NFL Draft 2019: Updated 1st-Round Mock Draft with Combine on the Horizon

Virtually the entire football world is going to be focused on Indianapolis over the next week. Players will begin reporting to the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday and workouts will commence on Friday.

The combine has become such a ubiquitous piece of the pre-draft process, it even receives extensive television coverage. While the combine is primarily an opportunity for teams to conduct interviews and medical evaluations, it's the on-field drills and workouts that fans want to watch live.

Fans will be entertained. Teams will become better informed. By the end of combine week, some prospects will have significantly improved (or hurt) their draft stock. The draft picture is certainly going to look a little different than it does right now.

What does the draft picture look like? Here's an updated first-round mock based on factors like player potential and team needs, followed by an up-close look at some first-round prospects with a lot on the line in Indianapolis.

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: Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan

4. Oakland Raiders: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

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: Greg Little, OT, 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: Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson

14. Atlanta Falcons: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State

15. Washington Redskins: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

16. Carolina Panthers: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi

17. Cleveland Browns: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson

18. Minnesota Vikings: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

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: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

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

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

28. Los Angeles Chargers: Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida

30. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

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

32. New England Patriots: Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama

D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi

The scouting combine may be more important for Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf than it is for any other potential first-round pick.

The hulking 6'4" pass-catcher has the look of a professional No. 1 receiver, and for a seven-game stretch in 2018, he played like one—he caught 26 passes for 569 yards with five touchdowns and an incredible 21.8 yards-per-catch average.

The issue with Metcalf is that his season was cut short after those seven games by a neck injury that required surgery. He has been cleared to participate in the combine, and his medical checks are obviously going to be important.

Posting good numbers in drills will also be vital, as any early-draft interest is going to be based primarily on Metcalf's upside—seven games makes for a narrow window, no matter how impressive the run.

ESPN's Mel Kiper said that he didn't see the "wow-type" quickness from Metcalf that would warrant an early selection on ESPN's First Draft podcast.

Teams will be interested to learn exactly how fast Metcalf is at his size.

Jaylon Ferguson, Edge, Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech's Jaylon Ferguson terrorized opposing quarterbacks for four full seasons, racking up an incredible 45.0 sacks in that span. That's the most in NCAA history.

He's certainly gotten the attention of potential NFL teams. Listed at 6'5" and 269 pounds, Ferguson has the frame needed for the NFL, and on film, he appears to have the technique as well.

However, Ferguson also has a conviction for simple battery on his record that he'll need to explain to potential employers.

Ferguson was recently uninvited from the combine after a background check turned up the conviction. There is a policy against prospects with a history of violence being allowed to participate in the combine.

More recently, however, that policy was actually tweaked, and Ferguson will be able to participate in limited interviews, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network: 

This creates a tremendous opportunity for Ferguson. If teams like Ferguson the person in Indianapolis,  they'll be more interested in taking the next step in evaluating him—attending his pro day and getting to see the player in person.

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

Since declaring for the draft as an underclassman, Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson has emerged as the favorite to be the first tight end off the board.

"The gridlock at tight end is over. Iowa's John Mackey Award winner, T.J. Hockenson, has emerged as the best in this class," Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller wrote in early February.

Hockenson doesn't have eye-popping production to go off of—he did have 760 yards and six touchdowns in 2018—but on film, he flashes the quickness, balance, strength and fluidity of a future NFL star.

Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly believes that Hockenson could be the highest tight end drafted "in years."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took O.J. Howard 19th overall in 2017. The Baltimore Ravens took Hayden Hurst 25th last year.

If Hockenson wows NFL decision-makers in drills and on the whiteboard in Indianapolis, he could possibly go in the top 10.