2019 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions for Prospects with Rising Stock
March 24, 2019
The NFL draft's stock market is beginning to cement itself with not a lot of the process left before the big event gets underway on April 25.
At the combine, teams and scouts got a good look at the best names in the class in a high-pressure environment. Some excelled, others flopped. The biggest surprises in one direction or the other sent scouts back to the film before adjustments to boards were made.
Now the pro-day circuit does much of the same for all involved. These are usually prospect-friendly environments and won't change much barring something dramatic. But the head coaches and general managers attend them for a reason.
After a look at a revised mock draft, let's highlight some of the more recent stock-risers.
2019 NFL Mock Draft
1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, DE/OLB, Kentucky
3. New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
4. Oakland Raiders: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss
8. Detroit Lions: Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
9. Buffalo Bills: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
11. Cincinnati Bengals: Devin White, LB, LSU
12. Green Bay Packers: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
13. Miami Dolphins: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
14. Atlanta Falcons: Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan
15. Washington Redskins: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma
16. Carolina Panthers: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
17. New York Giants (via Cleveland Browns): Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
18. Minnesota Vikings: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
19. Tennessee Titans: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
21. Seattle Seahawks: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama
22. Baltimore Ravens: A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss
23. Houston Texans: Garrett Bradbury, OL, NC State
24. Oakland Raiders (via Chicago Bears):Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
25. Philadelphia Eagles: Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama
26. Indianapolis Colts: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
27. Oakland Raiders (via Dallas Cowboys): Daniel Jones, QB, Duke
28. Los Angeles Chargers: Cody Ford, G, Oklahoma
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
30. Green Bay Packers (via New Orleans Saints): Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
31. Los Angeles Rams: Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware
32. New England Patriots: Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M
8. Detroit Lions: Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
Few players have benefited more from the process than Florida State's Brian Burns.
The defensive end showed up at the combine and casually measured in at 6'5" and 249 pounds. He then looked solid in drills, going for 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash and recording 36 and 129 inches on the vertical and broad jumps, respectively.
As CBSSports.com's Chris Trapasso pointed out, the big win was showing up heavy but retaining speed: "There were rumblings Burns would weigh in somewhere in the 230s, a development that would've raised red flags as someone without the bulk to hold up on the edge at the NFL level."
Suddenly, Burns doesn't just look like a light edge player who can only come on the field situationally, lest he get exploited by the offense. Now he's more liable to hold up as an every-down player.
And teams like the Detroit Lions have surely taken notice. Those Lions didn't have a bad pass rush last year by any means, but they also haven't gotten much from Ezekiel Ansah and didn't have a problem letting him hit free agency.
With Burns, they get a prospect who looks better as the process continues after bullying Power Five competition in college.
11. Cincinnati Bengals: Devin White, LB, LSU
Linebackers who don't rush the passer better look like a comparable to a Myles Jack or suffer falling down draft boards when it comes time to weaving through the first round.
Luckily for LSU's Devin White, he's covered.
White hit the combine at 6'0" and 237 pounds, standing tall on measurements and putting up numbers most thought he would hit after stellar playing film that showed him snuffing out the run while patrolling the field and held strong in the passing game.
It sounds too good to be true, which is probably why one general manager told Bleacher Report's Matt Miller the following: "A general manager told me this week White is 'perfect' and 'a dream' at linebacker before pointing out his team picks too far down in Round 1 to secure him."
He also has big plans with $100 million jokes:
Who knows, right?
A team like the Cincinnati Bengals will be more than willing to give White a chance to prove himself. They haven't done much to fix their biggest problem area other than bringing back ho-hum starter Preston Brown and cutting Vontaze Burfict.
After spending some time in the SEC, White does look like the sort of enforcer a team in the AFC North needs.
17. New York Giants (via Cleveland Browns): Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
It hasn't been the best draft buildup for teams in need of offensive tackle help.
Andre Dillard out of Washington State, at least, helped himself at the combine. His time of 4.96 seconds in the 40-yard dash was fourth-fastest among all offensive linemen, his 7.44 seconds in the three-cone drill was second and 4.4 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle was the outright best.
In other words, this was one of those examples that saw teams likely go back to the film and adjust their draft boards again.
Arguably the biggest concern is a pass-friendly scheme in the Pac-12, as NFL.com's Lance Zierlein pointed out: "Because of his scheme, Dillard will be a little behind in terms of his feel for set points and firing off the ball in the run game. While he could play with a little more ferocity as a finisher, he has the athletic ability to make all the blocks and the protection talent to become a good, early starter on the left side."
But the testing numbers and four years as a starter on the blind side should have teams confident in their ability to develop prospects salivating.
Look at the New York Giants, a team that is still all-in around Eli Manning, paying too much two free agencies ago on a fading Nate Solder. Dillard is a nice fit in that he can help boost the line right away but also get coached up to take over on the left edge.
For a team like the Giants, the hope has to be Dillard's stock doesn't inflate more before draft day.