2020 NFL Mock Draft: SB Nation’s way too early look at next year’s draft

The 2019 NFL Draft was completed over the weekend, which means mock draft season is over. Well, the 2019 version of mock draft season is complete. There is always time for a 2020 NFL Mock Draft, and SB Nation’s Dan Kadar is ready with his first projection of next year’s selections.

Yes, it is way, way too early to actually think these picks are locked in. Kadar even writes:

Of course these early mock drafts are a total crapshoot. They’re just for fun and to start establishing a baseline of players and potential needs.

Take my first 2019 mock draft from April 2018, for instance. It had Clemson defensive picking Dexter Lawrence first overall. It gets better! It had several players who weren’t even in the draft this year. I did kinda call Drew Lock to Denver, though.

Even though it is way too early, we will take a look at what Kadar is thinking for the Miami Dolphins. The good news is, you do not have to scroll very far to get to the Dolphins. If you have read other posts I have done about mock drafts, you know I typically like to look at the first few picks, then maybe comment on other players at Miami’s biggest position of need, then jump to the Dolphins. In this case, none of that works.

With the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Kadar projects the Dolphins to select Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback, Alabama.

He writes of the selection:

Poor Josh Rosen. But if the Dolphins are at No. 1 in the 2020 draft, they likely won’t hesitate to take a quarterback. Tagovailoa has been destined for the top of the draft since his star-making freshman season at Alabama.

And, he is exactly right. If the Dolphins are the first pick, they are going to be taking a quarterback. It seems that simple. Now, I know everyone is infatuated with Tagovailoa, and the Dolphins are believed to be as well, but, with a full season to go before the 2020 Draft, it is worth mentioning played like Oregon’s Justin Herbert (3rd to the Cincinnati Bengals), Georgia’s Jake Fromm (26th to the Las Vegas Raiders), and Washington’s Jacob Eason (27th to the Los Angeles Chargers), all of whom Kadar has in the first round and all of whom could make an argument to climb up draft boards this year.

As for the Dolphins selecting first, Kadar based that on the latest future Super Bowl odds released by the FanDuel Sportsbook.

And, since we did no have to go through all the picks leading up to Miami, a quick tour of the AFC East shows the Buffalo Bills adding Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa with the fifth pick, the New York Jets selecting Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with the ninth pick, and the New England Patriots picking Purdue defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal with their customary 32nd overall selection.

Obviously, if Miami is picking first, it has been a horrible 2019 season and quarterback is the right pick. Do you think that is what Miami does, even after the trade for Josh Rosen? Does the former UCLA quarterback see his team pick a quarterback first overall two years in a row?