2019 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions, Top Prospects After CFP Championship

The Clemson Tigers are your 2019 College Football Playoff champs. They beat up on Alabama on Monday night and it wasn't even close. For many football fans, it was fun to watch the Crimson Tide getting bullied the way it usually bullies other teams.

For NFL teams, it was fun to watch the plethora of potential NFL talent that may be available this April. Teams will have to wait a couple years for a crack at quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but players such as edge-rusher Clelin Ferrell, safety Deionte Thompson and offensive tackle Jonah Williams are draft-eligible.

There's a good chance that several players we saw on Monday night hear their names called on the opening day of the draft.

We're here to examine what that opening night might look like. We're going to mock the full first round based on factors like player potential, team needs and team fit. We'll also take a closer look at some of the players who appeared in the title game.

2019 1st Round NFL Mock Draft

1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State

2. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky

3. New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

4. Oakland Raiders: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU 

6. New York Giants: Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

8. Detroit Lions: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson

9. Buffalo Bills: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

10. Denver Broncos: Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan

11. Cincinnati Bengals: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson

12. Green Bay Packers: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama

13. Miami Dolphins: Jachai Polite, DE, Florida

14. Atlanta Falcons: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

15. Washington Redskins: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

16. Carolina Panthers: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

17. Cleveland Browns: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss

18. Minnesota Vikings: Devin White, LB, LSU 

19. Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

21. Seattle Seahawks: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

22. Baltimore Ravens: Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State

23. Houston Texans: Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia

24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma

25. Philadelphia Eagles: Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State

26. Indianapolis Colts: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

27. New England Patriots: Jaylon Ferguson, DE, Louisiana Tech

28. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Zach Allen, DE, Boston College

29. Los Angeles Chargers: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

30. Los Angeles Rams: Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama

31. Kansas City Chiefs: Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama

32. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Kelvin Harmon, WR, NC State

8. Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson

Teams picking near the top of the draft and in need of pass-rushing help are in luck. There are two elite prospects in Nick Bosa and Josh Allen, and the ever-present need for quarterbacks could push them down a bit by the time the draft actually rolls around on April 25.

Clemson pass-rusher Clelin Ferrell may have put himself into the elite conversation with a tremendous performance against Alabama. While he wasn't credited with a sack, he consistently pressured the quarterback and finished with 1.5 tackles for a loss.

Ferrell, by the way, spent most of the game going up against Jonah Williams, one of the top tackle prospects in the nation. The 21-year-old showed off both his power and his quickness against the Alabama star, and he did so for a national audience.

Ferrell also had himself a nifty Suge Knight callback after the game, but that isn't the lasting impression that is important. What will linger is his dominance of a future NFL starter in the biggest game of the college football season.

12. Deionte Thompson

NFL teams love to draft former Alabama defenders, and there are several who could go in the first round this year. One is free safety Deionte Thompson, who has the speed and athleticism of a cornerback to go with the prototypical safety size (6'2", 196 lbs).

Unfortunately, the 21-year-old got embarrassed in the national title game along with the rest of the Alabama defense. He was caught out of position on several plays, including a long touchdown pass from Lawrence to Justyn Ross that went for 74 yards.

His poor play on Monday night could cause teams to hesitate on pulling the trigger—and that's if he even decides to enter the draft. Thompson, along with several other Alabama underclassmen, may decide to return in order to confront the unfinished business of a championship.

"For the seniors, I wish them the best of luck in their future," Thompson said, per Terrin Waack of the Tuscaloosa News. "I wish I could have sent them out better. For the players coming back, we got to execute. We got to get back to the drawing board and fight."

3. Quinnen Williams

While most of the Alabama defense was on its heels against Clemson, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was his usual disruptive self. He finished with three solo tackles, 1.5 for a loss and consistently created interior pressure.

In an odd way, watching the 21-year-old on Monday night was like viewing that one blue-chip prospect on a MAC squad getting dominated in a mid-level bowl game. Alabama looked clearly outclassed, but he still looked like a future NFL star.

Dan Brugler of The Athletic believes Williams could be the No. 1 prospect on some draft boards, even ahead of Bosa. Monday's loss shouldn't change that perception. 

With there being no shortage of teams searching for the next Aaron Donald, there's a real chance Williams could be the first defender off the board. His tape his excellent and it would be a surprise if he fell flat at the NFL Scouting Combine.