2019 NFL Draft 1st Round Breakdown By Anthony Carillo for Zennie62Media
New Jersey – Round One of the 2019 NFL Draft is in the books, and we saw some big surprises, as well as some big shake ups. For the first time in the common draft era, two teams, the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders all have three first round picks. Everything went smoothly, with the Arizona Cardinals taking QB Kyler Murray first overall, the 49ers taking DE Nick Bosa at second overall,and the Jets taking DT Quinnen Williams at third overall.
Then, the first real head scratcher of the 2019 NFL Draft, as the Oakland Raiders took DE Clelin Ferrell from Clemson with the fourth overall pick. Now Ferrell was a first round talent, maybe finding a home at the end of the draft, but the Oakland Raiders apparently loved him so much that they made him a top 5 pick, with top prospects like DE Josh Allen from Kentucky still on the board.
It didn’t take long for the next puzzling moment, when at the 6th overall pick, the New York Giants took quarterback Daniel Jones from Duke. You can chalk this pick up to the “David Cutcliffe” factor, because the current head coach of the Duke football team has also been the head coach for both Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli, while they were in college at Tennessee and Ole Miss, respectively.
This first round didn’t see a lot of flashy offensive talent come off the board. We saw teams rely on either drafting players to protect the assets they have, or players to defend them.
Out of a possible 32 first round picks, 13 of them were defensive linemen, 6 were offensive linemen, and only 4 offensive skill players, Tight End TJ Hockenson, WR Marquise Brown, RB Josh Jacobs, and WR N’Keal Harry.
Look for teams now to focus on getting those offensive weapons in rounds 2-3, because great prospects are still available. Players like WR AJ Brown from Ole Miss, WR Deebo Samuel, and RB David Montgomery. As for combine standout WR D.K. Metcalf, buyer beware. Yes, he is fast as lightning, but closer look at his game tape shows inconsistent hands, lack of creating space, and inconsistent routes. I believe we will look back on the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and marvel in the amount of talent taken in the trenches, and battles between players like OT Jonah Williams and DE Nick Bosa for years to come.