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NFL Mock Draft 2019: Latest Projections for Highly Sought-After Prospects
April 14, 2019
The 2019 NFL draft is rather straightforward about its strengths and the high-upside prospects every team would love a shot at.
In a way, it is simple: The class is a defensive-minded affair, to the point high-quality offensive weapons and linemen could fall down the board farther than usual.
Not everything about the class is simple, of course. There is the major speculation about the first overall pick (which is coincidentally good for fan interest and ratings), and quarterback as a whole is so-so—which hasn't stopped the position from surprising in the past.
With the talents supreme and teams capable of unthinkable gambles and moves, the 2019 draft (April 25-17) should provide plenty of entertainment again while also reshaping the league.
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: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
8. Detroit Lions: Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
9. Buffalo Bills: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
11. Cincinnati Bengals: Devin White, LB, LSU
12. Green Bay Packers: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
13. Miami Dolphins: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
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: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
19. Tennessee Titans: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
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): D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss
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
2. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, DE/OLB, Kentucky
Sometimes it is hard to imagine why Josh Allen isn't often brought up as a candidate for the first overall pick.
After all, the Kentucky product is a 6'5", 262-pound disruptor who has a nice array of pass-rushing moves but has also already shown the ability to drop back into coverage well.
Granted, Allen has to hand-fight with linemen like Nick Bosa and quarterback hype. But that combination of traits from a versatile edge piece don't come around often, nor do they flash well during SEC play.
David Carr of NFL.com hit the proverbial nail on the head while throwing out an interesting comparison:
"Kentucky's Josh Allen is the best pass rusher in this class because he gets to the quarterback in critical moments, whether it's during a play on third down, in the red zone or down the stretch in the fourth quarter. The explosive defender compares to Denver's Von Miller in the way that he can cause a disruption on any given play, and how he can put a game away with a batted down pass or strip. Allen's a closer-type player that every NFL team is trying to get."
This is a long way of saying the San Francisco 49ers won't be able to pass on this sort of upside if Allen truly isn't the first player off the board.
Those 49ers went out and paid up for Kwon Alexander to help ease the pain of losing Reuben Foster. The front office also added Dee Ford. Throwing Allen into the equation too helps the 49ers inch closer to boasting one of the league's most disruptive defensive fronts, which would be a nice complement to an offense starting to spread its wings.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
Given all the hype around quarterbacks and defenders, it is easy to forget about a high-upside tight end like Noah Fant out of Iowa.
But NFL teams won't forget.
A 6'4", 249-pound tight end who habitually made plays down the field for his offense isn't flying under the radar for NFL teams. Fant put up 18 touchdowns over his last two collegiate seasons on all of 69 catches and has since had a solid path to the draft.
Rotoworld's Hayden Winks provided some interesting perspective on Fant's status:
Hayden Winks @HaydenWinksThe love for T.J. Hockenson has overshadowed Noah Fant being one of the best receiving TE prospects in a long time. At 19 years old, Fant goes for 494 yards and 11 touchdowns in your typical Iowa offense and then posts 39-519-7 last season. Oh, and he does this at the combine: https://t.co/fJIeVridxj
Fant is receiving interest from teams such as the New York Jets, owners of the third pick, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
In the mock above, Fant makes it to seventh overall, where the Jacksonville Jaguars should be more than content to add his talents to what they hope is a blossoming roster.
After all, dishing a contract worth potentially more than $100 million to Nick Foles means investing in his success. Fant, even if he can't play every down yet because of his run-blocking limitations, is a big step in the right direction.
9. Buffalo Bills: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
Offensive linemen have managed to go overlooked this year for understandable reasons, though the NFL itself isn't going to undervalue their importance.
Jawaan Taylor is a good example of this. He's a 6'5", 312-pound tackle prospect who excelled in the SEC before a strong predraft performance of his own. The on-film outlook and the rest have combined for some positive projections for Taylor:
Not hard to see why—most teams need a surefire upgrade at offensive tackle, and Taylor can indeed be that at right tackle for most teams.
In the above mock, the Buffalo Bills are the team to end Taylor's brief slide, grabbing him and throwing him right into the fray at right tackle.
Fray, because adding offensive linemen and letting them fight it out has been the theme for Buffalo's offseason. Mitch Morse, Ty Nsekhe and others are contenders to start or, in the latter's case, serve as a backup at multiple spots.
Impressively, Taylor would arrive and likely earn a starting spot right away. He would be part of a bigger plan to make sure Josh Allen succeeds under center and, barring something catastrophic, would play a large role in whether Allen has the optimal developmental environment.