NFL DRAFT RANKINGS 2019 -- WIDE RECEIVERS

The NFL is a pass-happy league, and is always looking for more talent to add to its pass-catching ranks.

Fortunately for the Shield, there is a deep and talented class of receivers available.

The players are getting bigger, stronger and faster, and many exhibit the polish and poise of a seasoned veteran. A bunch of these guys will get thrown into the fray immediately and given a chance to produce -- many of them will.

These eyes are a bit different from many others in that they rank South Carolina's Deebo Samuel as the top receiver in the 2019 class. His ability to turn nothing into something with great YAC ability will be highly coveted, as will his ability to add heat to a team's return game. Any of the top 10 wideouts could be in for big rookie seasons.

What follows is a breakdown of the top five receivers in this year's draft, each with an assigned Round Grade. The Round Grade is not a projection of where the player will be chosen, but where talent merits he be chosen. After the top five, all quarterbacks projected to be drafted will be listed.

1.  Deebo Samuel/South Carolina (ROUND GRADE: 1)

PROS: Good route runner, shifty out of breaks; Will win most contested balls because of great hand-eye awareness; Has good open field speed and is hard to bring down due to thick frame; Can be a home run threat on the deep post; Good cuts and change of direction, gets good separation; Decent blockers, shows toughness; Outstanding yards after catch, excellent acceleration; Adds pop to the return game

CONS: Limited catch radius; Hands can be inconsistent; Not always adept at fending off DBs, allows them into his body to knock down the football; Not a true burner but quick enough; Doesn’t always adjust well to off-target throws; Allows himself to be overpowered in man coverage at times

2.  N’Keal Harry/Arizona State (ROUND GRADE: 1)

PROS: Excellent catch radius, strong hands to win contested jump balls; Frame and strength allow him to get off of tight coverage; Excellent yards after catch; Very spatially aware, especially on sideline routes; Excellent acceleration out of the catch; Size makes him inviting red-zone target

CONS: Allows ball to reach his body on routes over the middle; Effort has been questioned at times; Not a great athlete; Does not possess exceptional long speed; Sometimes allows himself to be taken out of a play by press coverage; Should have been consistently more dominant given his size and run after catch ability; Wasn’t always the hungriest player on the field

3.  AJ Brown/Ole Miss (ROUND GRADE: 1)

PROS: Shifty in the open field, takes good angles to get past defenders; Strong hands; Excellent route runner, works corners with good fakes and jab steps; Made a living off short and intermediate routes, when he could get a clean break; Effective on route depth, knows how to move the chains; Excellent balance, which helps in yards after catch; Does his best work between the numbers

CONS: Not super athletic or fast; Could be relegated to slot duty at next level due to limitations vs physical outside corners; Doesn’t always hold point of attack as a blocker; Struggles to create separation; Lacks explosiveness, not a true home run threat; Won’t be a red zone target as he lacks the strength and athleticism to win jump balls; Will need to polish his technique if he is to become anything more than a slot guy

4.  Marquise Brown/Oklahoma (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)

PROS: Was exposed to a variety of routes at Oklahoma; Quick feet allows him to excel at shallow crosses and drags; Great top end speed and vision make him a home run threat; Excellent body control, can adjust to poor throws; Very explosive; Wins his fair share of battles vs press coverage despite underwhelming size

CONS: Hands aren’t particularly strong, won’t win a lot of jump balls; Lack of size and functional strength limit his potential; Can be overpowered as a blocker; Ball can be easily dislodged by defenders; Not as smooth in and out of cuts as you would like to see, sometimes relies too much on his speed to get by

5. DK Metcalf/Ole Miss (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)

PROS: Huge (6-3, 230) target who is difficult to jam and who plays with aggression; Explosive in and out of breaks; Excellent body control helps him win jump balls; Very good open field speed, difficult to bring down; Fluid and smooth; Will be inviting red zone target; Great combination of speed, length and athleticism; Is a nightmare against press coverage; Extremely physical after the catch, almost daring defenders to come at him.

CONS: Sometimes gets lost on sideline routes, allows himself to drift too wide; Hands have been inconsistent; Has strength but doesn’t always reach for the football; Sometimes can lose focus while running routes; Breaks off routes too early; Size should allow him to dominate in tight situations, but he often gets called for a push-off; Not the most willing blocker despite the size to excel; Will be interesting to see if a midseason neck injury lingers into the offseason workouts

6.  Kelvin Harmon/NC State (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)

7.  JJ Arcega-Whiteside/Stanford (ROUND GRADE: 2)

8.  Riley Ridley/Georgia (ROUND GRADE: 2)

9.  Terry McLaurin/Ohio State (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

10. Hakeem Butler/Iowa State (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

11.  Andy Isabella/UMass (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

12. Jazz Ferguson/Northwestern State (ROUND GRADE: 3)

13. Emanuel Hall/Missouri (ROUND GRADE: 3)

14. Parris Campbell/Ohio State (ROUND GRADE: 3)

15. Anthony Johnson/Buffalo (ROUND GRADE: 3)

16. Greg Dortch/Wake Forest (ROUND GRADE: 3)

17. Antoine Wesley/Texas Tech (ROUND GRADE: 3)

18. DeMarkus Lodge/Ole Miss (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

19. David Sills IV/West Virginia (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

20. Stanley Morgan Jr/Nebraska (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

21. Preston Williams/Colorado State (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

22. Keesean Johnson/Fresno State (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

23. Lil’Jordan Humphrey/Texas (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

24. Dillon Mitchell/Oregon (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

25. Keelan Doss/UC-Davis (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

26. Penny Hart/Georgia State (ROUND GRADE: 4)

27. Trevon Brown/East Carolina (ROUND GRADE: 4)

28. Jakobi Meyers/NC State (ROUND GRADE: 4)

29. Terry Godwin/Georgia (ROUND GRADE: 4)

30. Travis Fulgham/Old Dominion (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

31. Hunter Renfrow/Clemson (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

32. Anthony Ratliff-Williams/North Carolina (ROUND GRADE: 5)

33. Tyre Brady/Marshall (ROUND GRADE: 5)

34. Olamide Zaccheaus/Virginia (ROUND GRADE: 5)

35. Gary Jennings/West Virginia (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)

36. John Ursua/Hawaii (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)

37. Darius Slayton/Auburn (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)

38. Miles Boykin/Notre Dame (ROUND GRADE: 6)

39. Johnnie Dixon/Ohio State (ROUND GRADE: 6)

40. Cody Thompson/Toledo (ROUND GRADE: 6)

41.  Jalen Hurd/Baylor (ROUND GRADE: 6)

42.  Dredrick Snelson/UCF (ROUND GRADE: 6)

43.  Jovon Durante/FAU (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)

44.  Jamal Custis/Syracuse (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)

45.  Felton Davis III/Michigan State (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)

46.  Mecole Hardman/Georgia (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)

47.  Alex Wesley/Northern Colorado (ROUND GRADE: 7)

48.  Jalen Guyton/North Texas (ROUND GRADE: 7)

49.  Jon Duhart/Old Dominion (ROUND GRADE: 7)

50.  Tyron Johnson/Oklahoma State (ROUND GRADE: 7)

 

NFL DRAFT RANKINGS 2019 -- RUNNING BACKS

There has been a bit of a renaissance in the running back position in the NFL, with a handful of teams selecting a workhorse back early in the first round. Even with the emphasis on passing, there is still a place for guys who can tote the rock.

While there may not be any Todd Gurleys or Zeke Elliotts or Saquon Barkleys in this draft, there is a pretty deep stable of guys who can contribute. There may even be a couple of All-Pro types listed below.

What follows is a breakdown of the top five runners in this year's draft, each with an assigned Round Grade. The Round Grade is not a projection of where the player will be chosen, but where talent merits he be chosen. After the top five, all quarterbacks projected to be drafted will be listed.

            1. Darrell Henderson/Memphis (ROUND GRADE: 1)

PROS: Excellent vision/recognition, knows when to explode through hole or bounce play outside; Quick feet, excellent ability to throttle down to wait for explosion through hole;  Balance is off the charts, gets pad level low and has an array of spins and cuts to avoid contact; solid receiving threat out the backfield; Very elusive, eye-popping lateral movement and acceleration; High motor and effort, will do everything in his power to pick up extra yardage; Good fit in an outside zone scheme, as ability to get around the corner is excellent

CONS: Probably not a lead back due to his frame; Lacking as a pass blocker, will need to improve if he wants to stay on the field; More of a finesse than power back, goes down a bit too easily on first contact. 

2. Devin Singletary/Florida Atlantic (ROUND GRADE: 1)

PROS: Maybe the most patient runner in this draft, he knows when to explode and when to wait for his blockers; Difficult to knock off balance; Has the look of a power back but can breakaway in the open field; Aggressive on cuts and gets upfield in a hurry; Good wiggle in his hips; Nose for the end zone (59 TDs in 32 games)

CONS: Not a true home run threat; Has been largely ineffective as a pass blocker; Some may feel he’s a product of lesser competition as games against Power 5 teams have not been anything special; Wasn’t used much as a receiver his final season but shows a willingness to catch the ball; Lack of top end quickness could limit his role

3. Josh Jacobs/Alabama (ROUND GRADE: 1)

PROS: Elite vision, can find creases in a hurry; Has some nifty improv skills at the second level, escapability; Loves contact, plays aggressive with pads low; Sheds high tackles well; Solid receiver, can make defenders miss; Change of direction is very good; Does not fumble; Solid in pass protection;

CONS: Not truly elite in the speed department; Shoetop tackles bother him, doesn’t evade low contact as much as you would like to see; Athleticism merely average; Has been nicked up, including missing much of sophomore season

4. David Montgomery/Iowa State (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)

PROS: Good variety of cuts, though not super quick in and out of them; Gets stronger with more work, a real grinder; Low center of gravity makes him difficult to knock off balance; Craves contact; Solid in pass pro; Nice hands out of the backfield; Almost always falls forward; Best suited to a power rush attack

CONS: Vision, often waits too long and sabotages his ability to pick up yardage; Not a ton of burst; Seems to lack natural feel and instincts; Average athleticism; Difficulty getting around the corner; Doesn’t react act to first read being unavailable

5.  Damien Harris/Alabama (ROUND GRADE: 2)

PROS: Excellent anticipation and vision, can run with patience or explosiveness; More physical than anything, low workrate in 2018 should mean he’s fresh and ready to go; Good finisher, not afraid to dip his shoulder for some extra yardage; Falls forward, good in short yardage situations; Does his best work between the tackles; Not a lot of wasted steps

CONS: Effort is there in pass pro, but he doesn’t always succeed in holding up against rushers; Average open field burst; Doesn’t make defenders miss very often; Not fast enough to gain separation in the passing game; Not much in the way of eye-popping cuts; Not a great athlete, which limits his upside

6. Trayveon Williams/Texas A&M (ROUND GRADE: 2)

7.  Miles Sanders/Penn State (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

8.  Benny Snell Jr./Kentucky (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

9.  Rodney Anderson/Oklahoma (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

10. Darwin Thompson/Utah State (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)

11. Miles Gaskin/Washington (ROUND GRADE: 3)

12. Justice Hill/Oklahoma State (ROUND GRADE: 3)

13. Elijah Holyfield/Georgia (ROUND GRADE: 3)

14. Bryce Love/Stanford (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

15. Mike Weber Jr/Ohio State (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)

16. Devine Ozigbo/Nebraska (ROUND GRADE: 4)

17. Dexter Williams/Notre Dame (ROUND GRADE: 4)

18. Bruce Anderson/North Dakota State (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

19. James Williams/Washington State (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

20. Travis Homer/Miami (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

21. Ryquell Armstead/Temple (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

22. Nick Brossette/LSU (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)

23. Qadree Ollison/Pittsburgh (ROUND GRADE: 5)

24. Karan Higdon/Michigan (ROUND GRADE: 5)

25. Jordan Scarlett/Florida (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)

26. Jalin Moore/Appalachian State (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)

27. Alexander Mattison/Boise State (ROUND GRADE: 6)

28. Ty Johnson/Maryland (ROUND GRADE: 6)

29. Marquis Young/UMass (ROUND GRADE: 6)

30. LJ Scott/Michigan State (ROUND GRADE: 7)

31. Demarea Crockett/Missouri (ROUND GRADE: 7)

32. Tony Pollard/Memphis (ROUND GRADE: 7)

33. Wes Hills/Slippery Rock (ROUND GRADE: 7)