2019 First Round Recap

Another first round is in the books. This year we made it all the way to pick four before things got weird. Here are my thoughts on 27 of the 32 first round picks, with more to say tomorrow on the other five once I check out some tape.

1) Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

I don’t know if this was the best pick the Cardinals could have made, but it certainly is the most fascinating. Murray is a unique player, and he’s going to a unique situation with Kliff Kingsbury brought in with the sole purpose of bringing his Air Raid offense to the NFL. This could be a match made in heaven that powers the most dynamic offense in the league, or it could be a disaster with a quarterback and coach who just can’t cut it in the NFL. I really don’t see any in between, and this will be the most exciting pick to watch developing going forward.

2) San Francisco 49ers – Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State

Arizona’s decision to go with Murray could not have worked out any better for their division rival in San Francisco. Bosa is arguably the best player in the draft at San Francisco’s biggest position of need. He brings speed around the edge they haven’t been able to get from their other highly drafted defensive linemen, and he offers versatility to a pass rush that could power this defense to a major leap forward as early as this season.

3) New York Jets – Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

Somewhat surprisingly the Jets couldn’t get a trade package they wanted, so they satisfied themselves grabbing far and away the best player left on the board. Williams is a good athlete with some of the best hands I’ve ever seen. Very few blockers can even touch him, as he swats their arms away and blows past them into the backfield. The Jets just keep drafting defensive tackles, and they just keep getting better players. And now with the Williams pair of Quinnen and Leonard they have potentially the best interior defensive line that can be the centerpiece of a the defense they are building.

4) Oakland Raiders – Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson

It didn’t take long to get the first shocking pick of the night. The Raiders grabbed Ferrell over more athletic and more productive edge rushers, and I really don’t understand what they were thinking here. The best thing you can say about him is that he has the ability to come in as a starter right away, but the Raiders are a long way from needing impact players. They got a low ceiling prospect for a defensive that is desperately in need of star talent, and though the night is still very young, I wouldn’t be shocked if this holds up as my least favorite selection of the night.

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Devin White, LB, LSU

This selection was an open secret over the final week leading up to the draft, and he’s an excellent fit in Tampa Bay. He’s an aggressive playmaker who flies all over the field to make plays on the ball, and if he can figure out how to slow down at the point of contact to avoid missing so many tackles, he can be a true difference maker in the middle of the defense. Much more interesting, he’s one of the best blitzing off ball linebackers I’ve seen, and I’m excited to see Todd Bowles lets him loose.

6) New York Giants – Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

The Giants do a remarkable job of making picks I hate every single season, but they’ve really outdone themselves this year. I truly do not understand how anyone sees Jones as a first round prospect, much less in the top ten. He has good mobility, and he has decent pocket presence, but he struggles with ball placement and anticipation and almost never makes anything other than the obvious, easy play. His ceiling is maybe a league average starting quarterback, and it’s laughable that he was selected in the top ten.

7) Jacksonville Jaguars – Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

This is a fascinating selection, and I’m intrigued to see how he fits into Jacksonville’s defense. He’s not the most varied pass rusher in the world, and I wouldn’t have taken him this high. But he brings versatility with his ability to drop into coverage, and he’ll be best suited for a hybrid linebacker-pass rusher role. Put him beside Telvin Smith and Myles Jack and you have a rare set of athletes covering the field from sideline to sideline. It’s a high volatility pick, and it could go down in flames. But it could also be the perfect player to keep the Jaguars defense rolling as some of their high priced veterans age out.

8) Detroit Lions – TJ Hockenson, TE, Iowa

Hockenson was a bit overshadowed at the Combine by his teammate Noah Fant’s performance, but he was one of the most impressive athletes in the draft. He puts his athleticism to use in a slightly different way than most, preferring to explode in tight areas underneath than stretch over the top. He doesn’t use his size as well as he should, and I’m not as impressed by his blocking as some people. But he’s the sort of versatile weapon who can really open things up on offense, filling a number of roles in a way the defense really can’t adjust for.

9) Buffalo Bills – Ed Oliver, DT, Houston

The draft fell perfectly for the Bills, and they didn’t screw things up. Oliver has as high a ceiling as any prospect to enter the draft in the past few years. He is explosive off the ball, able to get deep in the backfield before the opposing linemen are even out of their snaps. He has speed, he has power, he has bend. The only criticism you can make about this pick is that the Bills still desperately need to get some help for Josh Allen. But when a player like Oliver is available, need goes out the window and you take the player who improves your team the most.

10) Pittsburgh Steelers – Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

The Steelers defense never recovered from losing Ryan Shazier a year and a half ago, and now they get a similar athlete to replace him. Bush struggles a little with contact in congested areas, so it’s good he’s going to a team with an excellent defensive line to keep him clean. He has the speed to make plays all over the field, and he can develop into an excellent coverage player down the road too. The price they paid to move up was reasonable, and there’s no doubt he will elevate a defense that desperately needed help in the middle.

11) Cincinnati Bengals – Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

This is another pick that makes a lot of sense. The Bengals have struggled a lot since losing Andrew Whitworth in free agency, and they need to try again to rebuild their offensive line. Williams is truly special when it comes to dropping in a traditional pass set and punching rushers coming around the edge, and that’s enough to keep him afloat while he fixes some of the other holes in his game. There will be some rough patches, and it’s good that the Bengals have Cordy Glenn to hold down the blind side until they’re confident Williams can slide in to replace him.

12) Green Bay Packers – Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan

When the Packers signed Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith in free agency I assumed they weren’t planning on using this pick to select an edge rusher, but apparently they just wanted players to fill in for two or three years until Gary is able to live up to his potential. There’s no question that he’s a tremendous athlete, and he can absolutely become a dominant player in the future. But right now he has no plan as a pass rusher, and there’s a very real chance he’s more suited as an interior penetrator. The Packers have some work to do here, but if it pays off it will pay off big.

13) Miami Dolphins – Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson

Man, the Dolphins were in a perfect place to take a swing for the fences, with a likely throwaway season ahead of them and a couple years to wait until they’re ready to compete. And while I think there’s some upside for Wilkins to develop as an interior pass rusher, I think he’s mostly just a solid interior presence. He’s a decent middle ground between a traditional space eater like Dexter Lawrence and a pure interior rusher like Jerry Tillery, and that versatility means he very likely won’t wash out. But it would have been nice for the Dolphins to get someone with a bit more upside and a chance at development.

14) Atlanta Falcons – Chris Lindstrom, OG, Boston College

Lindstrom was originally on my list of prospects to watch, but I couldn’t find any tape of him when I started looking in March. If I can find some now, I’ll have thoughts on him tomorrow.

15) Washington Redskins – Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

Well this is interesting. The two days leading up to the draft were swamped with rumors of chaos in Washington, stories of Daniel Snyder and Bruce Allen once again taking control of the team with the plan to leap up and select a quarterback in the top five. There were rumors they liked Jones, and rumors they liked Haskins, and they ended up getting the better quarterback to fall into their lap. Haskins only has a year of experience, and he improved a great deal as the season went along. He needs to be more confident and more aggressive in the NFL, and he can get there, especially in a place like Washington with a good offensive line and a solid receiving corps to work with.

16) Carolina Panthers – Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State

Burns is much better than several of the edges who went ahead of him, and the Panthers should be thrilled that he is available for them. They need someone who can bring speed around the edge, and no one in this draft has speed like Burns. He explodes off the ball, and he gets extremely low and extremely flexible bending through contact. He has a few interesting counter moves that he can develop, and if he can put that together he can be one of the best pass rushers in the league.

17) New York Giants – Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson

This is actually a joke. The Giants are actually trying to pick players just to piss me off. To be clear, Lawrence is a very good player. I’m sure there are also very good long snappers available too. Lawrence is the sort of player who has a very specific, very limited role in the NFL. He can eat up the middle of the field on first and second down, and he can stand on the sideline on third down. His best case scenario is Damon Harrison, who the Giants just traded for a fifth round pick. And interior line is the one place they’re relatively set on their defense. This pick isn’t as bad as Jones, because it’s hard to be as bad as Jones. But it’s a pretty good second effort.

18) Minnesota Vikings – Garrett Bradbury, C, NC State

I have mixed feelings about this selection as a Vikings fan. On the one hand, Bradbury is a very good player, and athletic run-blocking master who excels moving laterally through the middle of the field. On the other hand, he doesn’t have the value or the upside of some of the other linemen available, like Andre Dillard or Cody Ford. This feels like a pick made by a team more interested in getting a player for 2019 than a player for 2019 through 2025, which isn’t a strategy I can really get behind with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. This team has a very clear ceiling, and Bradbury’s ability to contribute immediately isn’t going to change that.

19) Tennessee Titans – Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State

There were some people who thought that the torn ACL might knock Simmons into the second round, but I never bought it. He is too talented, and someone was going to be willing to let him sit on the sideline for a year. He isn’t as polished as some of the other top defensive linemen, but he has stretches where he is absolutely dominant. He can be the heir apparent to Jurrell Casey on this defensive line as a versatile interior pass rusher.

20) Denver Broncos – Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

Fant is a ways away from taking advantage of his talent, but his upside is tantalizing. He has the size to be a red zone nightmare, and the speed to be an unguardable weapon on the outside. The Broncos still have a lot of questions about what they’re trying to do long term on offense, but Fant is certainly an interesting weapon to play with, alongside a couple talented receivers they got in the middle of the draft a year ago.

21) Green Bay Packers – Darnell Savage, S, Maryland

The second player I haven’t studied yet. I’ll watch some tape and get on it tomorrow.

22) Philadelphia Eagles – Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State

The Eagles jump ahead of the Texans and get the highest upside offensive lineman in the draft. Dillard probably doesn’t fit anywhere on Philadelphia’s offensive line right away, but he’ll fit in perfectly once Jason Peters retires. He’s a versatile and athletic pass protector, and I feel confident he can develop as a run blocker. Even if he doesn’t, what he can do to protect the quarterback’s blind side is enough to make him worth this pick.

23) Houston Texans – Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State

Houston desperately needed an offensive lineman, and they had some of the top prospects to choose from. Instead they went for an athletic upside shot. I haven’t watched film of him yet, so I’ll have more to say tomorrow. But let me say for now that I’m a bit skeptical.

24) Oakland Raiders – Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama

The second pick for the Raiders, the second that fills me with mostly indifference. Jacobs is good, but not great. He’s a running back with decent burst but little big play ability, good power but not fantastic leg drive. He can develop as a receiver, and he has the upside to be a solid top ten running back. And the Raiders certainly need someone at that position. But this is a position that can be addressed just as easily in the third or fourth round, and there are much more talented players left on the board at positions like wide receiver and offensive line.

25) Baltimore Ravens – Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma

The wide receiver class is deep this year, and it’s not surprising that a lot of teams felt like they could just wait until Day 2. But Brown’s speed is something that really can’t be found elsewhere, and with his addition the Ravens could be building something intriguing on offense. Last year they built a functional offense out of a versatile ground attack with Lamar Jackson, and they have a deep stable of tight ends to expand the underneath passing game. Now they have a true burner to take off the top. This is not going to be a pass heavy offense, so might as well grab a receiver who can produce a lot out of very few touches.

26) Washington Redskins – Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State

Washington leapt up into the first round and got a player who would have been excellent value if they had taken him at pick number fifteen. There are various reasons Sweat may have dropped that I can’t really speak to, but as a football player he brings a lot of potential to the table. It’s debatable how much it matters, but he ran a 4.41 forty at 260 pounds. He doesn’t have the most bend, but he makes up for it with power to cut down the distance to the quarterback. He has some development to do, but he has the upside of a top ten player that the Redskins were willing to jump up and get late in the first round.

27) Oakland Raiders – Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State

Finally, a Raiders selection that isn’t boring. Abram is an old fashioned safety who flies all over the field and likes to hit the hell of anyone who omes near him. He’ll have to adjust his game a little to the NFL, but he can make it work without losing too much of his edge. There were safety prospects I liked more, but I can buy a team taking a risk on Abram at the end of the first round.

28) Los Angeles Chargers – Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame

I love this pick, and I love the defense the Chargers are building. There are still reasons to be concerned about their ability to stop the run, and Tillery certainly won’t help that. But I will gladly trade run stuffing for the ability to get after the quarterback, and the Chargers have as much as you could ask for on that front. They have a pair of elite edges in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, two terrifying blitzing defensive backs in Desmond King and Derwin James, and now a talented, if inconsistent, interior rusher. There is literally no way to handle them all, and that’s before you even factor in the talented coverage guys they have on the back end.

29) Seattle Seahawks – LJ Collier, EDGE, TCU

This is rare, a name I genuinely don’t know. I’ll make up my mind after watching some tape tomorrow.

30) New York Giants – DeAndre Baker, CB, Georgia

I don’t know. I guess this is an improvement. He isn’t a good athlete, and he doesn’t have a lot of upside. But he’s a smart player who shows good understanding of reading the routes ahead of him. This would be a reach even if there had been a run of cornerbacks ahead of him. Instead he is the first cornerback off the board, with the Giants passing up on much better players at the same position to take someone who will top out as an anonymous starting cornerback.

31) Atlanta Falcons – Kaleb McGary, OT, Washington

Ugh I have a lot of tape I need to watch tomorrow, not to mention a 3 hour Avengers movie. New England better not screw me over too.

32) New England Patriots – N’Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

I wasn’t a huge fan of Harry, worried mostly about his lack of speed. He doesn’t separate particularly well, and he requires a lot of throws into tight windows to succeed. Well, guess who is the best in the league at fitting balls into tight windows? This is the perfect destination for Harry, who will have a quarterback who can put the ball on his hands and trust him to box out smaller cornerbacks. He’s not going to knock anyone out with big plays, but he can wear them down with body blows, making him the perfect fit in New England.