Student Union Sports 2020 NFL Mock Draft

With the 2020 NFL Draft taking place this Thursday, the writers at Student Union Sports decided to get together and conduct a Mock Draft for the first round.

Eight of our most trusted writers were each assigned four NFL Teams to represent in the 2020 Mock Draft. We did our best to set College/NFL fandom’s to the side and conduct as realistic a mock draft as possible. The results were interesting to say the least…

Enter the Student Union War room and check out our first ever recorded Mock Draft below. The bottom of this blog also includes a concise recap of all first round picks if you’d like to use that to follow along!

The Student Union Mock Draft War Room

2020 Student Union Sports NFL Mock Draft Results

Cincinnati Bengals – Joe Burrow– the one has been written in stone for awhile. Barring a trade of 10 first round picks and a vaccine for the Coronavirus, the Bengals are keeping this pick. The Bengals need a QB and someone who will excite the fan base, and the hometown kid and best QB in the recent memory is the guy to do it. – Jacob Manley
Washington Redskins – Tua Tagovailoa – not a Haskins believer and he’s too good to pass up. If the injury comes back clean he’ll be a franchise guy. – Jackson Fields
Detroit Lions – Isaiah Simmons – Detroit is probably going to try and trade this pick & they lost Darius Slay to free agency, but Matt Patricia can’t help himself and takes the most versatile defensive player on the board. – Graham Ferrell
N.Y. Giants – Jedrick Willis – I could make some claim about how the Giants need OT help more than they need help on the D Line, but honestly, I forgot Chase Young was still on the board. In true Gettleman fashion, I started the Giants draft off on the wrong foot. But fortunately, Wills can do a good job of keeping 2^nd year QB Daniel Jones upright. This skill is one of the few things Chase Young cannot do. – Jonathan Terry
Miami Dolphins – Chase Young – although the need for quarterback is glaring and Justin Herbert is still on the board, it’s hard to pass up on a talent like Chase Young. They can always take Jordan Love later in the first and have enough draft picks to trade up for someone else if needed. – Harrison Sillings
L.A. Chargers – Justin Herbert – With the departure of Phillip Rivers, the Chargers are stuck searching for their next franchise quarterback. One look at their roster, the QB position isn’t the only hole, however, drafting Herbert certainly puts Anthony Lynn’s group in a much better situation. – Patrick Norton
Carolina Panthers – Jeff Okudah – Drafting Okudah at seven should be a slam-dunk. Ohio State has had a great run of DBs coming into the NFL and Okudah is the best among them. The Panthers need a DT more in my opinion, but you can’t pass up Okudah if he slides this far. -Daniel Corrigan
Arizona Cardinals – CeeDee Lamb – Teams tend to ignore the idea of strengthening a strength. The Cardinals receiving corps is good, but adding CEEDEE LAMB here makes it a top receiving corps in the nfl. -Zachary Spieker
Jacksonville Jaguars – Derrick Brown- sure, the Jags want to support Minshew, so a WR is tempting here, but I didn’t expect a talent like Derrick Brown to be here at 9. With the Ngagkoue situation ongoing, the Jags reload on the D-line . – Jacob Manley
Cleveland Browns – Tristan Wirfs – 2nd best OT on the board and they need someone to protect Baker. -Jackson Fields
N.Y. Jets – Jerry Jeudy – The New York Jets lost Robby Anderson to Carolina in free agency & I understand protecting Darnold, but Darnold needs weapons and Jeudy is the best offensive weapon in this draft. – Graham Ferrell
Las Vegas Raiders – Henry Ruggs III – Whether you consider Tyrell Williams, or Hunter Renfrow the WR1 on this team, they can always use some reinforcements. People do not realize how solid Ruggs is as a route runner. Pair that with his 4.2 speed, and Gruden is going to have a lot of fun with the Alabama receiver. – Jonathan Terry
San Francisco 49ers – Justin Jefferson – The defending NFC champs have next to no one at wide receiver. If Jimmy G is going to develop as a passer, he’s going to need a reliable target. – Harrison Sillings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Mekhi Becton – Throwing thirty interceptions in one season is nobody’s fault but the quarterback. With the arrival of Tom Brady, that issue is hopefully behind the Bucs. Now the focus shifts to protecting the ancient relic in his final two seasons before being put out to pasture. Mekhi Becton is the best available line help at this point in the draft. – Patrick Norton
Denver Broncos – C.J. Henderson – The Broncos could use a number one option for Drew Lock. However, all the top receivers are already off the board. After losing Chris Harris Jr to the Chargers, the Broncos have a big hole to fill in the defensive secondary. – Daniel Corrigan
Atlanta Falcons – Javon Kinlaw – I have a couple of options here. I could go edge with Chaisson, but Kinlaw is too enticing here. – Zachary Spieker
Dallas Cowboys – Yeutor Gross-Matos– a report came out recently that the cowboys have done a lot of homework on the Penn State edge rusher. He’s a bit of a reach here, but I could see the Cowboys trading down if they like him enough. They need to do something to help what was at times a suspect defense last season. – Jacob Manley
Miami Dolphins – Andrew Thomas – buzz he could be the first OT taken on Thursday. Multiple years starting in the sec. he’s got a high floor. – Jackson Fields
Las Vegas Raiders > Houston Texans – Tee Higgins – The Oakland Raiders trade the 19th overall selection for two future 2021 picks and a 5th round 2020 pick. The Texans need weapons in a bad way. Higgins is a big receiver with a wide frame. He becomes an instant WR1 in Houston. – Graham Ferrell
Jacksonville Jaguars – K’Lavon Chaisson – Pairing him with another high floor rookie like Derrick Brown seems like the right idea. The Jags have lost every meaningful star on defense, and Yannick Ngakoue looks like he is on his way out the door. But with the talent they have left, Chaisson is my dark horse pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year. -Jonathan Terry
Philadelphia Eagles – Xavier McKinney – After letting Malcom Jenkins go, the Eagles have a need in the secondary. With McKinney being the best safety on the board it only makes sense. – Harrison Sillings
Minnesota Vikings – Ezra Cleveland – IF Justin Jefferson remained on the board at 22, the Vikings had a tough call. With the receiver off limits, priorities shift to protecting the quarterback the franchise invested a fortune into. Watching any Vikings film, Kirk Cousins was pressured almost immediately following his drop back. Minnesota needs help and Cleveland is their guy. – Patrick Norton
New England Patriots – Kenneth Murray – Obviously, the Patriots need to replace Tom Brady. Their best option at this pick is Jordan Love, who I am not sold on, especially in the first round. The Patriots’ defense played a big part in another AFC East title. After losing Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy, they need to find a replacement(s) LB. -Daniel Corrigan
New Orleans Saints – A.J. Terrell – As the ASU student I’d love to take Brandon Aiyuk here, but the Sanders signings kind of negates that need. So, I’m going to take A.J. Terrell here. He’s my CB3 and he’ll be a good fit opposite Marshonn Lattimore. – Zachary Spieker
Minnesota Vikings – Kristian Fulton– WR was tempting here, but none currently on the board are worth the value with this pick. Instead, the Vikings replenish their depleted secondary with one of the more underrated corners in this draft. Sure, he was beat sometimes last season, but Fulton was heavily targeted because of how good Stingley Jr. was on the other side of the field. Good value pick for the Vikes. -Jacob Manley
Miami Dolphins – Deandre Swift – best back in the draft. Dolphins leading rusher was fitzapatrick last year so they need a huge upgrade. -Jackson Fields
Seattle Seahawks – A. J. Epenesa – The Seahawks are still waiting on the decision of Jadeveon Clowney and they need help on the edge. Some people believe Espenesa’s future may be on the inside, but the Seahawks can find a way to use him on the outside. -Graham Ferrell
Baltimore Ravens – Jonathan Taylor – Someone brought up this idea about a month ago, and I can’t get it out of my mind. Taylor provides a rare combo of size and speed, which provides them with yet another weapon in the backfield. Fumbles and usage at Wisconsin may be a concern, but this RB is going to make scheming against this Ravens offense a near impossibility. – Jonathan Terry
Tennessee Titans – Grant Delpit – in hindsight this was a bad pick. It doesn’t really address team needs but oh well it’s the Titans. Whoever they take here probably won’t work out anyways. Delpit is one of the best safety’s in the draft and it can’t hurt having him in the Titans secondary. – Harrison Sillings
Green Bay Packers – Denzel Mims – Marquez Valdez-Scantling made a fine addition to the Packers as a depth receiver in 2019. As a #2, it raised many questions and issues about the depth of the receiving corps in Green Bay. Rodgers needs weapons at this stage. Keeping Davante Adams is proving difficult enough. Taking pressure off the QB and his hobbled receivers is the best course of action for the reigning NFC North Champions. – Patrick Norton
San Francisco 49ers – Cesar Ruiz – The most important part of a championship team is a franchise QB. The other most important part is protecting that QB. The 49ers already have an elite defense and would really benefit from bolstering their offensive line. -Daniel Corrigan
Kansas City Chiefs – Patrick Queen – Patrick Queen is a STEAL here and he’ll become the anchor of KC’s defense for years to come. -Zachary Spieker