Conquest Chronicles’ 2019 First-Round Mock Draft

The NFL Draft is fast approaching, all aboard the hype-train! The Conquest Chronicles staff sat down and mocked the first round of this year’s draft, and there were some surprises. Who fell? Who rose? Who is that? We got it all below!

Here is how the draft picks were distributed among each staff member:

Dina- 1 (Arizona), 5 (Tampa), 9 (Buffalo), 13 (Miami), 17 (NYG), 21 (Seattle), 25 (Philadelphia), 29 (Kansas City)

Richard- 2 (San Francisco), 6 (NYG), 10 (Denver), 14 (Atlanta), 18 (Minnesota), 22 (Baltimore), 26 (Indianapolis), 30 (Green Bay)

Kenneth- 3 (NYJ), 7 (Jacksonville), 11 (Cincinnati), 15 (Washington), 19 (Tennessee), 23 (Houston), 27 (Oakland), 31 (LAR)

Matthew- 4 (Oakland), 8 (Detroit), 12 (Green Bay), 16 (Carolina), 20 (Pittsburgh), 24 (Oakland), 28 (LAC), 32 (New England)

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Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

1.) Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

Kliff Kingsbury is the new man in Arizona and he wants his own hand picked man to come with him. Kyler Murray may be the most explosive game-changer in this year’s draft and it is hard to see Kingsbury pass up the guy who could be the main character in a high powered offensive show. Stats don’t lie, and Murray has the record to back up a No. 1 selection.

2.) San Fransisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State

Drafting Bosa gives the Forty-Niners one of the best pass-rushing rotations in the NFL, as well as a potential cornerstone on defense. If he’s anything like his older brother Joey, Nick Bosa will make an immediate impact of this defense.

3.) New York Jets: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

If given the right deal, Jets GM Mike Maccagan should be ecstatic to move down and surround Sam Darnold with more talent. If forced to pick, the Jets will take a cheaper version of Anthony Barr, who spurned the Jets and returned to the Vikings this offseason. Allen will fit into the same role. The Jets will be happy with a linebacking core headlined by CJ Mosley and Josh Allen.

4.) Oakland Raiders: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

It’s REALLY hard for the Raiders to mess things up in the first round, especially at No. 4. Pass rush was a huge area of weakness after trading All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago before the 2018 season. Quinnen Williams could be what the Raiders need. His ability inside will free up defensive ends and Williams can also disrupt the backfield himself. This will be a pretty popular pick for Oakland.

5.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin White, LB, LSU

Tampa is in need of a linebacker and LSU’s Devin White has many salivating for the chance to snag him. White was phenomenal at LSU in the rover position, he has the speed and agility to stop the run game in its tracks. It is rumored that he is a favorite to land in a Buccaneers jersey.

6.) New York Giants: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke

What does the GM who traded away a generational talent before reaching his athletic prime do in the 2019 NFL Draft? Not draft the best quarterback in this class. Jones is a talented signal-caller and would be fine understudy to Eli Manning…but not this high.

7.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Jawaan Taylor, RT, Florida

A noncontroversial pick for the Jaguars, who have long spent their cap space and draft picks on impact defenders. Now that Nick Foles is in town, however, the Jaguars offense will need to pull its weight, and Foles will need help. With Taylor, Tom Coughlin and David Caldwell give Foles a mauling right tackle who should be dominant in the run game and an upgrade in pass protection.

8.) Detroit Lions: Montez Sweat, Edge, Mississippi State

The Lions must address the defense and going with someone like Montez Sweat on the edge. They just signed Trey Flowers, but look for the Lions to draft Sweat to create a duo on the defensive line.

9.) Buffalo Bills: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston

After his impressive combine performance, Ed Oliver had scouts talking. Per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, Buffalo is reportedly eyeing the Houston standout. Oliver would be a great fit in Buffalo’s 4-3 scheme, and it would be a steal for him to still be there at No. 9, as many believe he is a top five talent.

10.) Denver Broncos: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

GM John Elway has quietly build a solid offense with explosive young skill position players and a “not-in-his-prime-yet” Joe Flacco. Adding Bush to a talented defense featuring last year’s fifth overall pick in Bradley Chubb, gives this Denver team a formidable squad in 2019.

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11.) Cincinnati Bengals: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

In this mock, Dwayne Haskins slips past the Giants and Broncos, two of the most quarterback needy teams in the league. Haskins’ slide ends here. Head Coach Zac Taylor may be green, but he has experience in grooming immobile but accurate quarterbacks into franchise cornerstones (see: Jared Goff). Haskins hailing from Ohio State can only be a plus to the Bengals, who are somehow less discussed than the in-state Browns.

12.) Green Bay: OT Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

Green Bay has to start rebuilding the line to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Williams is versatile enough to play at tackle or move to guard.

13.) Miami Dolphins: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

The Miami Dolphins are in need of a quarterback after they traded starter Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins do have famed veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick now on the roster, but that will not cut if after this year, Miami needs to draft a young quarterback. Lock may not be still on the board this far down but with Murray and Haskins both gone, he is the third best option at quarterback.

14.) Atlanta Falcons: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State

The loss of Deion Jones and Keanu Neal early in 2018 sunk Falcon hopes early, but with both players returning alongside one if the best pass-rushers in Vic Beasley—the Atlanta defense can see a resurrection in 2019. Add in a speed-rusher with a knack for making plays and you’ve got a winning formula.

15.) Washington Indigenous Persons: TJ Hockenson, TE, Iowa

No, this isn’t what everybody has been predicting for Washington. But in this mock, Murray, Jones, Haskins, and Lock flew off the board before the 15th pick, leaving Washington’s best choice at quarterback as Will Grier. Faced with this scenario, look for Washington to try to replicate what the Patriots did with Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski two years ago. With TJ Hockenson and a healthy Jordan Reed, Washington will present matchup nightmares in two tight end sets. They will be able to run the ball well through Hockenson’s run-blocking, and these two tight ends should provide easy targets for whoever plays at quarterback.

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

16.) Carolina Panthers: Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State

This is an obvious pick for the Panthers, who need to patch up their pass protection on the offensive line. Dillard comes from a pass happy offense and will fit right in for the Panthers. Dillard will compete for the starting position come pre-season.

17.) New York Giants: Rashan Gary, DL, Michigan

The New York Giants desperately need defensive lineman, and with Williams, Allen, and White all off the board, Gary just may be the best defensive player next up. With his draft profile rating predicting that he should be an instant NFL starter, he would be a great acquisition for this Giants team that needs help fast.

18.) Minnesota Vikings: Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma

This is an easy pick for one of the most underachieving teams in 2019. With little holes to fill on both sides of the ball, bolstering the offensive line might be the key in unleashing this explosive offense in waiting.

19.) Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State

In the Titans’ position, there is no better option than to pick the best player available. Tennessee is good enough to be in playoff contention, but never good enough to be in the Super Bowl picture. In this predicament, GM Jon Robinson must swing for the fences, picking a top-5 talent with health and off-field red flags.

20.) Pittsburgh Steelers: Jaylon Ferguson, Edge, Louisiana Tech

The Steelers could go plenty of ways with this pick. This could turn into a best player available situation. In comes Jaylon Ferguson. The Steelers could use his edge rushing ability on defense and he could be a steal this late in the draft.

21.) Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

The odds are heavily in favor of Seattle trading down out of the first round, as they have the past few years, but on the off chance they do take their pick, Byron Murphy would fit nicely into Seattle’s legendary backfield. Murphy has NFL ready instincts and tackles hard, just like the Legion of Boom back in the day.

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

22.) Baltimore Ravens: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss

One of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. Metcalf is a bonafide freak athlete and has all the ability to become one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. Alongside Lamar Jackson, this move would complete the new-look Raven offense.

23.) Houston Texans: Yodny Cajuste, T, West Virginia

This pick is admittedly off kilter. But Deshaun Watson is looking more and more like this league’s new Andrew Luck or Russell Wilson: a talented franchise quarterback running for his life. Though Yodny Cajuste is no perfect fit for the Texans’ zone-blocking scheme, losing weight can allow him to clean up his heavy footwork and start from day one. With Cody Ford, Jawaan Taylor, and Jonah Williams off the board, the Texans have no other choice.

24.) Oakland Raiders: Clelin Ferrell, Edge, Clemson

Again the Raiders have multiple holes to fill in this draft and them having the luxury of having three first round picks is a plus. Oakland needs pass rushing and after taking Quinton Williams in our mock draft, staying on the line and selecting Clelin Ferrell will be the pick here. The Raiders need some production after ranking dead last in pass rush last season.

25.) Philadelphia Eagles: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to Philadelphia seems to be picking up steam the past few weeks. He is an extremely versatile player, and would be a good addition to a team that needs a defensive back help. CBS Sports has Gardner-Johnson as a favorite to land with Doug Pederson and the Eagles.

26.) Indianapolis Colts: Christian Wilkins, DL, Clemson

The Colts’ defense sneakily got better as the season went on in 2018, and the addition of one this year’s best interior defensive lineman will make things easier for All-Pro rookie Darius Leonard.

27.) Oakland Raiders: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

The Raiders are certainly in no position to be picky with their talent. With so many holes in the roster, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock will go with the best available player, Noah Fant. A freak athlete who can immediately replace Jared Cook, Fant gives Gruden yet another weapon to his offense.

28.) LA Chargers: Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M

The Chargers offensive line needs attention. They were graded as one of the worst in the NFL last season and must work on upgrading the position. Erik McCoy could fit right in to help improve the Chargers line.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

29.) Seattle Seahawks from Kansas City: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU

If Seattle does end up picking in the first round, now that they have two picks, Williams could be an option should they pass on Murphy. The knock on Williams is his poor tackling skills, but you can’t deny that didn’t stop him from being a star on LSU’s field. Seattle may opt to take an offensive weapon or defensive lineman here, since those are more pressing needs for it, but Williams certainly is a tantalizing prospect to start building the Legion of Boom sequel.

30.) Green Bay Packers: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, WR, Oklahoma

Aaron Rodgers is still one of, if not the best quarterbacks in the league. With only Davante Adams to throw to, getting a Brown here would give Rodgers a play maker with the type of speed he’s never had in Green Bay. This would be an absolute home run of a pick.

31.) Los Angeles Rams: Taylor Rapp, S, Washington

With all of the defensive line talent in this draft, its hard to not look for a replacement for Ndamukong Suh. But with the best defensive linemen left on the board as Dre’mont Jones, Jerry Tillery, and Raekwon Davis, the Rams should look to replace versatile safety Lamarcus Joyner, who the Raiders overpaid for in free agency. Rapp can cover, command the open field, and tackle in run support, serving is a true replacement to Joyner, who has left an opening at free safety.

32.) New England Patriots: AJ Brown, WR, Ole Miss

I probably would expect the Patriots to make a trade here, however if they do keep this pick then AJ Brown could be a pick to go with. The team will need another weapon for Tom Brady and Brown could be in a perfect situation with this team. The key question is how long will Brady play and could they shock us by preparing for a replacement for the legendary quarterback? At this rate? Probably not.