2019 NFL Draft: Winners From The First Round

The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft is finally behind us. Here’s our look at the winners from Thursday night’s festivities in Nashville. 

Kliff Kingsbury

After seven years of pursuing him, Kliff Kingsbury has finally landed Kyler Murray to play quarterback in his system. Kingsbury recruited Murray out of high school when he was the head coach at Texas Tech in 2013 and 2014. At the time, Murray was the top dual-threat quarterback in the country as a high schooler out of Allen, Texas.

Murray was a five-star recruit and the 34th-ranked prospect in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite. Instead of Texas Tech, he wound up at Texas A&M, before transferring to Oklahoma. Kingsbury had to watch all of that from afar. Now he has the player he always wanted.

New York Jets

The Jets were looking to potentially trade down, but they couldn’t find a deal they liked, stayed put and wound up with a stud. Quinnen Williams is arguably the best player in the draft. He was on top of my board and will be a great defensive lineman in the NFL for a long time.

At 6’3″ and 303 pounds, Williams fits anywhere along the defensive line. He can disrupt things from everywhere, is scheme-versatile and is a guy offenses will have to account for on every down. He had 52 quarterback pressures as a defensive tackle last season at Alabama. That’s just an insane number for an interior lineman.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars could have gone a number of ways with their first pick at No. 7, but they never thought Josh Allen would fall to them. He did, and they wasted no time scooping him up. Jacksonville’s already scary defense just became terrifying.

Allen, a Kentucky product, is 6’5″ and 262 pounds, with the ability to bring it off the edge. He racked up 17 sacks during his final collegiate season and was a unanimous All-American. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year is an absolute force when it comes to attacking the quarterback and he’ll make Jacksonville’s entire defense look that much better.

Josh Allen’s son, Wesley

Sure his dad got drafted, but we all know who stole the show:

That’s Allen’s son, Wesley. Just look at him! He’s owning that spotlight!

Daniel Jones

Whether you like the pick or not, Daniel Jones won by being the sixth pick in the draft. The Giants clearly loved the Duke quarterback, who most projected to be a mid-to-late first-round selection.

Jones’ ceiling is a Matt Ryan-type quarterback, but he’s got a long way to go to get there. He completed just 59.9 percent of his passes during his college career, including a 60.5 percent mark as a junior in 2018. He threw for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns against nine interceptions during his junior year.

It’s a controversial selection, but Jones is projected to get a contract with a projected total value of about $25.6 million, which is almost twice as much as he would have gotten had he been taken by the Giants with the 17th pick. The kid is a big winner on the night.

Washington Redskins

Dwayne Haskins fell right into Washington’s lap, as the Redskins didn’t have to trade up from 15 to get their quarterback of the future. He was the guy Washington wanted all along and the franchise remained patient and wound up landing him.

Haskins was the top quarterback on a lot of boards, and at 6’3″ and 231 pounds, he’s got great size and a perfect build for the next level. He has plenty of arm strength, underrated pocket mobility and he’s accurate. Haskins was fantastic during his one year as a starter at Ohio State, completing 70.0 percent of his passes for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns.

To make this an even better fit, Haskins went to the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, which is roughly 30 miles from FedEx Field. So welcome home, Dwayne Haskins.

Washington also traded up to snag Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat, who had by far the best measurables of any edge rusher in this year’s draft. Sweat fell for a number of reasons, including a heart issue that scared some teams away. But he’s 6’6″ and 260 pounds and ran a 4.41 40 at the combine. You’re willing to take a risk on a guy with that level of physical talent.

Josh Jacobs

Go ahead and pencil Josh Jacobs in as a favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Raiders got their running back of the present and future at No. 24 and he’s the kind of tough, well-rounded running back Jon Gruden loves. And, quite frankly, he’ll probably run the kid into the ground eventually.

If Jacobs wants the ball in his hands, this is the spot for him. He’ll get the rock and get it a lot. He’s a very good receiver out of the backfield but can also muscle big runs between the tackles. There isn’t much tread on his tires after sharing the ball at Alabama for three years, but he averaged 5.9 yards per carry and 11.9 yards per reception in college.

This is a great fit for the team and the player.