Big Board Showdown: Defensive Draft Strategy

Big Board Showdown is live! Download and play on Champions Round.

4 min readApr 20, 2020

Welcome to the Big Board Showdown! Seven Rounds. One Champion. Our new NFL fantasy game is open for business.

Check out what we’ve got in store for you:

In this game mode you will be able to set up leagues of between 6 and 12 players beginning on April 16. You and your league will be able to draft your 12 man rosters any time from April 16 to April 23, the date of Round 1 of the NFL Draft.

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Since this is the inaugural version of this game mode, some of the best strategies can be created by you on the fly. We can’t wait to hear what formulas you’ve come up with to win your leagues.

If you’re not familiar with the 2020 NFL Draft prospects, don’t worry. We’re here to help. In this article we are going to breakdown some of the top defensive players in this draft class and provide you with some strategies heading into your league drafts about how you should approach this positional group.

Should you grab a top Defensive Player?

This is a very solid and deep defensive draft class, headlined by all-world prospect Chase Young. Our Big Board Showdown game will task you with drafting four defensive players and you can choose to put a fifth defender in your Flex spot.

If you can grab a defender who gets taken within the first five picks, it may be worth it to draft them early. If not, we have 27 defensive players ranked as “Gold” prospects and we expect as many as 34 defenders to go within the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. What’s that mean? If you want to target other positions first, go for it. There will be quality defenders who will still score points for your fantasy team later in your league drafts.

With that being said, there are a few prospects who are in their own tier. Here are all of the defenders we currently project to go in top 20 picks of the 2020 NFL Draft:

Chase Young — Ohio State — Projected R1, P2

Young is a freak. Compared to Joey and Nick Bosa, he is a better prospect coming out of college. Power, Speed, Relentlessness. He’s got it all.

Jeffrey Okudah — Ohio State — Projected R1, P3

Great man coverage skills and beyond fast. Good ball skills. One of the better cornerback prospects to come out in the past five years. Projects as a future Pro Bowler.

Isaiah Simmons — Clemson — Projected R1, P4

Ridiculously versatile and instinctive. Could play any position on defense. Can cover any offensive position and has great vision. He’s got all of the tools.

Derrick Brown — Auburn — Projected R1, P7

Brown is a really good athlete for his size. He is scheme and positionally flexible. Moreover, is he ridiculously competitive.

Javon Kinlaw — South Carolina — Projected R1, P9

Absolutely a freak coming off of the ball. He will intimidate offensive lineman. He has a ton of power and will get to the QB. He has a high motor and always follows the football.

CJ Henderson — Florida — Projected R1, P16

Henderson is probably the best man coverage cornerback in the draft. He has outstanding body control and quick feet. Very fluid and efficient with his movements.

Kristian Fulton — LSU — Projected R1, P17

Fulton is great in man coverage. Very competitive and attacks the football. Rarely allows separation and has great awareness.

K’Lavon Chaisson — LSU — Projected R1, P19

One of the most explosive players in the draft on either side of the ball. Chaisson can be used in very creative ways on the defensive line or at linebacker. Absolutely relentless motor.

Kenneth Murray — Oklahoma — Projected R1, P20

Murray is a tough player who plays with urgency and has great range. Can make tackles from anywhere on the field.

Playing the Waiting Game…

Here are the other defenders we project to be selected within the first two rounds of the NFL Draft:

Neville Gallimore — Oklahoma — Projected R1, P22
AJ Epenesa — Iowa — Projected R1, P24
Jeff Gladney — TCU — Projected R1, P27
Xavier McKinney — Alabama — Projected R1, P28
Yetur Gross-Matos — Penn State — Projected R1, P31
Trevon Diggs — Alabama — Projected R1, P32
Patrick Queen — LSU — Projected R2, P3
A.J. Terrell — Clemson — Projected R2, P4
Ross Blacklock — TCU — Projected R2, P5
Jaylon Johnson — Utah — Projected R2, P6
Julian Okwara — Notre Dame — Projected R2, P7
Antoine Winfield Jr. — Minnesota — Projected R2, P8
Noah Igbinoghene — Auburn — Projected R2, P10
Damon Arnette — Ohio State — Projected R2, P14
Justin Madubuike — Texas A&M — Projected R2, P15
Jeremy China — Southern Illinois — Projected R2, P19
Marlon Davidson — Auburn — Projected R2, P21
Jordan Brooks — Texas Tech — Projected R2, P22
Grant Delpit — LSU — Projected R2, P26
Cameron Dantzler — Mississippi State — Projected R2, P28
Ashtyn Davis — California — Projected R2, P32

Strategy

If you’re in a position in Big Board Showdown to draft Young, Okudah or Simmons early, I would probably take one of them. After that, I would consider waiting for defensive players.

We hope you love our new fantasy football game mode! Download the app, create a league and get on the clock because #YouGotNextPick