NFL: 2019 Draft Review

[Big Poppa Puck]

I like doing these and enough time has passed to do 2019, last one we did was 2018. Enough time has probably even passed to do 2020 soon since 5th year options need to be decided on next month.

Anyway here goes the Vikings:

1.19 C Garrett Bradbury, NCST - He's not very good in fact was leaning bust up until this year even though he started practically every game before that. Vikings re-signed him. Not a great pick but not a F either. Probably a C-/D+.

2.50 TE Irv Smith Jr., Alabama - Sat behind Kyle Rudolph for 2 years and showed tons of flashes then was injured all of 2021 and most of last year leading to the Hockenson trade. Vikings had no interest in bringing him back this offseason. Not a F bust but can't give a passing grade either. D+

3.102 RB Alexander Mattison, Boise St. - has been a very good backup to Dalvin Cook, thought there was no chance he was coming back but he shockingly re-signed. Cook's status is still in limbo so he might be the starter next year. Solid B/B-

4.114 OG Dru Samia, Oklahoma - This dude was beyond awful when he was forced to play and released after two seasons and is out of the league. F

5.162 LB Cameron Smith, USC - mostly redshirted/played Special Teams in year one then had his career ended by a heart condition.

6.190 DT Armon Watts, Arkansas - solid rotational DT, started some games. Was a surprise cut in final cuts last year due to scheme fit. 6th rounder who contributed at all and is still in the league is a solid pick.

6.191 S Marcus Epps, Wyoming - was claimed off waivers by the Eagles during his rookie year when the Vikings tried to slip him onto the PS midseason and has become a decent player for them. At worst he's a good backup/STer. Solid player, but didn't help the Vikings at all.

6.193 OL Oli Udoh, Elon - Was probably the worst OL in football when he was forced to play out of position at G in 2021, moved back to backup OT last year and re-signed to continue to back up Darrisaw and O'Neill. Another NFL player in RD6 so can't complain.

7.217 CB Kris Boyd, Texas - very good special teamer, not a very good CB. Left in FA this offseason after the Vikings didn't seem to want him back. There are worse picks at 217.

7.239 WR Dillon Mitchell, Oregon - nothing.

7.247 WR Olabisi Johnson, Colorado St. - was one of those camp darling guys who looked to be at worst a depth WR. Actually started over Jefferson for some ungodly reason the first two games of 2020. Tore ACLs in both '21 and '22. Currently a FA.

7.250 LS Austin Cutting, Air Force - IDC how many picks you have and if it is the end of the 7th round you shouldn't be wasting picks on long snappers. And if you're going to, how about picking one that doesn't suck?


A Rick Spielman special draft where he makes more picks than can make the team and hoards 6ths and 7ths by trading back because he'd rather not compete for UDFAs. This draft is a D at best. A near bust 1st rounder who's meh at best and the rest of the "good" picks are just backup type guys. The best player from this class is probably Mattison which is sad. Cutting was a giant waste, even at 250. To prove that point further the guy they signed off the street to replace him, Andrew DePoala, was an All-Pro this year.

This draft, 2020 (aside from Jefferson, who was a no brainer fall in their lap) and 2021 (aside from Darrisaw) are a big part of why Spielman was fired.

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[GKJ]

2019 is a perfect example of why the Saints just don't do the draft like everyone else does. They are perfectly content to find people and move them up the lineup in the undrafted market.

Round 1 - was traded to Green Bay so the Saints could draft Marcus Davenport, which was a huge mistake because he was a project player who then had trouble staying on the field, and then left. Don't make trades for these kinds of guys, ever.

Round 2 - Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M - current starter, no matter the position, that's what you want

Round 4 - CJ Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida - excellent pick, but they didn't see him as a starting safety, and neither does anyone else unfortunately for him despite a very good year for the Eagles

Round 6 - Saquan Hamilton, S , Rutgers - made the team twice, then went to the Jets for 2 years, back in NOLA, but in the USFL

Round 7 - Alize Mack, TE, Notre Dame - didn't make the team, nor anyone else's and is currently in the XFL. Notre Dame has been producing tight ends, so worth a shot.

Round 7 - Kaden Eliss, LB, Idaho - came on last year as a starter somewhat unexpectedly, but it was his walk year and he walked to Atlanta

UDFA - Porter Gustin, LB, USC - Bounced back and forth on Cleveland's practice squad for three years, currently looking for a job

UDFA - Shy Tuttle, DT, Tennessee - Ended up starting Week 1 and is good, but he went to Carolina this year.

UDFA - Deonte Harty (fka Harris), WR, Assumption - Pro Bowl kick/punt returner who saw more time on the field in 2021. Now in Buffalo as Rashid Shaheed took his job while injured.

UDFA - Carl Granderson, DE, Wyoming - was actually in jail after signing but his sentence was commuted to probation and then joined the team and has stuck as a good rotational guy.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

The Chicago Bears traded away several picks for Mack so this draft didn't see them make many selections

What they did select was 1 talent and a bunch of crap

3rd Round (73rd overall) - RB David Montgomery
Productive but nothing special RB who had 3,609 yds and 26 rushing TD's + 1,240 rec yds and 4 TDs in his time in Chicago. Was not re-signed this past offseason.

4th round (126th overall) - WR Riley Ridley
Caught 10 passes for 108 yds and was out of NFL after just two years

6th round (205th overall) - CB Duke Shelley
Special teamers/cornerback who dressed for 30 games over 3 years with Bears. Played last year for Vikings and had his first career INT

7th round (222nd overall) - RB Kerrith Whyte Jr.
Never played for Bears being early season release. Signed with Steelers and played in 6 games rushing ball 24 times for 122 yds. Was only NFL action as he bounced around league camps for a few years but never again played

7th round (238th overall) - CB Stephen Denmark
Never played in NFL. Apparantly is an XFL player now

 

[WeThreeKings]

Green Bay Packers

12th overall - Rashan Gary
Man, I hated this pick when it was made. Wasn't a need yet, no real production in college.. but was I wrong. Has flourished into one of the best pass rushers in the game.. unfortunately had a knee injury last year that stopped a very productive season. Great pick.

21st overall - Darnell Savage
He's a NFL safety. That's about all I can say. Never really became a very good safety, was expected to do more, got moved to nickel and did alright but has to be safety this year as we picked up his option. Not a horrible pick but not a good one.

44th overall - Elgton Jenkins
What more can you say other than they struck gold? He's one of the best offensive linemen in the entire NFL and we suffered badly when he wasn't healthy.

75th overall - Jace Sternberger
A 3rd round bust by Guntekunst? Surprising. Got suspended for PEDs.. never did anything in the blocking or passing game. Humongous bust.

150th overall - Kingsley Keke
He played NFL snaps, had his moments.. no longer with the team.

Hollman and Williams were busts.. Ty Summers played some special teams.

Overall I'd give the draft an A because regardless you walked out with a starting safety, one of the best edge in the game and one of the best OL in the game.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Miami;

13th overall - Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson
Stud. One of the more disruptive DL in the league right now and has become a fan favorite for his flamboyance and ability to annoy the absolute shit out of his opposition. Give this man an extension ASAP

78th overall - Michael Dieter, G, Wisconsin
Hasn't done much. Can say he's still with the team as a backup.

151st overall - Andrew Van Ginkel, LB, Wisconsin
Actually turned into a solid NFL starter. Plays intense as f*** and did a great job replacing Kyle Van Noy. Also comes with the whitest name known to man.

202nd overall - Isiah Prince, T, Ohio State
Started 6 total games in the league.

233rd overall - Chandler Cox, RB, Aburn
9 total yards in the league. Can't expect much this low in the draft

234 overall - Miles Gaskin, RB, Washington
- Had flashes of looking like a good RB in the league but could never really put it all together. Lost in the shuffle amongst the 47 different Niners runningbacks brought in by McDaniel. Still with the team if that counts for anything.

 

[Pestilence]

Jacksonville Jaguars

7th overall - Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky
- Has been a solid starter but not a menace, first season he had over 10 sacks but last season was only 7,5. Hard to be disappointed though, not a bust by all means, but you'll crave a bit more from TOP 10 pick. Got his 5th year option picked up.

35th overall - Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
- Was a starter at RT and entered free agency now, where he got a lucrative deal from the Chiefs. Had his share of sacks and penalties and he wasn't a top 10 RT or anything, so getting LT starter money from the Chiefs was a bit suprising, but then again getting a starter from 35th pick isn't too bad.

69th overall - Josh Oliver, TE, San Jose State
- Was a good to great blocking TE, didn't get too many yards though, for instance last year he had about 10 yards a game on average. Got 21m$ / 3 year contract from the Vikings, of which a bit over half was guaranteed, so that tells a bit that he was quite valued.

98th overall - Quincy Williams, LB, Murray State
- Was around for a few years, waived and left to the Jets, where he was a started and got a second contract of 18m$ / 9m$ guaranteed.

140th overall - Ryquell Armstead, RB, Temple
- Backup RB, got a really bad COVID in 2020 and was hospitalized for it. Got waived after it and jumped around a few teams before going to XFL, where he was waived as well.

178th overall - Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State
- Minshew Mania, when a 6th round QB gets to be a starter it's a surprise. Always rooted for him, seems like a good guy, and if he's good enough he has a shot getting the starter position for Indy this year.

235th overall - Dontavius Russell, DT, Auburn
- Was around for a year, after which he was waived and hasn't been with any team since.

Good draft IMO, handful of starters (at least at some point), though four years after only Josh Allen is with the team so that way not the best result.

 

[StreetHawk]

That is a good draft for Jax. 4 guys after round 1 went on to sign a second contract in the nfl. Even though none were with Jax, just means that they signed for more than what Jax was willing to pay.

You got them when they were cheap and had to decide if paying them was worth it.

 

[The Note]

Kansas City

Didn't have first due to trading for Frank Clark

56th overall - Mecole Hardman WR
Hardman was a useful player and probably got unfairly comped to Tyreek given they are both smaller guys with blazing speed, but Tyreek is just on another level. D.K., McLaurin, and Diontae Johnson all going after him didn't help anything either. I think he always left a lot of Chiefs fans (myself included) wanting more because you could always tell the tools were there it just never fully clicked. Having said that, he certainly provided a lot to the offense and was having a pretty nice year before his season came to an end due to an injury that seemed to be vague. Had a huge catch in the AFCCG this past season to keep a drive alive (before then having to leave the game due to the same injury). He was a fine pick in the back half of the second round. Signed a 1-year deal with the Jets this FA.

63rd overall - Juan Thornhill S
Good player. He had an awesome rookie season that was unfortunately cut short just before the first SB win when he tore his ACL. It took some time for him to round back into form after that (and was weirdly losing playing time to Sorensen who was awful by that point) but he was part of solid safety tandems with Mathieu and then J. Reid this past year. Signed a nice deal with the Browns.

84th overall - Khalen Saunders DT
Carved out a role for himself as a rotational DT that could do enough next to Chris Jones. Probably had his best year last year before signing a deal with the Saints this past offseason. Nothing revelatory here but still a useful part of DL rotation.

201st overall - Rashad Fenton
Played in 12 games as a 6th round rookie before settling into a rotation of CBs and eventually becoming a player they felt comfortable starting. The Chiefs are able to really coach up CBs and Fenton was a good example of this, something that happened again this past year. Again, nothing massive here but to get a contributing/starting level CB in the 6th round is good business. I was honestly surprised they traded him to ATL this year. Seems like he signed a deal with ARI in free agency.

214th overall - Darwin Thompson RB
Not much to say here. 6th RB that never really stuck and seems to have bounced around on Seattle's practice squad. I mostly remember him trying to hurdle a guy in the AFCCG against the Titans.

216th overall - Nick Allegretti G
Fine offensive line depth, has been a spot starter when injuries have struck. Again, not a needle mover really, but a nice bit of depth to have from the 7th round. He also caught a TD pass in the playoffs against the Steelers a couple years ago.

In all, for a team on its rise to becoming a perennial contender this was a solid draft. They got a useful - if limited - WR, a solid starting S, then nice depth pieces at CB/DT/G. Only one real "miss" and that was a 6th round RB. After UFA though, the only guy that remains is Allegretti.

 

[Peat]

Steelers

10th - Devin Bush ILB

Oh. Dear.

Like, it's a little unfair to pile onto the team. He was good until he did his ligament, and you understand why that's arc changing. But to move up and take a guy who was just a rotational player who barely played in his last games with the org? Ouch. Massive ouch.

66 - Diontae Johnson WR

More like it. Last season was a disaster and he's got his warts, but can't argue with what he's done as a 3rd rounder and he's still got a chance to play his best football going forwards.

83 - Justin Layne CB

One of the many reasons the Steelers seem traumatised at the idea of developing their own CBs. Is he even going to be in the league last year?

122 - Benny Snell RB

He's been okay. Frustrating in that he looks okay if he gets 20 touches a game but if you give him 5 he's useless. Has at least been a special teams contributor. Kind of expecting him back after the draft

141 - Zach Gentry TE

Turned into a good blocking TE. Not much of a receptions weapon but good enough to come back on a one year deal.

175 - Sutton Smith FB

Been on more teams than he's had games

192 - Isaiah Buggs DT

Released after a couple of years after not playing much, but has stuck with Detroit

207 - Ulysees Gilbert ILB

Most notable for hitting IR three times in his two years

219 - Derwin Gray OT

Was claimed off of waivers in a year and is now in the USFL



Not a complete disaster of a draft thanks to Diontae Johnson but completely whiffing on Bush (who cost them their 1st and 2nd) and Layne makes it pretty bad. Buggs might end up being the 2nd best from these guys when it's all done, and they never even saw any benefit from him.

 

[HisIceness]

2019 was the last year of Riverboat Ron.

I think everyone drafted from this class made the Panthers roster but only Brian Burns is still on the team, easily the best player and it's not close.

The Panthers drafting is akin to the franchise in general, very meh.