2019 NFL Draft First Round Post-Mock Reaction!

April 30, 2019

By Football Garbage Time Staff

So the 2019 NFL Draft is over, and we figured out how we all did with our 5th Annual Mock Draft 2.0!

We ended up being 75% accurate on which players would go in the first round, hitting 6 picks exactly. Doesn’t sound like much, I know, but trust me, that’s a win!

And how did we feel about the real picks in the first round? Some of us had some words on that…

Nick Spartz

Twitter: @NickSpartz

Have a few general thoughts about the 1st round before I get to what the Jaguars, Vikings, and Colts did during the first round.

Trading up was the cheapest I’ve ever seen, which solidifies my initial assessment of this being a good class with very little elite talent at the top.
Defensive line, where a lot of the elite talent was, has already been picked clean after the first round.

Skill positions are going to fly off the board early on day 2, along with defensive backs and offensive lineman.

The Giants continue to be the most confusingly run team, and Gettlemen’s comments after picking Daniel Jones at 6 did nothing to clarify what is going on.

On to the actual picks:

Jacksonville Jaguars – Josh Allen – EDGE – Kentucky

The Jaguars decide to grab the falling Josh Allen after some questionable picks by Oakland and New York. The player I mocked to them, Jawaan Taylor, ended up falling out of the first round completely. Reports that came out late in the night point to that being related to a medical flag on his knee and back. He might still be there for the Jaguars if they feel like taking the risk in round 2.

Minnesota Vikings – Garrett Bradbury – OC – NC State

Nailed it!

Vikings land the best center prospect in years, get to move Eflein to guard which his more natural position, and fill their biggest need. This pick was telegraphed for weeks and came through as I’d hoped.

Indianapolis Colts – traded out

Colts ended up trading out surprisingly, now sitting with 3 2nd rounders. I think they should have taken Tillery or one of the cornerbacks given how little they got for moving back over half a round, but they will be busy on day 2 with 4 picks as of now.

Ha Kung Wong

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

Actual Picks:

Buffalo Bills – Ed Oliver – DT – Houston

The Bills really needed protection for sophomore QB Josh Allen, which is why I had them taking Andre Dillard at 9 overall, but I don’t have any issue with taking Ed Oliver instead. But let me be clear, I only like this pick because they manage to steal OT Cody Ford in the second round with the 38th pick. Defense couldn’t matter less if they can’t keep their QB upright, so getting Ford late was key. Oliver is a force that should bring serious pressure on defense and was actually pegged to go earlier in the draft, so the value was there.

Denver Broncos – Noah Fant – TE – Iowa

I really thought the Broncos would take Drew Lock at 10 and set their QB for the future, but they instead took the second best TE with Noah Fant. I actually love it, particularly because they traded back from 10 to 20 with Steelers for this pick and STILL got Drew Lock in the second round. Well done, Broncos! Fant gives stand-in Joe Flacco a big, athletic target and, when Flacco flames out, should be a nice building block with Lock.

Green Bay Packers – Rashan Gary – DE Michigan

I really thought the Packers would take T.J. Hockenson at 12 overall, but turns out the Lion beat them to it at 8. Although I think the Packers need more offensive weapons for Aaron Rodgers, defense was also a significant need, but not necessarily on the defensive line or at outside linebacker. I would’ve thought the Packers would go inside linebacker if they weren’t going TE, but hey, what do I know? Gary is great depth, and has upside, but didn’t seem like an impact pick in the first round for this team, and is coming off an injury. Then they moved out to to trade up it in the first round from 30 to 21 to get S Darnell Savage Jr., which seems unnecessary, and still didn’t provide any additional weapons for Rodgers. Definitely not thrilled with how the Pack went in the first round.