2020 NFL Mock Draft: Tua Tagovailoa is top pick in 1st round

In the latest 2020 NFL Mock Draft from RotoWorld, it’s Tua Tagovailoa who owns the distinction as the first overall pick.

Analysts around the country are beginning to study the 2020 NFL draft and its projected class of prospects, and one thing appears pretty obvious at this point: there will be a quarterback selected early in the first round.

CBS Sports recently published a mock draft that had Georgia’s Jake Fromm as the surprising No. 1 pick to the Miami Dolphins, and in RotoWorld’s first 2020 mock draft, it’s Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa who gets top billing.

In this Mock, it’s the Raiders who own the first selection; they’re ready to move on from Derek Carr.

“This pick would give Jon Gruden the Steve Young-esque West Coast quarterback he prefers, allow Mike Mayock to choose the face of his franchise, seriously geek up the Las Vegas fanbase, give ESPN’s draft crew hours of talking points comparing Tagovailoa to the original left-handed dual-threat Alabama quarterback in Raiders lore, Ken Stabler*, and allow the Raiders to scoop up a draft pick by trading Derek Carr,” wrote the mock’s author, Thor Nystrom.

A surprising pick takes place at No. 2 overall, where Nystrom sends the Dolphins A.J. Epenesa, the impressive edge defender from Iowa. Most preseason projections have Ohio State’s Chase Young as the top pass-rushing prospect, but he doesn’t come off the board in this mock draft until the fifth pick (New York Giants).

And what about Tua’s top playmaking wide receiver? Jerry Jeudy doesn’t wait long for his name to be called in this mock draft; he’s the Redskins’ pick at No. 3 overall.

Jeudy to the Redskins would be a ton of fun, too. With Washington investing in Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, adding a talent like Jeudy to build the passing game around would just make sense. He can win on all three levels of the field and would give Washington its most dynamic wide receiver in decades.

Oregon QB Justin Herbert falls to seventh overall in this mock draft scenario and becomes the new face of the Cincinnati Bengals. This seems a bit low, in my opinion. Herbert has potentially elite arm talent and if he can display a bit more consistency this season, he’ll end up a top-five pick.

For RotoWorld’s complete mock draft, click here.