NFL Draft 2019: Latest Mock Draft Following Week 16 Results
In six days, the focus of 20 NFL front offices shifts squarely toward the draft and other offseason transactions.
The draft order is far from settled going into Week 17, but if the Arizona Cardinals lose to the Seattle Seahawks, they'll secure the No. 1 overall selection.
If the Cardinals mess up their chance at the top pick, one of the Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets ends up at No. 1.
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Regardless of where the worst teams in the NFL land in the first round, they'll have a bevy of top defensive prospects to choose from.
If the draft plays out a certain way, we could see as many as 10 defensive players chosen at the start of April's selection process.
2019 NFL Mock Draft
1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2. San Francisco 49ers: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
3. New York Jets: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
4. Oakland Raiders: Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky
5. Detroit Lions: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
7. Buffalo Bills: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
8. New York Giants: Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan
9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
10. Atlanta Falcons: Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
11. Carolina Panthers: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
12. Denver Broncos: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
13. Cincinnati Bengals: Devin White, LB, LSU
14. Green Bay Packers: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama
15. Miami Dolphins: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
16. Washington Redskins: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
17. Cleveland Browns: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss
18. Philadelphia Eagles: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
19. Pittsburgh Steelers: Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
20. Tennessee Titans: Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State
21. Minnesota Vikings: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
22. Indianapolis Colts: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
23. Seattle Seahawks: Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
24. Baltimore Ravens: Jachai Polite, DE, Florida
25. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
26. Houston Texans: Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma
27. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
28. Los Angeles Chargers: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
29. New England Patriots: Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
30. Los Angeles Rams: Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
32. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
Arizona To Choose From Group of Talented Defensive Players
We know two things about the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Arizona earns the No. 1 overall selection with a Week 17 loss to Seattle and that will likely lead to the Cardinals taking a defensive player.
The Cardinals will be able to pick a defensive cornerstone for their franchise from a collection of talented interior linemen.
Ohio State's Nick Bosa and Houston's Ed Oliver were consensus top two picks entering the college football season, and even though neither played a full slate of games, they're still near the top of every draft board.
Alabama's Quinnen Williams surged to the top of the list of available prospects with his dominant displays for the Crimson Tide, including a massive showing against LSU.
Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen has an outside chance of being taken with the first pick, but given how talented the three defensive linemen mentioned above are, it's hard to pass any of them up.
By adding Bosa to their defensive depth chart, the Cardinals will have three strong pass-rushers capable of getting the quarterback on any play, with Chandler Jones and Robert Nkemdiche are already on the roster.
Whichever players are left over should be taken at No. 2 and No. 3 to San Francisco and the New York Jets in order to bolster their respective defenses.
Wide Receiver Will Be Most Coveted Offensive Skill Position
There aren't as many wide receivers with first-round potential as defensive linemen, but it'll still be a coveted position for a handful of teams.
Arizona State's N'Keal Harry and Ole Miss' D.K. Metcalf are the two wideouts expected to be taken in the first round, and a few others are capable of moving into the back end of the first round.
Oklahoma's Marquise Brown, Ole Miss' A.J. Brown and NC State's Kelvin Harmon are among the other wide receivers to watch as the first round unfolds.
Of the teams currently scheduled to pick in the top 10, the Buffalo Bills have the greatest need for a wide receiver to provide support to quarterback Josh Allen.
Cleveland should go into the draft with a similar thought process, as it looks to land a big target for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Jacksonville is a team to watch on the wide receiver market if it figures out its quarterback situation before the draft and it would be wise of Oakland to use one of its three selections on an offensive skill player.
When it comes to other skill positions, Iowa tight end Noah Fant is a player to watch at the end of the first round, while there aren't many running backs generating first-round buzz at this point of the process.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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