2019 NFL Mock Draft: Full 1st-Round Projections for Top-Tier Prospects

It wasn't until just before the 2018 draft that the buzz about Baker Mayfield going first overall started to build.

The Cleveland Browns needed a quarterback, but Mayfield was seen as an unconventional choice. At roughly 6'1" and with a heart-on-his-sleeve zest for the game, the quarterback wasn't the safe pick teams often grab at No. 1.

However, Mayfield worked out just fine for the Browns in 2018, guiding the team to seven more wins than they had the previous season and setting a new rookie record for touchdown passes.

His rookie campaign proved that a quarterback doesn't have to be 6'4" to be worthy of a top selection and that top-tier prospects come in all sizes.

This is part of the reason why Kyler Murray, Mayfield's 5'10" successor at Oklahoma, should be in play at the top of the draft. Murray looks more like a second baseman than an NFL signal-caller, but if he can play, he can play.

How might this year's opening night unfold? Here's an updated Round 1 mock, along with some of the latest draft-related buzz.

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: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi

10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

11. Cincinnati Bengals: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

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

13. Miami Dolphins: Brian Burns, Edge, Florida State

14. Atlanta Falcons: Clelin Ferrell, Edge, Clemson

15. Washington Redskins: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

16. Carolina Panthers: Greg Little, OT, Mississippi

17. Cleveland Browns: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson

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): Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

25. Philadelphia Eagles: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

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

The NFL World May Not Be Completely Ready for Murray

Murray is going to get a chance in the NFL. He'll likely be drafted in the first round too because he has the upside of a franchise-changing quarterback. Is he going to be the first quarterback off the board? With a more traditional quarterback in Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins in the class, perhaps not.

Haskins is a traditional pocket passer with a more traditional 6'3" frame. The Browns were fine with bucking tradition in favor of Mayfield, but Murray may be a full three inches shorter than him. Mayfield also has a bulkier build—not unlike Russell Wilson—while Murray looks closer to center fielder Billy Hamilton.

Most teams may not be willing to eschew the safer choice in Murray's case. As ESPN's Mel Kiper pointed out, a team will have to change it's quarterback plan if it drafts Murry over Haskins. He recently said the following in a conference call:

"To compare him to Dwayne Haskins isn't fair, because they're totally different quarterbacks. Their style of play would change the way you go about your business if you bring him in. And Haskins is a traditional, drop-back pocket passer, while Kyler can do everything. He can throw from the pocket, but you want him outside the pocket."

If a team does fall in love with Murray, it's going to have to go all-in with him and his unique skill set. Some team will be ready to do that, but the NFL world as a whole may not be quite there yet.

If Not a Quarterback, Who Goes No. 1?

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Murray or another quarterback may go No. 1 overall—if the Arizona Cardinals are willing to move Josh Rosen and/or the top selection. If the Cardinals stick by Rosen and stay put, though, which player could they take? It will most likely be a defender and most likely one who can get after the quarterback.

Over the past five years, the top pick has either been a quarterback of a pass-rusher.

The three at the top this year are Ohio State's Nick Bosa, Kentucky's Josh Allen and Alabama's Quinnen Williams. Bosa and Allen are edge-rushers, while Williams is an interior defender who can pressure the quarterback from inside (8 sacks in 2018).

Danny Kelly of The Ringer believes the choice at No. 1 is really down to Bosa and Williams.

"Very little separates the consensus top two defenders in this class, Alabama's Williams and Ohio State's Nick Bosa," Kelly wrote. "Both are dominant, unblockable pass-rushers and both look ready to make a big impact from day one."

A bigger question may be which style of defender does a team like Arizona—or the San Francisco 49ers, if a quarterback goes at one—want? If it's an interior defender, Williams becomes the obvious choice. If it's an edge-rusher, that team then has to decide between Bosa and Allen. Medical checks on Bosa at the scouting combine may make that decision a bit easier.

Steelers Will Try to Trade Brown

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown. It has cast a shadow over the upcoming draft because teams already close to playoff contention would likely prefer a proven receiver over an unproven rookie.

It's been known for a while now that Brown wants to be traded. What hasn't been completely known is whether the Steelers would be willing to accommodate him. However, we may now have a concrete answer.

Brown met with Steelers owner Art Rooney II on February 19 and later stated that the two parties have agreed to move on from one another:

So, it's very likely that Brown does find a new home before the draft. The question is which team lands him. It won't be the New England Patriots, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB reported last week, but another contender (the Los Angels Rams would be juicy) could get him. This, in turn, would likely take that team out of the receiver market in the first round.