Kiper at it again...
Insider article so c/p below.
Let's start by emphasizing the first part of the headline above: way-too-early. There's a reason we use that terminology for this piece. I have not studied tape on most of these players, so Mitch Leidners do happen.
A few more important notes before we launch into my 2019 way-too-early mock draft:
1. Buffalo Bills
Ed Oliver, DT, Houston*
A force on the inside, Oliver (listed at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds) is immensely talented. He has a ridiculous 38.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his first two seasons.
2. Chicago Bears
Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State*
Yes, he is the younger brother of Chargers DE Joey Bosa. And yes, he can also rush the passer and stop the run (8.5 sacks, 16 TFL last season).
Penn State has the next undersized QB ready to take on the world, while Oregon, LSU, Ohio State and Clemson have draft doppelgangers of their own.Mayfield to McSorley: 10 CFB clones of NFL draft stars
3. New York Giants
Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan*
Noticing a pattern? Gary is listed at 6-foot-5, 281 pounds, and he's versatile, so he can fit at DE or DT, depending on the scheme. He racked up 5.5 sacks last season after half a sack his freshman season.
Note: If the Giants are actually 5-11 (as the Football Outsiders sim suggests) and picking No. 3 overall, I'd give them a QB since I'd have to assume it's time to move on from Eli Manning. But I'm not sold on any of these QBs at this point in the process.
4. New York Jets
Greg Little, OT, Mississippi*
Listed at 6-6, 325 pounds, he's your classic blindside protector.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Trey Adams, OT, Washington*
Adams tore his ACL in October 2017 and missed the rest of the season, and he decided to go back to school as a result.
6. Indianapolis Colts
Andraez 'Greedy' Williams, CB, LSU*
A big corner (listed at 6-foot-2, 183 pounds), Greedy led the SEC with six interceptions in his freshman season.
7. Denver Broncos
Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama*
A 2017 first-team All-SEC selection, Williams is another talented offensive lineman.
8. Arizona Cardinals
Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
Baker played sparingly his first two seasons but had a terrific junior campaign (44 tackles, three INTs) for the Bulldogs.
9. Detroit Lions
Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson*
Lawrence's production dipped a bit last season, but he's a highly skilled, big-bodied (6-5, 340 pounds), disruptive force on the interior.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson*
Ferrell had 9.5 sacks and 18.0 tackles for loss last season at Clemson, and there was talk he'd have been a top-10 pick in thisclass.
11. Cleveland Browns
A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi*
All Brown did last season was lead the SEC in receiving yards (1,252) and touchdowns (11) as a true sophomore.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
Noah Fant, TE, Iowa*
Fant led the Big Ten in TDs (11) and averaged 16.5 yards per reception in 2017.
13. Washington Redskins
Anfernee Jennings, LB, Alabama*
The redshirt junior started to come on strong last season (6.0 tackles for loss), and should put up big numbers this season with Alabama's exodus of defensive talent to the NFL the past two seasons.
14. Carolina Panthers
Lukas Dennis, S, Boston College*
The 5-foot-11 defensive back led the ACC in interceptions (seven) and return yardage off those interceptions (185).
15. Miami Dolphins
Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn*
Brown (6-foot-5, 316 pounds) had a strong sophomore season with 57 tackles, 9.5 TFL and 3.0 sacks.
16. San Francisco 49ers
Chauncey Gardner, S, Florida*
The rangy safety had two interceptions last season for a stingy Florida defense.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
Lock went back to school for his senior season, despite leading the SEC in passing yards (3,964) and passing yards per attempt (9.5).
18. Oakland Raiders
Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
The diminutive (5-10, 186) running back played through an ankle injury and finished second in the Heisman voting, compiling 2,118 rushing yards on the season (second in the nation).
19. Seattle Seahawks
David Edwards, OL, Wisconsin*
The Seahawks continually need help on their offensive line, and Edwards could be a fit.
20. Atlanta Falcons
Beau Benzschawel, OG, Wisconsin
Another talented Wisconsin offensive lineman who could help protect quarterback Matt Ryan.
21. Baltimore Ravens
Devin White, LB, LSU
White was a tackling machine last season, racking up 133 total tackles, including a nation-leading 96 assisted ones.
22. Tennessee Titans
Michael Deiter, OT, Wisconsin*
Yes, Deiter (6-6, 328) could be the third member of Wisconsin's O-line to go in the first round next season.
23. Dallas Cowboys
Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State*
The redshirt junior should have a chance to thrive on a talented Ohio State defense, lining up alongside Nick Bosa.
24. Minnesota Vikings
Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
The senior has had back-to-back seasons of double-digit tackles for loss and has the potential to go higher than talented former teammate Harold Landry (second round, 2018 draft).
25. Houston Texans
N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State*
New ASU coach Herm Edwards will love having the big (6-4, 216) receiver who ranked second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards (1,142) in 2017, for at least another season.
26. Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon*
Philip Rivers (age 36) isn't getting any younger, and Los Angeles needs to find his eventual replacement. Herbert played only eight games because of injury last season, but he has a ton of potential.
27. Los Angeles Rams
Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky
The star Kentucky linebacker was another potential 2018 first-round pick who decided to return for his senior season.
28. Philadelphia Eagles
Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
The talent is there, but injuries (18 games played over three seasons) have slowed Samuel's progress.
29. Green Bay Packers(from NO)
Raekwon Davis, DL, Alabama*
Davis was a terror (8.5 sacks) in a rotational role last season and looked unstoppable at times in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma
There are off-field concerns for Anderson, but the on-field talent is clearly there. How much will he miss Dimitri Flowers as a blocker?
31. Green Bay Packers
Montez Sweat, DL, Mississippi State
The Michigan State transfer had a huge junior season with 10.5 sacks and 15.5 TFL.
32. New England Patriots
Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson
Wilkins will play several positions along Clemson's incredibly talented defensive line.
Insider article so c/p below.
Let's start by emphasizing the first part of the headline above: way-too-early. There's a reason we use that terminology for this piece. I have not studied tape on most of these players, so Mitch Leidners do happen.
A few more important notes before we launch into my 2019 way-too-early mock draft:
- Most of my evaluations below came from what I've been able to see watching players in person or on TV. I start watching tape next week, so we still have a ton of work to do on everyone in the 2019 class.
- Last year, 12 players who were featured in my way-too-early mock draft ended up going in the 2018 first round. As we saw with Maurice Hurst, injuries or medical issues are impossible to predict and can affect draft stock.
- I didn't decide on the draft order. It was generated by Football Outsiders, using its early projected records for the 2018 season.
1. Buffalo Bills
Ed Oliver, DT, Houston*
A force on the inside, Oliver (listed at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds) is immensely talented. He has a ridiculous 38.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his first two seasons.
2. Chicago Bears
Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State*
Yes, he is the younger brother of Chargers DE Joey Bosa. And yes, he can also rush the passer and stop the run (8.5 sacks, 16 TFL last season).
Penn State has the next undersized QB ready to take on the world, while Oregon, LSU, Ohio State and Clemson have draft doppelgangers of their own.Mayfield to McSorley: 10 CFB clones of NFL draft stars
McShay's 10 favorite 2018 NFL draft classes
Which teams did the best job of managing the board and finding good value throughout the 2018 draft? Todd McShay picks his 10 favorite classes.
McShay's best draft pick for all 32 teams
Sure, Sam Darnold was an amazing pick, but so were a few middle-round outside linebackers. Todd McShay pegs his best 2018 NFL draft value picks for all 32 teams.
3. New York Giants
Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan*
Noticing a pattern? Gary is listed at 6-foot-5, 281 pounds, and he's versatile, so he can fit at DE or DT, depending on the scheme. He racked up 5.5 sacks last season after half a sack his freshman season.
Note: If the Giants are actually 5-11 (as the Football Outsiders sim suggests) and picking No. 3 overall, I'd give them a QB since I'd have to assume it's time to move on from Eli Manning. But I'm not sold on any of these QBs at this point in the process.
4. New York Jets
Greg Little, OT, Mississippi*
Listed at 6-6, 325 pounds, he's your classic blindside protector.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Trey Adams, OT, Washington*
Adams tore his ACL in October 2017 and missed the rest of the season, and he decided to go back to school as a result.
6. Indianapolis Colts
Andraez 'Greedy' Williams, CB, LSU*
A big corner (listed at 6-foot-2, 183 pounds), Greedy led the SEC with six interceptions in his freshman season.
7. Denver Broncos
Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama*
A 2017 first-team All-SEC selection, Williams is another talented offensive lineman.
8. Arizona Cardinals
Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
Baker played sparingly his first two seasons but had a terrific junior campaign (44 tackles, three INTs) for the Bulldogs.
9. Detroit Lions
Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson*
Lawrence's production dipped a bit last season, but he's a highly skilled, big-bodied (6-5, 340 pounds), disruptive force on the interior.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson*
Ferrell had 9.5 sacks and 18.0 tackles for loss last season at Clemson, and there was talk he'd have been a top-10 pick in thisclass.
11. Cleveland Browns
A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi*
All Brown did last season was lead the SEC in receiving yards (1,252) and touchdowns (11) as a true sophomore.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
Noah Fant, TE, Iowa*
Fant led the Big Ten in TDs (11) and averaged 16.5 yards per reception in 2017.
13. Washington Redskins
Anfernee Jennings, LB, Alabama*
The redshirt junior started to come on strong last season (6.0 tackles for loss), and should put up big numbers this season with Alabama's exodus of defensive talent to the NFL the past two seasons.
14. Carolina Panthers
Lukas Dennis, S, Boston College*
The 5-foot-11 defensive back led the ACC in interceptions (seven) and return yardage off those interceptions (185).
15. Miami Dolphins
Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn*
Brown (6-foot-5, 316 pounds) had a strong sophomore season with 57 tackles, 9.5 TFL and 3.0 sacks.
16. San Francisco 49ers
Chauncey Gardner, S, Florida*
The rangy safety had two interceptions last season for a stingy Florida defense.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
Lock went back to school for his senior season, despite leading the SEC in passing yards (3,964) and passing yards per attempt (9.5).
18. Oakland Raiders
Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
The diminutive (5-10, 186) running back played through an ankle injury and finished second in the Heisman voting, compiling 2,118 rushing yards on the season (second in the nation).
19. Seattle Seahawks
David Edwards, OL, Wisconsin*
The Seahawks continually need help on their offensive line, and Edwards could be a fit.
20. Atlanta Falcons
Beau Benzschawel, OG, Wisconsin
Another talented Wisconsin offensive lineman who could help protect quarterback Matt Ryan.
21. Baltimore Ravens
Devin White, LB, LSU
White was a tackling machine last season, racking up 133 total tackles, including a nation-leading 96 assisted ones.
22. Tennessee Titans
Michael Deiter, OT, Wisconsin*
Yes, Deiter (6-6, 328) could be the third member of Wisconsin's O-line to go in the first round next season.
23. Dallas Cowboys
Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State*
The redshirt junior should have a chance to thrive on a talented Ohio State defense, lining up alongside Nick Bosa.
24. Minnesota Vikings
Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
The senior has had back-to-back seasons of double-digit tackles for loss and has the potential to go higher than talented former teammate Harold Landry (second round, 2018 draft).
25. Houston Texans
N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State*
New ASU coach Herm Edwards will love having the big (6-4, 216) receiver who ranked second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards (1,142) in 2017, for at least another season.
26. Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon*
Philip Rivers (age 36) isn't getting any younger, and Los Angeles needs to find his eventual replacement. Herbert played only eight games because of injury last season, but he has a ton of potential.
27. Los Angeles Rams
Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky
The star Kentucky linebacker was another potential 2018 first-round pick who decided to return for his senior season.
28. Philadelphia Eagles
Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
The talent is there, but injuries (18 games played over three seasons) have slowed Samuel's progress.
29. Green Bay Packers(from NO)
Raekwon Davis, DL, Alabama*
Davis was a terror (8.5 sacks) in a rotational role last season and looked unstoppable at times in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma
There are off-field concerns for Anderson, but the on-field talent is clearly there. How much will he miss Dimitri Flowers as a blocker?
31. Green Bay Packers
Montez Sweat, DL, Mississippi State
The Michigan State transfer had a huge junior season with 10.5 sacks and 15.5 TFL.
32. New England Patriots
Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson
Wilkins will play several positions along Clemson's incredibly talented defensive line.
