2019 NFL Mock Draft - Charlie Campbell

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2. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, DE Ohio State My good friend Cecil Lammey of 104.3 The Fan in Denver has heard that the 49ers are high on Nick Bosa. I've heard that the 49ers like Bosa, but are very high on Quinnen Williams, and have Josh Allen in the running for their pick. Sources high up with the team were gushing to me about Williams at the combine, and their scouts have been singing Williams' praises to others. However, edge rush is a bigger need for the team and Bosa is a safe pick. John Lynch has been wanting more edge rush for years, so I think he will lean that direction when push comes to shove.



In the pass rush, Bosa (6-3, 266) is a beast. He has an excellent get-off and fires off the snap. Bosa is fast off the edge with the ability to quickly get leverage by using his speed to get an angle to the quarterback. Aside from his speed and athleticism, Bosa has excellent hands with functional strength to fight off blocks, has a burst to close, and puts quarterbacks down hard. He has developed technique and obviously has been working at his craft for years with his older brother.



Bosa dominated early in 2018 before going down with a core-muscle injury. In mid-October, he announced his decision to leave Ohio State and prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft. Bosa totaled 14 tackles with six for a loss, four sacks and one forced fumble in roughly two games worth of playing time spread out over three contests in 2018. Bosa dominated Oregon State in the season opener, needing to only play one half to notch two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one touchdown and four tackles.



Bosa totaled 34 tackles, 8.5 sacks, two passes batted and one forced fumble in 2017. He was the Buckeyes' best defensive end that season, even though he rotated with Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis. The 6-foot-3, 266-pounder played well for Ohio State in 2016, too, recording 29 tackles with seven tackles for a loss and five sacks. Click links to see the 49ers' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the 49ers' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 3 | Rd: 4 Pk: 2 | Rd: 6 Pk: 3 | Rd: 6 Pk: 39





3. New York Jets: Josh Allen, 3-4OLB Kentucky The Jets are trade-down candidates, but if they are forced to stick and pick, I think they will take either Nick Bosa or Josh Allen. If New York is stuck here, Allen would make sense to give the team a sorely needed pass-rusher coming off the edge.



For the NFL, Allen is fast and dynamic edge defender with natural feel to go along with a dynamite first-step. He closes in an instant, using his good athleticism to bend around the edge or dodge blockers. Allen has developed more functional strength to take on and shed blocks. As a senior, Allen also showed an improved ability to drop into pass coverage, making some huge pass breakups to lead Kentucky to a win over Florida early in the season. Allen is a quality run defender as well. He would be a great fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. In a 4-3, he could rush off the edge and play outside linebacker.



In 2018, Allen totaled 88 tackles with 21.5 tackles for a loss, 17 sacks, five forced fumbles and four passes batted. Prior to dominating Vanderbilt and South Carolina, the senior was phenomenal in leading Kentucky to upsets over Florida and Mississippi State.



The 6-foot-4, 262-pound Allen was one of the top edge defenders in college football during the 2017 season. The junior totaled seven sacks along with 65 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and three passes batted on the year. Allen produced well as a sophomore in 2016 with 62 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks and four forced fumbles. One national scout compared Allen to Leonard Floyd coming out of Georgia with Allen's ability to rush off the edge. Another director of college scouting said that as an inside linebacker, Allen has similarities to current Texans linebacker Zach Cunningham in terms of his height, speed, length, and athleticism in the middle. Click links to see the Jets' picks across all rounds: Rd: 3 Pk: 4 | Rd: 3 Pk: 29 | Rd: 4 Pk: 3 | Rd: 6 Pk: 23 | Rd: 7 Pk: 3





5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin White, ILB LSU When Jason Licht became the Buccaneers' general manager, Tampa Bay was the worst team in the NFC South. Five years later, the Bucs are still the worst team in the South because Licht has made many regrettable moves like taking Vita Vea instead of Derwin James, or Vernon Hargreaves instead of Laremy Tunsil or Leonard Floyd.



The consensus pick for the Buccaneers is LSU linebacker Devin White. I can definitely see that being the choice for Tampa Bay because Licht often gets caught up in personalities and White is a locker room leader while Ed Oliver has some diva to him. The Bucs signed Deone Bucannon as a dime linebacker and have a good coverage linebacker in Lavonte David. Thus, taking White would lead to a platoon situation between those three players, and while that is not good value for a top-five pick, White is a safe choice and Licht can't afford to blow a premium pick.



White is a big inside linebacker who possesses excellent instincts. The 6-foot, 237-pounder has good athleticism with the ability to cover in the passing game while also being a terrific run defender. White notched 123 tackles with 12 for a loss, six passes broken up, three sacks and three forced fumbles in 2018. In 2017, he totaled 133 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, three passes broken up and one interception. That season was a breakout campaign for the sophomore, and if he could have entered the 2018 NFL Draft, he would have graded out similarly to Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds or Georgia's Roquan Smith. White is a pure football player and could be one of the safer picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Click links to see the Buccaneers' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Buccaneers' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 6 | Rd: 4 Pk: 5 | Rd: 5 Pk: 7 | Rd: 6 Pk: 35 | Rd: 7 Pk: 1





8. Detroit Lions: I'm very torn on Detroit's first-round pick between Jonah Williams, T.J. Hockenson and Brian Burns. The Lions could use another edge rusher, but they just spent big on Trey Flowers and Burns is limited to being a situational pass-rusher because he is weak in run defense and lacks strength. That is not a great fit for Matt Patricia's defense, which demands versatility and toughness. Hockenson would be a nice addition, and the Lions need more players who create mismatches in the passing game, but they signed Jesse James to a significant contract and this draft has some depth at tight end that they could draw on Friday night. Jonah Williams would be a day-one starter for Detroit at right guard, and as a three-down starter, he could provide a bigger impact than Burns and provide more impact on a down-by-down basis than a tight end. However, he's off the board and so is star linebacker Devin White. Detroit could take Devin Bush as he would be a great complement to Jarrad Davis and the Lions linebackers were a big weakness last year. Bush and Davis would form a fast and physical tandem.



The 5-foot-11, 234-pound Bush is a short linebacker by NFL standards, but he is an ultra-fast sideline-to-sideline defender with the potential to be a special player in coverage. In 2018, Bush recorded 78 tackles with nine tackles for a loss, five sacks and six passes batted. As a sophomore, he totaled 101 tackles with 9.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, eight passes batted and one interception. He would fit well as a Will - weak side - linebacker, which would let him use his speed and athleticism to seek and destroy in the ground game and cover in the passing game. Click links to see the Lions' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Lions' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 24 | Rd: 4 Pk: 9 | Rd: 5 Pk: 8 | Rd: 6 Pk: 11 | Rd: 6 Pk: 31 | Rd: 7 Pk: 10 | Rd: 7 Pk: 15





13. Miami Dolphins: Christian Wilkins, DT Clemson Miami could use an interior disruptor and pass-rusher. Wilkins is versatile and a great fit for Brian Flores.



In 2018, Wilkins totaled 50 tackles with 14 for a loss, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He totaled 60 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks in 2017. Wilkins is disruptive at the point of attack, showing the speed to create havoc behind the line of scrimmage. He is a great athlete for his size and has the versatility to play a variety of techniques. His speed and athleticism make him a fit for three-technique in a 4-3. He could also fit as a 3-4 defensive end and even play some nose tackle. The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder possesses a nice skill set with upside.



Wilkins played well for Clemson in 2016 as part of a tough defensive line that controlled the point of attack. The sophomore had 48 tackles with 13 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 10 passes batted on the year. Because of injuries, Wilkins played a lot of defensive end. He showed nice athleticism and versatility, but is at his best on the inside, using his mismatch speed against guards. Wilkins made 33 tackles and two sacks as a freshman in 2015. Click links to see the Dolphins' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Dolphins' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 14 | Rd: 4 Pk: 14 | Rd: 5 Pk: 13 | Rd: 7 Pk: 19 | Rd: 7 Pk: 20





16. Carolina Panthers: Brian Burns, DE Florida State Carolina needs a long-term pass-rusher as both Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin are entering free agency after this coming season. Burns could form a rotation with them to start out his career and then replace one as the every-down starter in his second year, assuming he is able to develop his strength and run defense well enough to be a three-down starter. If Burns doesn't get to this pick, I think the Panthers top candidates would be Jonah Williams, Andre Dillard, Cody Ford and Christian Wilkins.



Burns recorded 52 tackles with 15.5 tackles with a loss, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes batted in 2018. In 2017, he totaled 48 tackles with 13.5 for a loss, 4.5 sacks and four passes batted, but also put more pressure on the quarterback than the numbers indicate. The 6-foot-4, 249-pounder notched 9.5 sacks in his debut season for Florida State and finished 2016 in impressive fashion.



Burns is a bit of a polarizing prospect. I know a handful of teams that have graded him for the second day of the 2019 NFL Draft, and some have him in the third round. They feel that Burns has a serious lack of strength and is a liability against the run. Other teams think he could go high in the first round after being workout warrior this spring. However, his lack of strength and run defense will make him a situational player for awhile and possibly his entire career. Scouts have said that Burns has a ton of athletic ability and upside while being a fast speed rusher. Some sources think Burns should have gone back to school to grow stronger before going to the NFL, but his speed, long frame, and good football character have him as a lock for the top 20. Click links to see the Panthers' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Panthers' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 13 | Rd: 3 Pk: 36 | Rd: 4 Pk: 13 | Rd: 5 Pk: 16 | Rd: 6 Pk: 14



