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2019 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Order and Predictions After Super Bowl 53

Timothy Rapp

That's it, folks. The 2018 NFL season is over, and the New England Patriots are your champions after a truly dull Super Bowl on Sunday. For the rest of the league, it's on to next year, with NFL draft preparations now in full swing.

So as 31 teams prepare to yet again chase the Patriots next season, let's take a look at a post-Super Bowl mock draft for the first round. No trades will be included in this mock, though this year's draft could include several, especially since the first three to five teams in the draft may not be looking to address the quarterback position.

But trades are incredibly difficult to project until they happen, so for now, we'll stick to the draft order as it stands.

                

Mock Draft

1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State

2. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

3. New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, DL, Alabama

4. Oakland Raiders: Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Clemson

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU

6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

8. Detroit Lions: Ed Oliver, DL, Houston

9. Buffalo Bills: Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan

10. Denver Broncos: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

11. Cincinnati Bengals: Devin White, LB, LSU

12. Green Bay Packers: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State

13. Miami Dolphins: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

14. Atlanta Falcons: Jeffery Simmons, DL, Mississippi State

15. Washington: Will Grier, QB, West Virginia

16. Carolina Panthers: Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida

17. Cleveland Browns: Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma

18. Minnesota Vikings: Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss

19. Tennessee Titans: Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

21. Seattle Seahawks: Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson

22. Baltimore Ravens: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

23. Houston Texans: Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia

24. Oakland Raiders (via Chicago): Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

25. Philadelphia Eagles: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

26. Indianapolis Colts: Dexter Lawrence, DL, Clemson

27. Oakland Raiders (via Dallas): D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss

28. Los Angeles Chargers: Dre'Mont Jones, DL, Ohio State

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State

30. Green Bay Packers (via New Orleans Saints): Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama

31. Los Angeles Rams: Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech

32. New England Patriots: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

Draft order via Tankathon.com

                

Analysis

The top three players selected in this draft seem likely to be Nick Bosa, Josh Allen and Quinnen Williams, in some order, if the draft board holds. But it's also possible a team like the Giants, Jaguars, Broncos, Bengals, Dolphins or even Washington could fall in love with one of the quarterbacks and trade into the top three.

If the order doesn't change, Haskins to the Giants seems like a no-brainer. Eli Manning is 38 and wasn't very good in 2018. The Giants have legitimate star power at the skill positions, however, with Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham Jr. and Evan Engram forming a nice three-headed monster. The top priority for New York should be identifying a quarterback target and landing him, no matter what.

Much of the draft will hinge on what the Raiders do at No. 4, and with their three picks in general. If no quarterbacks are off the board at No. 4, the Raiders will field plenty of calls. But they also have team needs just about everywhere and will have to choose which one is most vital to address first.

It seems pretty obvious that pass rush should be atop the list. Clelin Ferrell might not be as dynamic a talent as Bosa or Allen off the edge, but he would certainly upgrade the league's worst pass rush.

The Raiders could also consider players like Ed Oliver, Greedy Williams, Rashan Gary or even Devin White. But a true edge-rusher like Ferrell makes the most sense on paper if he's graded similarly by the Raiders to the other players mentioned.

With three picks, the Raiders could be an interesting team to watch if the Steelers choose to trade Antonio Brown, though Oakland might be better off building around young players. Coming out of the first round with Ferrell, Byron Murphy and D.K. Metcalf would be a good start.

The Jaguars will be a team to watch in the quarterback market, though given the talent they already have, they'd be better off pursuing a player like Nick Foles and upgrading other positions of need early in the draft, like the offensive line.

That could mean a player like Kyler Murray could be awaiting the Broncos at No. 10 if he stays in the NFL draft. The Broncos would probably be wise to also add a veteran in free agency, but a Broncos offense featuring young talents like Murray, Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman and Courtland Sutton would be fun.

On the other hand, defensive-minded head coach Vic Fangio might make a push to address needs on that side of the ball. But Murray's explosiveness might make him too hard to pass on at No. 10.

With as many as five quarterbacks potentially getting drafted in the first 32 picks—Duke's Daniel Jones didn't make this mock, but he's absolutely a potential first-rounder—some very talented players are likely to fall a bit down the board.

The Bengals would have to be thrilled if the draft's best linebacker, White, was available at No. 11. Talented corners like Deandre Baker and Murphy could be available in the 20s. Teams in the teens in need of a wide receiver will likely have their pick of the field. Some talented offensive lineman could fall given the sheer amount of defensive players and quarterbacks off the board early on.

Finally, the Patriots will be an intriguing team at No. 32. Tom Brady can't play forever, so they could easily seek out his protege at this pick. Rob Gronkowski is a candidate to retire after this season, meanwhile, making a player like Noah Fant a logical target for the team.

   

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