NFL Mock Draft 2019: 1st-Round Projections and Storylines for Top Prospects

Storylines abound ahead of the 2019 NFL draft. 

This isn't anything new, though this year's class might offer the most interesting conversations and theories in a long time. The conversation starts with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, though recent rumblings around another quarterback have started to make a run as the most interesting. 

In what is expected to be a defense-heavy first round, the biggest talking points aren't hard to see coming. Where prominent offensive players might fall is the biggest. Here's a look at a mock of how things might unfold April 25 before a look at some of these biggest talking points. 

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

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

Paul Vernon/Associated Press

Recent rumblings suggest Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins could take a fall during the draft. 

The New York Giants might prefer the whispers keep happening. 

The timing of the talk around Haskins is suspicious. If a team hoped a quarterback would fall out of the top 10, offering up some smoke screens like this would probably happen right about now. Peter King of Pro Football Talk said he hears Haskins is "sinking" and he's not alone when it comes to tugging on this thread: 

Unless Haskins is bombing interviews with teams, it is hard to imagine the NFL's stance on him is changing this late in the game. 

Outside of a few late-process rumors, there isn't much of a reason to think the Giants avoid Haskins at No. 6. They can want to stick with Eli Manning for another year if they want, but it doesn't change the fact he had another mediocre season and heads into next season at the age of 38 without a target like Odell Beckham Jr.

Haskins is a 6'3", 231-pound prospect with an NFL-ready arm and plenty of production over the course of his single season. He doesn't need to start right away, and New York should know better than most how nice it is to grab a potential franchise passer and flesh out the rest of the roster later. If the rumors now prevent them from needing to trade up to get their guy, the Giants shouldn't complain. 

15. Washington Redskins: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

Why the Raiders Met with Murray

01:48

Kyler Murray could end up being the greatest smoke screen of them all. 

Logical speculation connects the Arizona Cardinals and the first overall pick to Murray. New head coach Kliff Kingsbury might want his own guy despite the roster already boasting Josh Rosen, a first-round pick from last year. 

The connection is certainly there: 

But Murray is a bit polarizing. The argument about his height (5'10") is silly because the right offense will work around it, but that doesn't mean every system will employ these nuances. Plenty of teams simply might not want to take the risk on a player with one notable year of production. 

Not only do the Cardinals have Rosen, other needy teams at the position like Denver (Joe Flacco) and Miami (Ryan Fitzpatrick) have gone out of their way to find worthwhile veterans before the draft. 

But the Washington Redskins are a notable exception. They added Case Keenum to reinforce the miserable depth chart that has both Alex Smith and Colt McCoy on the mend. But they are one of the most obvious quarterback landing spots. 

And those Redskins aren't strangers to outlandish moves that other teams might not make. Head coach Jay Gruden has a history of bringing along rookie passers well, and the run-based offense in Washington might make for an ideal developmental spot for Murray. 

If Murray does slip past the first pick, he could have one of the more interesting draft fates. 

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

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The fate of the offensive linemen in this year's class is one of the most interesting storylines to watch. 

While defenders rule the day this year, teams will still prioritize quarterbacks and flashy skill positions like wideout. This leaves linemen a bit in the dust, especially because the class doesn't look that great outright. 

But Cody Ford could be an outlier in some fashion. He's a 6'4", 329-pound tackle with elite athleticism, which means a team might buy in early based on the immense upside. 

But there are issues, too. As Pro Football Focus' Mike Renner pointed out, he only had 99 true pass sets taken over the course of his career: 

This has led some to suggest a move inside, which NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote about:

"He is raw and relatively inexperienced as a starting tackle with exploitable holes that will need to be patched before he can thrive in the pros. As a tackle, he's a developmental, high-risk/reward talent. The safer (and better?) route might be to play him as a guard where he will face less exposure in pass protection and where his size and athleticism should allow him to become a plus run-blocker fairly quickly."

The risk/reward element here is huge, and the nature of the class could mean teams are more than willing to shrug it off and address a different position. 

If this happens, Ford figures to bottom out near the end of the first round with a team like the Los Angeles Chargers. Philip Rivers is now 37 years old and coming out of a season in which he took 32 sacks. 

Ford is a nice way to bridge the gap between an immediate need and the future. The Chargers need a right tackle but could also kick him inside while still improving, which gives them some quality options over the summer and into the season.