Longtime NFL columnist Peter King does one mock draft every year, and today is the day he unveiled his 2020 prediction for how the first round could unfold Thursday night. Of course, even King admits that these predictions are a crap shoot.
Nonetheless, King has the Vikings using the 22nd overall pick on Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs – yes, he is the younger brother of Stefon Diggs – and the 25th selection on Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins.
King’s take on Diggs:
“The type of big cornerback GMs crave these days to face the bigger receivers colleges are churning out. With only Mike Hughes left in a once-rich secondary, the Vikings have no choice but to use first-round replenishment on a corner. This might be overthinking, but I wonder if being Stefon Diggs’ younger brother would bug GM Rick Spielman or coach Mike Zimmer. It certainly would be the first question I’d ask at the post-draft press conference.”
Here’s what King wrote about Higgins:
“Most receiving touchdowns in Clemson history: Higgins 27, DeAndre Hopkins 27, Sammy Watkins 27. Higgins needs to get stronger (6-3 ½, 216), but he’s the kind of receivers scouts think will improve at the 50-50 balls when he learns to be more physical. At 4.58 in the 40-yard dash, he’s no burner, but with a career average of 18.1 yards per catch, he’s got the kind of run-after-the-catch instincts that will serve him well at the pro level.”
It should be noted that King correctly predicted 26 players who went in the first round. That means they went in the first round, not that he accurately predicted which team took them. In that respect, King got 9 players to the right team.
