INDIANAPOLIS -- NFL Draft coverage consists of many elements including mocks and big board rankings. Like the Washington Redskins at left guard, NBC Sports Washington had a hole in one of those areas -- until now.
Here is our first crack at assessing the 2019 pool regardless of draft order or team needs. Perhaps most notably, these evaluations come just as the annual NFL Combine kicks off. Expect a new round of assessments after all the drills, measurements and interviews change projections or reinforce beliefs.
Before diving in, some quick notes:
- Even if the next mock draft from NBC Sports Washington’s Ben Standig includes 3-4 quarterbacks in the first round, consider that a factor of need and positional importance. Initial conversations and public comments from head coaches and general managers at the Combine paint a picture of uncertainty with the passing prospects. The top four – Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray, Drew Lock, Daniel Jones – have their backers, but the passion pre-Combine lacks in comparison to 2018’s group.
- Defenders dominate this year, particularly on the line and with the edge pass rushers. One former front executive told NBC Sports Washington he would have 26-28 defenders among the top 32 players on his big board.
- The receiver class lacks high-end talent yet offers a deep crop of candidates from the second to the later rounds. Rankings for two players we see moving up during the evaluation process – D.K. Metcalf and Preston Williams – reflect such anticipation.
- Murray isn’t the only player teams are anxiously awaiting to hear about measurables. Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, the 2017 Outland Trophy winner, receives comparisons to All-Pro Aaron Donald. That’s a combination of production, but also initial fears of size limitations on the pro level. Donald, of course, turned into one of the league’s most dominant defenders. Oliver’s draft projection may rise or fall depending on his official height and weight. His official college bio lists him at 6-foot-2, 293 pounds. “Oliver is a tough conversation because most of us can’t wait to see what his height and weight is this week because we don’t even know,” Raiders general manager and former draft analyst Mike Mayock said Wednesday during his official podium session. “If you look at historic data, at analytics, it tells you that [his] height and weight probably shouldn’t work in the NFL, but when a
guy like that runs 4.5 something at the Combine that changes the analytics a little bit. … I think he’s one of the guys this week that most the teams are really intrigued, not just with his height and weight, but how the kid works out and how he handles himself. He is really an interesting case because he’s a little different than the other potential first-round lineman out there."
1 Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2 Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
3 Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky
4 Devin White, LB, LSU
5 Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
6 Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
7 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
8 Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
9 Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan
10 D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi
11 Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
12 Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma
13 Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
14 Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson
15 Jachai Polite, OLB, Florida
16 DeAndre Baker, CB, Georgia
17 Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
18 Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
19 Devin Bush, ILB, Michigan
20 Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
21 Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
22 T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
23 Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame
24 Cody Ford, G/T, Oklahoma
25 Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
26 Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama
27 Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
28 Taylor Rapp, S, Washington
29 Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State
30 Preston Williams, WR, Colorado State
31 Dre'Mont Jones, DE/DT, Ohio State
32 Dalton Risner, OL, Kansas State
33 Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
34 N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
35 A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi
36 Irv Smith, TE, Alabama
37 Jaylon Ferguson, DE, La. Tech
38 Zach Allen, DE, Boston College
39 Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama
40 Nassir Adderley, FS, Delaware
41 Greg Little, OT, Mississippi
42 Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
43 Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama
44 Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
45 Daniel Jones, QB, Duke
46 Oshane Ximines, DE, Old Dominion
47 Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State
48 Kelvin Harmon, WR, NC State
49 Chase Winovich, LB, Michigan
50 Damien Harris, RB, Alabama.
MORE REDSKINS NEWS:
- 2019 NFL Draft: Pre-Combine Mock Draft
- 2019 NFL Combine: Five prospects to monitor
- Something to Fix: Redskins need to improve in mid-rounds
- AB to DC?: Case for and against trading for Steelers' WR