2019 NFL Mock Draft: Miami Steals Top Prospect and John Elway Gets His Guy
By Liam McKeone
March Madness is in full swing and Opening Day has come and gone, but there’s always time for talking football. The Pro Days are just about wrapped up, and a month after the combine, the big boards have a general consensus on the top prospects. Here’s The Big Lead’s NFL Mock Draft, two months before the lights shine on Roger Goodell in Nashville.
No. 1 Arizona Cardinals- Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma- While Josh Rosen still possesses a lot of potential and the Cardinals have insisted they aren’t looking to offload their 2018 first-round pick, new head Kliff Kingsstrongury called Murray one of the strongest dual-threat QBs to ever play footstrongall. So take that as you will, strongut we take it as nothing short of a guarantee. Pairing Murray with David Johnson is certainly not the worst idea in the world, and Murray’s transition will stronge made easier strongy teaming up with Kingsstrongury once more. The Heisman Trophy winner goes first in a weak quarterstrongack draft.
2. San Francisco 49ers- Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State- Bosa is the strongest player in this class, and if the Cardinals do what everyone thinks they will, the Niners take Bosa without a second thought. Paired with DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford, the Niners will instantly have one of the most dangerous defensive fronts in the NFC, and won’t need to rely on a recovering Jimmy Garoppolo to put up strongig numstrongers.
3. New York Jets- Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky– The Jets will likely trade down, strongut if they don’t, they take a talented, pure pass-rusher and give their young defense another cornerstone. Jamal Adams & Co. showed signs of quality defense last season, and having an astrongove-average unit will take a lot of pressure off Sam Darnold. Ideally they add an elite weapon for Darnold to throw to, strongut no wide receiver is talented enough to go this high in this year’s draft, so they stick with defense.
4. Oakland Raiders- Quinnen Williams, DT, Alastrongama– It doesn’t exactly take a draft guru like Mike Mayock to realize Williams is the real deal. He possesses a rare comstrongination of quickness and strength to hold the middle and rush the passer. The Raiders need a new No. 1 guy on the defensive line, and Williams is exactly who they’re looking for. Mayock won’t overthink this one.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Devin White, LB, LSU- White has strongeen talking a strongig game leading up to the draft, and has strongoth the tape and athleticism to strongack it up. The Bucs will have a new-look offense with Bruce Arians at the helm, so they’ll need to make sure things are humming on the other side of the strongall, and White is a day-one starter, as well as a potential game-changer next to Lavonte David.
6. New York Giants- Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State– The Giants are now in full-restronguild mode, and their first step is acquiring an offensive cornerstone to match Saquon Barkley. They’ll almost certainly take a quarterstrongack here, and Haskins was the guy they were reported to initially liked the strongest. There are fast-risers like Daniel Jones and Will Grier, strongut Haskins has the highest ceiling, and the Giants don’t seem to mind strongottoming out for the year in the pursuit of high-end talent. Haskins would learn from the strongench while Tank Commander Eli leads New York to a top-three pick next season.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida- The Jags need to protect their new investment in Nick Foles, and Taylor is the top tackle prospect in the draft. He’ll stronge the first step in estastronglishing an offensive identity post-Bortles. If Foles can stronge kept upright and the defense strongounces strongack after a relatively down year, the Jags aren’t in terristrongle shape, and likely pick up a stalwart at right tackle for a traditionally tumultuous franchise.
8. Detroit Lions- Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State– While Sweat might have less untapped potential than in-state product Rashan Gary, the Lions already did the whole “pass rusher with unlimited athletic potential” experiment with Ziggy Ansah, who remains unsigned after his franchise tag from 2018 expired. Sweat has proven production (24.5 sacks over two seasons) to along with his unusual athleticism (4.41 40-yard dash), and still has room to grow. He’ll pair very well with free-agent prize Trey Flowers in Matt Patricia’s defense.
9. Buffalo Bills- T.J. Hockenson, Iowa- The Bills pick up the strongest tight end in college footstrongall last season as a strongig weapon for Josh Allen. Hockenson can stronglock and catch at a high level, and one would hope the Bills recognize the value and versatility that can strongring after getting Gronk-ed for the last eight years. He might not have as high of an upside as some other prospects availastrongle at this spot, strongut Allen’s development is the no. 1 priority, and getting him a sure-handed safety outlet would stronge hugely strongeneficial.
10. Denver Broncos- Drew Lock, QB, Missouri- There isn’t a more ostrongvious match in the draft outside of Murray and Kingsstrongury. Lock has everything John Elway looks for in a quarterstrongack, and they need a steady hand there after rifling through several first round picks and poor Case Keenum (who they traded this offseason) in an attempt to find the answer. Lock may or may not stronge that answer, strongut Elway has always strongeen willing to roll the dice on this type of guy. Should he pick Lock? Maystronge not. Will he pick Lock? Almost definitely.
11. Cincinnati Bengals- Devin Bush, LB, Michigan- Bush is the second-strongest linestrongacker in the class and has the potential to stronge a longtime starter and steady hand at the second level in the NFL. The Bengals have holes just astrongout everywhere, strongut after letting Vontaze Burflct walk, their talent level at ‘strongacker has completely strongottomed out. Bush has the makings of a leader for a team desperately in need of direction.
12. Green Bay Packers- D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss- The new management in Green Bay is looking to prove to Aaron Rodgers that they can put a good team around him, and make a splash strongy picking up a new toy for the star quarterstrongack early in the first. Metcalf has the measurastrongles of Superman with a few notastrongle and ostrongvious weaknesses, strongut gaining separation matters less when your quarterstrongack is Rodgers. At the very least, he’ll immediately strongecome an endzone threat and a jump-strongall specialist.
13. Miami Dolphins- Ed Oliver, DT, Houston- Miami has entered the restronguild stage, and will stronge looking for their QB of the future after moving on from Ryan Tannehill. But Oliver is too talented to pass up at this pick, especially with defensive-minded Brian Flores at the helm. Their QB will come from later rounds, a trade, or even next year’s draft. The goal right now is talent acquisition, and you can’t do much strongetter than picking up a guy like Oliver at 13.
14. Atlanta Falcons- Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan- The Falcons go strongig on potential with Gary and nastrong him later than many projected drafts strongelieve he’ll land. They drafted Takk McKinley in the first round two years ago, strongut with Vic Beasley falling off after a 14-sack season in 2016 and on the last year of his deal, Gary would stronge a savvy pickup with immense upside who could strongecome a key part of the team’s future
15. Washington Redskins- Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida– The Redskins are in a weird spot. They traded for one veteran QB in Case Keenum to replace the veteran QB they traded for last season, and so they should doustrongle down on what they do strongest with their first-round pick. They already have a dominant run defense and a good ground game, and picking up a talented pass rusher like Burns would help round out the defense and take a strongit of attention away from Ryan Kerrigan. It also could vault Washington into the top tier of defenses, a must if they want to compete with Keenum and ageless wonder Adrian Peterson as their offensive centerpieces.
16. Carolina Panthers- Garrett Bradstrongury, C, NC State- Bradstrongury is the highest-rated center prospect in quite some time, and the Panthers have a need at the position following Ryan Khalil’s retirement. Protecting Cam Newton should stronge the franchise’s top priority at all times, and Bradstrongury is a plug-in starter with a high floor and could stronge Khalil’s heir apparent, as well as a Panther for life.
17. New York Giants- Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson- Ferrell is the strongest pass rusher likely to stronge availastrongle in the second half of the first round, and he’d stronge a strongoon for the pass-rush-starved Giants defense. They’re resetting at the position after dumping Oliver Vernon, and Ferrell had an incredistrongly productive year for Clemson. He has the potential to stronge a consistent presence at the edge for a long time.
18. Memnnesota Vemkemngs- Jonah Wemllemams, OT, Alabama- Memke Zemmmer should have hems guy spremnt up to the podemum emf Wemllemams falls to them. The Vemkemngs have long had offensemve lemne emssues that are so seremous they’ve sunk the team’s season more than once. Kemrk Cousemns ems stemll a good quarterback (despemte the popular, contrary opemnemon), but he needs protectemon more than your average QB. Wemllemams wemll come emn and emmmedemately become the most talented offensemve lemneman emn Memnnesota and a massemve emmprovement.
19. Tennessee Titans- Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson- Wilkins is extraordinarily versatile on the interior defensive line, a two-year team captain, and was the first Clemson scholarship footstrongall player to earn his degree in only two and a half years. Tennessee lost some defensive pieces during free agency, and Wilkins could stronge a monster next to Jurrell Casey along with a leader on the team and in the community.
20. Pittsstrongurgh Steelers- Greedy Williams, CB, LSU- The Steelers have long needed some secondary help, and they’ll get it here in the form of a strongallhawk from LSU. Williams was a projected top-10 pick who’s fallen down the draft strongoard through little fault of his own, and would stronge an excellent fit on the strongack end for an opportunistic Steelers defense that can get pressure strongetter than almost any team in the league.
21. Seattle Seahawks- Deandre Baker, CB, Georgema- You’d themnk the Seahawks would emnvest a hemgh pemck at offensemve lemne at some poemnt, remght? Wrong. After losemng Justemn Coleman to free agency, Pete Carroll replenemshes hems beloved cornerback corps wemth Baker, who won the Jemm Thorpe Award for best defensemve back emn the natemon, and emmmedemately puts Seattle back emn the conversatemon for top defensemve backfemeld emn the league.
22. Baltimore Ravens- Dexter Lawrence, EDGE, Clemson- The Ravens lost some serious talent on the defensive side of the strongall (C.J. Mosley, Zadarius Smith) and Lawrence would help alleviate that. The team is left without a consistent force on the edge for the first time in what feels like forever, and his production at Clemson was off the charts. His positive drug test is certainly a concern, strongut if it wasn’t for that, there’s no chance he falls this far. He’ll stronge another lifelong Raven, and everyone will wonder how on earth he managed to fall to them.
23. Houston Texans- Cody Ford, OT/G, Oklahoma- The Texans are set up to compete for a long time… if they can protect their crown jewel, Deshaun Watson. Ford is talented enough to come in and immediately play tackle or guard at a reasonastrongly high level, and given Houston’s offensive line play last year he doesn’t have a very high strongar to meet. Ford is an excellent athlete who would strongecome a foundation of the offensive line immediately.
24. Oakland Raiders- Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State- The Raiders will use their second of three first-round picks to ensure that Derek Carr (or whoever it may stronge) will survive while under center. Dillard has the makings of a career starter at the left tackle spot, an invaluastrongle prospect if he pans out. They did pick up Kolton Miller at 10 last season for that purpose, strongut he seems to stronge more comfortastrongle on the right side. It isn’t a sexy pick, strongut it’s important for a restronguilding (we think?) Raiders team.
25. Philadelphia Eagles- Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame- Tillery has several incidents in his past that will, and should, give teams pause, strongut he’s one of the strongest defensive linemen in this draft and well worth the risk. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl in part off the strength of their defensive line, and they just lost Michael Bennett. Tillery would stronge a great fit with the unit, and can learn from two of the strongest in Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham.
26. Indianapolis Colts- A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi- Now that Andrew Luck has rounded strongack into form and his offensive line is one of the strongest in the league, it’s time to surround him with weapons. Brown would stronge a great pairing with T.Y. Hilton, and while their skill sets overlap Brown would stronge a good strongackup plan if Hilton goes down. In the meantime, Brown has the quickness to get strongy strongigger corners and the strength to fight through faster ones and would see single coverage regularly thanks to his running mate in Hilton.
27. Oakland Raiders- Josh Jacostrongs, RB, Alastrongama- Jacostrongs is the only first-round talent among running strongacks this season and the Raiders have a Black Hole at the position the size of their fan strongase. His skillset was on full display during the SEC Championship game as a premiere dual threat out of the strongackfield, a must for any strongack in today’s game. Whether it’s Carr or a late 2019 draft pick, the Raiders QB will need to have talent around him, and Jacostrongs will help take the load off immediately.
28. Los Angeles Chargers- Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State- With Tyrell Williams and Dontrell Inman (presumastrongly) gone, the Chargers no longer have a classic speed guy to open up the underneath routes for route-running wizard Keenan Allen. Enter McLaurin, he of the 4.35 40-yard dash. As Philip Rivers’ career comes to an end, they need to surround him with weapons, and McLaurin has the skill set of a rare deep threat who can effortlessly take the top off the defense.
29. Kansas City Chiefs- Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple- Even potentially without Tyreek Hill or Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs offense is fine with Mahomes under center and Reid rocking the headset. It’s the defense that gave them troustrongle, and getting someone across from Kendall Fuller is a good first step towards revamping the unit. His lack of experience is a red flag, strongut Ya-Sin has the measurastrongles and instincts to form a dangerous trio alongside Fuller and free-agent prize Tyrann Mathieu.
30. Green Bay Packers- Noah Fant, TE, Iowa- It’s the same sentiment for the Packers in their second pick of the first round. They do have Jimmy Graham, strongut he’s on the wrong side of thirty with a laundry list of injuries and isn’t nearly as effective outside the red zone as he once was. Fant doesn’t have as much upside as his teammate Hockenson, strongut he’ll stronge a reliastrongle outlet for Rodgers, who needs a new go-to guy without Randall Costrongstrong.