You are here
Home > NFL > 2020 NFL Draft Race for No. 1: Bengals, Dolphins continue quest for Tua Tagovailoa

2020 NFL Draft Race for No. 1: Bengals, Dolphins continue quest for Tua Tagovailoa

And then, there were two. 

Following last Sunday’s bizarre ending in Miami, the Dolphins remain winless and the front-runners to land the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Miami, if they are able to secure the first overall pick, is expected to select Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has completed 73.6 percent of his passes this season while possessing a gaudy 27/1 touchdown/interception ratio. The Dolphins, along with having a winless record, are armed with three first round picks after trading Laremy Tunsil to Houston and Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh earlier this season. 

Miami, a 17-point underdog this Sunday on the road against the Buffalo Bills, isn’t the only winless team that may be in search of landing Tua with the first overall pick. The Cincinnati Bengals, 0-6 under first year head coach Zac Taylor, may also be in the market for a new quarterback with Andy Dalton entering the final two years of his contract. 

Outside of Miami’s matchup with the Bills, here’s a look at four other Week 7 games that may help determine who may land the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. 

Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta 

Sunday, 1 p.m. (Fox, stream on Fubu TV, try for free

The Falcons, 1-5 through six games, are three-point underdogs at home against a Rams team that is reeling after three consecutive losses. Los Angeles did get a boost Tuesday night when they traded for Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who will surely help a Rams secondary that is currently 14th in the NFL against the pass. 

Atlanta will likely target an edge rusher with their first round pick, which means that the Falcons will likely target Ohio State’s Chase Young and Iowa’s A.J. Epensea. Young, will look to emulate former Buckeyes Joey and Nick Bosa as elite NFL pass rushers, already has 8.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles this season. 

Jacksonville at Cincinnati

Sunday, 1 p.m. (CBS, stream on CBS All Access, follow on CBS Sports App

The Bengals are four-point underdogs at home against a Jaguars team that is 2-4 after losing two straight games. As noted above, the Bengals may be in the market for a new quarterback in this year’s draft, with Dalton about to turn 32 and entering the final year of his contract. 

There will be other quarterback options in the first round if the Bengals are not able to secure the first overall pick. In his latest mock draft, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson has Cincinnati selecting Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the second overall pick. LSU’s Joe Burrow may also be an option for the Bengals assuming that they will have a top-10 pick in this year’s draft. 

San Francisco at Washington 

Sunday, 1 p.m (Fox, stream on Fubu TV, try for free)

The 1-5 Redskins are 10-point underdogs at home against the undefeated 49ers. While Washington will have a slew of needs to address this season, Wilson has them taking Alabama wideout Jerry Jeudy with the fourth overall pick in his most recent mock draft. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Jeudy has caught 42 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns this season. As a sophomore, he caught 68 passes for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 19.3 yards per reception. 

“Jeudy is an elite route runner who does everything well,” Wilson wrote of Jeudy, who may complement rookie wideout Terry McLaurin in D.C. next season. “If you’re looking to nitpick, he doesn’t have top-end speed, though you wouldn’t know it to watch him in games. And while the Redskins need help on defense, it makes sense to get Dwayne Haskins as many weapons as possible.”

New England at New York Jets

Monday, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN) 

The Jets, a week after upsetting the Dallas Cowboys at home, are 10-point underdogs at home against the undefeated Patriots. Wilson, who has New York landing the fifth overall pick in his most recent mock draft, has the Jets taking Iowa offensive guard Tristan Wirfs with their first round pick. Wirfs, who will look to get the Hawkeyes’ ground game going against Purdue this weekend after a rough outing in last Saturday’s close loss to Penn State, might be asked to help bolster a Jets’ rushing attack that is 30th in the NFL through five games. 

“Wirfs, who has a little Cody Ford in his game, is surprisingly athletic for his size, and his combination of strong hands and quick feet allows him to control would-be pass rushers,” Wilson wrote of the 6-foot-5, 322-pound lineman. “If he gets his hands on you it’s over, and he also has the ability to get into space and pave the way in the running game.”

FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsAppBloggerShare
Tutorialspoint
el-admin
el-admin
EltasZone Sportswriters, Sports Analysts, Opinion columnists, editorials and op-eds. Analysis from The Zone Team
Top