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Hey, remember the 2019 NFL Draft? Feels like it was just last week. But that hasn’t stopped media outlets from putting out NFL mock drafts for next year because ... #content. Earlier this week, we looked at SB Nation’s 2020 first round pick for the Eagles. Now it’s time for Todd McShay’s turn (via ESPN In$ider):
25) Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama: Diggs was limited to just six games in 2018 after breaking his foot. In addition to being a solid cornerback (one interception and six passes broken up in limited time last season), he has returned kicks and punts for the Crimson Tide in the past.
It’s funny that McShay already has a cornerback going to the Eagles because he mistakenly kept linking that position to Philly leading up to this year’s draft. It was clear they weren’t going to draft one early and they ended up not drafting one at all. Truly shocking!
In fairness to McShay, corner might be a more realistic pick next year. Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, and Cre’Von LeBlanc are all set to be free agents after this season. Rasul Douglas and the oft-injured Sidney Jones (RFA) will be entering the final year of their contracts in 2020.
But there’s just so much that can change between now and next year. To give you an idea of just how useful or useless this activity is, here’s what McShay’s 2019 mock draft looked like at this time last year:
1) Buffalo Bills — Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2) Chicago Bears — Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
3) New York Giants — Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan
4) New York Jets — Greg Little, OT, Mississippi State
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Trey Adams, OT, Washington
6) Indianapolis Colts — Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
7) Denver Broncos — Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
8) Arizona Cardinals — Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
9) Detroit Lions — Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
10) Kansas City Chiefs — Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
11) Cleveland Browns — A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss
12) Cincinnati Bengals — Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
13) Washington — Anfernee Jennings, LB, Alabama
14) Carolina Panthers — Lukas Denis, S, Boston College
15) Miami Dolphins — Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
16) San Francisco 49ers — Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida
17) Jacksonville Jaguars — Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
18) Oakland Raiders — Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
19) Seattle Seahawks — David Edwards, OT, Wisconsin
20) Atlanta Falcons — Beau Benzschawel, OG, Wisconsin
21) Baltimore Ravens — Devin White, LB, LSU
22) Tennessee Titans — Michael Deiter, OT, Wisconsin
23) Dallas Cowboys — Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State
24) Minnesota Vikings — Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
25) Houston Texans — N’Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
26) Los Angeles Chargers — Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
27) Los Angeles Rams — Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky
28) Philadelphia Eagles — Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
29) Green Bay Packers — Raekwon Davis, DL, Alabama
30) Pittsburgh Steelers — Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma
31) Green Bay Packers — Montez Sweat, DL, Mississippi State
32) New England Patriots — Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson
McShay did correctly have 13 of these 32 players going in the first round. Only one of those players got drafted at their projected position (Bosa at No. 2).
One of the most interesting parts about McShay’s mock has nothing to do with the players selected. Rather, it’s about the order the picks occur. McShay bases his mock draft order off early 2019 record projections from Football Outsiders.
FO will publicize these projections later this offseason but for now we know they have seven teams ahead of Philly: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Rams, the New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the New Orleans Saints. FO’s projections also have Washington at No. 4, the New York Giants at No. 8, and the Dallas Cowboys at No. 24.