NFL Mock Draft 2019: 1st-Round Projections and Top Underrated Prospects
Most of the conversations surrounding the 2019 NFL draft are about the opening picks of the first round.
With Arizona's decision at the top of the first round dominating the headlines, some other prospects aren't getting as much attention as they deserve.
Some of the most underrated talent that will be selected in the first round can make an immediate impact in the NFL.
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We may have to wait to see some of the underrated prospects selected, but the franchises that choose them will be more than pleased with their decisions.
2019 NFL 1st-Round Mock Draft
1. Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma
2. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State
3. New York Jets: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky
4. Oakland Raiders: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin White, LB, LSU
6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
8. Detroit Lions: Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State
9. Buffalo Bills: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
11. Cincinnati Bengals: Cody Ford, OG, Oklahoma
12. Green Bay Packers: Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan
13. Miami Dolphins: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
14. Atlanta Falcons: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State
15. Washington Redskins: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss
16. Carolina Panthers: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
17. New York Giants (from Cleveland): Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson
18. Minnesota Vikings: Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
19. Tennessee Titans: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
21. Seattle Seahawks: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
22. Baltimore Ravens: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
23. Houston Texans: Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
25. Philadelphia Eagles: Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama
26. Indianapolis Colts: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State
28. Los Angeles Chargers: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Garrett Bradbury, C, NC State
30. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple
31. Los Angeles Rams: Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech
32. New England Patriots: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke
Top Underrated Prospects
Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple
As a result of certain needs that teams in the top half of the first round have, we might not see defensive backs taken until picks between No. 16 and No. 30.
But when the defensive backs start to come off the board, they'll come rapidly, and once the final few picks come around, Temple's Rock Ya-Sin will likely still be available.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller described the Temple cornerback as the most physical player at the position in his latest mock draft.
While some mock drafts, like Miller's, have Ya-Sin going in the first round, he isn't a consensus top-32 pick, and he didn't even make Pro Football Focus' list of the top 50 players in the draft class.
Ya-Sin has created some momentum for himself with his individual performances since the college football season ended, but since Temple went 8-5 in the American Athletic Conference, few people watched his every move.
LSU's Greedy Williams and Washington's Byron Murphy will receive much of the defensive back hype because of the stature of their respective programs and how much NFL talent the Tigers and Huskies have produced at the position.
But whichever team lands Ya-Sin at the back end of the first round will get a quality corner who can make an impact right away.
Depending on how the first round plays out, keep an eye on Oakland and Green Bay, both of whom have multiple first-round picks, to go after Ya-Sin.
Oakland should take at least one offensive player with one of its three picks, but if it feels secure on that side of the ball, it might go after another defensive prospect.
Green Bay needs to reinforce its defensive unit, and it might be wise for it to take two defensive players, including Ya-Sin at No. 30 to bolster its secondary.
Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
Plenty of teams attempting to make a playoff push in 2019 will be looking at offensive linemen in the first round to shore up protection around their respective quarterbacks.
Washington State's Andre Dillard is one of the many offensive line prospects receiving first-round attention in mock drafts.
As Pro Football Focus' college football Twitter account noted, Dillard was an elite pass blocker for most of his collegiate career:
Once Jawaan Taylor, Jonah Williams and Cody Ford go off the board, Dillard will be a coveted player, and he could even go ahead of one of those three linemen if a team likes his skill set more.
The teams from 16th to 19th in the first round could all use upgrades in pocket protection, but with Carolina and the New York Giants filling other needs, we see Dillard landing with the Minnesota Vikings.
In 2018, Kirk Cousins was sacked on 41 occasions, which isn't good enough for the Vikings offensive line if they want to win games by keeping the offense on the field.
By addressing their offensive line need in the first round, the Vikings get a quality prospect to shore up the position and don't have to stress about the quality of linemen in the later rounds if they go after another need with the 18th overall pick.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.
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