Jim Lytle/Associated Press The New England Patriots celebrated their victory in Super Bowl LIII with a parade a couple of days after the game itself. They'll likely bask in the afterglow of their big win for a little while longer, but before long it'll be back to business and the 2019 NFL offseason. For the other 31 franchises, the offseason has already begun. Most have already spent more than a month surveying the free-agent and draft landscapes, hoping to make up some ground on the Patriots this spring. While free agency will certainly play a role in shaping the 2019 season, the draft is where the building blocks of dynasties like New England's are found. Sure, the Patriots had their fair share of veteran additions last offseason, but guys like Tom Brady and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman were acquired long ago in the draft. Is there a Brady or an Edelman in this year's draft? There's no way to be certain. What is certain is that if teams believe they've identified a future MVP, they're not going to allow them to go undrafted until the final few rounds. These prospects will be drafted in Round 1, a round that's being mocked here, accompanied by some of the latest draft-related buzz. 2019 NFL Mock Draft, Round 1 Video Play Button Videos you might like 1. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Bosa, Edge, Ohio State 2. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, Edge, Kentucky 3. New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama 4. Oakland Raiders: Rashan Gary, Edge, Michigan 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU 6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State 7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri 8. Detroit Lions: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston 9. Buffalo Bills: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama 10. Denver Broncos: Daniel Jones, QB, Duke 11. Cincinnati Bengals: Clelin Ferrell, Edge, Clemson 12. Green Bay Packers: Devin White, LB, LSU 13. Miami Dolphins: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma 14. Atlanta Falcons: Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson 15. Washington Redskins: Brian Burns, Edge, Florida State 16. Carolina Panthers: Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia 17. Cleveland Browns: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington 18. Minnesota Vikings: Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma 19. Tennessee Titans: Montez Sweat, Edge, Mississippi State 20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State 21. Seattle Seahawks: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama 22. Baltimore Ravens: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi 23. Houston Texans: Greg Little, OT, Mississippi 24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson 25. Philadelphia Eagles: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia 26. Indianapolis Colts: Jachai Polite, Edge, Florida 27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama 28. Los Angeles Chargers: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida 29. Kansas City Chiefs: Taylor Rapp, S, Washington 30. Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama 31. Los Angeles Rams: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan 32. New England Patriots: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa Foles Will Hit Free Agency For now, quarterbacks are still being mocked to the New York Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars. This could change for at least one of the two teams after the start of free agency, especially if a certain former Super Bowl MVP lands with one of them. The Philadelphia Eagles have exercised their 2019 option on quarterback Nick Foles. The former backup-turned-playoff hero is set to earn $20.6 million with Philadelphia for the coming season. However, he is expected to "buy his freedom" by paying back $2 million and voiding the option, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport: This means one of two things are now likely to happen. Either the Eagles will apply the franchise tag and try to trade Foles, or he'll enter the open market. Either way, he could change the complexion of the first round if he lands with one of the first quarterback-needy teams on the board. Jacksonville feels the most likely destination for Foles for a couple of reasons. For starters, his former quarterbacks coach with the Eagles, John DeFilippo, is now the Jaguars offensive coordinator. Secondly, there's almost no way the Eagles would trade him to New York if he is franchised. Browns Interested in Targeting Simmons For the first time in quite some time, the Cleveland Browns head into the offseason with options. They don't need a quarterback, running back, No. 1 pass-rusher or a No. 1 cornerback. General manager John Dorsey can target complementary pieces in free agency and the draft—and one of the targets may be former Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. According to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, the Browns are already targeting Simmons. "I may demand a mulligan on this pick, but a terrific source tells me the belief is that Brown general manager John Dorsey will select Simmons," Pauline wrote in a recent mock draft. While Cleveland could certainly use a stud defender in the middle of their defensive front—opponents averaged 4.7 yards per carry—there's a lot that could move the Browns away from Simmons between now and April. For one, the Browns still have to navigate free agency. For two, they have to convince themselves that Simmons won't bring character issues to the locker room. He was arrested back in 2016 after video surfaced of him in a physical altercation with a woman. Dorsey made it clear that he won't tolerate character-related distractions when he shipped off Josh Gordon early in the 2018 season. Is Ed Oliver Starting to Slide? Early in the 2018 season, Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver looked like one of the best defensive prospects in this draft class. However, the rise of guys like Josh Allen and Quinnen Williams have caused Oliver to lose a little bit of his luster. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. even recently mocked him outside of the top 10, going to the Atlanta Falcons at 14th overall. Oliver isn't the hot name he was just a couple months ago. This could be due to teams over-analyzing his 2018 season—as they are wont to do—or it could be because of concerns about his size. NFL Media's Lance Zierlein believes teams may need to consider playing him at inside linebacker instead of defensive tackle:<doc-sep>The new year has arrived, and it couldn’t come soon enough for the teams at the bottom of the NFL standings. While the top 12 teams prepare for the postseason and a run at the Super Bowl, the rest of the league is heading into another offseason of overhaul, hoping to make their own push for the playoffs next year. Let’s kick off this new year with an updated look at how the first four rounds of the 2019 NFL draft could look when April rolls around: 1. Arizona Cardinals | Quinnen Williams | DL | Alabama I know, I know; putting anyone but Nick Bosa in the top spot is mock draft blasphemy. But the Cards already have one of the league’s best edge rushers in Chandler Jones. What they need is a dominant interior force like Williams. 2. San Francisco 49ers | Nick Bosa | EDGE | Ohio State This would be a dream scenario for the 49ers, who desperately need an impact player who can get after the quarterback off the edge. Bosa’s 2018 season ended early due to injury, but at full strength, he’ll have the same kind of impact his older brother has at the next level. 3. New York Jets | Josh Allen | EDGE | Kentucky Similar to the 49ers, the Jets need to land an explosive edge rusher with this pick. Allen solidified himself as one of the best defensive players in all of college football this season, and shouldn’t make it out of the top five. 4. Oakland Raiders | Ed Oliver | DL | Houston This isn’t the ideal situation for the Raiders, who have two solid young talents along the interior of their defensive line (Maurice Hurst, P.J. Hall), but need an edge rusher to replace Khalil Mack. But with two more first-round picks, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden can afford to take value over need and grab a rare talent in Oliver. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jonah Williams | OT | Alabama Donovan Smith picked the worst time to have a season of regression, as the former second-round pick played awful in his contract year. Demar Dotson isn’t getting any younger, and injuries have plagued him for quite some time. Williams would be an immediate upgrade at either tackle spot. 6. New York Giants | Dwayne Haskins | QB | Ohio State It’s long past time for the Giants to replace Eli Manning, and barring another team trading ahead of them, they should have their pick of this year’s top passers. Haskins was my top QB prospect in this class even before Oregon’s Justin Herbert decided to return for his senior season, and he’s well worth this pick. 7. Jacksonville Jaguars | Clelin Ferrell | EDGE | Clemson Quarterback is easily the biggest need here, but Haskins is off the board, and there’s a sizable gap between him and the next-best quarterback prospect in this class. In that scenario, the Jags are better off waiting on a QB and getting better value with an explosive pass rusher in Ferrell, who racked up 48.5 tackles for loss and 27 sacks over three seasons. 8. Detroit Lions | Jachai Polite | EDGE | Florida This scenario gives the Lions some strong options at multiple positions of need, and Greedy Williams would make plenty of sense here, too. But the bigger need is on the edge, where the Lions need an explosive pass rusher to replace what Ziggy Ansah brought in his prime (and at full health). Polite broke out in 2018 with 11 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. 9. Buffalo Bills | D.K. Metcalf | WR | Ole Miss This draft will be all about building around Josh Allen, and with the top tackle off the board, that means getting him the best pass-catching weapon in this year’s class. If he’s able to return from a season-ending neck injury, Metcalf has the skills to be an impact player from Day 1. 10. Denver Broncos | Greedy Williams | CB | LSU Quarterback is the bigger need, but I’m not sold on any of the remaining prospects as top-10 picks. Instead, the Broncos opt for much better value at corner, where Chris Harris, Jr. will turn 30 before next season. Williams is widely regarded as this year’s top cover man, and would be a steal at this spot.<doc-sep>Jay LaPrete/Associated Press Nick Bosa played just three games in 2018. That hasn't seemed to detract talent evaluators, as ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. still has Bosa ranked as his top player in the 2019 draft class. The Ohio State pass-rusher has been Kiper's top overall player throughout the process. Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams ranks second, while Kentucky outside linebacker Josh Allen is third. This year's class is loaded with defensive talent at the top, which could leave teams in need of offensive firepower wanting. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams appear to be the only offensive players who are top-10 locks. Kyler Murray, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones could all soar into the conversation with strong workouts—or, in Murray's case, a commitment to football—but this class is light on skill-position talent. The brother of Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, Nick followed in his brother's footsteps to star at Ohio State before ascending into first-round status. The younger Bosa earned first team All-Big Ten honors in 2017, recording 34 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He had 14 tackles and four sacks in three games last season before undergoing core muscle surgery that ended his Ohio State career. The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 1 pick in April's draft. Having just drafted a quarterback last year (Josh Rosen), Arizona's choice appears to be between Williams and Bosa. Williams came out of almost nowhere to be the most dominant defensive lineman in college football last season, posting 45 tackles and eight sacks on his way to an Outland Trophy and All-America honors. The San Francisco 49ers have the second pick and also have their long-term quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. That means the Bosa-Williams question will likely spend the next half-decade or so being answered in the NFC West. Video Play Button Videos you might like Based on roster needs, it's possible an offensive player will not be taken until the New York Giants select No. 6 overall.<doc-sep>Mel Kiper Jr. today ranked the Top 10 draft-eligible prospects at each position — and included four Notre Dame Fighting Irish players in his assessment. In his pre-Combine evaluation, ESPN’s senior draft analyst considers: Jerry Tillery to be the seventh best defensive lineman to be the seventh best defensive lineman Te’von Coney to be the fifth best inside linebacker Julian Love to be the fourth best cornerback to be the fourth best cornerback Tyler Newsome to be the second best punter Kiper is a force of nature in the draft industry, although his mock drafts aren’t typically very accurate. His rankings are based on game tape from this past season, and will likely change considerably after the NFL Combine evaluation in March. TILLERY IS LIKELY SECOND ROUND IN KIPER’S BOOK Kiper has the six defensive tackles ahead of Tillery all going in the first round of his mock draft. They are Quinnen Williams (Alabama Crimson Tide); Jeffery Simmons (Mississippi State Bulldogs); Ed Oliver (Houston Cougars); Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence (Clemson Tigers); and Dre’Mont Jones (Ohio State Buckeyes). A second-round designation for Tillery jibes, for now, with the conventional wisdom. In the 70 mock drafts I’ve tracked, about three out of every four say Tillery won’t be among the first 32 picks. (Tillery is typically linked with the Los Angeles Chargers, who hold pick #28, among those who believe the Shreveport native will go in the first round.) LOVE BEHIND FIRST ROUND TALENTS Love, an underclassman, is slotted behind Greedy Williams (LSU Tigers), Deandre Baker (Georgia Bulldogs) and Byron Murphy (Washington Huskies) on Kiper’s cornerbacks board. In his first mock, Kiper had Williams at #4 to the Oakland Raiders, Baker at #10 to the Denver Broncos and Murphy at #23 to the Texans. Love can certainly improve his standing among teams with an eye-popping Combine effort, but he’s a second or third round pick in most mock drafts so far. If the Texans don’t pick a cornerback in the first round, some analysts think they’ll take Love with the 54th overall pick. CONEY’S PROJECTION IS ALL OVER THE MAP Kiper has just two inside linebackers in his first round mock draft: His top ILB, LSU’s Devin White, and his No. 2, Devin Bush of the Michigan Wolverines. The analyst also has Alabama’s Mack Wilson and Vosean Joseph (Florida Gators) ahead of Coney on his big board. Of the 14 mock drafts that have suggested picks across multiple rounds, two have Coney in the first round, six have the Palm Beach Gardens native as a second round selection and four have the linebacker in the third round. One has him all the way in the seventh round and another says he won’t be picked for at least four rounds. ALL THE REST Kiper ranks Newsome as the second-best punter behind Jake Bailey (Stanford Cardinal), but that doesn’t mean he’ll get drafted when teams convene in Nashville in April. There isn’t a mock draft I’ve found so far that has slotted Newsome in the draft, although four punters were selected by teams in the fifth round (or later) during last year’s draft. A punter hasn’t been picked before the third day since 2012, so Newsome will be waiting until Saturday to hear his name called. Kiper doesn’t have guard/tackle Alex Bars, wide receiver Miles Boykin, center Sam Mustipher, tight end Alize Mack, linebacker Drue Tranquill, running back Dexter Williams or kicker Justin Yoon on his big boards. Bars may be a late round pick or undrafted free agent after tearing his ACL and MCL in the Irish’s win over Stanford in early October. Mack could be a second day pick — NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has him as the 56th overall selection, but he’s looking more like a third day pick at this point. Mustipher, who was not invited to the Combine, will be a third day selection if picked at all. Ditto for Tranquill and Williams, who were reportedly offered a Combine spot. Boykin hasn’t shown up on a mock draft yet.<doc-sep>
Jay LaPrete/Associated Press ESPN's Todd McShay released his second mock draft on Thursday, projecting that the Arizona Cardinals would make Ohio State edge-rusher Nick Bosa the top overall pick and that the San Francisco 49ers would select Kentucky edge-rusher Josh Allen No. 2. McShay broke down his reasoning for Bosa at No. 1: "With Kliff Kingsbury and Vance Joseph looking to bring back the 3-4 defensive scheme to the desert, look no further than the Chargers' use of Joey Bosa for a glance at how his younger brother would fit with the Cardinals. Expect Nick to play defensive end but also get some snaps standing up on the edge. Either way, Bosa will collect offensive tackles using his length, speed and power. He could get double-digit sacks as a rookie." It isn't surprising to see Bosa atop McShay's draft board—he's long been considered one of the most talented, if not the most talented, player in this class. He was atop the big board of ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. on Wednesday, just ahead of Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and Allen. Bosa registered 17.5 sacks, 77 tackles (29 for loss) and two forced fumbles in his three seasons, though a core muscle injury limited him to just three games in the 2018 season. Bosa looked primed for a monster campaign, with four sacks and six tackles for loss in those three games, but his shortened junior here hasn't hurt his stock. Allen, meanwhile, is a player who has climbed up draft boards all season long, and he now appears a lock to be a top-five pick. Kiper noted that "Allen is disruptive, and he has the length that NFL teams love as a 3-4 outside linebacker," while McShay broke down his potential fit in San Francisco: Video Play Button Videos you might like "The Niners really want an edge rusher after only DeForest Buckner cracked six sacks for them in 2018 (Buckner had 12). Allen blew up offensive linemen all season en route to 17 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss (TFL) for the Wildcats. With his big 6'5", 260-pound frame, Allen could line up as a defensive end in the 49ers' 4-3 scheme if he tacks on some more weight." That level of production in the SEC isn't to be ignored. Allen didn't come out of nowhere, either—he registered 14 sacks and 19 tackles for loss between the 2016 and '17 seasons. But his explosive 2018 campaign was the difference between Allen being a potential Day 2 pick and now projecting to be a top-five selection. As for McShay's other notable picks, he had Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins coming off the board at No. 6 to the New York Giants, while Kyler Murray—who may yet play professional baseball for the Oakland Athletics—was projected at No. 13 for the Miami Dolphins.