Making a Mockery of the 2019 NFL Draft

You know who has the absolute worst 2019 NFL mock draft takes? Everyone. You, me, the experts and analysts… even your favorites. We’re all hilariously wrong in our draft prospect analysis, gauging NFL team needs, and even predicting the NFL Draft order.

So what do we do? Throw our hands up in despair? Say, “what does it matter?” and just stop mocking? Nah.

We call out the bad draft takes.

Not anybody else’s. That’s no fun. Everyone’s just out here trying to guess, months and months in advance, where players might go and what teams might need. The act of making a mock draft should be celebrated! Encouraged! Not shamed.

But I know when I had a bad take, forced a bad fit, or just had an opinion that couldn’t be more off base, and hell if it isn’t fun to look back and laugh at myself.

Have your own bad draft takes? Of course not. Your mock is perfect! That’s why you need the MockOut app—the easiest way to make your own mock draft, and enter it into contests against other mock drafts. Get it here:

It’s time. Bad draft takes. Let’s rip ’em apart and lay bare the bones.

Bad Draft Takes: Mocking My Mock Drafts

Never Too Early 2019 NFL Mock Draft ⎢ 7/6/18

via NYJ 1. Jarrett Stidham, QB Auburn

Let’s start with the first pick of the first mock draft I made this season. In a QB class that is a clear step down from the excellent QB draft class of 2018, the one I picked to go #1 overall is probably the QB who has looked least prepared to step onto an NFL field. Considering how great Bosa and Oliver were known to be already at that point, mocking a QB to go there was silly enough, but picking Stidham of the bunch is aging about as poorly as possible. Projecting 5 first round QBs isn’t exactly a good look either. It’s like I said, “I don’t know which of these QBs will be first rounders, so let’s just put them all in there!”

9. Justin Herbert, QB Oregon

This is probably my favorite bad draft take so far this offseason, because a lot of other draft analysts made the same mistake I did, and haven’t figured it out yet. It takes a deep dive, but once I was schooled by a Skins fan, I took that dive and learned my lesson. Alex Smith signed a pretty crazy contract when he signed with Washington this offseason. Given the way it is structured, it would be almost impossible for the Skins to afford to cut Smith this year, in 2019, or in 2020. They could do it in 2021 if they really needed to move on, but even then they would have $13.5m in dead cap. So let’s just say he will definitely be their QB for the next 3 years, and maybe 4. How can you justify taking a QB in the first round? He would have to either sit for two years, which is pretty unheard of for a first round QB (who isn’t a bust) or they would have to pay a backup QB over $20m per season. That just won’t happen. Everyone mocking a QB to Washington is only looking at Smith’s age, but none of us jerks cared to look at his contract.

27. Devin White, ILB LSU

You know how sometimes you have an opinion, and someone you trust has a different opinion, and you let yours go by the wayside because you trust that other person so much? Well, that’s what happened here with Devin White. But you know what else happened? I fell in love with LBers (Zach Cunningham and Malik Jefferson being the big two) who I was certain were first round caliber players, who ended up slipping into the second. I didn’t want it to happen to me again with White. I now believe that having him last all the way to pick 27 was a bit of an overreaction. I put up a wall because I didn’t want to get hurt again. But it’s time to open up my heart and let Devin in. He is fast and instinctive and a difference maker, and I see almost no way he lasts to pick 20, much less falling out of the first round.

Custom Draft Order ⎢ 8/9/18

10. A.J. Brown, WR Ole Miss

Minus Coleman and always on uncertain footing with Gordon (looky there) giving the Browns a WR there wasn’t necessarily a bad pick. What was bad about it was which WR I gave them. A.J. Brown is a slot receiver, yet that is the one skill position where the Browns have an exceptional playmaker. I loved Harry and Edwards even at this point, so why not give the Browns one of those outside WRs? Because that was a lazy pick, that’s why. I just found a need (WR) found a guy I liked (Brown) and didn’t think about his specific scheme fit or the existing depth chart.

20. Clelin Ferrell, DE Clemson

I admit it. I got bored. Bored of seeing Ferrell, who to me is a totally safe pick, in the top half of the round. Something about him and his game is just completely uninspiring to me, and I can’t decide what it is. He actually reminds me of a budget Bradley Chubb. He’s really solid at everything, but not an exceptional athlete capable of wrecking a game. There’s just something totally not sexy about him, so I wanted to push him down. But you know what teams really want? Dudes who are totally safe and good at everything. He’s a really good player, and will go in the top-half of the round, so I just need to admit it, keep him there, and stop getting cute.

24. Bryce Love, RB Stanford

Even if Love had somehow bested the numbers he put up last season, a feat that was highly unlikely to happen, he still would have had an uphill battle to climb to be considered a first round RB due to his diminutive stature and his lack of pass game chops. The dude’s small. Not too small to play, and play well in the NFL, but too small to be a first round NFL RB prospect if he isn’t also a receiving threat. It didn’t really matter though, because of course he hasn’t been able to replicate the amazing season he had last year. This pick was even more egregious because the Eagles already have the explosive and barely-200lb. Corey Clement on their team. Great pick, dum-dum.

Final Preseason Mock ⎢ 9/6/18

via BUF 1. Nick Bosa, DE Ohio State

I got roasted for this pick, and with good reason. Why would the Bills, the worst team in football, who have struggled to generate pressure on the QB, pass up on the chance to draft a supremely talented pass rusher who is capable of being the league’s best within a couple years? What’s more, if they were to trade out of the pick, why on earth would they allow their division rivals, the Jets, to be the team that ends up drafting said pass rush phenom? Do you know what Bosa would do to Josh Allen? My god. It would be horrible. I got the right player, but went really far out of my way to mess it up by predicting probably the least likely trade imaginable.

25. Christian Wilkins, DT Clemson

Once again, I didn’t trust my own opinion of a player, and I let it affect where I had him fall. I love Wilkins. Loved him last year, loved him this offseason, and he has done nothing so far this season to change that. He is balling out right now. So why did I drop him from pick 13 in my first mock, to pick 18 in my second, and finally to pick 25 here? Because I stopped listening to myself and instead got lost in the noise. No more! Wilkins will be where he belongs in my next mock. Bank on it. And bank on me adding another couple bad draft takes to this list when my next 2019 NFL mock draft comes out in a few weeks.