NFL Draft 2019: 1st-Round Order and Prospects Who Can Shake Up Draft Outlook
No matter how much we try to predict the first round of the NFL draft, there always seems to be a selection that comes out of nowhere and shakes up the complexion of the first 32 picks.
Since a handful of teams at the top of the first round have plenty of needs to fill, an unexpected selection could appear early and alter the plans of franchises left to pick.
The back end of the top 10 is where these surprising picks could come in the 2019 NFL draft, especially from teams dipping into the quarterback market.
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Because there are so many top defensive prospects in the draft class, an earlier-than-expected pick of a quarterback or offensive skill position player could throw a new wrinkle into the first round.
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): Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
18. Minnesota Vikings: Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson
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
Prospects Who Can Shake Up Draft Outlook
Drew Lock
Quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins are supposed to be off the draft board by the time the New York Giants pick at No. 6.
After the first two signal-callers are selected, there could be a mad rush to take the next few quarterbacks on the board.
Once the Giants make their decision at No. 6, the next team that could pick a quarterback is Denver at No. 10.
Even though the Broncos acquired Joe Flacco in the offseason, he is 34 years old and there is a chance he might not be around for an extended period of time.
That is where Drew Lock comes into the picture at the No. 10 pick.
Denver could go after the Missouri quarterback in order to have a quality backup behind Flacco and develop a signal-caller for the future under the tutelage of the Super Bowl champion.
If that occurs, the Broncos could trigger a wave of trade offers to teams with selections in the middle of the first round, with the remaining quarterbacks that have first-round potential being the targets of those deals.
But Denver's potential selection of Lock could also trigger no trades and force teams like Miami, Washington and Cincinnati to wait until the later rounds to look at quarterbacks because the best three in the draft class would be off the board.
That would lead to the Dolphins, Redskins and Bengals filling other needs and possibly taking players higher than some expect.
In the case that the Broncos don't take Lock, the Bengals could alter their draft plan and take him as a successor to Andy Dalton, or Miami and Washington could attempt to move up a few places with a trade to secure his services.
T.J. Hockenson
Depending on which draft expert you trust the most, Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson could be selected as high as No. 8, or as low as No. 19.
At points in the draft process, Hockenson was mocked to the Detroit Lions at No. 8, which is a higher-than-usual spot for a tight end to go in the first round.
CBSSports.com's Chris Trapasso and SB Nation's Dan Kadar both have Hockenson landing at No. 12 with the Green Bay Packers in their recent mock drafts.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has Hockenson falling to the Tennessee Titans at No. 19 in his latest mock draft.
Where Hockenson actually lands will set the tone for the teams in the market for wide receivers and tight ends in the first round.
Detroit is the first logical place Hockenson could land, but if the Lions want to focus on improving their defense, they will take one of the top defensive prospects off the board.
Green Bay is an intriguing option for Hockenson because Aaron Rodgers needs younger, reliable targets in his offense, and Hockenson is just that.
But just like the Lions, the Packers could benefit more from taking a defensive line prospect, especially with a chance to pick up a wide receiver or tight end with their second first-round pick at No. 30.
If Hockenson is taken by either Detroit or Green Bay, his college teammate Noah Fant would benefit, as teams would target him as the next tight end off the board.
But Fant and some of the top wide receivers could still benefit from Hockenson going to Tennessee at No. 19.
Hockenson's selection could spur a run on wide receivers selected by teams that need an upgrade at the position to stay in playoff contention in 2019.
A year ago, the run on skill position players was started at No. 24, when Carolina took DJ Moore.
The same could happen a few picks earlier in 2019 if Hockenson lands with the Titans.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
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