Winners and losers of the 2019 NFL Draft

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Today we recap and analyze some of the biggest winners and losers of the 2019 NFL Draft.

The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone. Each team made their best judgements in hoping to improve their squads and begin to carve the pathway towards Super Bowl glory. Like with every draft there are those teams that hit it out of the park and others who were trying to hammer square pegs into round holes. In other words, we have our winners and losers. This article will break down teams from both the AFC and the NFC as well as our San Francisco 49ers!

Who are YOUR winners and losers in the 2019 NFL Draft? Please share in the comments below!

AFC Winners

New England Patriots

I know, I know. This makes me sick, too. Let’s just get this out of the way, though: the New England Patriots had an annoyingly good draft. The defending champs addressed just about every need and, even though they skipped selecting Greedy Williams in the second round, I fully accept that they must know something we don’t.

Drafting N’Keal Harry at the end of the first is just not fair. He topped a lot of people’s boards at wide receiver which is saying something because this class was deep. Joejuan Williams, the corner out of Vanderbilt. fits the mold of the typical players you usually seeing roaming around the New England secondary. Former Alabama running back Damien Harris figures to be a nice compliment to Sonny Michel. Oh, they also drafted another quarterback who may eventually be Tom Brady’s replacement but, at this rate, they can just start scouting freshmen in high school because Brady – if he has it his way – will be around for a while longer. Jarrett Stidham, though, shows a lot of promise and is quite literally in the best position possible for a young quarterback looking to learn how to play quarterback in the NFL.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars entered the 2019 NFL Draft with a need to add players who’d be able to provide production the team has been used to over the last few seasons. Their style of play necessitates a certain type of player and, suffice to say, Jacksonville got what they needed. Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen can rush the passer at an alarming pace and is also privy to dropping back into coverage. Second round selection – offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor – was graded by many as a first round talent and could very well be one of the few steals in this year’s class. These two selections for the Jags are business as usual, and that should excite fans and personnel, alike. With Nick Foles now in the mix and Leonard Fournette bouncing back from a letdown of a year we should fully expect Jacksonville to be contending for a playoff spot in 2019.

Buffalo Bills

This may be the beginning of the end when it comes to the Bills being the one of the laughing stocks of the league. With their first two picks in the draft, Buffalo sent a message that they’re continuing to make progress towards getting back to the hard-nose way of football that defined the team and the city for years.

At this time last year many had Ed Oliver as the top overall prospect for his class and, honestly, there wasn’t much of a drop-off between then and now. He has the skillset within him to be a potential All-Pro candidate later in his career and being coached up by the likes of Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier only bodes well for his development. Look forward to Oliver and Cody Ford (OT, Oklahoma) being anchors for their respective units for years to come.

Denver Broncos

The good thing about what John Elway did was he didn’t reach for anything. In year’s past we’ve seen him do just that and it hasn’t boded well thus far. Denver originally had the 10th pick in the first round but traded down to 20th and nabbed Noah Fant – arguably one of the best offensive weapons in the entire class. He should have an immediate impact in the offense.

Things got better for the Broncos as they selected G/C Dalton Risner and QB Drew Lock out of Kansas State and Missouri, respectively. Both players could have easily been selected in the mid to latter portions of the first. Lock has plenty of time to learn the ins and outs of being a pro while newly-acquired Joe Flacco holds down the fort for the next season or so. This team is only a few seasons removed from a Super Bowl and still have enough veterans on both sides of the ball to make a run at a wild card in 2019.

I also really liked the selection of Dra’mont Jones in the fourth round as he is someone who could grow into a disruptive presence along the defensive line. All in all Denver’s draft featured a lot of “safe” picks with upside which is just about all you can ask for.

AFC Losers

Kansas City Chiefs

Not much went well for Kansas City during the draft and it’s not even entirely because of any sort of wrong decision they made. Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, turns out, is exactly who we feared he was and as a result may not have a future on any NFL roster, let alone the Chiefs’. Not a good start for a team coming off a red-hot season in which we witnessed the greatness of one Patrick Mahomes.

Kansas City did not have a first round pick so they weren’t on the clock until round two. It’s there that they took the probable eventual heir-apparent to Tyreek Hill in Mecole Hardman. It’s not hard to fathom seeing Hardman see plenty of action on offense and during punt or kick returns this season. This pick feels more like a reactionary one as there were other players on the board who could have helped fill other needs. Other than Hardman there isn’t much to write home about with KC’s draft class – which isn’t bad? But it’s also not good.

Houston Texans

Much like the aforementioned Chiefs, there wasn’t anything the Texans did that would suggest they had a bad draft but more-so that bad things happened to them and had to resort to plan B, C, D, and so on. A priority of Houston’s heading into this draft was to get more protection for franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson who, from what we’ve all seen thus far, is a transcendent talent who just needs a little bit more protection if they want him to take the next leap in his career. Houston had things lined up for them to draft offensive tackle Andre Dillard before Philadelphia swooped in and snatched the future perennial Pro Bowl talent.

This left them with Tytus Howard which, again, isn’t a bad thing. But when you go into a situation wanting one outcome and end up with your second option (hell, maybe even third or fourth) then, well, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth knowing you could have had better. It was an average draft for a team who needed anything but an average draft.

Tom Brady

NFL: Super Bowl LIII-New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Rams

Hey, the New England Patriots may have been first on our list for winners of the draft but what aren’t taking solace in, guys, is that the defenses in their division just got a lot better. And that should scare Tom Brady, who is aging and definitely does not want to get hit by any of these new young defensive players he will have to face multiple times every season for the rest of his career.

Quinnen Williams (New York Jets), Ed Oliver (Buffalo Bills), Christian Wilkins (Miami Dolphins) are all supremely talented defensive linemen and will absolutely give opposing quarterbacks nightmares. Sure, yeah, Tom Brady has 6 Super Bowls. He’s great. We get it. These defenses are young and hungry, though. They are big. They play very fast. They are tenacious. They are fed up with Tom Brady thinking he owns the world. Tom Brady, while his team essentially retooled and will be ready for another run at a Super Bowl in 2019, should fear these young bucks in his own division. They will not make his final years in the NFL any easier.

NFC Winners

Minnesota Vikings

NCAA Football: College Football Playoff National Championship-Clemson vs Alabama

The Vikings needed to take care of the interior offensive line and thats exactly what they did with the selections of center Garrett Bradbury and guard Dru Samia. Irv Smith Jr. brings great value as a mid-second round pick and can form a dynamic duo with Kyle Rudolph (That is if the team doesn’t trade him). Selecting Kris Boyd in the seventh round has tremendous value. I had him just outside the top 100 overall players. In total, the Vikings drafted 12 players and most likely came away with multiple starters who can help get this talented roster back in the postseason in 2019.

Arizona Cardinals

Yes Faithful, our division rivals are a winner in my book. This isn’t just about Kyler Murray, but more importantly the players they brought in to help Murray. The Cardinals will be in rebuild mode in 2019, and expectations will not be high. There will be growing pains, but you simply cannot argue the value they got in some of the players they selected. It was clear from the moment Kliff Kingsbury was named head coach, Kyler Murray was going number one. The Cardinals did what they had to do to get their guy. Obtaining Byron Murphy in the second round is a steal. So is wide receiver Hakeem Butler on day 3. Butler and Andy Isabella, along with KeeSean Johnson become intriguing weapons along with Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald. Add on Mr. Irrelevant tight end Caleb Wilson and Steve Keim did a fantastic job surrounding his rookie passer and head coach with weapons across the field. If Deionte Thompson can prove the doubters wrong about his knee history then this draft class could very well speed up the re-build in the desert faster than we think. The Josh Rosen trade cemented a successful weekend for the red birds in Nashville.

Washington Redskins

Big Ten Championship - Northwestern v Ohio State

I suppose this depends on your viewpoint on the quarterbacks. My feeling is that the Redskins got the most pro-ready passer in this draft class (Don’t worry Giants, we’ll get to you in a little bit!). Alex Smith’s future is cloudy at best and Case Keenum may start with the job, but will not hang on to it for long, maybe not at all. Jay Gruden is on the hot seat and needs to make the best choice as to who will lead his offense. Speaking of offense, the team got great value in Kelvin Harmon in the sixth round. Terry McLaurin is one of the most pro-ready receivers in this draft, and Bryce Love can form a two-headed monster with Derrius Guice (Remember him?) who will return from a torn ACL. Montez Sweat was my favorite pass rusher behind Nick Bosa. The Redskins suffered too many injuries along the offensive line, and did a great job adding more depth and competition with mid-round picks Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher. If Gruden gets his quarterback choice correct the Redskins could compete in the NFC East Gruden just might save his job in the process.

Philadelphia Eagles

Going into this draft, other than Nick Bosa if I had one player constantly linked to a team it was Andre Dillard with the Houston Texans. The Eagles didn’t get that memo and instead leapfrogged the Texans and snatched Dillard before their very eyes. Tip of the cap to you Philly. Dillard also addresses a big need for the Eagles and Carson Wentz, who needs to play a full healthy season, especially because a Super Bowl MVP is no longer there to serve as his backup. Miles Sanders just might be that starting running back this team has been lacking for the last couple of seasons as he will fight for touches with the recently acquired Jordan Howard from the Chicago Bears. Wentz got more weapons with the selection of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside who will add another dimension to an offense already stocked woth talent. Oh yeah, since that Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars a new backup is needed and they got that with pro-style passer Clayton Thorson. Hopefully the only thing Thorson will be holding is a clipboard. The Eagles only had 5 picks but they addressed every need for a roster only one year removed from a Super Bowl. That’s a win in my book.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Here’s a possible first…An offensive head coach is hired and the first five picks address the defensive side of the ball. After losing Kwon Alexander to the 49ers, the Bucs made a no-brainer selection taking the best linebacker in the draft Devin White. New defensive coordinator Todd Bowles who is back with Bruce Airans after their days in Arizona acquired multiple cornerbacks in Sean Bunting and Jamel Dean and safety Mike Edwards who are tall and lanky…exactly what Bowles desires in his man coverage scheme that brings pressure on the quarterback. Anthony Nelson will create depth and competition along the defensive line and gives Bowles another pass rushing option. You can argue that the team should have addressed the offense more, but clearly Arians, who is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game believes in Jameis Winston and the offensive weapons already in place.

NFC Losers

New York Giants

My oh my, Dave Gettleman this will be an offseason for the ages. After purging the defense of talent, I really didn’t think you could make a worse decision after trading Odell Beckham Jr. for a single first round pick, third round pick, and a safety (Jabrill Peppers) who is not overly impressive. Yet, you found a way to one-up yourself yet again when you selected Daniel Jones as the quarterback of the future. It’s not that I don’t like Daniel Jones, it’s Gettleman’s evaluation of Jones as a top ten pick. I don’t think Jones was a round one pick. I get it, a lot of quarterbacks are drafted before their honest value, but Jones is simply a head scratcher. Dexter Lawrence is going to be a great nose tackle, but again, not a top twenty talent. Darius Slayton was really the best they could do at receiver in a draft full of them? Sterling Shepherd, Darius Slayton, and Golden Tate…scary, I know. I do like the cornerback selections in DeAndre Baker and Julian Love. Baker will be a contributor and Love has the potential as well. After Baker and Love, there simply isn’t much more to love about this draft class. Gettleman might have set this team back instead of competing in an open NFC East division.

Detroit Lions

Here’s the deal with the Lions. I don’t hate their picks, in fact, I happen to really like some moves they made this weekend. T.J. Hockenson is going to be a day one starter, and one the best tight ends in the last couple of decades. Many of these picks bring depth to the roster. However, I just don’t know what the direction the team wants to go. Usually after free agency and the draft you have some sort of vision of what a team is going to try and execute come kickoff, however the Lions leave me still wondering. Any Lion’s fans reading this, help me out. What is your team’s vision with your very expensive quarterback and the roster surrounding him? In a very competitive NFC North the Lions are still in 4th…cough…cough…last place. That makes them a loser for this draft.

Atlanta Falcons

I may get some backlash for this, but I didn’t like the Falcons draft this year. Chris Lindstrom was a big reach in the middle of the first round, and instead of addressing a pass rusher they selected tackle Kaleb McGary after they signed two offensive lineman. I am all for addressing the line of scrimmage, especially on the offensive side of the ball. That’s where games are won. While the Falcons did select defensive end John Cominsky I felt the position should have been addressed earlier in day two. Again, I was on the fence with the Falcons and I understand if some may not agree with this assessment. I suppose two running backs were selected with the departure of Tevin Coleman? The Saints are the class of the south. Did the Falcons do enough to earn a wild card in 2019? We will see if it all works out for Dan Quinn and company.

What is the verdict for the San Francisco 49ers?

Alex Eisen:

I wont be bias…I promise. The San Francisco 49ers won their draft with their first two selections who I think will both instantly improve their respective side of the football. Nick Bosa who I felt was the best overall player in this draft class will be a blue-chip talent along the defensive line and will also improve the team’s secondary. Turnovers happen when there is pressure upfront. As Nick Bosa said, “You can’t double team all of us”, and “Us” being Bosa, Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead. If this defensive line can stay healthy, they can be a lethal unit. That in turn can make the secondary a dangerous group as well. None of this happens without Bosa in the picture. As for Deebo Samuel, I will say it again…He is one of the most pro-ready and physical receivers this draft class offered. He is a reliable pass catcher and can be dangerous in the open field. The 49ers doubled down on receiver and found a red-zone threat in Jalen Hurd (Perhaps a round or two too high?). According to Kyle Shanahan, while Hurd was drafted as a receiver he can be utilized in other ways…Tight End perhaps? I’m not going to try and sell anyone on selecting a punter in the 4th round. All I can say is that the team lost Bradly Pinion, and special teams are kind of a big deal, and this team needed a punter. That’s where I will stop with the punter. Tim Harris is that long and lanky corner the team desires. Will he be an answer to the CB2 spot? He’s a seventh round pick, so your guess is as good as mine. Dre Greenlaw adds more valuable depth to a unit that is getting stronger by the day. It’s not Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman scary yet, but the arrow is pointing up. Kaden Smith will get to learn from George Kittle, and perhaps fill that TE2 spot. He brings depth and competition to the position. Overall, I didn’t love every pick. It wasn’t the perfect draft by any stretch. They got too cute with some selections for sure, but the 49ers did obtain impact players and are WINNERS in my book, and the roster is better than it’s been in quite some time.

Josh Eccles:

Alex nailed it on the head, guys. It’s going to be interesting to see how Nick Bosa meshes with San Francisco – the team and the city as a whole. He’s already done his part and has not shown any reluctance in answering questions about his past behaviors on social media. It will be interesting to see how he continues to handle questions like that as I am sure that they will continue to come.

The Deebo Samuel selection, to me, may be the one that puts this offense over the top. Dante Pettis has already shown that he is a fiend when it comes to making opposing defenders look foolish and Deebo (I am affectionately referring to him as such from here on out) possesses many of those same traits and skills and that’s just, wow. It’s exciting. Imagine Pettis and Deebo running cornerbacks in circles and George Kittle just wreaking havoc over the middle of the field. It’s going to be fun, trust me.

One Final Winner…

Nashville! All I can say is JOB WELL DONE! From the looks of it, the scene in downtown Nashville looked exciting and electric!

Las Vegas…You’re on the clock!

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