The offseason is officially here, and the 2019 NFL Draft is the most important event on the league’s calendar until the fall. If you’ve avoided draft talk until after the Super Bowl, get ready. This week’s mock draft goes two rounds, so get acquainted with some of the best prospects this year. 1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa , DE, Ohio State Fit or best player? That is the question that the Cardinals will have to answer regarding the first overall pick in the draft. Ohio State’s Nick Bosa is the best player in the draft. Alabama’s Quinnen Williams, who is just slightly behind Bosa, is the better fit for Vance Joseph’s defense. It will be fascinating to follow rumors surrounding the top pick for the next several weeks. 2. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, DE/OLB, Kentucky Watching Allen, it’s hard to find flaws in his game. He’s an athletic pass rusher with versatility. He can come up and play the run. He has some experience dropping back in coverage and picking up players in man coverage. He’s a player the 49ers can add and get a big contribution from early in his career. 3. New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama The Jets would probably prefer to see either Allen or Bosa available with the third pick. If they’re not there, the value play on Williams might happen. Williams can play multiple spots on the defensive interior and create pressure from each of them. 4. Oakland Raiders: Jeffery Simmons , DT, Mississippi State The range for Simmons is all over the place in the top 20. The powerful defensive tackle could jump into the top five, or he could slide due to off-field concerns. For the Raiders, he would help improve one of the worst run defenses in the NFL last season. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rashan Gary , DE, Michigan The Buccaneers are in a tough spot this offseason. They’re likely going to cut veteran star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. They could also move on from end Vinny Curry. If those moves happen, Tampa Bay could turn to the draft to replenish the defensive line. Gary is a big end who sets the edge well, and he can move inside in certain situations. 6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins , QB, Ohio State The Giants will closely be watching teams behind them like the Jaguars and Dolphins to figure out if they plan to jump inside the top five to take Haskins. That could lead New York to giving up multiple picks, even potentially next year’s first-round pick. That’s a lot of draft capital, but a franchise quarterback would be worth it. 7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonah Williams , OT, Alabama This is sort of a boring pick, perhaps. I’m just not sold on Tom Coughlin — as old school as there is in the NFL — taking athletic Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Instead, the Jaguars could opt for a veteran quarterback in free agency and find their franchise quarterback in 2020. Williams can handle right or left tackle, depending on where Cam Robinson is at after returning from injury. 8. Detroit Lions: Ed Oliver , DT, Houston The Lions are in a tight spot with this pick. An offensive lineman could be argued, but the team has a lot of money tied up there already. A defensive end is the obvious choice, but putting Montez Sweat in the top 10 last week was a little premature. That could lead the Lions to Oliver, who has exceptional athleticism and movement ability for a defensive tackle. Head coach Matt Patricia prefers building from the middle out, so a defensive tackle could be in play at No. 8, even though the Lions already have A’Shawn Robinson and Damon Harrison. 9. Buffalo Bills: Christian Wilkins , DT, Clemson This may appear a little early for Wilkins, but he could be the three-technique the Bills need. Don’t file this away as a reach because Wilkins is the fourth interior defensive lineman taken already. The position is far and away the top group in the 2019 draft. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Wilkins as the seventh-best player in the draft, mainly for his ability as a pass rusher. 10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock , QB, Missouri One of the hottest pre-draft rumors already is that Broncos top executive John Elway is “smitten” with Lock. That’s sort of ridiculous because it’s only February, but this really is the epitome of draft season. The rumors are coming. Some you stick with, like this one for now. 11. Cincinnati Bengals: Cody Ford , OT, Oklahoma Offensive line continues being an issue for the Bengals, and that’s a big problem with a stationary quarterback like Andy Dalton in the pocket. Ford or Florida’s Jawaan Taylor could be in play here if the Bengals don’t take LSU linebacker Devin White. Ford can line up on the right side or move inside to guard. Wherever he plays, he should help the Bengals. 12. Green Bay Packers: Brian Burns , Edge, Florida State This pick has often been Florida’s Jachai Polite, but he won’t be the only pass rusher the Packers consider with the 12th pick. Burns should be another candidate. He’s a long athlete who really flashed at times last season for a dull Florida State team. 13. Miami Dolphins: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida Here’s another hot draft rumor: The Dolphins are going to tank next season. If true, it’s probably to try to get Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert. If we believe that assumption, the Dolphins probably won’t take Kyler Murray here. Offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James is an unrestricted free agent who would easily leave Miami. If he does, the Dolphins could find his replacement in Taylor. 14. Atlanta Falcons: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU Atlanta’s secondary was shredded by injuries last season, showing the team needs to, at worst, find some depth. If a big run on defensive tackles happens, the Falcons could find themselves in a position to take the best cornerback in the draft. For me, it’s Williams, a long playmaker who entered the draft after just his redshirt sophomore season. 15. Washington: Kyler Murray , QB, Oklahoma There are conflicting reports on Alex Smith’s future football after his gruesome injury last season. If there is doubt, Washington should not hesitate to select Murray if he’s available with the 15th pick. 16. Carolina Panthers: Clelin Ferrell , DE, Clemson This is a pick I continue to like, especially after Julius Peppers announced his retirement. That leaves the Panthers with Mario Addison and not much else. Ferrell is a nice all-around end who can create pressure off the edge and hold up against the run. 17. Cleveland Browns: Montez Sweat , DE, Mississippi State Emmanuel Ogbah had just an average season for the Browns in 2018, and Cleveland would be smart to find a capable end who can eat some of his snaps and take some pressure off Myles Garrett. 18. Minnesota Vikings: Dalton Risner, OL, Kansas State Risner is the type of mean and versatile blocker the Vikings need to find this offseason. He can push for the starting right tackle job, but he fits just about anywhere on the inside for Minnesota. His versatility would allow the Vikings to start the best five linemen on a weekly basis. 19. Tennessee Titans: Jachai Polite , DE/OLB, Florida A wide receiver should strongly be considered with the first-round pick by the Titans. But if a pass rusher like Polite is available, he’ll be hard to pass up. He can line up on the outside opposite Harold Landry to give Tennessee one of the AFC’s most ferocious pair of edge rushers. 20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Devin White , LB, LSU White is the draft’s top true linebacker, and the Steelers shouldn’t hesitate to pick him if he’s around at No. 20 overall. White would add a dimension of playmaking ability on the second level the Steelers lost when Ryan Shazier got injured. 21. Seattle Seahawks: Jerry Tillery , DL, Notre Dame Tillery ran hot and cold for Notre Dame, but when he was on he is able to make a big impact from the outside and inside. For Seattle, he can be the player that Malik McDowell, unfortunately, never became because of injuries. 22. Baltimore Ravens: Josh Jacobs , RB, Alabama There are a few teams in the back half of the first round that could be targeting Jacobs. The Ravens could be the first one if they don’t see Gus Edwards or Kenneth Dixon as lead backs. Jacobs is a strong but agile runner who is hard to bring down. 23. Houston Texans: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington As has been the case, this pick should be between an offensive tackle or a cornerback. In this mock draft, Murphy’s athleticism and playmaking ability is too hard to pass up. Houston needs corners with speed on the outside, and Murphy can be a shutdown player. 24. Oakland Raiders (via Chicago): D.K. Metcalf , WR, Ole Miss The Raiders desperately lack a wide receiver who teams have to game plan against. Of all the receivers in the draft this year, Metcalf has the most star potential. That’s because of his size and ability to get physical to make a contested catch. 25. Philadelphia Eagles: Andre Dillard , OT, Washington State Left tackle Jason Peters has struggled the past two seasons with injuries, and he could decide to retire this offseason. Even if he doesn’t, the time is now for the Eagles to find his successor. Dillard is an athletic blocker on the left side, and he knows how to handle speed rushers. 26. Indianapolis Colts: Marquise Brown , WR, Oklahoma Although the Colts need to come out of this draft with a defensive lineman or two, Brown would be hard to pass up if he’s still available. After T.Y. Hilton, the Colts don’t have much at wide receiver. Brown may be a similar player stylistically, but he would give Andrew Luck a second dangerous weapon on the outside. 27. Oakland Raiders (via Dallas): Devin Bush , LB, Michigan Bush was actually a pick for the Raiders in last week’s mock draft, but at the No. 24 spot. If the Raiders get a defensive tackle with the fourth pick, they can continue working up the middle of the defense with a linebacker like Bush. 28. Los Angeles Chargers: Greg Little , OT, Ole Miss Finding a defensive lineman later in this draft will be easier than finding a starting offensive tackle. That’s the simple reasoning behind sending Little to the Chargers. He has a future as a left tackle in the NFL thanks to his size and athletic profile. 29. Kansas City Chiefs: Deandre Baker , CB, Georgia The Chiefs face a complicated offseason where several of their good players are going into free agency. That means they could lose some players and absolutely need to hit on some draft picks. Baker isn’t the flashiest player in this draft, but he’s reliable and should start straight away. 30. Green Bay Packers: (via New Orleans): N’Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State A wide receiver is a little bit different from the norm for Packer picks in mock drafts. Although Aaron Rodgers made the best of players like Equanimeous St. Brown and Marquez Valdes-Scantling last season, the Packers could still use an upgrade. That’s especially true with Randall Cobb being a free agent. 31. Los Angeles Rams: Zach Allen , DE, Boston College If Dante Fowler ends up being one-and-done with the Rams, Allen would be a suitable replacement. Allen is strong enough to set the edge against the run, and does just enough as a pass rusher to warrant first-round consideration. 32. New England Patriots: T.J. Hockenson , TE, Iowa This feels kind of dirty. It’s just hard to find a good landing spot for a tight end in the first round besides Green Bay. Now the Patriots can go from winning yet another Super Bowl to getting one of the 10 best players in the 2019 draft. SECOND ROUND 33. Arizona Cardinals: Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia Cajuste is just on the fringe of being a first-round pick.<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>
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