6th Annual Football Garbage Time Twitter NFL Mock Draft – Round 2

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

Welcome back, y’all!

Last week, we gave you the 1st Round of our 6th Annual Twitter NFL Mock Draft with a little insight as to why we thought those picks would be made. This week, we’re going to discuss our 2nd Round picks, but make no mistake, 2nd Round picks can be some of the most important in the NFL.  Just ask Drew Brees, Rob Gronkowski, Anquan Boldin, LeSean McCoy, Le’Veon Bell, Jordy Nelson and Michael Thomas if you want to know what impact a 2nd Round pick can make in the NFL.  Heck, as recent as last year we had 2nd Round picks make a huge impact, including A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf.  So yeah, we’re stoked about the 2nd Round of the 2020 NFL Draft and we have some ideas on how that’ll go.

As reminder, we enlisted a few friends to help us this year, including ten different writers & podcasters from five different sites participated, including:

Each one took part as GMs of several teams in the draft, and conducted the mock draft live over several weeks on Twitter (feel free to check out the back and forth on Twitter by searching for #FGTMock).  A few trends became clear and we certainly had more than a few surprises.

Check out the entire Draft HERE!

Without further to do, let’s get to Round 2 of that mock draft below along with the reasoning for each pick by each writer.

33 – Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: Yetur Gross-Matos – Edge

Staff: Scott King

The Bengals grab a pass rusher in Yetur Gross-Matos at the top of the second round to go along with their new franchise QB.

34 – Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Cameron Dantzler – CB

Staff: Ryan Whitfield

Comments by Joanne Kong:

The depth of the 2020 cornerback class allows the Colts to find a viable cornerback in the 2nd round.

The Colts defense tend to play their best in zone coverage, which means Dantzler would fit right in and may be the defensive player the Colts need.

In the 8 games played in his Jr. year, Dantzler recorded 2 interceptions, 8 pass break-ups and 40 tackles.  With good anticipation, good hands and competitiveness, Dantzler could tighten the secondary and address the hole in the pass defense.

35 – Detroit Lions

Pick: Terrell Lewis – LB

Staff: Scott King

The Lions add some more help on the defensive side of the ball with a solid pick from Bama. Roll tide.

36 – New York Giants

Pick: Austin Jackson – OT

Staff: Wole Akinso

37 – Los Angeles Chargers

Pick: Jonathan Taylor – RB

Staff: Ha Kung Wong

Austin Ekeler is a terrific running back, no doubt about it.  In fact, he was one of just three running backs to total more than 900 receiving yards in a season since 2000.  And since Ekeler was going to become a restricted free agent, the Chargers decided to reward him with a 4 year, $24.5 million contract with $15 million guaranteed, making him the 10th highest paid running back in the league.  Of course, this in turn made Melvin Gordon leave for the Denver Broncos, leaving a hole in the backfield.  How big of a hole?

In 5 seasons, Gordon has totaled more than 1,000 all-purpose yards in three seasons, has made 2 Pro Bowls and is the only player in the NFL to rush for at least 8 touchdowns in each of the last 4 seasons.  So what do the Chargers do?  How about drafting a guy who had back-to-back college seasons with 2,000 rush yards, who won the Doak Walker Award twice, was a first-team Associated Press All-American and Big Ten Running Back of the Year last year by gaining 2,003 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns on 320 carries (good for 6.3 yards per carry), and who also racked up 26 receptions, 252 receiving yards (good for 9.5 yards per catch average) as well as 5 receiving touchdowns?  Yes, I know that’s a loaded question and yes, that was on purpose.

Jonathan Taylor’s Wisconsin Stats 
Rush Rush Rush Rush Rece Rece Rece Rece
Year G Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
*2017 14 299 1977 6.6 13 8 95 11.9 0
*2018 13 307 2194 7.1 16 8 60 7.5 0
*2019 14 320 2003 6.3 21 26 252 9.7 5
Career 926 6174 6.7 50 42 407 9.7 5

Jonathan Taylor is a beast and will be the perfect complement for Ekeler.  He’s big, he’s fast, he’s patient behind the line and has amazing one-cut ability and vision.  And he showed it all again at the Combine where he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of all running backs (4.39 seconds), despite being the third-heaviest player at the position (226 pounds).  No. Brainer.

38 – Carolina Panthers

Pick: Denzel Mims – WR

Staff: Joey Alibro

39 – Miami Dolphins

Pick: Zack Baun – LB

Staff: Joanne Kong

The Dolphins aren’t in desperate need for a linebacker, although like many other teams, they can use an infusion of young blood on defensive to impact pass defense and stop the run.  With Raekwon McMillan becoming a free agent after the 2020 season and Jerome Baker having only two years on his contract, the Dolphins could use a linebacker for the future.

Zack Baun from Wisconsin is 6’2” and 238 pounds of force.  One of the most productive line backers in 2019, Baun had 19.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, second to only Ohio State’s Chase Young among Big Ten defenders. Baun has an explosive quickness.  He’s also said to be fluid when dropping into coverage, with good lateral range to go along with his coverage and blitzing ability.  Baun could be another significant piece for a rebuilding team.

40 – Houston Texans (from Arizona Cardinals)

Pick: K’Lavon Chaisson – LB/Edge

Pick: Wole Akinso

41 – Cleveland Browns

Pick: Julian Okwara – Edge

Staff: Ha Kung Wong

If Julian Okwara had entered the draft after his junior year, he might have been a first round pick.  He started the final 12 games at Notre Dame of the 2018 season and led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and tied for first with 8 sacks.  According to Pro Football Focus, Okwara totaled 61 pressures and 21 hits/sacks on the quarterback and registered 26 run stops on 217 run snaps in 2018.  He was one of the top college edge rushers in the country.  Then 2019 happened.

Okwara started the first 9 games of 2019 and accumulated 18 tackles, 6 for loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and a blocked kick, but broke his left fibula against Duke to end his senior season.  But although the numbers don’t jump off the page like they did in 2018, you can’t predict injuries and it’s hard to believe that he’s taken a significant step back, so the potential should still be there.

The Browns are looking to shore up their defense and need a big boost at defensive end.  Myles Garrett is a force and will be there next season, but the future for Olivier Vernon in Cleveland is still murky as he holds the franchises highest cap hit, had a hard time staying healthy with a knee injury and wasn’t that productive while on the field last season with just 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks.  It’s possible that Vernon at least makes it through 2020, but even if he stays, the Browns are going to need help into the future.

Okwara can immediately be rotated in during his rookie season and has the athleticism to instantly improve the Browns pass rush.  The floor is probably that he stays a situational edge rusher, but the ceiling is he becomes that guy we thought he would be after his 2018 season.  And for that, he’s well worth a second round pick.

42 – Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: Chase Claypool – WR

Staff: FXP Jr.

Chase Claypool has a big size advantage and is fast.

43 – Chicago Bears

Pick: Lloyd Cushenberry – OL

Staff: Ha Kung Wong

As a two-year starter at LSU, Lloyd Cushenberry was the leader of an offensive line that did wonders keeping quarterback Joe Burrow upright.  The offensive line went on to win the Joe Moore Award as the country’s best unit, with Cushenberry being named a second-team All-American by both the Football Writer’s Association of America and American Football Coaches Association.

Although he spent most of his time at center (28 starts) at LSU, he’s a tough interior offensive lineman that can also play guard, and in fact started at guard in high school.  At 6-foot-3, 312 pounds, his long arms (34 1/8 inches) and strength are exactly what NFL teams are looking for as he’s difficult to move and demonstrates excellent technique.

The Bears have Cody Whitehair at center, but have a huge hole to fill on the already questionable offensive line, and that’s Kyle Long’s right guard spot.  There may be an internal option with Germain Ifedi, Rashaad Coward and Alex Bars, but I don’t think you can have too much quality depth on your o-line.  Worst case scenario is that Cushenberry is a solid rotational piece, but best case scenario is that the Bears have a solid right guard starter into the future.  Well worth the earlier of the Bears second round picks.

44 – Indianapolis Colts

Pick: K.J. Hamler – WR 

Staff: Ryan Whitfield

45 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: Clyde Edwards-Hilaire – RB

Staff: Scott King

The Bucs now have the GOAT at QB and now they grab an outstanding tablet at RB with CEH. He was as important to the offense as Burrow. This should be interesting.

46 – Denver Broncos

Pick: Derrick Brown – DT

Staff: Adam Aniba

The Broncos get the steal of the draft with nations top interior defensive lineman somehow falling to #46 overall in the second round. The defensive tackle from Auburn joins Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and recently acquired Jurrell Casey to form one of the best defensive fronts on the NFL.

47 – Atlanta Falcons

Pick: A.J. Terrell – CB

Staff: FXP Jr.

A.J. Terrell has speed and rarely gets beat over the top.

48 – New York Jets

Pick: Michael Pittman Jr. – WR 

Staff: Joanne Kong

The Jets could use another productive target in the receiving group for quarterback  Sam Darnold to throw to, and USC’s Michael Pittman Jr. has loads of potential.

Pittman is a big-bodied target at 6-foot 4 and 220 pounds. He’d be a great addition to a Jets receiving corp.

Pittman is coming off a monster season with USC, catching 101 balls for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns in 13 games as a senior. This productive year comes after a more-than solid breakout campaign in 2018, where Pittman has 41 catches for 758 yards and six touchdowns, showing improvement year-to-year.

49 – Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: Jacob Eason – QB 

Staff: Ha Kung Wong

Yes, Big Ben will likely be back this season, but he’s shown to have a propensity for injury recently and is 38 years old and not getting younger.  The Steelers have to look to the future and they saw who they had in the wings, which amounted to a lot of turnovers and one bench clearing brawl against the Browns.  In short, it wasn’t pretty.

That’s why I think it behooves the Steelers to draft a quarterback in the second round, particularly if a talent like Jacob Eason is available.  Eason was the starter at Georgia in 2016 and also to begin the 2017 season prior to a left knee injury in the opener, being replaced by Jake Fromm.  He played in 5 games in total in 2018, then decided to transfer back to home to Washington.  He started all 13 games for the Huskies in 2019, completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns against 8 interceptions and led Washington to an impressive 38 to 7 thumping over the 18th ranked Boise State Broncos in the Las Vegas Bowl.

He still has some required growth, but has big potential with a big arm, good downfield anticipation, and significant experience running play action.  This makes him the perfect candidate to sit behind Big Ben for a year or two prior to taking the reigns.

50 – Chicago Bears

Pick: Ashtyn Davis – S

Staff: Ha Kung Wong

I was very tempted to draft a quarterback here, but with the Bears trading for Nick Foles and still having some time to decide on Mitchell Trubisky, and having addressed the o-line earlier in the round, I decided to move to the other side of the ball.

Due to the Bears’ limited cap space, veteran strong safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix left and went to Dallas.  The Bears did re-sign Deon Bush, but he’s unlikely to be an every down guy and there really isn’t much depth at safety after Eddie Jackson.  Plus, the Bears need to start thinking about maintaining their defense into the future.  That’s where Ashtyn Davis comes in.

Davis played four seasons for Cal and spent time as a kick returner, punt returner, cornerback and safety.  On defense, Davis amassed 166 total tackles (102 solo, 64 assisted), 12 pass defenses, 7 interceptions, and one touchdown.  And on special teams, he managed to return 70 kicks for 1604 total yards, averaging 22.9 yards per return, which makes sense considering his experience running track in college as well.

Altogether, this earned Davis second-team All-Pac-12 honors and relatively high draft board placements across the league, Davis reportedly had a a groin injury that bothered him in his 2019 season and led to an undisclosed minor medical procedure and a missed Redbox Bowl and Senior Bowl.  He also opted to just do bench press at the Combine, waiting to show off his speed at Cal’s Pro Day event, but the March 20 event was canceled due to COVID-19.  What this means is that he may drop in the draft, so the Bears should keep a close eye on his health status leading up to draft day, but I think he’s loaded with potential and could be an excellent value at the end of the 2nd round, particularly for the safety-needing Bears.

51 – Dallas Cowboys

Pick: Matt Hennessy – OL 

Staff: Joey Alibro

52 – Los Angeles Rams

Pick: Kristian Fulton – CB 

Staff: Adam Aniba

The Rams add one of the most battle tested cornerbacks in this years draft in LSU’s Kristian Fulton. As the Rams continue the reconstruction of their defensive backfield, pairing Fulton with Jalen Ramsey should help LA keep pace with the Cardinals, Seahawks and 49ers.

53 – Philadelphia Eagles

Pick: Noah Igbinoghene – CB

Staff: Mike Knox

54 – Buffalo Bills

Pick: Bryan Edwards – WR

Staff: Joanne Kong

Bryan Edwards has 234 career receptions, which ranks him 3rd in SEC history, and 3,054 career receiving yards, which is 4th in SEC league history.  He’s also third in career touchdowns, 22, which is only one behind Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery. Edwards has had 48 games with at least one reception, which means he caught a pass in every single game he played in at South Carolina.

With 56 broken tackles over the course of his career, Edwards abilities could really boost the Bills’ offense that lack play-making receivers. In 2019, Cole Beasley led all Bills receivers with 353 yards after the catch, with John Brown coming in second with 221 yards, but they weren’t guys that broke tackles to earn that yardage. Beasley and Brown only broke five tackles combined in their first year in Buffalo.

55 – Baltimore Ravens (from Atlanta Falcons)

Pick: Cam Akers – RB

Staff: Dan Thury

Cam Akers gives the Ravens their RB of the future. While, he didn’t put up the flashy stats like some of the other top backs in this class, Akers is very much capable of being a lead back, with over 200 carries and 30 catches in his final year with the Seminoles, he hit a respectable 5.2 ypt on a bad FSU offense behind a bad O-line.

56 – Miami Dolphins

Pick: Curtis Weaver – Edge

Staff: Joanne Kong

After a week of free agency, the Miami Dolphins have made some moved that might negate Round 1 Pick 26 of D’Andre Swift.  Although, Swift could be a valuable addition to the team, exploration of other needed positions might have been explored.

In rebuilding this Dolphins team, they’ll need players on both offense and defense with their 13 draft picks in 2020.  And Curtis Weaver is an addition that could bolster Miami’s defense.  At 6’3” and 265-lbs, Weaver has tallied 28 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks in his first two season at Boise State.  As a redshirt sophomore in 2018, he demonstrated incredible developed pass-rushing moves and edge-collapsing bend reminiscent of Nick Bosa.  Weaver has quickness, ability to work around the outside of offensive tackles, good footwork and the ability to slip through the gap and around the edge.  All the skill sets to make him a immediate starter, and an invaluable addition to the Miami defense.

57 – Houston Texans

Pick: Gabriel Davis – WR  

Staff: Wole Akinso

58 – Minnesota Vikings

Pick: Ross Blacklock – DT 

Staff: Dan Thury

The Vikings sorely need to add depth to the D-line, and this starts with the interior, where Linval Joseph is gone and needs to be replace. Blacklock graded out really well for PFF, 75.2 pass-rush grade and 85.9 run-stop grade. PFF says Blacklock poses high motor, which is something Mike Zimmer will love as he continues to rebuild his trenches.

59 – Seattle Seahawks

Pick: Prince Tega Wanogho –  OL

Staff: Ryan Whitfield

60 – Baltimore Ravens

Pick: Tyler Johnson – WR  

Staff: Dan Thury

Johnson will give the Ravens the possession slot wide receiver they will sorely need after Snead is a UFA next season. He will pair well with former 1st RD pick Marquise Brown and give the Ravens a nice 1-2 punch at wide receiver.  It’s hard to imagine Johnson as a Day 2 pick in the actual NFL draft given he didn’t test at the Combine and he wasn’t invited to the Senior, this shouldn’t make you believe in him less, he will end up being a steal.

61 – Tennessee Titans

Pick: Damon Arnette – CB  

Staff: Joanne Kong

The Titans inability to adapt on offense was one reason the team failed to overcome the Chiefs’ in the AFC Championship game.  Another reason was the inconsistency in pass defense.  The depth of the 2020 cornerback class allows the Titans to find a viable cornerback in the 2nd round.

Versatile enough to play inside at nickel or line up outside with the ability to play man or zone, Damon Arnette may be the defensive player the Titans need.  Arnette totaled 35 tackles with 8 passes broken up, an interception and a forced fumble in 2019. He has a good skill set and put it all together with an improved senior year.  Arnette is very physical and is super competitive, challenging every throw and never making it easy for receivers. On top of having solid cover skills, he is an exceptional tackler who doesn’t hesitate to hit.  Off the field concerns will likely allow him to slide in the draft, making him an excellent value in the late second round.

Green Bay Packers

Pick: Ezra Cleveland – OT

Staff: Ha Kung Wong

I grabbed a wide receiver for the Packers in the first round, so now it was time to focus on their next biggest need.  David Bakhtiari holds down the left tackle position, but the Packers need to consider who the answer will be at right tackle.  The Packers did recently sign Ricky Wagner, so it’s perhaps not an immediate need, but their depth is slim and they really should think longer term.  And that’s where I think Ezra Cleveland fits in.

Cleveland can play both sides, but did earn first-team all-conference honors as a 13 game starter at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded an impressive 81.0 pass-blocking grade over his career, allowing only 14 total pressures on 535 pass-blocking snaps in 2018 and following that up with allowing just 15 total pressures on 502 pass-blocking snaps in 2019.  Cleveland also saw improvement in his run-blocking grade to 78.0 and, importantly, was flagged for just seven penalties.

At the Combine, Cleveland demonstrated significant agility recording the fastest 3 cone drill (3.26 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.46 seconds) among all offensive linemen.  And he also showed speed and strength getting the 3rd fastest 40-yard dash (4.93 seconds) and putting up the 5th most bench reps (30) among offensive linemen.

Bottom line, the Packers need help at tackle and Cleveland has potential for the long haul with excellent value late in the 2nd round.

63 – Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: Lucas Niang – OL 

Staff: Joey Alibro

32 – Seattle Seahawks

Pick: Jabari Zuniga – DE

Staff: Ryan Whitfield

Disagree with our Mock Draft?  Let us know!

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