NFL Draft 2019: Latest Expert Mock Results from Around the Internet
The official onset of NFL draft week means the final wave of mock drafts from experts around the globe.
Mocks as a tool are one of the most useful details surrounding a sporting process. While aimed at being fun for fans to consume more than anything else, they also happen to serve as a general guide for draft order, the current prospect stock market and factor in team needs and how decision-makers in those front offices tend to act.
And that is a rudimentary explanation for the role mock drafts serve. Some experts weave in an understanding of the bigger picture they have gleaned from talking with folks surrounding the event. Different flavors exist too, from "what-they're-hearing" mocks to what they "should" do mocks.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Below, let's take a closer look at some of the most notable mocks released so far to start the final run up to the event, including the most interesting pick from each.
Notable Pick—No. 3, New York Jets: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
The New York Jets serve as one of the more interesting teams in the process. With Sam Darnold already under center, there is an understandable idea the front office there might be willing to swing a trade down while picking up more assets.
But if the Jets stand still, they figure to add on the defensive side of the ball, as rushing the passer is a particular deficiency of the Gregg Williams-led unit.
For Pro Football Talk's Peter King, the move is Houston's Ed Oliver:
"For a long time, I'd penciled in Josh Allen here because of the Jets' edge-rusher need, but when you do a mock, you go by your gut. And someone I trust told me the Jets don't love Allen. So those are the kinds of scale-tippers that change the board—and, most often, make me look like a dope Thursday night about 8:45 ET. We shall see. Oh, and the Jets would like to trade down, too, if they can get a ransom. I don't see it."
Typically, someone like Kentucky's Josh Allen seems to land with the Jets in mocks. But it is hard to ignore the 6'2", 287-pound Oliver, who provides a rare pass-rush up the middle on his lonesome. He's the sort of talent that can help massage over other issues on a defense because a coordinator like Williams doesn't have to bring in extra players in an effort to manufacture that sort of unorthodox pressure.
And in the AFC East featuring Tom Brady, pressure is king. Oliver tag-teaming with Leonard Williams, the sixth pick in 2015, would give offenses some problems. While this isn't a popular move, the idea Oliver is the pick in New York is both great for the Jets and creates an interesting ripple effect in terms of players who would then fall down the board.
Notable Pick—No. 4, Oakland Raiders: Montez Sweat, Edge, Mississippi State
Jon Gruden has been as unpredictable as it gets since arriving with the Oakland Raiders.
The long-term plan looks better than it did even six months ago, though Gruden is still a wild card on draft day. The Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades mean he and the front office have three first-round picks to work with, which has allowed for plenty of speculation. Maybe they package them together to move up. Maybe they stand still.
And what the Raiders actually do with those picks, provided they don't move around, is another big mystery. For CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, the fourth overall pick in his "should do" mock is Mississippi State's Montez Sweat: "They can get by at linebacker with Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict, so they pass on Devin White. But they need help at end, which is why Sweat would be a perfect pick."
The Raiders did grab a couple of stopgap solutions at linebacker, which frees them up to do something more important—grab pressure generators. Linebacker is also always something they could hit elsewhere in the first round if they stand on their picks.
But Sweat is an interesting choice given some of the late notes popping up about his stock:
If the Raiders are one of those teams fine with the medical side, Sweat is as intriguing as it gets: He measured at 6'6" and 260 pounds at the combine, yet ran a 4.41-second time in the 40-yard dash, among other explosive numbers, which showed on film well enough.
Sweat isn't Mack by any means, but if he can earn back part of the production there while playing on a rookie deal, Gruden presumably sees part of his vision unfold properly.
Notable Pick—No. 5, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't the typical fifth-overall pick. Given the overarching slot in this particular class, Tampa Bay looks like a candidate to trade out simply because everyone seems to know the New York Giants at No. 6 want to grab a quarterback.
If other franchises want to jump the Giants and steal a passer, this is the spot they target.
But if the Buccaneers stay, it is hard to say what they do. Jameis Winston has been appointed as the guy for at least another year and the team has needs across the roster. For Pro Football Focus' Cris Collinsworth, the right value comes in the form of LSU corner Greedy Williams: "I don't like the quarterbacks after Lock nearly as much as the top three. If Tampa keeps, and makes this pick, I am taking Greedy Williams."
At this stage of the game, any mock with a corner in the top 10 gets a lot of attention. Cornerbacks simply haven't been publicized much during the buildup to the draft thanks to what looks like a so-so offering for the position.
Williams, at least, is often mentioned as top dog at the position. He's a 6'2", 185-pound prospect with 4.37-second speed and noteworthy, productive film while holding strong in the SEC, so it all makes sense.
The need in Tampa Bay does, too. Corner seems to be one of those premium positions the Buccaneers always have problems with, so on paper, Williams might be able to solve those issues and finally let the front office move on to other problems in future drafts.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
