NFL Draft 2019 Winners and Losers

The 2019 NFL Draft was full of firsts and did not disappoint. Kyler Murray becomes the first two-sport, sub 6-foot quarterback to be drafted number one overall. Let that sink in for a minute. If I were him I would send Russell Wilson a thank you present because this would have never happened if not for his success.

Everything was going according to the script with Nick Bosa going to the 49ers and Quinnen Williams to the Jets was a no brainer. Then the wheels came off as Jon Gruden and the Raiders pull of a shocker, taking Clemson edge rusher Clelin Ferrell with the 4th overall pick.

Several mocks including my own on this site had Ferrell outside of the Top 20, but that’s why they hired Mike Mayock and he is making the big bucks while I’m on the couch. All kidding aside, Ferrell could end up being a formidable pass rusher for Gruden and the Raider defense but I am not ready to give them the benefit of the doubt just yet.

At pick number six, the Giants said hold my beer by picking Duke’s Daniel Jones instead of Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, who many thought was the higher rated quarterback. Jones doesn’t wow you with any specific trait and has been described as a game manager by several scouts leading up to the draft. Just what the Giants needed, the second coming of Eli…

Winners

Jaguars

Having an elite talent like Josh Allen fall to your laps at number seven was already considered a win for the Jags. Many mock drafts had Allen going to the Jets at number three or the Raiders at four due to his raw talent at the linebacker position. Allen fills a huge need on the defensive side of the ball, but they weren’t done yet.

At the top of the second round Jacksonville landed Florida OT Jawaan Taylor who some experts predicted would go to them at number seven. Two starters you can pencil in on day one on both sides of the ball is a a win in my book.

Steelers

When star linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a career threatening spinal injury, it left the Steelers defense without their quarterback. The team addressed this need by moving up ten spots into the top ten to select Michigan linebacker Devin Bush who I predict will have a Pro Bowl season in this role.

Patriots

Pats fans across the nation were shocked as Belichick used another first round pick, this time the last of day one to select Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry. With the loss of Gronk to early retirement, the Pats must surround Brady with young and physical targets like Harry if they are going to remain the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Alabama running back Damien Harris is another candidate to vulture touchdowns for the upcoming fantasy season that we should all keep an eye on.

49ers

No team benefitted from Murray Mania than the 49ers, who were able to land arguably the best player in the draft, edge rusher Nick Bosa. Bosa is a match made in heaven in San Francisco on the field, off the field is another story. With the newly acquired Dee Ford coming off the other edge and DeForest Buckner wreaking havoc inside, the 49ers have a chance to be the most talented d-line in the league with five first round picks. The Gold Rush is coming to a quarterback near you.

Dolphins

By stealing Rosen from the Cardinals, the Dolphins were able to acquire a former top ten pick just a year ago for a late second round pick (No.62 overall) and a fifth rounder in 2020. Rosen will be the starter on day one and has a lot of upside and will benefit from a fresh start in Miami. If they play poorly, they can still tank for Tua and Rosen will be right back in the same situation this time next year. Good luck to the Rosen One wherever he ends up.

Losers

Raiders

Jon Gruden had one job and that was to not reach at number four overall. Welp. I’m not saying that Clemson edge rusher Clelin Ferrell won’t be a solid player in the NFL this season. But taking him that high when players such as Josh Allen and Devin White are still on the board for the taking is inexcusable. The Clemson Raiders will have a hard time justifying these picks if they don’t get off to a fast start in their division.

Giants

Leave it to Dave Gettleman to go from hated GM to public enemy number one as soon as Daniel Jones’ name was called. In my mock draft I had them going with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins who would have given the Giants fan base an immediate boost and heir apparent to Eli that would be something that they have never seen before.

Instead they get a quarterback who is somehow more vanilla than Eli which is saying a lot. Jones was underwhelming at Duke and even though by all accounts he had a near flawless Pro Day, I think this could easily be classified as the biggest reach in the past five years. Bill Simmons infamously forced his intern to include Jones as the last name in his Top 100 ranking and now he is drafted sixth overall. Losing Odell in the offseason is also a huge L for the G-Men.

Chiefs

The Chiefs might have been the biggest losers in the talent and PR department. Star wideout Tyreek Hill’s audio recording going viral caused the courts to reopen his abuse case, this being his second such incident in the past 3 years, it is unlikely he will be suiting up this season and his career is in serious jeopardy. When you lose a game changing player such as Hill, there is no draft pick who can fill that void.

Texans

DeShaun Watson probably threw his phone at the TV when the Eagles chose OT Andre Dillard one pick ahead of the Texans at number 22. Dillard would have been the perfect bodyguard for Watson, something he sorely needed as he took the most hits in the league last season. Instead they were forced to go with Alabama State’s Tytus Howard who many consider a reach at that spot and who is a much more raw prospect. This is why it pays to move up if you really have a good feeling about a guy and go get him, otherwise you are left with the scraps of a smarter team.

Seahawks

Many wondered why freak combine wideout, D.K. Metcalf slipped all the way to the bottom of the second round when he was seen as a first round talent throughout the draft process. In my eyes that means there were red flags which are now being brought to light.

It was reported that one of the Seahawk scouts talked Metcalf into going into his meeting with the team shirtless and that Coach Carroll would love it. Metcalf agreed with this idea and the video is extremely cringeworthy as you can imagine with Carroll taking his shirt off and both of them yelling in a weird scene that looked like a scene left on the cutting room floor of Hard Knocks. I think his floor is Dorial Green-Beckham and his ceiling is T.O. on the Eagles, supremely talented but not good enough to win it all under the bright lights.

This tells me that Metcalf is a follower not a leader, with a lot of maturing left to do. The Seahawks also did not address their glaring need in the secondary with several top corners still on the board in the second round, where they decided to go with.

Brain has a different take on Metcalf; you can check it out here.