2020 NFL mock draft: Jordan Love heads to Patriots
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have done a nice job bolstering the defensive side of the ball during the free agency period, adding talent to all three levels of the defense. Unfortunately, despite the team bringing in Eli Apple, they still have a gaping hole at the cornerback position, and they may want to address it with the No. 19 overall pick.
For the second straight year, the Raiders have more than one first round pick, and with this selection via the Chicago Bears, they add Jeff Gladney from TCU. With Trayvon Mullen showing promise last year, and youngster Isaiah Johnson and Keisean Nixon already there, adding Apple and Gladney makes this unit significantly better than last season.
Las Vegas is definitely a team to keep an eye on next season, as they have been smart with free agency, and hold five of the first 91 selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. They will enter a new city and a new building next season, and Jon Gruden would like nothing more than to kick off their time in Sin City with a playoff season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars land here at No. 20 in the 2020 NFL Draft, thanks to them trading away cornerback Jalen Ramsey during the 2019 NFL season. In addition, the Jaguars have also traded away his fellow starter A.J. Bouye this offseason, sending him to the Denver Broncos for a fourth round pick.
With those two terrible losses to the secondary, the Jaguars have to make sure they build that group back up this offseason, and they do so here by adding the best pure safety in this draft class. Xavier McKinney was a leader on some very elite Alabama defenses during his time at school, and should bring stability to this Jaguars secondary.
The bottom line is, the Jaguars are going to look a lot differently next season, which may be a good thing, as they were terrible in 2019. Head coach Doug Marrone will be coaching for his life, and will have to rely on 2019 sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew, after the team traded away Nick Foles this month.