2019 Too Early Mock Draft
1st Round Predictions
Mixing it up this year and doing this before the NFL Draft. This should make it more interesting since I’ve barely started my rookie research myself, so I’ll basically be learning about these prospects as I write this. Plus, rookie ADP/rankings are going to change drastically after the Combine and NFL Draft which means this mock draft won’t be as useful to you guys as a cheat sheet in June :)
Pick 1, Bunger — David Montgomery, RB (Iowa State)
5 Minute Google Scouting Report: Contact balance, contact balance, contact balance. Nearly every profile I skimmed mentioned his ability to stay upright, bounce off defenders, and finish with yards after contact. That might not sound sexy but that was Kareem Hunt’s best trait coming out of college. Like Hunt, Montgomery is a good pass catcher as well.
Why This Pick: Should Bunger take a WR at 1.01? Probably. Will he actually? Probably not. Instead, Bunger grabs the current №1 rookie RB according to FantasyPros.
Pick 2, Kevin — N’Keal Harry, WR (Arizona State)
GSR: Good size, great hands, and crazy yards after catch ability despite being a taller receiver. AZ State actually used him a ton in the short/intermediate area and routinely schemed him the ball near the line of scrimmage to let him make plays with his feet. That said, he’s just as good on the outside coming down with contested catches.
Why: Kevin doesn’t really need more receivers but he strikes me as a BPA type of drafter. That’s N’Keal Harry right now since I don’t follow college football but he was one of the few players I already knew before starting my research. Bonus points for having a cool name too.
Pick 3, Jeff —A.J. Brown, WR (Ole Miss)
GSR: Good size, great hands, and he’s a physical receiver (a common theme in this draft class). Should be a contributor right away and has the versatility to play outside and/or in the slot. Unlike most of his draft-mates, Brown is a polished route-runner and could be the safest pick in this draft class.
Why: Jeff needs talent bad and he can’t afford any misses with his 1st Round Picks. Brown should be the safe pick that Jeff needs even if Brown might not have the highest potential in this WR class.
Pick 4, Orlando — D.K. Metcalf, WR (Ole Miss)
GSR: Metcalf is getting all the buzz recently over teammate A.J. Brown due to his absolutely insane athletic measurables. He’s quite raw so NFL landing spot will be huge for him. With the right situation and coaching staff, he could be an absolutely terror on the outside.
Why: Lando still has PTSD from drafting another former Ole Miss WR, Laquon Treadwell, but he takes the plunge again with Metcalf. Lando needs a superstar to replace Antonio Brown soon and Metcalf has the potential to get there.
Pick 5, Marlo —Josh Jacobs, RB (Alabama)
GSR: Jacobs is an interesting prospect. He never led Alabama in rushing yards (or even finished 2nd) during his three years but he could be the first RB off the board in the NFL draft. When Jacobs did touch the ball, he was a powerful, decisive between-the-tackles runner as well as a dynamic receiving option. That, my friends, is every-down back potential.
Why: Marlo currently has 8 RB’s on his roster but the only ones that will likely be plug-and-play fantasy options are Derrick Henry and Guice, and it’s not like they don’t have question marks of their own. Jacobs gives Marlo a third option.
Pick 6, Josh — Damien Harris, RB (Alabama)
GSR: Just like Brown and Metcalf, Damien Harris is getting less hype than his teammate Jacobs despite being the much more productive college player. While he might not be as explosive as Jacobs, Harris is an efficient runner who doesn’t waste time dancing behind the line. He also has soft hands in the passing game although college usage was fairly limited to dump offs and screen passes.
Why: No real reason other than this is right around where Damien Harris is ranked right now on FantasyPros. RB or WR will be an interesting question for Josh with Pick 6.
Pick 7, Joe — Hakeem Butler, WR (Iowa State)
GSR: This WR class is filled with big, physical receivers and Hakeem is the biggest of them all, at least in terms of height at 6'5". Like Metcalf, Butler is pretty unpolished with a limited route tree but the size, speed, and strength combination is clearly tantalizing.
Why: Joe probably needs a RB here more than a WR but he goes with the upside of Butler over reaching for Rodney Anderson or another RB currently ranked lower than this draft slot.
Pick 8, Anton — Noah Fant, TE (Iowa)
GSR: Uber athletic pass-catching TE in the mold of Engram, Gesicki, etc, and is arguably a more polished route runner than those two were coming out of college. Fant will need to be drafted by a team that’ll feature him in the passing game like the Giants did with Engram (and the Dolphins didn’t do with Gesicki).
Why: Anton doesn’t “need” a TE…but that’s what Anton told himself two years ago when he passed on Engram twice.
Pick 9, Jason — Kelvin Harmon, WR (NC State)
GSR: Yet another big-bodied receiver who plays physical and has great hands. He isn’t as explosive of an athlete as the WRs above him in this mock but his skills translate to a long NFL career. The question is will that career be Mohammed Sanu or Anquan Boldin?
Why: J Tong needs WR talent bad. Harmon is a safe pick and could easily be a steal at Pick 9.
Pick 10, Orlando — Rodney Anderson, RB (Oklahoma)
GSR: Ideal NFL build and athleticism. While he’s not particularly agile in space, he’s still difficult to bring down since his burst and acceleration creates poor tackling angles for defenders. Durability is the big question with ACL, neck, and leg injuries suffered in college.
Why: Metcalf and Anderson would be a pair of high risk-high reward selections but Mock Draft Lando is feelin lucky.
Pick 11, Binh — T.J. Hockenson, TE (Iowa)
GSR: Fant vs Hockenson is essentially the Engram vs Howard debate two years ago. Hockenson is the better all-around player, is plenty athletic in his own right, and he actually has the better college production over Fant. Like Engram and Howard, both of these incoming rookies should be plenty successful in the NFL.
Why: I’m just going to keep mocking rookie tight ends to Binh until he finally drafts one.
Pick 12, Bunger — Deebo Samuel, WR (South Carolina)
GSR: At 5'11", Deebo is the “shortest” receiver thus far in the mock but don’t confuse short with small. At 214 lbs and with a bully mentality, Samuel plays just as physical as anyone in this class. Dynamic with the ball in his hands and has the route running ability to be more than just a scheme dependent gadget player.
Why: Bunger grabbed a RB earlier so now I’m mocking him a WR, simple as that.
Pick 13, Kevin — Darrell Henderson, RB (Memphis)
GSR: You want to see a prospect dominate if they’re in a weak conference and Henderson did exactly that over the last two seasons with a combined 3063 rushing yards on a ridiculous 8.9 YPC, along with a whopping 31 TDs. That said, he’s a bit undersized and it’s always tough to project small school guys to the NFL, hence the late round projection.
Why: Undersized RB with lead-back ability? Sounds like a potential Devonta Freeman replacement for Kevin.
Pick 14, JR — Devin Singletary, RB (FAU)
GSR: You can pretty much copy and paste what I wrote for Henderson here. Singletary is slightly smaller than Henderson but he also dominated a weak conference with 66 (!!) touchdowns during his three years at FAU. After Philip Lindsay’s success, perhaps more teams will be willing to give guys like Singletary lead-back opportunities.
Why: I’m basically just throwing up names at this point, and JR is desperate for RB depth.
Pick 15, Josh — Riley Ridley, WR (Georgia)
GSR: Riley isn’t in the same tier of athlete as his older brother Calvin but you can see the family resemblance in his polished route running. Has excellent body control and ball skills to win on the outside even if he won’t be burning past defenders.
Why: These back end picks are surely to change the most post-NFL draft but for now Riley gets picked thanks to his family ties.
