Recapping the 2019 NFL Draft: Biggest winners, losers, steals and reaches

Biggest Steals

Ed Oliver

Ed Oliver, DL, Houston - 9th pick to Bills

The Bills were rumored to potentially trade up into the top three to pick one of the defensive tackles (Quinnen Williams or Ed Oliver) because they had such a desperate need at 3-tech after the retirement of Kyle Williams. Instead they stayed put and had maybe the most talented, highest upside player in the entire draft fall in their lap. Not only is he a perfect fit in Buffalo, he was also clearly the number one guy on the board at that point.

Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida - 35th pick to Jaguars

No question, the Jaguars came into this draft in need for a right tackle. I thought they would grab Florida’s Jawaan Taylor with their seventh overall selection already, but when Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen was still on the board, they had to go with the best player available. Fortunately for them, NFL teams were scared by reports about his knees and so the Jags could trade up a few spots to grab Taylor early in the second round.

David Montgomery, RB, Iowa State - 74th pick by Bears

The Bears didn’t have a first or second-round pick in this draft because of the Khalil Mack trade, which they should feel pretty good about. Despite that, they made their first selection count by grabbing my number two running back in Iowa State’s David Montgomery, who I had a late first-round grade on. This kid was the most elusive guy at the position available and should be a huge upgrade over recently traded Jordan Howard.

Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State - 103rd pick by Cardinals

Man, I didn’t see this one coming. From what I heard and how I had this rated, I really thought Butler had a chance to sneak into the late first round. The Cardinals made him the first selection of day three when I thought he was a more talented big-bodied pass catcher than N’Keal Harry, who the Patriots made their first round pick out of Arizona State. Butler might have some troubles with drops at this point, but he also makes several spectacular grabs and can actually play any receiver spot.

Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame 108th pick by Giants

I suspected that this kid might fall a little because he doesn’t quite have NFL measurements, but Love was my fifth-highest ranked cornerback in the draft, and I thought he should go early on day two for sure. The former Irish DB is such a feisty competitor and is as good as anybody in this class at driving on the ball from off-coverage. He is smart, physical and gets the job done. A shimmer of light in this Giants draft class.

Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia - 126th pick by Bears

To think Chicago didn’t jump into this draft before the third round, their front office must be pretty stoked with who they have added with those first two picks. They already had my RB2 in David Montgomery and then they came back late in the fourth round and grabbed another one of my top 50 prospects (actually right at that number) in UGA’s Riley Ridley. He is an excellent route-runner, who will get off the line with his releases right away, and a very natural pass-catcher.

Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama - 139rd pick by Cardinals

I already talked about Thompson being one of the losers in this draft after being a projected top 50 draft pick, but the Cardinals won’t mind grabbing him in the fifth round. The former Tide safety has tremendous range, instincts and ball-skills. There certainly were a few bad moments on tape late in the year, but as a true free safety he could be an immediate starter if healthy.

Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State - 146th pick by Lions

This might have been the biggest steal of the entire draft. Oruwariye was my fourth cornerback after the trio of Byron Murphy, Greedy Williams and DeAndre Baker. He has all the length and athleticism you could ever want from a corner and he had a lot of production at Penn State already. If you work on him on his press technique, he could end up being an outstanding cover-three/man-corners for Detroit. I saw him as an early second-rounder to be honest.

Kelvin Harmon, WR, N.C. State - 206th pick to Redskins

And another guy who I had as a top 50 prospect. Harmon was right there with Georgia’s Riley Ridley for me. Like the former Bulldog, Harmon is a very detailed route-runner, who understands how to use his body and adjust mid-air. He won’t blow you away with pure straight-line speed, but he is good enough to be a threat, especially when you put the ball to his back-shoulder and let him work the sideline.

Caleb Wilson, TE, UCLA - 254th pick by Cardinals

This year’s Mr. Irrelevant could end up as TE1 for Arizona. I kind of saw Wilson slipping a bit because he had some of the worst leaping numbers at the combine and doesn’t really pop off the tape. I already talked about this, but Wilson is really crafty at attacking the leverage of defenders and he kind of has that old-man game where he might not need to scare anybody over the top, plus he actually 4.56 at 240 pounds.

Others

Josh Allen, Edge, Kentucky - 7th pick to Jaguars

Byron Murphy, CB, Washington - 33rd pick to Cardinals

Cody Ford, OT/G, Oklahoma - 38th pick to Bills

Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware - 60th pick by Chargers

D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss - 64th pick by Seahawks

Justin Layne, CB, Michigan - State 84th pick by Steelers

Ryan Finley, QB, N.C. State - 104th pick by Bengals

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida - 105th pick by Saints

Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State - 113th pick by Ravens

Ben Powers, OL, Oklahoma - 123rd pick by Ravens

Renell Wren, DL, Arizona State - 125th pick by Bengals

Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama - 155th pick by Browns

Blake Cashman, LB, Minnesota - 157th pick by Jets

Joe Jackson, Edge, Miami - 165th pick by Cowboys

D’Andre Walker, Edge, Georgia - 168th pick by Titans

Lamont Gaillard, C, Georgia - 179th pick by Cardinals

Trayveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M - 182nd pick by Bengals

Isaiah Buggs, DL, Alabama - 192nd pick by Steelers

Travis Homer, RB, Miami - 204th pick by Seahawks

Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma - 211th pick by Bengals

Darwin Thompson, RB, Utah State - 214th pick by Chiefs

Kris Boyd, CB, Texas - 217th pick by Vikings

Jimmy Moreland, DB, James Madison - 227th pick by Redskins

Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington - 234th pick by Dolphins

Jalen Jelks, Edge, Oregon - 241st pick by Cowboys

Michael Dogbe, DL, Temple - 249th pick by Cardinals

Dakota Allen, LB, Texas Tech - 251st pick by Rams