2019 NFL Mock Draft: Projections for Top Prospects as Free Agency Continues

Free agency makes for one of the most exciting times in the NFL offseason. It's often a big reason why mock drafts in late March look a lot different than ones in early February.

Sometimes, moves made during free agency affect the draft in obvious ways. The Odell Beckham Jr. trade, for example, gave the New York Giants an additional first-round draft pick while also taking the Cleveland Browns out of the receiver market.

Other moves that affect the draft aren't as obvious as the transfer of a first-round pick. We'll examine a few such moves below. First, though, is an updated Round 1 mock reflecting two full days of official free-agency moves.

2019 NFL Mock Draft Round 1

1. Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

2. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State

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

4. Oakland Raiders: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

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

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

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi

8. Detroit Lions: Rashan Gary, Edge, Michigan

9. Buffalo Bills: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

11. Cincinnati Bengals: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston

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

13. Miami Dolphins: Montez Sweat, Edge, Mississippi State

14. Atlanta Falcons: Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson

15. Washington Redskins: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa

16. Carolina Panthers: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

17. New York Giants (from Cleveland): Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia

18. Minnesota Vikings: Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State

19. Tennessee Titans: Brian Burns, Edge, Florida State

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi

21. Seattle Seahawks: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama

22. Baltimore Ravens: Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida

23. Houston Texans: Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State

24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

25. Philadelphia Eagles: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

26. Indianapolis Colts: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech

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

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

30. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware

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

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

Giants Sign Golden Tate

Trading Beckham to the Browns netted the Giants the 17th overall pick in the draft. Thursday's move to sign wideout Golden Tate to a four-year, $37.5 million deal could mean that the pick doesn't get used on another wide receiver.

Tate joins a receiving corps that also includes Sterling Shepard, Corey Coleman, Eric Ebron and Cody Latimer. While this is a group that would obviously be more dangerous with Beckham in the fold, it doesn't point to receiver being a desperate need.

What it could point to is the Giants planning to package their first-round picks in order to move up and secure a quarterback—though this mock doesn't involve trades. The reason is that if the Beckham trade was simply made to launch into a full-on rebuild, then the Tate signing is a bit odd.

Tate is a terrific receiver, but he's also 30. Why sign him to a four-year deal when you can use the 17th pick on a young wideout like Mississippi's A.J. Brown?

Well, if the Giants plan on not having that 17th pick and using it to get, say, Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins, then it makes a little more sense. Tate can help keep the offense functional as Eli Manning plays out the final year of his contract. Then he can help mentor the young quarterback for a season or two.

That last bit is pure speculation, and there's a chance the Giants don't target a quarterback at all. However, the Tate deal does make it less likely that New York takes a wideout in Round 1.

Saints Re-Sign Teddy Bridgewater

Bill Feig/Associated Press

This mock doesn't project trades. If it did, the Miami Dolphins may well be in the top 10 and selecting a quarterback. It's fairly clear that Miami is after a quarterback to start or to challenge Ryan Tannehill at the least.

The Dolphins brought in former Minnesota Vikings starter and New Orleans Saints backup Teddy Bridgewater for a visit on Wednesday. They also showed interest in Tyrod Taylor as a secondary option.

However, Bridgewater returned to the Saints and put pen to paper on a one-year deal that he felt made sense for him.

"You play the game to compete and you want to be a starter, but at the same time, you don't want to rush yourself to be in any situation that could possibly lead you back to where you are today," Bridgewater told WWL Radio's Zach Strief and Bobby Hebert (h/t Luke Johnson of NOLA.com).

Essentially, Bridgewater feels that New Orleans gives him a better shot at long-term success.

With Taylor joining the Los Angeles Chargers on a two-year deal, this leaves Miami short on options outside of the draft. The problem is that at 13th overall, Miami may not have a shot at Haskins, Oklahoma's Kyler Murray or Missouri's Drew Lock—the three quarterbacks who seem most destined for Round 1.

Seahawks Re-Sign D.J. Fluker, Add Mike Iupati

There is still room for improvement along the Seattle Seahawks offensive line—quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked 51 times in 2018—but the unit was at least serviceable in 2018. After the loss of guard J.R. Sweezy to the Arizona Cardinals, however, the line was in danger of returning to disaster status.

The Seahawks helped plug a potential hole by signing guard Mike Iupati to a one-year deal. Seahawks offensive line coach Mike Solari previously worked with Iupati with the San Francisco 49ers.

"Solari is also one of the biggest reasons I wanted to come here because he was my coach in San Fran," Iupati said, per John Boyle of the Seahawks' official website. "He's awesome."

Seattle also brought back guard D.J. Fluker, which prevents another potential hole from forming.

These two deals mean the Seahawks shouldn't be as desperate to reach for an offensive lineman early in the draft, possibly with the 21st overall pick.

If the right prospect falls there, then Seattle should absolutely pull the trigger. However, there should be no danger of the Seahawks reaching for an interior lineman because they don't have enough proven starters to field a functional line.