
I’ve waited nearly till the end of the NFL season to officially enter draft season.
Being a Cleveland Browns fan, draft season used to enter the mindset early into the NFL season but that mindset has changed thanks to the franchise heading into the right direction thanks to general manager John Dorsey and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Still doesn’t mean we won’t discuss the draft, it just won’t be as early as years past.
With that, let’s unveil the first mock draft of 2019.
1. Arizona Cardinals- Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State: I think the Cardinals will trade down to a quarterback needy team but as of now, they’ll take the best player here.
2. San Francisco 49ers- Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama: San Francisco goes with another defensive lineman as they continue to shape their defense
3. New York Jets- Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State: Sweat made a big impact last week at the Senior Bowl and lands in the Big Apple as the Jets go defense
4. Oakland Raiders- Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky: Jon Gruden said all last season that he didn’t have a dominant pass rusher, he gets one here at #4.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan: With rumors of Gerald McCoy being on the way out, Tampa looks to the future of the defense with this pick.
6. New York Giants- Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State: Giants missed an opportunity last year to find Eli Manning’s heir, they don’t make the same mistake twice.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State: Jacksonville beefs up their offensive line
8. Detroit Lions- Ed Oliver, DT, Houston: Detroit goes defense and potentially gets a steal with this pick
9. Buffalo Bills- Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama: Josh Allen needs surrounded with playmakers and Buffalo gets him one in Jacobs
10. Denver Broncos- Drew Lock, QB, Missouri: Reports suggest this is the way John Elway is leaning three months out
11. Cincinnati Bengals- Devin White, LB, LSU: Cincinnati gets a complete linebacker to help their defense
12. Green Bay Packers- Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson: Green Bay needs to get after the quarterback more and Wilkins can help that from the inside
13. Miami Dolphins- Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma: Miami officially moves in a new direction with a new QB
14. Atlanta Falcons- Jonah Williams, OL, Alabama: Atlanta needs to improve the interior of the line and Williams can do just that
15. Washington Redskins- Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma: Washington could consider QB with Alex Smith’s future unknown but they’ll go with a big time playmaker
16. Carolina Panthers- Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida: Carolina needs to get better upfront if they want Cam Newton to stay healthy post-shoulder surgery
17. Cleveland Browns- Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State: His off the field actions are inexcusable but Simmons would definitely make the Browns defense better.
18. Minnesota Vikings- Devin Bush, LB, Michigan: Bush helps a Minnesota defense that could lose some key pieces this offseason
19. Tennessee Titans- D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss: Tennessee spent a high pick on Corey Davis a couple years ago but you can never have enough playmakers
20. Pittsburgh Steelers- Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson: Pittsburgh gets another stud on the defensive side of the ball
21. Seattle Seahawks- Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma: Seattle has needed offensive line upgrades for years, Russell Wilson might need to beg for this prospect.
22. Baltimore Ravens- Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida: Baltimore should likely go defense here because of potential losses in free agency
23. Houston Texans- Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State: teaming up Abram with Tyrann Mathieu could make for a nasty safety combo for the Texans
24. Oakland (via Chicago)- T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa: Oakland gets the best tight end in the draft late in the first round
25. Philadelphia Eagles- Byron Murphy, CB, Washington: Murphy reunites with his former teammate Sidney Jones in the Eagles secondary
26. Indianapolis Colts- Dexter Lawrence, DL, Clemson: Chris Ballard takes a chance on a player who missed the final two games of college with a failed drug test
27. Oakland (via Dallas)- Nasir Adderly, S, Delaware: Oakland uses their third first-round pick to address the secondary
28. LA Chargers- Greedy Williams, CB, LSU: Joining Jason Verrett and Derwin James, Greedy makes gives the Chargers a potentially dominant secondary
29. Kansas City Chiefs- Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech: Kansas City could need a pass rusher if Dee Ford walks in free agency
30. Green Bay (via New Orleans)- Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama: Green Bay goes tight end to give Aaron Rodgers and new head coach Matt LaFleur another weapon to use
31. LA Rams- Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple: the NFC champions look to add a corner for the future and also someone to push Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.
32. New England Patriots- Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia: Tom Brady gets a reliable receiver who can get open. Maybe the next Randy Moss or Josh Gordon in the future?