NFL Mock Draft 2019: 1st-Round Predictions, Landing Spots for Rising Prospects

The NFL draft buzz will only intensify now the calendar has flipped over to April, with less than four weeks until the Arizona Cardinals are officially on the clock with the No. 1 pick. 

It is still far from a certainty that the Cardinals will draft quarterback Kyler Murray, but whatever their plan is, it will most likely have a ripple effect across the draft on how teams approach their draft strategy. 

Should Murray go No. 1, it opens the door for trade offers to come in for QB Josh Rosen. A trade for Rosen could impact other potential first-round QBs, such as Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock, with their draft stock falling if a team such as the New York Giants or Miami Dolphins strike a deal for Rosen. 

If the Cardinals are committed to Rosen, though, Murray could slide down the draft board. It would also likely mean a team such as the New York Jets, which would no longer be in play for a top-two pass-rusher in Nick Bosa or Josh Allen with the No. 3 pick, would be in a position to trade down so a team can grab its quarterback. 

There are many more different scenarios that could play out on or before the start of the draft on Thursday, April 25, which makes this one of the more unpredictable years in recent memory. 

Nevertheless, here is how things could shake out in the first round and a breakdown of the top-five picks:

2019 NFL Mock Draft

1. Arizona Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray

2. San Francisco 49ers: DL Quinnen Williams

3. New York Jets: DE Nick Bosa

4. Oakland Raiders: EDGE Josh Allen

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: ILB Devin White

6. New York Giants: EDGE Montez Sweat

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: OT Jawaan Taylor

8. Detroit Lions: EDGE Rashan Gary

9. Miami Dolphins (trade with Buffalo Bills): QB Dwayne Haskins

10. Denver Broncos: WR D.K. Metcalf

11. Cincinnati Bengals: OT Andre Dillard

12. Green Bay Packers: TE T.J. Hockenson

13. Buffalo Bills (trade with Dolphins): DT Ed Oliver

14. Atlanta Falcons: OT Cody Ford

15. Washington Redskins: QB Drew Lock

16. Carolina Panthers: EDGE Clelin Ferrell

17. New York Giants (From Cleveland): WR Marquise Brown

18: Minnesota Vikings: DT Christian Wilkins

19. Tennessee Titans: EDGE Brian Burns

20: Pittsburgh Steelers: LB Devin Bush

21. Seattle Seahawks: CB Byron Murphy

22. Baltimore Ravens: WR Parris Campbell

23. Houston Texans: OL Garrett Bradbury

24. Oakland Raiders (From Chicago): CB Deandre Baker

25. Philadelphia Eagles: RB Josh Jacobs

26. Indianapolis Colts: DT Dexter Lawrence

27. Oakland Raiders (From Dallas): TE Noah Fant

28. Los Angeles Chargers: G Chris Lindstrom

29. Kansas City Chiefs: EDGE Jaylon Ferguson

30. Green Bay Packers (From New Orleans): CB Greedy Williams

31. Los Angeles Rams: DT Jeffrey Simmons

32. Arizona Cardinals (trade with New England Patriots for Rosen): EDGE D'Andre Walker

Top-5 Breakdown

1. Arizona Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray

There will be plenty of discussion on whether or not the Cardinals will select a quarterback for the second straight year leading up to the draft. While ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Cardinals met with Bosa over the weekend, having Murray gives new head coach Kliff Kingsbury the guy he wants and can build the team around. 

Per Joel Klatt of FS1, the Patriots are one of three teams interested in Rosen, and the Cardinals can make a deal with New England and receive first-round value in return. 

2. San Francisco 49ers: DL Quinnen Williams

This would be a somewhat shocking selection, but NFL Draft analyst Charlie Campbell of Walter Football recently told KNBR that the 49ers are "gushing" over Williams and believe he has higher upside than Bosa. While the 49ers have a strong interior defensive lineman in DeForest Buckner, Campbell noted the Niners view a Williams-Buckner duo similar to the Rams' interior duo of Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh from 2018. 

The praise for Williams could also be a way of softening the blow for the fanbase if the Cardinals take Bosa at No. 1, but it would certainly shake things up if they opt for the interior defensive lineman instead. 

3. New York Jets: DE Nick Bosa

This is as good a dream scenario the Jets could ask for. While GM Mike Maccagnan has not been shy about wanting to trade out of the No. 3 spot, if Bosa drops to them they would be fools not to hang on to the pick and take the best pass-rusher in the draft to add another threat to a defense that has Jamal Adams in the secondary and C.J. Mosley at linebacker. 

4. Oakland Raiders: EDGE Josh Allen

According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, the Raiders have been scouting the quarterbacks in this year's draft, leading to speculation head coach Jon Gruden could opt for someone like Haskins here. However, Oakland has a more pressing need to fill the void left by trading pass-rusher Khalil Mack last season. Allen, a 6'5" 262-pound edge-rusher, had 17 sacks his senior season—four more than the Raiders' entire defense had in 2018. 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LB Devin White

While the Bucs could trade out of the No. 5 pick, White is regarded as the best linebacker on the board and fills an immediate need on their defense in the absence of Kwon Alexander. Head coach Bruce Arians has also spoken highly of White and other linebackers in the draft, signaling that is where they will target.