Jordan Katz 2019 Prediction Mock Draft 2.0: Post Combine
Y’all know what time it is, lean wit it, mock wit it! Mock Lyfe never, eeeevvvveeeerrr, sleeps, and with the Combine wrapped up, it’s time for a prediction mock draft. This is a more traditional one; the goal here is to try to get every pick right. I base this off of what I see being reported as well as team visits with prospects. Team needs also play a factor. Obviously this is a challenge with Free Agency right around the corner and pro days still to come. However, this is the way I think teams would be leaning if the draft were to take place tomorrow. As always, trades are included, and they are denoted by an asterisk next to the team’s name. We also have a few player trades in this mock draft that shake up the draft board. Who are the players that move, you ask? Let’s find out (Big J level tease right there).
ROUND ONE
1) Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray, QB Oklahoma- Personally, there’s no way I would get rid of Josh Rosen for Kyler Murray. Rosen is by far the better QB right now, and I think he has a higher ceiling than Murray as well.
Having said that, Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals brass really didn’t do a good job of convincing anyone that they are confident in Josh Rosen. This means one of two things; either the Cardinals will attempt to trade the pick by creating buzz around Murray, or they truly are enamored with the former Heisman trophy winner and want him to be the face of the franchise. I’ll bite on the hype train for now.
2) San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, EDGE Ohio State- The 49ers would freak out if Bosa became available for them at two. That possibility becomes more and more of a reality the more the Cardinals refuse to deny the rumors surrounding Kyler Murray.
3) *New York Giants via New York Jets: Dwayne Haskins, QB Ohio State- This is where the draft gets funky. It’s no secret that the Jets are the most likely team to trade out on draft day. They need assets in this draft to help build a competitive roster in 2019 At least one of the two QBs is more than likely going to be available at the third selection, so the Jets trading out is a strong possibility.
Where this gets interesting is the idea of the Jets and Giants doing a trade together. While one can argue it’s unlikely, it also makes the most sense. The Giants backed themselves into a corner by not coming out of last year’s draft with a quarterback, making them very likely to establish their draft strategy around Dwayne Haskins. They also have a unique opportunity to sit Haskins for a year or two without the fan base becoming restless. Nowadays rookie QBs are forced to play as soon as possible because teams stand such a better chance of building a championship contending roster while their franchise QB is on a rookie deal. The fans also contribute by putting pressure on the franchise to trot out their potential star player as soon as possible.
The Giants won’t have this issue. They still have a quarterback beloved by the fan base, which gives them the luxury of not throwing Haskins to the wolves on day one.
If the Jets and Giants can ignore the outside noise, they could be perfect trade partners in this year’s draft. The Jets get extra assets, the Giants get the heir to Eli Manning’s throne.
4) Oakland Raiders: Quinnen Williams, DT Alabama- The Raiders need to hit on each one of their first round selections to expedite their rebuilding process. Williams is the best prospect on the board, and he will give Oakland a dominant pass rusher along the interior.
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Montez Sweat, EDGE Mississippi State- The biggest winner of the combine on the defensive side of the ball was Sweat. He answered every question that scouts had of his ability to dip and bend around the edge… except ya boy who had him as a top ten player on his board (humble brag, not all heroes wear capes). If Tampa Bay cannot trade down here, I would expect them to take the best edge rusher on their board.
6) *New York Jets via New York Giants: Rashan Gary, DL Michigan- The Jets need versatility along their defensive front. Gary can come off the edge as well as rush from the interior. I think his athleticism combined with his potential make him a perfect target for the Jets if they can trade down and stay in the top ten.
7) Jacksonville Jaguars: DK Metcalf, WR Ole Miss- The Jaguars will open up the offense a bit more with Nick Foles under center. In order to do that successfully, they need a true number one receiver. Metcalf generated the most buzz during the combine and established himself as the clear number one receiver in this draft. He would give the Jaguars a legitimately playmaker on the outside.
8) Detroit Lions: Brian Burns, EDGE Florida State- Burns tore it up in Indianapolis and established himself as a top 15 lock. He bulked up to 250 pounds and still showed elite athleticism, which allows him to play either 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level. The versatility he provides is what will land him in the Top 10.
9) Buffalo Bills: Jawaan Taylor, OT Florida- Taylor appears to be the top offensive tackle in this draft according to most. If the Bills miss out on DK Metcalf, I’d expect Taylor to be the selection, should he be available.
10) Denver Broncos: Devin White, ILB LSU- I know everyone’s mocking the Broncos to take Drew Lock because John Elway appears attracted to the idea of having Joe Flacco be a bridge quarterback. Here’s my counterargument; what if he just picks that guy next year instead of this year? Elway would have the option of taking Justin Herbert or Jake Fromm, two people that scouts think could play from day one (I disagree on Fromm, but that’s a different story for a different day).
Instead of Lock, the Broncos continue to revamp their front seven and take one of the only three down linebackers in the draft.
11) Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Dillard, OT Washington State- It feels like the Bengals have needed offensive line every year for the last five drafts. Dillard is deemed to be the top pass protector this year, and he one of the few true left tackles in the entire draft. The Bengals hopefully find their left tackle of the present and future with this pick.
12) Green Bay Packers: Josh Allen, EDGE Kentucky- There were a few edge rushers that outperformed Allen during the workouts in Indianapolis, which could lead to Allen sliding a bit on draft day. It’s not a knock on Allen as a player, it’s just the realization that players like Sweat and Burns may have more upside.
Assuming he does slide, the Packers are his floor. They need an impact player that can get to the passer on a routine basis. Allen would give them a legitimate rusher off the edge.
13) Miami Dolphins: Daniel Jones, QB Duke- Jones and Drew Lock are a complete toss up for who’s the third quarterback off the board this year. To me, Jones will edge out Lock because Duke’s Head Coach David Cutcliffe is revered in NFL circles for his work with Peyton and Eli Manning. Every advantage helps your draft stock and this is a big one.
14) Atlanta Falcons: Ed Oliver, DT Houston- Atlanta needs to dedicate the early portions of this draft towards strengthening their roster in the trenches. Oliver up front along with Grady Jarrett, Vic Beasley and Takk McKinley would make for an incredibly dominant front four.
15) Washington Redskins: TJ Hockenson, TE Iowa- Should the Cardinals select Kyler Murray first overall, I expect the Redskins to be the heavy favorite to land Josh Rosen via trade (which they do later on in this draft). Therefore, at 15 they look to address their next biggest need; offensive weapons. Even though Noah Fant wowed at the combine, TJ Hockenson proved he was very athletic as well. His blocking skills keep him as the first tight end off the board.
16) Carolina Panthers: Jonah Williams, OL Alabama- Williams is still easily my top offensive tackle, but teams view him as a potential all-pro if he moves to guard. Carolina needs both a starting tackle and a starting guard, so he’s an easy fit here.
17) Cleveland Browns: Christian Wilkins, DT Clemson- The Browns feel like a lock to address interior defensive line with their first round selection. The question will be whether they still take Jeffery Simmons despite the ACL tear, or if they go with someone who will be healthy week one like Christian Wilkins.
18) *New England Patriots via Minnesota Vikings: Noah Fant, TE Iowa- Bill Belichick has been known for surprising the experts on draft day. With extra assets in a weaker draft class, there’s a chance Belichick opts to come up for one of the two Iowa tight ends if they fall farther than people expect. That’s exactly what happens here.
19) *Philadelphia Eagles via Tennessee Titans: Josh Jacobs, RB Alabama- Josh Jacobs may not have worked out during the Combine, but his stock still managed to rise. The rest of the running backs were so average that Jacobs solidified himself as the top running back by a wide margin. The Eagles jump past a few teams to get the running back they covet.
20) Pittsburgh Steelers: Devin Bush, ILB Michigan- If Devin Bush makes it to the Steelers pick at 20, I don’t expect much hesitation here. Bush is a three down linebacker with elite athleticism. He’s also a quality leader according to most things you read.
21) Seattle Seahawks: Greedy Williams, CB LSU- Williams definitely took himself out of the Top 10 conversation with his performance during the on the field drill portion of the combine. Having said that, he most likely remained the top corner because of his elite 40 time. Williams has technical issues, but his length and ball skills combined with his athleticism would make him a phenomenal fit in the Seahawks defense.
22) Baltimore Ravens: Marquise “Hollywood,” Brown, WR Oklahoma- Brown’s foot surgery shouldn’t affect his draft stock too bad because he will still be ready to go for the summer workouts. The Ravens need to give Lamar Jackson some weapons for him to succeed in 2019, and there aren’t many better weapons in this draft than Hollywood Brown.
23) Houston Texans: Cody Ford, OT/OG Oklahoma- I think you all know the drill by now; the Texans need to take offensive line early and often in this draft. Ford should still go in round one despite his athletic testing solidifying him as a guard at the next level.
24) Oakland Raiders via Chicago Bears: Byron Murphy, CB Washington- Murphy’s man cover skills and terrific footwork will make him an attractive option to a lot of teams selecting in the back end of round one. He can line up on the outside and force receivers to the boundary, or he can take away slot receivers with his ability to mirror route combinations.
25) *Tennessee Titans via Philadelphia Eagles: N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona State- The Titans manage to slide down a few spots and still land the pass catcher they covet. Harry is an ideal weapon for Marcus Mariota because of his size in the red zone and his ability to win from the slot position.
26) Indianapolis Colts: Jeffery Simmons, DT Mississippi State- Simmons has reportedly put to rest any issues teams may have had about his off the field antics, which should keep his draft stock in the first 40 picks despite the ACL injury. His pass rushing skills is what makes him a very attractive option to the Colts here at 26.
27) *Pittsburgh Steelers from Oakland Raiders via Dallas Cowboys: Rock Ya-Sin, CB Temple- My prediction for Antonio Brown is that the Raiders use one of their late first round selections to land the star wide receiver. This gives Pittsburgh two first round selections to address their lackluster back seven on defense.
28) Los Angeles Chargers: Dexter Lawrence, NT Clemson- I will continue to call this until I sense the Chargers going in a different direction. Lawrence makes too much sense in the middle of the Chargers defense. He also has the athleticism to play on passing downs.
29) Kansas City Chiefs: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, FS Florida- The Chiefs are yet another team in the backend of round one that needs secondary help. CGJ is deemed to be the top safety in this draft and the best ballhawk from the single high position. He would pair up nicely with Eric Berry.
30) Green Bay Packers via New Orleans Saints: Irv Smith Jr., TE Alabama- Jimmy Graham’s performance last season was up and down, and he’s a quality option to be a cap cut in either of the next two offseasons. Smith is a really solid blocker, he’s an athlete, and he’s developed into a very good route runner for the position. I think Smith and Aaron Rodgers would make a dynamic duo.
31) *Cincinnati Bengals via Los Angeles Rams: Drew Lock, QB Missouri- I like the idea of the fourth QB in this draft, be that Lock or Daniel Jones, coming off the board in the back end of round one like Lamar Jackson did last year. A likely team to make that move this year is the Bengals. They need the heir to Andy Dalton’s… uhh…. “Throne.” Instead of reaching for a guy at 11, they draft a need position in that spot and then come up into round one to get the fifth year option on their QB of the future.
32) *Minnesota Vikings via New England Patriots: Chris Lindstrom, OG Boston College- The fact that Lindstrom is not going to go in the first 20 picks is a crime. He’s an elite level prospect as a guard. Minnesota trades down and lands one of the best players in the draft.
TRADES IN ROUND ONE
1- New York Giants trade the #6, #37, #108 and a 2020 2nd round pick to the New York Jets for the #3.
2- New England Patriots trade the #32, #56 and #101 to the Minnesota Vikings for the #18, #209 and #247.
3- Philadelphia Eagles trade the #25, #57 and #163 to the Tennessee Titans for the #19 and the #82.
4- Pittsburgh Steelers trade Antonio Brown and a 2020 5th round pick to the Oakland Raiders for the #27.
5- Cincinnati Bengals trade the #42, #72 and a 2020 3rd round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for the #31 and the #133 and a 2020 4th round pick.
ROUND TWO
33) Arizona Cardinals: Garrett Bradbury, C NC State- The Cardinals address their disastrous offensive line by selecting the top center in the draft.
34) Indianapolis Colts via New York Jets: Johnathan Abram, SS Mississippi State- Abram is a perfect scheme fit for the Colts because of Malik Hooker. Abram can be used as a chess piece close to the line of scrimmage with Hooker as the single high safety in the back.
35) Oakland Raiders: Clelin Ferrell, DE Clemson- More defense for the Raiders. Ferrell at the top of round two is a steal in my opinion, but it’s likely where he winds up come April.
36) San Francisco 49ers: Parris Campbell, WR Ohio State- Kyle Shanahan likes chess pieces that create matchup problems for the defense. Campbell’s speed makes him that kind of player.
37) *New York Jets via New York Giants: AJ Brown, WR Ole Miss- The one thing I think the Jets will miss in free agency is a pass catcher. Brown is a dynamic player in the short and intermediate passing game. He’d also be a terrific compliment to Robby Anderson.
38) Jacksonville Jaguars: Dalton Risner, OT/OG Kansas State- The Jaguars need some toughness and intensity up front. Nobody in this draft plays with more intensity than Dalton Risner.
39) *Houston Texans via Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DeAndre Baker, CB Georgia- Baker didn’t have the best weekend in Indianapolis. However, I think scouts like his tape too much for him to fall out of the Top 50. Houston uses assets to come up and get a number two corner.
40) Buffalo Bills: Hakeem Butler, WR Iowa State- Butler is a freakish athlete for someone who’s 6’5. He needs to become more consistent and eliminate drops, but a team is definitely going to gamble on him early in this draft.
41) Denver Broncos: Erik McCoy, C Texas A&M- McCoy can start right away and replace Matt Paradis in the middle of the Broncos offensive line.
42) *Los Angeles Rams via Cincinnati Bengals: Jachai Polite, EDGE Florida- The buzz around Polite was extremely negative coming out of the weekend in Indy, but I think his pass rushing ability will keep him in the first two rounds.
43) Detroit Lions: Nasir Adderley, FS Delaware- Adderley’s ball skills from the single high position will hopefully help the Lions secondary perform better in 2019.
44) Green Bay Packers: Mack Wilson, ILB Alabama- Even though the buzz on him has cooled, I think Wilson is still going to be a Top 50 pick in this draft. There’s a lot of teams that need linebacker help, and only a few that can truly play three downs.
45) Atlanta Falcons: Kaleb McGary, OT Washington- A lot of people like McGary’s potential in the NFL. His athleticism was on display during the athletic testing as well as the on-field drills. I expect him to go pretty high on day two.
46) *Arizona Cardinals via Washington Redskins: Khalen Saunders, DT/NT Western Illinois- Here is the Josh Rosen trade I alluded to earlier. The Redskins use multiple second rounders instead of one first round selection to trade for Rosen, making him their Quarterback of the present and future.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, land a 3-4 defensive lineman with the athleticism to line up all across the defensive front.
47) Carolina Panthers: Kelvin Harmon, WR NC State– The Panthers took DJ Moore in round one last year, but they still need more weapons heading into the 2019 offseason. Assuming Devin Funchess leaves in free agency, Harmon could be an interesting replacement option.
48) Miami Dolphins: David Long, CB Michigan- Long’s outstanding combine should solidify him as a day two selection in April. Miami has reportedly been shopping Xavien Howard, so it’s likely they look for a cornerback in the draft instead of re-signing Howard once the upcoming year ends.
49) Cleveland Browns: Justin Layne, CB Michigan State- Layne had a terrific showing at the combine, as many predicted he would. His ability to excel in multiple coverages makes him an attractive option to the Browns in round two.
50) Minnesota Vikings: Jerry Tillery, DT Notre Dame- One of the more underrated combine performances was posted by Jerry Tillery. He showed elite level quickness, which confirms what you see on tape. Minnesota needs a pass rusher next to Linval Joseph, making Tillery a perfect match here.
51) Tennessee Titans: Renell Wren, DL Arizona State- Wren would give the Titans some much needed versatility up front. He could play the nose tackle spot and allow Jurrell Casey to go back to 3-4 defensive end, or he can replace Bennie Logan at the aforementioned DE position.
52) Pittsburgh Steelers: Riley Ridley, WR Georgia- If the Steelers do trade Antonio Brown, they will need to find another threat on the outside. I don’t think they’ll jump at someone in the first round because of JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington, but Ridley in round two is a definite possibility.
53) Philadelphia Eagles via Baltimore Ravens: Amani Oruwariye, CB Penn State The Eagles two biggest needs this offseason are a three down running back and a number two cornerback. With the selection of Oruwariye, they’ve accomplished both in this mock draft.
54) *Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Houston Texans via Seattle Seahawks- Deionte Thompson, FS Alabama- Tampa Bay will trade down at some point in this draft because they have a lot needs to address this offseason. Thompson can help create turnovers and he gives Todd Bowles a single high safety for his aggressive minded defense.
55) Houston Texans: Tytus Howard, OT Alabama State- Eat, sleep, offensive line, repeat. Howard has good developmental skills and stands a chance to start at right tackle from day one.
56) *Minnesota Vikings from New England Patriots via Chicago Bears: Taylor Rapp, SS Washington- The Vikings have been rumored to be replacing Andrew Sendejo for a few offseasons now. With Sendejo entering the final year of his contract, this could finally be the draft they select his replacement.
57) *Tennessee Titans via Philadelphia Eagles: Dru Samia, OG Oklahoma- Samia’s intensity and toughness is a perfect match for the Titans physical offensive line. He would start at left guard from day one and contribute right away to the Titans run heavy offense.
58) Dallas Cowboys: Juan Thornhill, SS Virginia- Thornhill obliterated the athletic testing of the combine, posting absurd numbers in the vertical and broad jump. Then on top of that, he ran a 4.42 in the 40! Despite very inconsistent tape, he’s a lock for the top 75.
59) Indianapolis Colts: Emanuel Hall, WR Missouri- I think a more technical route runner would be a better scheme fit here because it would serve as a better compliment to T.Y. Hilton. That being said, Hall’s combine numbers should have him rising rapidly up teams draft boards.
60) Los Angeles Chargers: Trayvon Mullen, CB Clemson- Desmond King is most likely going to be the Chargers defensive chess piece, which means the Chargers need a CB on the boundary opposite Casey Hayward. Enter Trayvon Mullen.
61) Kansas City Chiefs: Damien Harris, RB Alabama- I think Harris earned the distinction of being RB2 at the Combine. He’s one of the few guys with three down potential that had a solid workout in Indianapolis.
62) New Orleans Saints: Jace Sternberger, TE Texas A&M- New Orleans is in a perfect position to replace Ben Watson with their first selection of the draft. Sternberger is a decent blocker for the position and has the ability to stretch the middle of the field as well.
63) Kansas City Chiefs via Los Angeles Rams: Christian Miller, EDGE Alabama- After cutting Justin Houston, the Chiefs will have to address the edge position early in this draft.
64) New England Patriots: Andy Isabella, WR UMASS- Isabella is a phenomenal route runner out of the slot with impressive athleticism to boot. He’s a perfect fit in the Patriots offense.
TRADES IN ROUND TWO
1- Houston Texans trade the #54, #86 and #161 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the #39 and the #215.
2- Washington Redskins trade the #46 and a 2020 2nd round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Josh Rosen.
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