Not to brag, but I'm pretty sure that my Way Too Early 2018 NFL Mock Draft was pretty accurate. I had Sam Darnold/Josh Rosen/Josh Allen going early, pegged Bradley Chubb as a top prospect and actually hit on Derwin James to the Chargers (although at a different spot than it actually happened). In general it was more accurate than my actual mock, so that's kind of depressing.
The bossfolk have me back at it again this year, trotting out a 2019 NFL Mock Draft fresh off the 2018 version.
It's much harder to project who's going to up top in this draft, though, because the quarterbacks aren't quite as locked to go up high. However, I think there will still be a lot of interest in the quarterbacks who are out there, and we see a bunch of them go early.
The story of this season in college football -- and this draft -- will be the Clemson defensive line. They have FOUR players going in the first round of this mock, and I might have them too low based on just how much talent the group has. They could run the table and end up having all of them go in the first half of the first round.
1. Cleveland Browns
Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State: If the younger brother of Chargers star Joey Bosa takes another step in 2018, the Browns will be hard pressed to pass on another edge rusher near the top of the draft. (I also don't think they'll pick here for the third-straight year.)
2. New York Giants
Will Grier, QB, West Virginia: The former Florida transfer has a cannon and can wing it down the field. If he takes another step forward in his second year with Dana Holgerson, he could be highly-coveted.
3. New York Jets
Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina: He missed a lot of 2017 with injury, but when Samuel plays he's a high-impact guy who can take the top off of a defense. His one-handed touchdown snag in the Gamecocks' season opener last year was ridiculous. The Jets need to get Sam Darnold a true No. 1 weapon to grow with.
4. Chicago Bears
Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson: Get used to seeing Clemson defensive linemen in this mock draft, because there are going to be a lot of them. Lawrence is an animal on the interior, generated 2.5 sacks against P5 competition from the tackle spot last year and is only 20 years old.
5. Cincinnati Bengals
Ed Oliver, DT, Houston: The whole "declare for next year's draft before the prior year's draft happens" thing throws me off. But if he has another big year, it's hard to imagine Oliver slipping out of the top five.
6. Miami Dolphins
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn: In his first year as the Auburn starter, Stidham lit up the stat sheet (66.5 percent completions, 3,158 passing yards) and nearly got the Tigers into the College Football Playoff, but for an SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia. He had offseason surgery on his non-throwing shoulder but looks good to go for this season.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Greg Little, OL, Mississippi: Presumably the Bucs are going to give Jameis Winston a pile of money at some point, and they may want to invest in more protection for their franchise quarterback.
8. Washington Redskins
Greedy Williams, CB, LSU: The Redskins have been consistent about taking power five/SEC talent in the draft lately and could very well need a cornerback to replace Josh Norman at some point. Great nickname and a perfect fit for it geographically too.
9. Denver Broncos
Drew Lock, QB, Missouri: If Denver has a down season and ends up with a top-10 pick again, there is a very good chance that John Elway will be looking for someone who can take over for Case Keenum sooner rather than later. It will also likely signal the end of the Paxton Lynch experiment.
10. Buffalo Bills
Anthony Johnson, WR, Buffalo: Get the local product -- who went for 1,356 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017 -- to pair up with Josh Allen.
11. Oakland Raiders
Bryce Love, RB, Stanford: Why would running backs just stop going in the first round? Oakland has Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin, but those guys aren't spring chickens. Love can FLY and is a major home run threat. Tough as nails too.
12. Indianapolis Colts
Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson: This is not a super rosy picture for Andrew Luck, but it is improvement, I suppose. At the very least he will have played and won some games! The Colts are pretty clearly going to keep investing in their defense.
13. Arizona Cardinals
Kelvin Harmon, WR, NC State: Harmon had a down stretch of three games last year, otherwise he could have had a monster season (he still finished with 993 yards). He has an NFL-made body and can stretch the field.
14. Seattle Seahawks
Jonah Williams, OL, Alabama: They keep not picking offensive linemen and we all keep giving them offensive linemen in mock drafts anyway.
15. Detroit Lions
Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky: You could see Matt Patricia being extremely creative with the addition of Allen to a defense that has a lot of already interesting parts.
16. Tennessee Titans
Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson: This might be too low for this guy considering how he gets after quarterbacks. The Titans certainly wouldn't mind adding some more pass-rush help.
17. Carolina Panthers
Mark Gilbert, CB, Duke: The Panthers could go in a bunch of different directions here, but shoring up the secondary would be a smart move. Gilbert's a Fayetteville, NC, native, so they'd keep him close to home.
18. San Francisco 49ers
Bobby Evans, OL, Oklahoma: It wouldn't be surprising at all to see the 49ers keep investing in protection for Jimmy Garoppolo. This would be a double down situation after taking Mike McGlinchey, but Joe Staley will turn 34 this offseason.
19. Atlanta Falcons
Raekown Davis, DL, Alabama: The Falcons go back and grab defense in next year's draft and add another talented player who can disrupt from the interior.
20. Los Angeles Chargers
Ryan Finley, QB, NC State: The Chargers hope Philip Rivers plays until they move into their new stadium in 2020, but they plan for the future anyway by drafting another Wolfpack quarterback to bridge the gap.
21. Dallas Cowboys
Austin Bryant, DE, Clemson: You start to really think about this Clemson line and it's fair to wonder who is going to beat them and just how high all four of these guys can be drafted next year.
22. Baltimore Ravens
A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi: In his first draft, new GM Eric DeCosta decides get his future quarterback (Lamar Jackson) a weapon to grow with for the long haul.
23. Minnesota Vikings
Devin Bush, LB, Michigan: 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the linebacker position will make people stand up and notice -- the Vikings haven't been shy about continuing to pump resources into their defense.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan: It was a little surprising the Jags didn't move to find a Blake Bortles replacement in this year's draft, but they certainly need to think about doing so in next year's draft.
25. Green Bay Packers (via Saints)
Anfernee Jennings, LB, Alabama: The Packers can keep loading up on defensive talent to help out Mike Pettine's unit. Certainly they've got enough invested in the offense for the moment.
26. Houston Texans
Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan: Gary saw a five-sack spike in 2017, and if he makes similar gains in 2018, this won't be high enough for him when the actual draft rolls around.
27. Kansas City Chiefs
Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia: The Chiefs have been shifting around their cornerback room in recent months and could stand to invest in the position through the draft.
28. Los Angeles Rams
David Edwards, OL, Wisconsin: The Rams are going to need to figure out how to replace Andrew Whitworth on the offensive line at some point.
29. Green Bay Packers
Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn: Green Bay decides to dip its toe in the defensive pool with a second first-round pick, giving them a real chance to turn that side of the ball into a strength.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
Devin Singletary, RB, Florida Atlantic: Piling up yards on a Lane Kiffin team will result in Singletary getting significant draft traction. And I'm going to assume the Steelers don't keep Le'Veon Bell after this year.
31. Philadelphia Eagles
Joe Giles-Harris, LB, Duke: The idea of Duke landing two first-round draft picks sounds pretty incredible.
32. New England Patriots
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon: The Patriots fooled everyone into believing they would draft a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft so why not circle back and snare one here instead? At some point they need to invest a high pick in Tom Brady's replacement.
