Draft Experts Crushing Hard on 2019 NFL Draft Prospects

One of the benefits of running our 2019 NFL Mock Draft Database (which you should bookmark now, because it is updated daily) is that I get to see who the top draft analysts are mocking where, every day. Running that game, you start to notice trends. Some experts are way higher on some draft prospects than everyone else out there.

In some ways, creating a mock draft is like drafting a fantasy football team: it’s about believing in “your guys” and planting the proverbial flag. Yes, much of the process requires us just to make simple predictions- which NFL teams will select which NFL draft prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft?

But sometimes emotion sneaks in there. And you mock the guys that you like a little higher than everyone else does, because you see something in them. You believe. And you hope that an NFL franchise will see that same thing that you see, and take that player early.

We are usually wrong about our guys. But when we plant our flag, and we are right (as Eric Galko was about Patrick Mahomes long before anyone else) then it is a beautiful thing. It might even be the deciding factor in your mock draft contest against your friends.

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So here they are, the draft experts and “their guys” who they are mocking earlier than everyone else in their 2019 NFL mock drafts.

Bleacher Report: Matt Miller loves Trayvon Mullen, CB Clemson

In 9 out of 10 mock drafts, you won’t find Trayvon Mullen as a first rounder. In Matt Miller’s mock draft and Big Board, he is in the top-10. According to Miller:

“Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen is an under-the-radar star hidden on a defensive depth chart full of future NFL players. Mullen, a 6’2″ cover man, has the ideal size and mentality to play on the outside and lock up No. 1 wide receivers.”

Walterfootball: Walter and Charlie love Derrick Brown, DT Auburn

Derrick Brown is mocked by most as a late first- early second-round prospect. Throughout the entire draft process, both Charlie and Walter from Walterfootball have had Derrick Brown as a top-5 player in every. single. mock. draft. From Charlie:

“Brown is up to 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble so far in 2018. Teams have sent consistent double teams at him, but he still managed to stuff runs and cause disruption. Brown also has the quickness to fire into the backfield and pressure the quarterback from the interior. The 6-foot-5, 316-pounder has a ton of upside and is just scratching the surface of what he is capable of doing.”

Draft Wire: Luke Easterling loves Will Grier, QB WVU

Obviously, Easterling isn’t introducing us to some unknown gem of this draft class. We all know who Grier is. But Easterling, more than any other analyst I’ve seen, declared Grier a top-10 pick way back in the preseason, and has stuck with him as a top-10 pick in every mock draft since then.

Easterling hasn’t gone into as much detail about his picks as some other analysts, but I think it’s safe to say that he believes the traits Grier possesses are traits that will be coveted by teams selecting in the top-10 of the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Draft Network: everyone loves D.K. Metcalf, WR Ole Miss and Deionte Thompson, S Alabama

It can be hard keeping track of who The Draft Network contributors are into more than everyone else, because they are so influential in the space right now that everyone catches up. It should be taken as a great compliment, but it also makes it harder for them to visibly plant their flag.

Two players who they brought the nation on board with are Metcalf and Thompson. I hadn’t even heard of Metcalf, much less seen him in any first round mock drafts, until TDN started hyping him. They had him listed as the top-WR in the draft class WAY before everyone else, and it took about a month for the rest of the mock draft community to catch up and agree. Obviously the injury changes things, but we all know the simple fact; TDN was in on him first.

Same thing goes for Deionte Thompson. I think it was right around week 3 of the college season when one of them (maybe Solak?) first alerted us to Thompson’s game, putting him in the top-5, and assuring his cohorts that all of them would soon do the same thing. That prediction came wildly true, and now you cannot find a mock without Deionte going in the top-half of the first round.

Again, after watching a little bit of college football, pretty much anyone can see that they belonged in the first round discussion. TDN isn’t alone in their adoration for these guys. But they were first.

seahawksdraftblog: Rob Staton loves Christian Wilkins, DT Clemson and D’Andre Walker, OLB Georgia

Finally, we’ve got Rob Staton, who I believe might unintentionally be the ultimate contrarian. I don’t know him, so I can’t say for sure whether or not this is true, but he seems to have set himself apart from the draft communityby focusing almost entirely on his OWN opinion and what he sees and thinks. I don’t get the sense that he reads anyone else’s scouting reports or mocks, because his are always so different. Untarnished by the outside world.

That is a recipe for being significantly lower on some players (like Jonah Williams) and higher on others (Wilkins and Walker) than the rest of the draft community. Here’s what he thinks about these draft prospects:

On Wilkins: Fantastic player. Like Deshaun Watson, familiarity is breeding contempt. He has the ideal frame to play inside and rush. Great character, expect a great combine.

On Walker: Walker is underrated. He’s extremely strong and capable of playing the run as an EDGE. He can rush the passer. He’s very comfortable dropping in coverage and he’s extremely physical.

I hope he never changes, because the more variety we have in our experts’ opinions, the more informed we will be when making our own 2019 NFL mock drafts.

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