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NFL Draft 2019: Latest Predictions, Odds and Rumors for Top Prospects
April 22, 2019
NFL draft week has arrived, which has thrown a sense of urgency into a process that had previously seemed to be in a slumber ahead of the 2019 NFL draft.
With the draft beginning on Thursday, the rumors, speculation and odds shift as team's war rooms get ready to finalize. The result is an exciting time, though a chaotic one.
Below, let's look at a mock draft based on the prospect stock market and team need, among other variables, before diving into odds and some of the biggest rumors.
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: Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
8. Detroit Lions: Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi 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: T.J. Hockenson, 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: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
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: Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State
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: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
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: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama
32. New England Patriots: Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M
The Odds
Not too long ago, this looked quite a bit different. But according to Oddschecker, this is where things stand:
- Kyler Murray -550 (bet $100 to win $18.18)
- Quinnen Williams +350 (bet $100 to win $350)
- Nick Bosa +425
- Josh Allen +2000
As this process really kicked into gear, Kyler Murray's ascension to likely top pick began to fully crystallize. His resume and upside are simply too good, and the idea of a new head coach in Arizona wanting his own guy was enough to persuade the masses he could come off the board first despite the presence of first-round pick Josh Rosen from only a year ago.
Ohio State's Nick Bosa still holds prime real estate in this regard, though. Even an injury last year hasn't hurt his stock much, which speaks to his abilities right out of the gates, not to mention upside.
Quinnen Williams terrorized the SEC at Alabama, which makes him an instant contender. Josh Allen did the same off the edge for Kentucky and doubled as a versatile presence in coverage, making him a candidate to end up as the best overall defender from the class in hindsight.
So no, the four candidates aren't a surprise, and realistically, those would-be bettors looking to have some fun with the event could feel comfortable with any of the four.
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Smokescreen season never ends, so it shouldn't register as much of a surprise to find out the process has come full circle, and a new rumor suggests the Cardinals don't want Murray.
CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco reported Murray won't be the pick:
It's an odd thing to have come out now. Presumably, the Cardinals did the smart thing and at least floated the idea in an effort to see if any team would give them a king's ransom for the top overall pick in the draft—quite the way to jump-charge one of the league's most extensive rebuilds.
But the Cardinals taking Murray should be seriously considered. He is, after all, a Heisman Trophy winner with 54 total touchdowns to his name a season ago and has NFL-breaking upside if he lands in the right scheme with the right coach ready to alter the offense to his talents.
And that right coach could be Kliff Kingsbury. It's nothing against last year's 10th overall pick Josh Rosen. He's got plenty of upside in his own right and wasn't exactly helped by a now-fired staff from his rookie season. But the Cardinals could net at least a second-round pick back by moving him, in theory, if Kingsbury simply likes the Murray fit and upside better.
But as mentioned above, if the Cardinals ease off the idea and decide to go for the best player available at a different spot, Bosa, Williams and Allen would be in the mix. Any prospect from the bunch works considering the state of the defense and roster as a whole in the desert.
Naturally, though, it won't be a surprise to see this rumor shift back in the other direction in the coming days.
Marquise Brown's Stock is Just Fine
Wideout has been one of the messier positions to try to figure out this offseason.
The No. 1 there still isn't easy to figure out. D.K. Metcalf had a great workout and social-media game but has cooled. N'Keal Harry's buzz fizzled. A.J. Brown, Hakeem Butler and Deebo Samuel are other notables.
Don't forget Marquise Brown.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, an injury isn't hurting the Oklahoma wideout's stock at all:
"Usually when you have a receiver who has a major injury, didn't work out, usually that knocks him down. I haven't actually heard anyone knock Hollywood Brown down for this foot injury. The size is a little bit of a concern. Although, basically a slot receiver and those guys can certainly be a little smaller and a little shiftier.
This should be a rather big tell about how the NFL feels at wideout.
Usually, this sort of situation creates a big "stock down" moment for a prospect, especially at a position like wideout, where quick cuts and speed are so important. Yet here is Brown still riding high a season removed from 1,318 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 17.6 yards per catch.
Brown, the guy NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares to DeSean Jackson due to his "game-breaking potential on every snap."
Given the reported lack of a stock hit for something that usually dings a player in his position, perhaps fans are learning late in the process who the first wideout off the board will be.