So before you freak out about where your favorite team landed pick-wise, I just found some Super Bowl Odds and then I reversed them. Mocks this early are really only about how much one prospect is valued by the person making them. No one truly knows how this season, the most important season for a draft prospect, will turn out. So sit back, relax, and read about some players you need to watch this season.
1. Miami Dolphins – Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa
I mean this one is pretty self-explanatory. No matter who ends up with the 1st overall pick, someone is ending up with Tua here. Should a non-QB needy team end up here, they’ll likely trade out and make some fanbase super happy. Tua is one of the most accurate CFB passers I’ve ever seen. Stop complaining about his arm strength.
2. Cincinnati Bengals – Oregon QB Justin Herbert
While he didn’t have a stellar 2018 season, I expect Herbert to grow after deciding to go back to school. The Bengals should know by now that Andy Dalton is not the answer, and unless Ryan Finley does amazing things in camp, I don’t expect him to get much of a chance to prove himself before they draft a new QB.
3. Arizona Cardinals – LSU S Grant Delpit
A Safety going so high is not very common. Do you know what else is uncommon? A prospect as exciting as Grant Delpit has been his entire college career. Rocking the #7 for LSU for good reason, that number goes to the biggest playmaker on the team each season. Delpit has so much talent and is BY FAR DB1 in this class that isn’t too shabby.
4. Detroit Lions – Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy
Throw ball to Jerry Jeudy. Jerry Jeudy catches ball. Rinse. Repeat.
5. Washington Redskins – Colorado WR Laviska Shenault
Shenault is for sure just as much of a WR1 as Jeudy is in my eyes. He is the entire offense for Colorado. If he can stay healthy through the intense workload that he gets, don’t be surprised to see him be the first wide receiver off the board.
6. Buffalo Bills – Iowa EDGE AJ Epenesa
Epenesa doesn’t seem to be the consensus EDGE 1 in the draft, but I know us at Whole Nine absolutely love him. He’s incredibly fun to watch, and super productive on the field. This year, he is the main guy on the Iowa defense, so expect him to blow up the scene this season.
7. Oakland Raiders – DL Derrick Brown
Jon Gruden is amidst a great challenge to rebuild the Raiders. To do that he needs disruptive talent. Who better to add to their team than the incredibly athletic 6’5″ 315 pound monster that is Derrick Brown. He is one of my favorite defenders in the draft, and should he have a great upcoming season, could go higher than #7.
8. Denver Broncos – Ohio State EDGE Chase Young
The run on DL talent continues as the most hyped up EDGE player in the draft, arguably the most hyped up defensive player, is taken off the board. I haven’t completely bought into the hype, but will gladly be proven wrong if he gets results this season. His athleticism and size (6’5 265 lbs) make him a very interesting NFL prospect.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Georgia OT Andrew Thomas
The first OT taken off the board is 6’5 320 lb monster athlete Andrew Thomas. He has incredible potential in the NFL as he is already a fantastic run blocker, but has the length and athleticism to become a fantastic pass protector as well.
10. New York Giants – Stanford OT Walker Little
Walker Little is humongous. 6’7 313 lbs humongous. He needs to get a little bit better in pass protection, but is already good enough at run blocking to warrant a high draft pick. With his size combined with his athleticism, he should make any fan base happy for a long time.
11. Tennessee Titans – Clemson LB/S Isaiah Simmons
I was sold on his athleticism the moment I saw him either tie or beat Clemson running back Travis Etienne in a foot race. The Titans need help in both the linebacker and safety positions, so seeing them take an athletic FREAK that can produce at both positions should be no surprise.
12. New York Jets – Utah CB Jaylon Johnson
Johnson doesn’t have the hype that some of the other corners are getting in the nation, but that isn’t going to stop me from planting my flag of Jaylon Johnson CB1. He will be facing off against some steep competition with the Pac-12 wide receivers, so let’s see if he can pick up where he left off during his fantastic sophomore season.
13. Carolina Panthers – Clemson WR Tee Higgins
Carolina already has a solid young core to it’s WR corps, but they need a big bodied red zone threat to really round things out, that’s where 6’4 Tee Higgins comes in. Along with his size, he brings along good speed, hands, and route-running ability.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars – Tennesee OT Trey Smith
When healthy, Trey Smith was undoubtedly one of the best Offensive Lineman in college. He has been sidelined for a while with a blood clot in his lungs. He is finally making his return to play this year. If he can get back to his level of play from before, he will be a force in the SEC and eventually the NFL.
15. San Francisco 49ers – Texas WR Collin Johnson
Johnson probably would’ve been drafted had he come out last year, but he decided to stick around Texas for his final season. He has impressed so far and now that Lil’ Jordan Humphrey is gone, he will probably get even more attention this season. He has the size, speed, and hands to make a great NFL wideout.
16. Houston Texans – Mizzou TE Albert Okwuegbunam
Another victim of being an underutilized TE, A-Ok impresses with pretty much every chance he gets. The 6’5, yet quick pass-catcher is a very deadly red zone threat. He has the size to pretty much always be a matchup nightmare. Once he does catch the ball, good luck dragging him down to the ground.
17. Seattle Seahawks – LSU CB Kristian Fulton
Fulton looked very good last season, as someone who watches a lot of LSU football, I can tell you that he was the best corner on the team, competing for that honor with the great Greedy Williams. Fulton plays a physical game and can definitely make a tackle. If he continues to improve, he could be drafted even higher.
18. Atlanta Hawks – Alabama DL Raekwon Davis
Another player in this class that could’ve been drafted high if he left Alabama, like many thought he would. He has an insane combination of size, speed, strength, and athleticism that allows him to play anywhere on the line.
19. Baltimore Ravens – Florida CB CJ Henderson
Henderson is one of the most hyped up corners in college football for good reason, he has fantastic size to go along with great ball skills. He has the tools to be successful at any Corner sport that you put him in.
20. Green Bay Packers – Oklahoma WR Ceedee Lamb
The Packers need another reliable threat for Aaron Rodgers that isn’t Davante Adams. Unless someone steps up big time they can find that weapon in the draft in Ceedee Lamb. Before this upcoming season, Lamb is averaging an absurd 17.7 yards per reception for his career. He is a dangerous threat at any part of the field.
21. Dallas Cowboys – TCU WR Jalen Reagor
Teams love speedy wide receivers. Reagor has that. He was reported to have run a 4.35 40 last time he was clocked. He doesn’t have a great QB to say the least, so he doesn’t have the crazy hype around him. Reagor is a talented athletic freak. He reminds me of Hollywood Brown with a little bit better size.
22. Minnesota Vikings – Alabama LB Dylan Moses
Dylan Moses has a lot to gain from Mack Wilson declaring for the draft early. He now has even more of a chance to improve where he needs to, mainly on the pass defense side of things. He is the most intriguing prospect to me on a yet again stacked Alabama defense.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers – Penn St. EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos
A play-maker with great size and speed who is likely to be out-shadowed by the other EDGE stars in his conference, YGM will make some team very happy with his draft position. He has fantastic potential on-top of already producing. It’ll be interesting to see if he can make a name for himself in this powerful conference.
24. Philadelphia Eagles – Virginia CB Bryce Hall
Bryce Hall has all the tools and skills to be a great cornerback. He is already one of the best in college football. If he can repeat the performance from last year, expect him to go a lot higher than this. The Eagles would be ecstatic to get him here as it would definitely be a steal. They need consistency in the secondary and they could definitely find it here.
25. Oakland Raiders (from CHI) – Iowa OL Tristan Wirfs
Oakland got this pick from the Khalil Mack trade. Wirfs is an absolute overpowering monster on the OL. There are multiple spots on the line he could end up playing, but he is most used to the tackle position. With the eyes off of the Iowa TEs it’ll be interesting to see if Wirfs can get some love in the media this season, which would be well deserved. Playing on the best offensive line in college football certainly doesn’t hurt.
26. Los Angeles Chargers – Georgia QB Jake Fromm
Depending on how the rest of the draft plays out, I could definitely see the Chargers opting for another OL piece or another pass catcher. However, I had who some people have as their QB1 falling to them at 26. As much as we would all like to believe, Rivers is not immortal. He is getting up there in age and having Fromm to come in and possibly get a year of experience behind Rivers to be his heir apparent would be fantastic.
27. Indianapolis Colts – Boise State EDGE Curtis Weaver
Weaver impressed when getting the chance to play last season, but now that he is the main man in the Boise defense (similar to AJ Epenesa) expect him to blow up defenses all year. He has fallen victim to being less known in a very deep EDGE class, but should his number translate well expect to see him in the first round.
28. Cleveland Browns – Washington OT Trey Adams
Before his back injury, Adams was a sure-fire first round draft pick in 2019. The powerful tackle, should he get back to where he was last year, would be an immediate starter for Cleveland
29. Kansas City Chiefs – Northwestern LB Paddy Fisher
Man, the Big Ten has a ton of talent. Paddy Fisher is as productive as a college football player could be. Through 2 seasons at Northwestern he has garnered 227 tackles, with 14 for a loss, and 2 interceptions. He has a ton of impressive tools and should help the Chiefs pick up things on the defensice side of things for years to come.
30. Los Angeles Rams – Oregon LB Troy Dye
The Rams need good linebackers, and Troy Dye is one of the best and most versatile inside linebackers that the draft has to offer. Dye is all over the field in the Oregon defense and will immediately become a contributor in the Los Angeles defense. He has great speed and should he improve even more from last season, he should be a great prospect to keep an eye on.
31. New England Patriots – Oklahoma TE Grant Calcaterra
The Pats still have a need to fill in the TE position. He has the speed and hands to be a great offensive piece for New England. To be GREAT in the NFL though, he needs to get a little bit stronger. As of right now, his biggest downside is that he is undersized. It will be interesting to see if he can keep his red zone production up moving from Kyler Murray to Jalen Hurts.
32. New Orleans Saints – Oklahoma State WR Tylan Wallace
This is yet another guy that is not getting a lot of buzz, but I wanted to stake my claim on early. Tylan Wallace is electric on the field and is super fun to watch. He had an incredibly productive sophomore season. Even for a high-powered offense like OSU, the numbers were outstanding. 86 catches for 1,491 yards (17.3 yards per catch) and 12 TDs.
1 Comment
jph 06/09/2019 at 7:19 PM
Titans don’t need help at safety.