lions trade away top 4 corner Darius Slay, and honestly they did not get good value. For someone who is so good, they only received a 3rd and 5th round pick. That may not be able to do much for this team, and that’s why it was important for them to trade down in the draft, but not too far. They need defense, and if Matt Patricia is anything like his old coach Bill, he wants to build his defenses in the secondary. Patricia signed Trufant earlier, and while he may provide average at best coverage, he is not made for the #1 role anymore. In his 9 games, he allowed a 65.8% of passes to completed for a total of 442 yards, with 4 TDs. That goes to about 100 QBR. He was also targeted deeper than last year which indicates how QBs are reading him. Last yea he was 10.6 yards per target whereas this year he jumped ro 17.7 yards per target. He is bound for a major fall off, even if he had a career high in INTs. INTs in the NFL are very random and he had his 2nd worst year in pass deflections. He can stand out at the #2 spot and that can happen with Okudah.
Okudah comes into the draft as easily the best corner. The first thing you notice about him is his footwork. He able to sneak around without getting noticed often, has great speed, and can change direction on a dime. This always for him to develop great man to man technique. He is great at undercutting routes and can jam at the line like none other. His anticipation and ability to disrupt is certainly something to lookout for. He also knows how to play as “bait” in zone coverage and uses trickery to his advantage often. He’s just crazy good. Looking at all of the film, there are no glaring weaknesses. He plays with finesse and swag, acts like water, and reacts quickly. While isn’t the best player of the class right now, he has the potential to be the best when it is all said and done.
Thanks for reading! Picks 6 through 10 will be out soon. Be on the lookout, and remember… keep droppin dimes.
Milan out…