2019 NFL Draft Round 1 Analysis

1. 1.      Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals
   The Cardinals land their quarterback of the future in Murray. The arrival of Kliff Kingsbury signaled the end of the short yet bitter Josh Rosen experiment. With Murray under center, the Cardinals offense immediately gets better. If the Cardinals can fix up their offensive line in the next few rounds, this offense could be deadly.
   2.      Nick Bosa – San Francisco 49ers
   Bosa is the best defensive end in the draft and easily one of the most physically gifted. He will be a monster from the edge for San Francisco especially paired with DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, and Solomon Thomas.  The 49ers D-Line is built for the next 10 years.
   3.      Quinnen Williams – New York Jets
   Gregg Williams landed his guy in Quinnen Williams. Williams is a dominant force down the middle and will butcher NFL centers and guards alike. Now that he’s together with yet another Williams (Leonard Williams), his play could quickly elevate him to one of the NFL’s best.
   4.      Clelin Ferrell – Oakland Raiders
   Wow. A HUGE surprise here for Oakland. Instead of snagging one of the best pass rushers in the draft (Josh Allen) or a talent that dominates every down in the middle of the field (Devin White) or a positionless front seven player with immense potential (Ed Oliver), Jon Gruden elects to go with Clelin Ferrell who was predicted to go into the 20s. Strange pick, but Ferrell will definitely improve this terrible Raiders pass rush.
   5.      Devin White – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
   Devin White is almost the exact same player as Roquan Smith coming out of college last year. He is fast, great pursuit skills, and has the potential to dominate on every down. Buccaneers fans will love him next to Lavonte David as a replacement for Kwon Alexander.
   6.      Daniel Jones – New York Giants
   Also a shocking pick, Giants fans were not happy with the selection of Duke QB Daniel Jones. However, Jones might turn out to be a Pro-Bowl caliber QB who could lead this team to the playoffs once Eli Manning retires and some talent decides to join this team.
   7.      Josh Allen – Jacksonville Jaguars
   The Jags got the best player available in Josh Allen. Allen logged 17 sacks with Kentucky last year, and his stock has skyrocketed these past few weeks. With former top 3 pick Dante Fowler Jr. now taking snaps in Los Angeles for the Rams, there is a wide open spot alongside Myles Jack and Telvin Smith for Allen to start immediately.
   8.      TJ Hockenson – Detroit Lions
   Hockenson was coveted by Matt Patricia’s former boss Bill Bellichick so it’s no surprise that he fits into Patricia’s offensive scheme as well. After Ebron was dealt to Indianapolis, the Lions have missed a consistent stud at the TE position. Hockenson will fill that need and give the Lions what could be the next Rob Gronkowski.
   9.      Ed Oliver – Buffalo Bills
   The Bills snagged one of the players with the highest potential in Ed Oliver. Oliver will start from Day 1 for a Bills team that has a lot of holes to fill. Oliver can take snaps on the interior of the D-Line, but he can move outside as well at DE and even OLB. If he’s utilized properly, he can become one of the best at wreaking havoc upon offenses.
   10.  Devin Bush – Pittsburgh Steelers (TRADE with Denver Broncos)
   Bush was the second best interior linebacker in the draft and for a good cause. He is very quick on his feet with good speed to chase down running backs and mobile quarterbacks. On a team that’s missing a good starting interior linebacker with the absence of Ryan Shazier, Bush will be able to take his game to the next level next to another young star linebacker in TJ Watt.
   11.  Jonah Williams – Cincinnati Bengals
   The Bengals bolstered their tackle position with a solid selection in Jonah Williams. Andy Dalton will be loving this pick, especially since it was rumored that the Bengals were looking to take a quarterback to replace him.
   12.  Rashan Gary – Green Bay Packers
   Gary, who was rumored to be one of the New York Giant’s primary targets at number 6, will be expected to make an impact right away for the Packers. Gary’s athleticism will serve him very well as he looks to spark the rebuild of the Green Bay defense.
   13.  Christian Wilkins – Miami Dolphins
   Wilkins was supposedly locked in for the Falcons at 14, but the Dolphins snagged him one pick beforehand. Since the departure of Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins have not been able to find a dominant franchise presence in the middle of their line. Now, with Wilkins and his big body, the ‘Fins will have no issue clogging up the middle.
   14.  Chris Lindstrom – Atlanta Falcons
   The Falcons shore up their offensive line to keep stars Matt Ryan and Devonta Freeman safe and hopefully of the injury list. The Falcons look fairly well-rounded as a whole and stacked offensively on the surface, time will tell if they can finally use that talent to its full potential.
   15.  Dwayne Haskins – Washington Redskins
   Haskins was the number one ranked quarterback coming into the draft and a favorite to go to the Giants at 6 fighting with Rashan Gary. However, the Giants opted for a different quarterback which lead to Haskins falling to the Redskins at 15. With Alex Smith only getting older and possibly not playing this year after breaking his leg last season, Haskins could be thrown into the fire in his first NFL season.
   16.  Brian Burns – Carolina Panthers
   The Panthers were able to secure one of the best edge rushers in the draft at number 16. Burns will be a quick, athletic outside rusher for Carolina for years to come.
   17.  Dexter Lawrence – New York Giants
   While getting shocked and angry reactions after reaching to take Daniel Jones at 6, the Giants did not seek to make things any better at number 17. Lawrence is a heck of a player and will clog the middle of the line for New York, he was not the sexiest pick the Giants could’ve taken especially with the departure of Odell Beckham Jr.
   18.  Garrett Bradbury – Minnesota Vikings
   Bradbury will finally bring some interior help to the Minnesota offensive line to help open up some holes for Dalvin Cook and give some time to veteran Kirk Cousins. This offense of the Vikings could wind up becoming very deadly.
   19.  Jeffery Simmons – Tennessee Titans
   The Titans grabbed another dominant interior defender in Simmons who will help establish the defensive scheme coach Vrabel has been seeking to install in Tennessee. This could be the start of a dominant Tennessee defense.
   20.  Noah Fant – Denver Broncos (TRADE with Pittsburgh Steelers)
   The Broncos secured a pair of picks for moving down 10 selections just to take a player who will fit their offense perfectly. Joe Flacco will have his Jason Witten-like security blanket to find on every down in Noah Fant.
   21.  Darnell Savage Jr – Green Bay Packers (TRADE with Seattle Seahawks)
   The Packers moved up to take Darnell Savage which was a very questionable move because Savage was not projected to go until the mid-second round. However, Savage is a good player who will seek to fill the safety position for the Pack for a long time.
   22.  Andre Dillard – Philadelphia Eagles (TRADE with Baltimore Ravens)
   Dillard cements an already solid offensive line in Philly. Wentz will certainly have plenty of protection around him. The Eagles are making all the right moves to ensure that Wentz doesn’t go down hurt again.
   23.  Tytus Howard – Houston Texans
   Even with top rated tackle Jawaan Taylor still on the board, the Texans opted for Tytus Howard instead. Howard will have to start right away for the Texans whose offensive line struggles were very obvious during the season.
   24.  Josh Jacobs – Oakland Raiders
   With Marshawn Lynch retiring, Gruden secured his running back of the future in ex-Alabama stud Josh Jacobs. Jacobs does not have much experience, but he plays with the physical style that Gruden likes out of his starting runners.
   25.  Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens (TRADE with Philadelphia Eagles)
   Brown is a super speedy receiver that will finally give Baltimore a replacement for Steve Smith who left a few years ago for retirement. The Ravens are very fast on offense with Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, and Marquise Brown all together.
   26.  Montez Sweat – Washington Redskins (TRADE with Indianapolis Colts)
   Sweat is one of the best edge defensive line/linebackers in the draft, but he has had some off-field issues which has hurt him. Sweat will be a difference maker on defense for this Washington team.
   27.  Johnathan Abram – Oakland Raiders
   The Raiders use their final first rounder on Abram to shore up their secondary. With Ferrell already drafted to help with the pass rush, Abram will be looked upon to cap the defense and lock down the deep balls behind a solid cornerback group.
   28.  Jeffery Tillery – Los Angeles Chargers
   A pass rushing interior defensive linemen who will bring some youth to an aging DT group for the Chargers. He fills a need inside between already proven pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
   29.  LJ Collier – Seattle Seahawks
   After dealing away Frank Clark, the ‘Hawks were desperate for some edge defenders in the draft. Collier was a good starting step even though he was a bit of a reach based off pre-draft ratings.
   30.  DeAndre Baker – New York Giants (TRADE with Green Bay Packers)
   Baker is one of the highest rated CBs in the class, and he will make an impact for this New York team who just lost safety Landon Collins.
   31.  Kaleb McGary – Atlanta Falcons (TRADE with Los Angeles Rams)
   The Falcons moved up just to take their second offensive lineman of the draft. McGary and Lindstrom will pair well together in Atlanta as they continue to revamp their offensive line.
   32.  N’Keal Harry – New England Patriots
   After signing Demaryius Thomas, the Pats brought in some more help for Tom Brady. With Rob Gronkowski gone, Kraft and Bellichick have made it a priority to find big, athletic receivers for Brady to get the ball to. If Harry remains healthy and stays in New England, he could easily develop into a Hall-of-Famer.