This is the third article in a four-part 2019 NFL Draft Rankings series.
The rankings are based on value for the pick number, team need, and also volume, because we know that the draft is often hit or miss. Therefore, the more picks a team makes, the more likely a team is to get good value out of their class. I have not accounted for players who were already in the league being acquired by use of this year’s draft picks. These rankings are based solely on rookie selections made during the 2019 draft.
Part One – Part Two – Part Four
2019 NFL Draft Rankings – Passable Draft Classes
This third set of classes includes teams who added at least two immediate impact players. Many of these teams made risky selections, opting to choose players with high ceilings but limited on-field production.
Passable
19) Indianapolis Colts – CB Rock Ya-Sin, EDGE Ben Banogu, WR Parris Campbell, LB Bobby Okereke, S Khari Willis, S Marvell Tell, LB EJ Speed, LB Gerri Green, OT Jackson Barton, C Javon Patterson
The Colts traded out of the first and made three second-round picks. Luck didn’t have many reliable wide receivers to throw to outside of T.Y. Hilton last season. The Colts added Devin Funchess in free agency but still needed to add at least one more target. They also needed to add to their cornerback, edge rush, and linebacker rotations.
Rock Ya-Sin is a scrappy man coverage corner who is currently listed as the starter for the nickel back position on the depth chart. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him compete for a boundary spot as the season progresses. Ya-Sin only played one season in the FBS and therefore still needs time and good coaching to develop. His coaches at Temple were certainly impressed with him, however, choosing him as one of only nine players to wear a single digit jersey. Parris Campbell should take a lot of pressure off of T.Y. Hilton. He is a 6-foot slot corner with the ability to zoom past defensive backs with 4.31-second 40-yard speed. This is another prospect who needs to be coached up before he plays to his full potential.
Ben Banogu is yet another high upside player who will take time to develop into more than a rotational piece. I feel he may have been a reach in the second round with players like Zach Allen, Jaylon Ferguson, and Oshane Ximines still available, but the Colts have a solid enough defense to be able to afford riskier picks.
Following along with the trend of high upside picks was the addition of Safety Marvell Tell. Unlike Banogu, however, I feel like a fifth-round pick is well worth it for Tell. Tell is a great man defender and plays well both in the box and on single high looks. The biggest concern with him is effort, but I think the culture in Indianapolis can motivate him to do better. Bobby Okereke was a good pick for where he was taken. He will provide depth and could become a reliable middle linebacker in years to come. He doesn’t seem like a 3-down player but should be good for situational roles.
Last Word on the Indianapolis Colts: The Colts were a fairly complete team coming into the draft and could, therefore, afford to draft a lot of high upside players who will need time and good coaching before playing to their full potential. The Colts coaching staff showed last season that they can make these kinds of picks work.
20) Pittsburg Steelers – LB Devin Bush, WR Diontae Johnson, CB Justin Layne, RB Benny Snell, TE Zach Gentry, EDGE Sutton Smith, DT Isaiah Buggs, LB Ulysees Gilbert
First and foremost, if the Steelers manage to legitimately replace Antonio Brown with Diontae Johnson, Kevin Colbert may be the best in the league at spotting under-the-radar wide receiver talent. The Steelers have been looking for a middle linebacker to replace the role Ryan Shazier used to hold for a while. They also needed some help at corner and should look to give Bud Dupree some competition at the edge rusher position.
Trading up to grab Devin Bush was likely the right move for the Steelers. He has the sideline-to-sideline speed that should let him target the ball on rushing plays and keep up with most receivers in coverage underneath. Johnson’s profile is very similar to Brown’s coming out of college. He’s 5’10” 183 lbs and ran a 4.53 40 compared to Brown’s 5’10” 186 lbs and 4.48 40 time. The difference is that after working with Brown for many years, the Steelers know what to look for in this type of player and elected to select Johnson in the third round. We’ll see if he’s able to live up to the perceived expectations. He should at least be a good WR3 or WR4.
Justin Layne is a long corner who converted from wide receiver and therefore has a good feel for what receivers might be thinking. He will probably be the number three corner for the Steelers this season after Joe Haden and Steven Nelson. Zach Gentry, Sutton Smith, and Isaiah Buggs were all solid additions. At least one of them should emerge as a starter.
Last Word on the Pittsburg Steelers: The Steelers did a good job of filling needs. Every pick was likely worth its value. Every player in this class could be a high impact player, but I can’t say that with confidence for any of them except Devin Bush.
21) Kansas City Chiefs – WR Mecole Hardman, S Juan Thornhill, DT Khalen Saunders, CB Rashad Fenton, RB Darwin Thompson, C Nick Allegretti
The Chiefs had one of the worst secondaries in the league last season, and they likely didn’t do enough in free agency to fix their issues. On the other side of the ball, they have (rightly) lost their most productive receiver in Tyreek Hill due to domestic abuse charges.
The Chiefs’ first priority with the draft was to bring in a receiver with the speed to replace Hill. Boasting a 4.33 second 40-yard dash time and often seeming like he plays faster, Hardman is a prospect with a skill set capable of emulating Hill’s play. Juan Thornhill was an excellent addition to a secondary that plays a lot of zone coverages. He will likely beat out Jordan Lucas for the starting safety job alongside Tyrann Mathieu. The safety position is looking pretty good now for the Chiefs. Khalen Saunders is an effective nose tackle and one of the more fun prospects in this class. He may give Chris Jones the opportunity to move to defensive end on early downs if he proves himself in camp.
Last Word on the Kansas City Chiefs: They didn’t have many picks to make. Cornerback was probably their weakest position group in 2018 and might have become even weaker with the loss of Steven Nelson in free agency. They were able to add good help at safety, but the secondary may still be weak overall.
22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – LB Devin White, CB Sean Bunting, CB Jamel Dean, S Mike Edwards, DE Anthony Nelson, K Matt Gay, WR Scott Miller, DT Terry Beckner Jr
The entire defense was a need for the Buccaneers who managed to cut their most impactful defensive player in Gerald McCoy after this draft only to replace him with an almost equally expensive Ndamukong Suh, but I digress. The Bucs have been struggling to find consistency in the secondary especially and needed to add some linebacker help after losing Kwon Alexander in free agency.
I applaud them for taking freak athlete Devin White with the fifth overall pick to step in at the middle linebacker spot. Hopefully, they are able to coach him up to reach his Hall of Fame potential. The reason I knocked the Bucs, however, is because they continue to experiment in the secondary.
It is not that their secondary lacks talent or potential, but that they have no sure thing in their secondary yet. Maybe competition is the answer or maybe they should have drafted a player with known talent when many were available. Yes, Jamel Dean is a great athlete with major upside and Sean Bunting has flashed playmaking ability but is it worth the risk? I might be wrong, but I think the Bucs would have been better off shooting for high floor corners. The Bucs continued the trend of drafting high upside players by taking Anthony Nelson in the 4th but by that point, it was a good value pick. Nelson has the size and athleticism to be a terror off the edge.
Last Word on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs chose all high upside defensive players who have yet to play to their full potentials. If they are able to coach them up, the Bucs will have made fantastic strides forward, but it’s difficult for me to have faith in their defensive coaches.
23) Cincinnati Bengals – OT Jonah Williams, TE Drew Sample, LB Germaine Pratt, QB Ryan Finley, DT Renell Wren, G Michael Jordan, RB Trayveon Williams, LB Deshaun Davis, RB Rodney Anderson, CB Jordan Brown
The Bengals… oh, the Bengals. The Bengals somehow manage to look decent at the beginning of every season only to have crashed by the time the year ends. They needed to bring in help on the offensive line, at linebacker, and in the secondary.
The Bengals seem to have prioritized offense in a defense-heavy class. Jonah Williams was probably the best offensive tackle in this class, especially when it comes to pass protection. He has solid technique, footwork, and understanding of pass rush concepts and is a decent run blocker as well.
Drew Sample in the second round seemed like a bit of a reach. He only produced 252 yards during 2018 season and should primarily factor as a blocking tight end. He should be a good TE2 behind Tyler Eifert, but there isn’t a lot of value in taking a TE2 in the second round. Germaine Pratt is safety to linebacker convert who is versatile enough to play at any linebacker position. He needs a lot of development at every position, however, so the Bengals will need to figure out where he fits in and train him up for that specialty. Ryan Finley was one of my favorite QBs in this class. He will be a good backup in the NFL at least. Renell Wren, Michael Jordan and especially Trayveon Williams all have the chance to become the starter at their respective positions but each must prove himself in camp first.
Last Word on the Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals made a lot of simply good but unremarkable picks. I don’t see this class pulling them up from last place in their division.
24) Oakland Raiders – DE Clellin Ferrell, RB Josh Jacobs, S Jonathan Abrams, CB Trayvon Mullen, DE Maxx Crosby, CB Isaiah Johnson, TE Foster Moreau, WR Hunter Renfrow, DE Quinton Bell
Boy did the Raiders start rebuilding this offseason. They brought in a whole wide receiver unit in Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, and JJ Nelson while also signing offensive tackle Trent Brown, linebacker Vontaze Burfict, and safety Lamarcus Joyner. Despite this, the Raiders still had needs at cornerback, running back, and EDGE.
As has been stated many many times, Clellin Ferrell over Josh Allen? Clellin Ferrell is certainly a first-round value having recorded 11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss last season with the Tigers. But he is not top five value and definitely not top five in this class of edge defenders. This was not a horrible pick, but Josh Allen was almost indisputably the better option here.
Josh Jacobs was the consensus best running back in this class. He was a threat in both the pass and run game at Alabama. He doesn’t have the exceptional speed or burst, but what separates him is his ability to find holes and make cuts. Vision is the key requirement for a rusher in Gruden’s system.
Jonathan Abrams hits like a truck. He will be a solid box safety or slot corner in nickel and dime packages. I wonder if the value was there in picking him in the first round, however, especially considering that Karl Joseph is already an excellent strong safety for the Raiders; the best corners of the class, Byron Murphy and Deandre Baker, were still on the board; and they could have picked up a player with a similar skillset to Abrams’, such as Amani Hooker or Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, much later in the draft.
The addition of Trayvon Mullen and Hunter Renfrow has made many wonder how thorough Oakland’s scouting was for this draft, although both Clemson prospects fill needs for the Raiders. Mullen is a long, relatively fast corner who excels in man coverage. Renfrow gives the Raiders a pure slot receiver.
Last Word on the Oakland Raiders: The Raiders filled needs with a lot of good players, but the value wasn’t there for most of their picks. They let go of Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper to rebuild this roster. Considering they play in one of the league’s toughest divisions, they needed to do better.
25) Cleveland Browns – CB Greedy Williams, LB Sione Takitaki, S Sheldrick Redwine, LB Mack Wilson, K Austin Seibert, OT Drew Forbes, CB Donnie Lewis
The Browns absolutely slayed in free agency and for once didn’t need to do amazing in the draft. They needed to find a corner to start opposite Denzel Ward, and they needed to add depth and bring competition at the linebacker position. In this respect, the Browns delivered.
The reason the Browns are so low on this ranking is that they drafted only a single player who I can say for sure will be a starter in 2019—cornerback Greedy Williams. Fortunately for Browns fans, however, they got a first-round value at their biggest position of need without even having a first round pick. Williams is likely the best man corner in this draft class. His tape showing success against vertical threats like DK Metcalf is reinforced by his elite 4.37 40-yard time. The Browns now have a solid secondary to work with for 2019.
The Browns also brought in competition at linebacker by drafting Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson. Takitaki was rated PFF’s 8th best off-ball linebacker and should contribute on special teams as well. Mack Wilson was once graded as a first round prospect, the best linebacker in the class after Devin White and Devin Bush. But he saw his stock decline after notably middling workouts. Sheldrick Redwine is a good developmental pick and provides depth for a shallow safety group.
Last Word on the Cleveland Browns: Kudos to the Browns for their incredible offseason. They got a steal at arguably their only true position of need and could afford to bet on their coaching staff and simply bring in competition and depth pieces with all of their other picks.
26) Minnesota Vikings – C Garrett Bradbury, TE Irv Smith, RB Alexander Mattison, G Dru Samia, LB Cameron Smith, DT Armon Watts, S Marcus Epps, OT Olisaemeka Udoh, CB Kris Boyd, WR Dillon Mitchell, WR Olabisi Johnson, LS Austin Cutting
The Vikings were looking to find help along their offensive line which came in at 29th in the league last season. That had to be their biggest priority. They were also looking to add depth at tight end behind Kyle Rudolph and running back after losing Latavius Murray to the Saints in free agency.
Garrett Bradbury was likely the best zone blocking interior offensive lineman in the draft and should fit seamlessly into the Vikings’ rush schemes. Irv Smith is effective as both a receiver and run blocker. He had great development as a receiver going from just 14 receptions as a sophomore to 44 as a junior, showing that he is a quick learner and has room to grow.
The Vikings needed an every-down running back to pair with Dalvin Cook, and that’s exactly what they should get from Alexander Mattison. Mattison had two consecutive 1000 yard rushing seasons at Boise State and a career average 4.9 yards per carry. Dru Samia was also a good value pick as he has the potential to develop into a starting caliber guard given time and should act as a solid depth piece for the coming season. He’s another excellent zone blocker and reliable in pass protection as well.
Last Word on the Minnesota Vikings: They filled needs and should be ready to compete in a difficult division.
27) Los Angeles Rams – S Taylor Rapp, RB Darrell Henderson, CB David Long, OT Bobby Evans, DT Greg Gaines, OT David Edwards, S Nick Scott, LB Dakota Allen
Unpopular opinion: the Rams have been playing with fire by going into win-now mode and signing a number of high profile players without establishing a team identity. Of course, they went to the Super Bowl last season. But something about their team building strategy gives it a glass castle feel for me. The Rams lost and were unable to replace Ndamukong Suh in free agency. Todd Gurley’s knee is questionable as well, and the strong safety position was looking for an upgrade.
The Rams checked some boxes on paper. Taylor Rapp is a disciplined and reliable strong safety with great tackling form and strength and awesome potential on safety blitz concepts. He was selected as an FBS Consensus All-American.
Darrell Henderson will fit nicely into the Rams’ zone running system. Henderson averaged a staggering 8.9 yards-per-carry in both his sophomore and junior seasons and had 1909 rushing yards in the latter season. That is insane production. While many think he is undersized and benefited from the poor competition, over 2200 yards from scrimmage in just a single season is the production that can’t be ignored. These two look to be instant starters. After them, I’m not sure if any of the Rams’ picks can be developed into more than just depth pieces. Among them, Greg Gaines perhaps has the best shot of seeing snaps consistently.
Last Word on the Los Angeles Rams: The departure of Ndamukong Suh has left a hole on the defensive line that’s yet to be filled. This draft class has mitigated the losses of Lamarcus Joyner and perhaps Todd Gurley to an extent. Granted that making it to the Super Bowl is a high bar to surpass, I don’t see the Rams being a better team in 2019 than they were in 2018.
Last Word on Passable Draft Classes:
The Colts, Steelers, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Bengals, Raiders, Browns, Vikings, and Rams all had passable draft classes. All of these teams should have at least two players emerge as starters in 2019. Many of these teams decided to take risks by drafting low floor, high ceiling prospects. They are betting that their coaching staffs can bring out the best in these players.
Finally, we will cover the not so good draft classes. These teams all drafted at least one player who should start for the 2019 season, but they also made picks where the value was highly questionable.
Part One – Part Two – Part Four
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