With Week 16 of the 2019 NFL season in the books, we take a look ahead to next April, where the Cincinnati Bengals hold the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The 2019 regular season is coming to a close, as the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings closed out the Week 16 slate on Monday night. With their loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals locked up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, where they will likely add a quarterback.
With that said, let us take a look at our latest 2020 NFL mock draft entering Week 17.
Joe Burrow
Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals locked up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Sunday, as they fell in overtime to the Miami Dolphins. While quarterback Andy Dalton played well in the game, nearly throwing for 400 yards, he made some pointed comments to the fan base after the loss.
For Dalton, his time as the starting quarterback in Cincinnati will be coming to an end, and with that first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, you have to think the franchise will target LSU’s Joe Burrow. The winner of the 2019 Heisman Trophy, Burrow is a born leader, and being from Ohio, would be a perfect successor to Dalton in Cincinnati.
The Bengals have played hard all season long, and a lot of their losses have been close ones. Still, they have a long way to go, and with a rookie head coach, and some veteran stars out this season, the time is coming for the franchise to to start their rebuild. What better way to do it than with a new franchise quarterback.
Chase Young
Edge, Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins took on the New York Giants in Week 16, with a chance to lock up the No. 2 overall pick on the line. While the game went into overtime, the Redskins ended up coming out on the losing end of the battle, but they may have won the war.
If Chase Young decides to come out early from Ohio State, he is going to be the best overall player in the draft class, and the Redskins have to target him at No. 2 overall. Sure, they have issues on both sides of the ball, but Young could be a generational talent on the edge for them, and would be a perfect compliment to Montez Sweat.
Starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins has looked good as a rookie in recent weeks, so the Redskins definitely will not be going the quarterback route at No. 2. Young is going to be a special player at the next level, and for the Redskins, they need as much star power on the defensive side of the ball as they can get.