With the draft just two days away, five stories are creating a lot of buzz
Apr 21, 2020, 6:46 AM
The 2020 NFL Draft is coming up fast! On Thursday, the first round of the draft will commence with much fanfare and hopefully zero technical glitches.
The news this week is more real that it is usually through the month leading up to the draft. In a normal year, the pro day circuit leads to a lot of “agent buzz” that has few tidbits of real information. This week is always different, as scouts can’t help themselves and front office leaks begin to happen.
Here are the top five hottest draft buzz items with the draft only a few days away:
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5. Players Moving Up
Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network is one of the best in the business. When he tweets information or says something on TV, you should listen closely. As a former scout, Jeremiah is one of the most connected media members who cover the NFL. On Monday, he revealed some buzz he’s heard from talking to the top decision makers in the league.
Talked to a bunch of GMs over the weekend. A couple of guys that will go higher than anticipated:
USC OT Austin Jackson
TCU WR Jalen Reagor
Bama CB Trevon Diggs
TENN Edge Darrell Taylor— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 20, 2020
Jackson has had some late first-round buzz for some time and for good reason. He’s an athletic tackle who is not yet 21 years old and needs to learn how to be more physical. Reagor is a dynamic receiving weapon who can also churn out big plays as a return man. Diggs is one of my favorite corners in this draft class and he reminds me of former Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib. Taylor had a whopping 34 quarterback hurries in 2019 and has yet to develop a full bag of tricks as a pass-rusher.
Keep an eye on Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell too. I’ve heard that he is a player that has multiple top-20 teams interested in his services. Once we get past the Broncos pick at No. 15 overall, the draft can go in much different directions than some think. That only gets more unpredictable when we get into the 20s on the first day.
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4. Durability is Paramount
NFL teams I talk to are a bit nervous about players in this draft class with a history or injuries or recent surgeries. Bucky Brooks from NFL Network highlighted this concern as well and summed it up on one tweet.
Durability will take on greater importance in this year’s draft due to the inability to have comprehensive medical exams, etc due to lack of visits and medical re-checks. Teams will take a more conservative approach when it comes to players with injury concerns. https://t.co/5ybfpjrYbI
— Bucky Brooks (@BuckyBrooks) April 18, 2020
There are plenty of talented players who could be a value pick in the second round if they fall out of the first due to injury. There are two wide receivers who spring to mind immediately in this instance and that is Laviska Shenault (Colorado) and Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State).
Shenault and Aiyuk both had core muscle surgeries at varying times. Aiyuk just had his core surgery a couple of weeks ago, while Shenault underwent his surgery after the Scouting Combine in February. Both should be ready for the start of the regular season. Both have first-round film and would have been first-round picks had it not been for the injury bug. A couple of teams are going to get value picks when these two receivers are selected.
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3. Panthers Plan
I’ve been checking around the league as I put together my first and only mock draft of the year and I’ve found out a rough plan for what the Panthers want to do. For Broncos fans out there wanting Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, you’ll have to hold your breath when the Panthers are on the board.
I learned on Monday that the Giants will not take Simmons with the No.4 overall pick. That makes the Panthers the next team most likely to select the top-tier talent. If Simmons gets past the Panthers, then the Broncos might be able to trade up to No. 8 or No. 10 to select him – if they want to.
they are considering it, checking with team guys now that I broke the news NYG aren't taking Simmons…that should change their plans
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) April 20, 2020
The buzz has been there about the Panthers wanted Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson for some time. That’s still true, although the Panthers may be waiting to see if Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown is still on the board. I’ve heard that Brown is a favorite in their war room.
We’ll see what the Panthers do when they’re on the clock. Their pick could have a direct impact on whether or not the Broncos go ahead and trade up in the draft.
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2. Mocks More Wrong
A mock draft is a fun exercise to go through each year. They start months ago and flood the timelines on social media as everyone under the sun tries to take a stab at what teams will do around the league.
Some general managers, like Brandon Beane from the Bills, say that mock drafts this year are great bathroom-reading material. Others are more pointed with their critique of what they see in the media when it comes to mock drafts.
I had a GM tell me, “The media is wronger about mock drafts this year than you guys have ever been.” Point being, players are going to be taken in places no one expects. https://t.co/oyDHSndqkl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 17, 2020
An unpredictable draft is more fun than a predictable draft. If these mocks are more wrong than ever before, then we are most certainly in for a wild ride on Thursday night.
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1. Technical Issues
The NFL had their general managers do a mock draft on Monday and things didn’t go smoothly according to reports. The first pick was the Bengals and that’s where a bandwidth glitch caused a delay in the process.
Text from a participant on the NFL’s mock draft that started at 1 pm EST. “Mock draft today already technical glitch w Cincinnatis 1st pick!!! Brutal.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 20, 2020
Broncos general manager John Elway commented on how the mock draft went.
“First of all, the draft went smooth. It got off to a little bit of a hiccup when we first started, but other than that it went really smooth. There were really no problems with it, so we got more comfortable with it. It should be fine and go on without a glitch. I’m sure there’ll be a couple glitches here and there, but actually for the first time I thought it went pretty well,” Elway said.
This could be an issue on Thursday night. Where is the Geek Squad to help these front office workers who are struggling with the technology? Who is the first team to have a glitch that impacts their draft pick? We are set to find out in a couple of days.
