2019 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Projections for Elite 1st-Round Prospects

We're getting deeper into NFL draft season. With the scouting combine coming at the end of February, the draft picture will start to become clearer in the coming weeks. For now, all that is clear is which elite prospects appear to be first-round locks.

There are some top-tier defensive prospects who are almost certain to dot the top of Round 1. Pass-rushers like Nick Bosa and Josh Allen appear close to being can't-miss prospects (though, there really is no such thing) and defensive tackles like Quinnen Williams and Ed Oliver appear too talented to pass up.

The question, of course, is in what order are these defensive standouts selected? Which other prospects deserve to be in the mix at the top of Round 1, and where will quarterbacks and offensive skill players start coming off the board?

Mock drafts are a fun way to attempt to answer these questions, though one surprise move on draft night can immediately throw them all right out the window.

Here's an updated first-round mock based on prospect potential, team needs and pre-combine buzz. An up-close look at some potential top-10 picks will follow.

2019 NFL Mock Draft Round 1

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

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

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

4. Oakland Raiders: Rashan Gary, Edge, Michigan

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

6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

8. Detroit Lions: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston

9. Buffalo Bills: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

10. Denver Broncos: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi

11. Cincinnati Bengals: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson

12. Green Bay Packers: Devin White, LB, LSU

13. Miami Dolphins: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

14. Atlanta Falcons: Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson

15. Washington Redskins: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State

16. Carolina Panthers: Greg Little, OT, Mississippi

17. Cleveland Browns: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

18. Minnesota Vikings: Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma

19. Tennessee Titans: Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State

21. Seattle Seahawks: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama

22. Baltimore Ravens: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

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

24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

25. Philadelphia Eagles: Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson

26. Indianapolis Colts: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama

28. Los Angeles Chargers: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

30. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida

31. Los Angeles Rams: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson

32. New England Patriots: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images

Bosa and Allen are both going to come off the board early. That's just how it is when you're a prospect who can get after the quarterback. It's just a matter of which of the two pass-rushers will go first.

A bigger question, though, is whether Alabama's Williams can actually go ahead of the two edge-rushing specialists. Interior defenders don't generate as much pre-draft excitement as sack-artists. However, if a team thinks it has identified the next Aaron Donald, it is going to pull the trigger early.

Now, Williams has a long way to go before he'll deserve being compared to Donald, but the potential to be a top defensive tackle is there. The 6'4", 295-pound Williams moves with the quickness and the fluidity of a much smaller defender.

"Quinnen Williams is a violent mountain of a man who has a lightning fast takeoff with a pretty idea how to rush the QB and 'push the pocket.'" Brian Baldinger of NFL Media and Fox Sports recently wrote. "No Aaron Donald comps from me but at his size and strength he will make any DL instantly better."

Williams does appear to be close to a can't-miss player, and a strong combine might actually move him above Bosa and Allen on some draft boards.

Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

Now that Oklahoma's Kyler Murray has committed to playing in the NFL, there's a very strong chance that he ends up being one of the top quarterbacks off the board. He may even go as high as No. 1 overall, if the Arizona Cardinals' support of Josh Rosen turns out to be a smokescreen.

The big question mark for teams now is Murray's height—he's listed at 5'10". We've seen shorter signal-callers like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have sustained success in the NFL, but Murray is shorter (and slighter) than even those two.

It's difficult to argue with Murray's skill set or his numbers, though. He is lightning fast, has an extremely strong and accurate arm and rarely seems to make bad decisions. This all led to him racking up 4,361 yards passing, 1,001 yards rushing, 54 total touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2018.

Will Murray be able to have similar success in the NFL as a shorter quarterback? Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley believes so.

Here's some of what he had to say about Murray's height, per Pro Football Talk's Peter King:

"Throughout all the years with both Baker [Mayfield] and Kyler, I can't ever remember there being a time where we said, 'We want to run this play, or use this scheme, or protect this way but we can't do it because these guys are 5'10" or 6-foot instead of 6'4".' It never really entered into the equation. I don't think their pro coaches are going to think about it either.”

Everyone can understand that Murray is a shorter prospect. Teams are either going to fall in love with him as a player—as the Cleveland Browns did with Mayfield last offseason—or they aren't. All it will take is one team picking near the top of the draft or willing to trade up to there for him to be a top-10 selection.

D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi

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The top 10 is going to be littered with defensive talent and probably a couple of quarterbacks, thanks to the value of the position. Will an offensive skill player be able to crack that group? Without a generational offensive prospect like Saquon Barkley in the draft, that's a fair question.

One prospect who could enter the equation—especially with a strong showing at the scouting combine—if Mississippi wideout D.K. Metcalf. While he's a relatively raw prospect, Metcalf dominated early in the 2018 season before being shut down with a neck injury that required surgery.

In seven games this past season, Metcalf caught 26 passes for 569 yards and five touchdowns. That translates to 1,300 yards over a 16-game NFL season.

Teams will obviously want to see Metcalf's medical checks at the combine, as well as what he's actually capable of athletically. He looks like a fast and fluid receiver on game film, and a certain recent social-media photo suggests that he might be even bigger than his listed size of 6'4" and 230 pounds.

If a team falls in love with Metcalf's physical traits and pro potential, he could be the first offensive skill player off the board. NFL Media's Maurice Jones-Drew recently mocked Metcalf to the Buffalo Bills at No. 9 overall.

"This offseason is all about building around Josh Allen," Jones-Drew wrote. "And this big, talented receiver is the perfect fit."

There is, of course, a lot of risk and reward with Metcalf. He only truly shined for a brief period at Mississippi, and while he physically looks like he could develop into a Calvin Johnson-type, he could also become the next Stephen Hill.