The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft has officially come to a close and 32 players now have a new home. But what about all the prospects who remain? What about those who unexpectedly fell or continue to linger? And just how far will those with question-marks continue to fall?
Each of those are legitimate questions that will be debated over the next 24 hours, so we figured we’d get an immediate jump-start on it.
Here’s a look at the 10 best players remaining in the draft going into Friday.
10. Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
Samuel is another big wide receiver who has been wildly successful at the college level when healthy. Of course, one of the big knocks against Samuel is his inability to stay on the field consistently, which is likely why he dropped into Round 2. However, the upside is obvious to anyone watching and he’s worthy of a Day 2 selection, especially considering he has the potential to take hold at WR2 out of the gate and perhaps develop into more over time. He can also contribute on special teams as both a kick and punt returner, giving him additional appeal to interested teams.
Rapp is a tad undersized at 6-foot and around 200 pounds and a little slower than some teams would like, but that’s where the knocks against him begin and end. Rapp is a quality all-around safety, capable of playing deep over the middle or coming down to line up in the box. He’s tremendous against the run, a strong tackler, and can sniff out plays pre-snap. Dependable as they come, Rapp will find a fit in the NFL and even if he doesn’t establish himself as a constant All-Pro, will give a team his very best every single day. And his best most certainly has value.
McCoy may be listed as a center, where he played most of his college games, but he’s more than capable of playing any interior position, increasing his potential value to interested general managers. He’s well-rounded in both pass protection and run blocking, with his sole weakness coming in space at the second level where he struggles to eliminate defenders. Despite that, his impressive footwork and ability to distinguish between blitzes, fakes and stunts will make him the apple of someone’s eye.
7. A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi
Brown is an interesting prospect given his size (6-foot-1, 230 pounds) and ability to not just play in the slot, but excel there. He’s an ideal option for an offense that leans RPO-heavy and is in need for a shifty receiver to rack up yards after the catch. The few downsides to Brown’s game are his lack of top-end speed, which sometimes haunts him after breaking tackles, and his occasional issues with drops. Luckily, the latter issue can be corrected at the NFL level, while whatever team drafts him builds a plan to protect him in breakaway situations.
6. Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware
A cornerback convert, Adderley brings impressive ball skill, range, reaction time and God-given instincts to the football field. Although he’s considered slightly undersized, he makes up for it with a non-stop motor and high football IQ, which sets the stage for him taking over as a defensive captain at the next level. Adderley can stop the run and play in the box if necessary, but projects out to be a better free safety, where he can use his ball skills to change a game. Don’t rule in him out the return game, either.
Williams has some traits that NFL teams will love. He is 6-foot-2 and should be able to matchup against taller receivers, giving defensive coordinators flexibility about how they want to use him. He was timed at 4.37 in the 40 and has the speed to cover deep. After redshirting in his first year with LSU, Williams played in 13 games in 2017 and 11 games last season. He had eight interceptions in 24 career games, six impressively coming in his redshirt freshman season.
Ford was projected by many to be a first-round pick but has slipped out of the first round and will likely find a home early in the second round on Friday. A redshirt junior, he played all over Oklahoma’s line and showed versatility. He played some at guard and spent last season at right tackle. Like Jawaan Taylor, whether a team intends to play Ford at guard or tackle remains to be seen. His agility is a plus, especially if he needs to get on the move in run blocking situations and screens.
Lock has an impressively strong arm, good speed for his size, and an improving football IQ. There’s a lot of upside for the right team, but in order to maximize Lock’s talents, he’ll have to sit for a year or two. He needs to improve his footwork and could benefit from a coach that’s capable of working with his arm angles and accuracy. However, if his potential is tapped, it’s entirely possible we all look back years from now and acknowledge Lock was the best quarterback drafted in 2019.
2. D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi
A freakish athletic talent, it was somewhat surprising to see Metcalf slide. At one point, he was being projected to go high in the middle round, but on the flip side, had also been projected to go late in the second. It’s safe to say he’ll go early on Day 2 of the draft and provide any team who selects him with unique skills, freakish size, impressive speed and a constantly improving value at the wide receiver position.
Taylor was projected to go highly in most mock drafts but slipped out of the first round, likely because of concerns over his knee and back. He can play both tackle and guard, which will either increase his value or damage it at the NFL level depending on how quickly he could transition. Either way, once the learning curve has been eclipsed, Taylor projects as a starting offensive lineman capable of excelling in both pass protection and run blocking. He could use to bulk a bit more at the NFL level, but that will be the least of his concerns. Whether it’s at tackle of guard, Taylor has a bright future whenever he gets picked.
