The 2020 NFL Draft gets going in less than 12 hours, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper posted his final mock draft this morning. There are not too many big surprises, but we also know that since he did not include trades in his mock draft, plenty will shake out differently.
Kiper did not include trades, but in analyzing some of his picks, he pointed to where trades might happen or would at least make sense. He has the Lions selecting Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, but acknowledges that’s a spot for a trade. There have been rumors the Dolphins want to move up, but it’s tough to tell if that’s a smoke screen or something serious.
He has the Giants selecting Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs at No. 4, but thinks the best case scenario is them moving down a couple spots and still landing Wirfs. The trade that makes the most sense here is someone looking to get ahead of the Dolphins and Chargers for a quarterback.
The Falcons are getting a lot of chatter as a team that could move up. There is talk they want to climb into the top ten or even top five, but Kiper first mentions them in connection with the Raiders at No. 12. Kiper has Las Vegas selecting Floridan cornerback C.J. Henderson, and with the rumors that the Falcons might want to push for Jeffrey Okudah, settling for a smaller move and landing Henderson could make sense.
The 49ers are sitting at No. 13 and 31, and for the time-being, Kiper has them selecting Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and Minnesota defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. However, Kiper acknowledges the obvious fact that the 49ers have no picks in the second, third, or fourth round, and says keep an eye on either of their first round picks being dealt. If someone really likes Jordan Love, this could be a spot where they make a move.
The next mention of a trade is at No. 23 with the Patriots. Kiper talks about Belichick’s love of trading down, and he suggests maybe New England trades down and then takes Jalen Hurts in the second round as their quarterback of the future.
Kiper doesn’t mention any other trade chatter, but the Seahawks are another candidate to move. GM John Schneider has a penchant for moving back in the first, so keep an eye out for a Seahawks move back.
It should be a busy evening of dealing, even with the technological hurdles teams are facing with this virtual draft. I’d guess we see somewhere in the range of six or seven trades tonight.