2039 19th annual 1st round draft review
1.1
Atlanta
WR Terrance McConkey 37/89
Vol 6
6' 1" 187 lbs
Millersville
The consensus #1 overall pick goes first. Despite playing division II football, this Biletnikoff award winner has world class speed, exceptional IQ and elite pass catching potential including route running and fighting for contested catches.
Grade A+
1.2
Zehlendorf
TE Harold Moore 35/95
Vol 52
6' 3" 259 lbs
California
Moore was the Maxwell Award winner and John Mackey award winner in college. Some scouts considered him the top pick of this draft based on his versatility, size and no apparent weakness in his game. He has the potential to become one of the Alltime greats and if he develops can play a number of positions.
Grade A+
1.3
Daytona
WR Henry Walker 38/81
Vol 28
6' 1" 209 lbs
Southern Mississippi
This pick was somewhat a surprise as scouts viewed him as going somewhere between 10-15 in the 1st round and the 4th or 5th best wide receiver in the draft. Walker has great speed, acceleration and smarts to go along with good size and high-end receiving skills so the pick is still solid and should improve Daytona's passing game which finished a surprising 9th last season.
Grade A
1.4
Atlanta
TE Eli Bouldin 36/89
Vol 48
6' 3" 271 lbs
Southern California
Bouldin won the William V. Campbell Trophy and was the runner up for the John Mackey award as the 2nd best tightend in college football. This is Atlantas 2nd of 4 1st round picks as they try to rebuilt this once proud francise. They have won just 1 game in the past 2 seasons but they are under new ownership and clearly have a plan. With the additions of McConkey and Bouldin, they should serious improve a passing offense which finished 26th last season.
Grade A+
1.5
Memphis
RB Ethan Smith 35/83
Vol 22
6' 0" 215 lbs
Utah
This Doak Walker Award for best college running back is a versatile 3 down back with good speed, rushing skills and receiving skills out of the backfield. Some scouts question his ability to pick up the blitz but that's offset by his great route running and hands.
Grade A
1.6
Arizona
RT James Potter 33/94
Vol 74
6' 5" 325 lbs
Miami
Nobody can question Potter's combination of size, speed & strength plus his seemingly endless potential but his skills are raw and he will need to develop them at the next level. Scouts saw him as the 2nd best lineman in the draft but scouts also viewed him as having the biggest possible upside in the draft. Arizona is gambling they can get that potential out of him and if they succeed, they will have an anchor on their oline for the next decade.
Grade A
1.7
Brooklyn
LT Richard Roman 39/84
Vol 90
6' 4" 310 lbs
Florida
Another shocker in Brooklyn as they select a linemen ranked 7th best by the scouts, 7th overall and 2nd among linemen. Roman was considered a 1st round talent but experts had him going somewhere in the 20s. Roman has great size and strength and his pass blocking is more developed then his run blocking. Brooklyn has a solid oline but had a hole at LT so Roman will have every opportunity to start.
Grade A-
1.8
Indiana
WR Paul Clinton 36/87
Vol 72
6' 0" 191 lbs
Arkansas
Clinton was part of a group of 5 WRs considered the 2nd best WR in the draft after McConkey who went #1 overall. Clinton has great to elite level potential from speed, quickness, hands and route running. He does bring established ball carry skills which could lead him to get some carries out of the backfield. Like with everyone in this group, it's all about how he develops his skills at the next level.
Grade A
1.9
Miami
RG James Leyva 49/91
Vol 20
6' 2" 313 lbs
Vanderbilt
Leyva was the Outland Trophy winner and ranked the best olinemen in the draft by the scouts. He isnt the strongest lineman in the draft but his combination of size, speed, quickness, intelligence and discipline along with advanced run & pass blocking skills make him a cant miss prospect. Miami has 3 solid interior offensive lineman and an aging RT so Leyva who can play all 5 positions should fill a hole at LT unless Miami decides to shuffle other players.
Grade A+
1.10
Pittsburgh
LDE William Ray 35/85
Vol 8
6' 4" 271 lbs
California
Pittsburgh lands this DE who many scouts view as a plug and play can't miss prospect. Considered a possible top 5 pick, Pittsburgh should be excited to land him at 10th. His size, speed and quickness make him a prototypical edge defender with solid run stuffing and pass rushing skills along with sure tackling and the ability to strip the football. His only downside is his strength which is considered average but his game is build on speed and quickness.
Grade A+
1.11
Vancouver
DT Tyler Hickman 27/80
Vol 80
6' 2" 299 lbs
Miami
Vancouver uses their first of 3 1st round picks to take this DT. Hickman is one of 2 defensive tackles with 1st round grades but neither was excepted to go this high in the draft. Hickman has tremendous size and strength coupled with great speed and quickness for his size. Vancouver finished 9th in stopping the run and Hickman joins a great defensive front four as a rotational piece.
Grade A-
1.12
Seattle
QB Michael Paez 33/87
Vol 52
6' 1" 213 lbs
Pittsburgh
The first quarterback drafted falls to number 12 after scouts had him going as high as #2 overall. Seattle has an aging QB in Monty Denman who has failed to lead them to the playoffs in his 10 seasons. Paez isn't the biggest QB but has a strong arm and quick release to go with good vision and accuracy. If he can develop in the XFL, Seattle has the luxury of being patient with him as Denham still has 2 years left on his contract.
Grade A+
1.13
New York
TE Robbie Campbell 31/85
Vol 30
6' 3" 254 lbs
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Campbell is the 3rd of 3 great tightends in this draft. Moore and Bouldin who went ahead of him were faster but in most other areas, Campbell rates just as high as the other 2 TEs. New York drafted TE Steve Finch last season and this gives them 2 good TEs for QB Michael Preston to throw too and also improve the running game. Look for New York to run plenty of 2 TE sets thus season.
Grade A
1.14
Texas
WR Manuel Bigelow 31/85
Vol 56
5' 11" 197 lbs
Pittsburgh
Bigelow entered the draft considered the 2nd best WR on the board in a deep class of 10 possible 1st rounders. His speed is just under elite level and his receiving skills are potentially great but his size and ability to make contested catches has been questioned. Texas has 3 good WRs already but Myles and Beam are entering season 8 and 9 respectively so Bigelow gets the benefit of learning from quality veterans before eventually replacing them.
Grade A
1.15
New England
WR Earl Coddington 38/82
Vol 16
5' 11" 199 lbs
Oklahoma
Coddington was considered the 3rd ranked WR entering the draft with elite speed only surpassed by #1 overall pick McConkey. He was projected to go in the top 10 so New England should be excited to land him at 15th. Much like Bigelow, his size and ability to make contested catches has been questioned.
Grade A
1.16
Vancouver
WR Andrew Flemings 32/80
Vol 30
6' 1" 201 lbs
Notre Dame
The run on WRs continues as Flemings is the 3rd straight taken and 6th overall in the 1st round. Flemings speed matches the previous picks Coddington's speed and scouts value his size and ability to make contested catches. Questions about ball security are the only real negatives on his scouting report.
Grade A
1.17
Kansas City
SLB Eugene Park 33/81
Vol 28
6' 2" 236 lbs
Alcorn State
Kansas Selects the first linebacker in the draft and Park is the Butkus Award winner as best LB in college. He can play inside or outside linebacker and joins WLB Proctor who KC drafted last season in the 2nd round. His elite speed and quickness coupled with his ability to play the run, rush the passer or cover make him an ideal candidate to play MLB while Proctor remains outside.
Grade A+
1.18
Washington
WR James Fletcher 31/74
Vol 18
5' 11" 192 lbs
Massachusetts
Washington takes this WR who some scouts saw as a possible 1st rounder. He has great speed and quickness plus great hands and ball carry attributes. Scouts see him as a hybrid RB/WR whi can get snaps out of the backfield and split wide on the outside. Concerns over his route running and ball security made some scouts drop him out of the 1st round but he has some upside and is one of the best remaining WRs remaining in the draft.
1.19
Michigan
MLB Kenneth Martinez 30/78
Vol 32
6' 0" 230 lbs
Washington State
Martinez was a player who saw his draft stock skyrocket after the combine. His elite speed, strength and intelligence along with his quickness moved him up many draft boards and Michigan made him a 1st round selection. He has decent coverage skills but many love his pass rush ability and see him as a matchup nightmare as an edge rusher from the Will position.
Grade A+
1.20
Montana
SLB Samuel Rupert 28/76
Vol 44
6' 0" 244 lbs
Weber State
Initially, this draft wasn't considered LB deep but Montana selects the 3rd LB in the last 4 picks. Scouts love Rupert's football IQ, strength, run stuffing and coverage skills to play the middle and wear the green dot on defense. Concerns over his speed and quickness kept him out of the top 10 but his overall skill set makes him a complete player. Rupert joins LBs Parker, Smith & Davis, all with 5 years or fewer in the league and opens the defense up to playing more 3-4 defensive sets.
Grade A-
1.21
Saint Paul
TE Brandon Green 30/79
Vol 46
6' 3" 265 lbs
Virginia
Brandon Green was ranked in the 4-7 range of TEs in the draft and given a possible 1st round grade. Saint Paul has been a playoff team for 9 straight seasons including 3 straight Conference Championships but was sold to a new owner last season. The team lacked a true TE last season and addressed that issue with this selection. Green has good size and speed plus shows great ability to catch 50/50 ***** to go along with good run blocking.
Grade A
1.22
Toronto
SLB Charles Cox 28/74
Vol 26
6' 3" 248 lbs
Southern California
Toronto selects this LB who scouts see as an edge rusher despite having some cover skills. He has great speed for a LB but if he plays the edge, his speed would be elite level. He is definately strong enough to play DE but has the size, speed and ability to drop back as LB too.
Grade A
1.23
Atlanta
DT James Grant 26/82
Vol 44
6' 1" 301 lbs
Illinois
Atlanta uses their 3rd of 4 1st round selections to take who the Mock Draft said they would at 27th in DT Grant. He has the size and strength to man the nose position with surprising quickness for a man his size. Atlanta's defense ranked 32nd last season and they only had 11 defensive players on the roster entering the draft so Grant was clearly gonna be a starter his rookie season.
Grade A
1.24
Toronto
RDE Mario McBride 32/80
Vol 84
6' 1" 261 lbs
Boston College
Toronto takes their 2nd pick in the last 3 and selects another edge rusher in McBride. He has the more traditional size with similar speed to Cox. If the 2 players develop and become bookends on the front four. Toronto finished 7th in sacks last season and they could improve drastically.
Grade A
1.25
Houston
CB Matthew Scott 35/80
Vol 38
5' 10" 197 lbs
Oklahoma
Houston takes the 1st DB of the draft at pick 25 and it's not the DB ranked 1st by the scouts. Scott has great speed and quickness plus the brain and discipline to be great but scouts are concerned with his cover skills at the next level although he has promising press cover skills.
Grade B+
1.26
Oakland
TE Ronald Turner 31/77
Vol 56
6' 4" 252 lbs
Colorado
Oakland takes a TE ranked 5th for the position. Turner has decent pass catching and blocking skills but lacks the speed of the top TEs. Turner has the versatility to play FB which gives him added value.
Grade B+
1.27
Atlanta
RT Williams Jordon 30/89
Vol 88
6' 1" 326 lbs
California
Atlanta's 4th selection of the 1st round was this offensive linemen whose scout fell prior to the draft based on concerns about his work ethic. He has the size and strength plus all the potential in the world but if he can't turn that potential into reality, his value would plummet. Taking him at 27th, when he has top 15 talent seems like a good gamble which could pay huge dividends.
Grade A
1.28
Gem City
CB John Garza 33/83
Vol 84
5' 11" 182 lbs
Louisiana-Laffeyette
Gem City lands the highest rated DB in the draft. Garza has the speed and quickness needed to be a cover corner and his coverage skills have elite potential but concerns over his ability to reach his potential from division II to the pros is the reason he fell so far in the 1st round.
Grade A
1.29
Tampa Bay
SLB Johnny Gomez 26/78
Vol 6
6' 2" 254 lbs
Iowa State
Gomez is the 5th LB to go in the 1st round and he has great speed, run stopping, pass rush and cover skills to play the middle but his football IQ is questioned by scouts when it comes to wearing the green dot on defense so he may be better suited to outside LBer.
Grade A-
1.30
Washington
MLB Craig Watson 29/81
Vol 52
5' 11" 226 lbs
Tennessee State
Washington takes this undersized college linebacker who should be able to transition to safety in the XFL based on his elite cover skills and sure tackling while coming down in the box to stop the run.
Grade A-
1.31
Vegas
RB Alfredo King 30/83
Vol 96
5' 10" 220 lbs
Oklahoma
Vegas went to the XFL Title game last season and they add a RB from the National Champion Oklahoma Sooners. King isn't fast but quick with plenty of great RB attributes in both rushing and passing out of the backfield.
Grade A-
1.32
Vancouver
WR Christopher Kesterson 28/67
Vol 16
6' 0" 214 lbs Nebraska
Vancouver uses their 3rd pick in the 1st round to select a WR not mentioned in the top 50 players. Kesterson has 1st round speed but many questions surround his pass catching and ball security traits. He is a raw talent and you can't teach speed so only time will tell if he pans out.
Grade B
