2019 NFL Mock Draft: Cardinals to pick the best quarterback, Oakland to land best prospect in the class

Pick #5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Devin White, LB, LSU

Devin White

Another selection that makes too much sense for me to pass up. The Bucs just decided to let Kwon Alexander walk in free agency and now have a void right in the middle of their defense. Lavonte David is one of the more underrated linebackers in the NFL, but he needs a running mate on that Tampa Bay defense.

Devin White is one of the most freakish athletes we have seen come into the league in recent years. He ran a 4.42 at the combine and packs a ton of power. His instincts and reads are a little inconsistent at this point, but he could develop into a star at the next level.

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Pick #6 New York Giants - Rashan Gary, Edge, Michigan

Rashan Gary

This is the first pick I really struggled with, because even though Eli Manning is not even starter material at this point to me, they decided to stick with him for one more year and I don’t see how they could grab a quarterback with the sixth overall pick and leave him on the bench for a full season, especially with the pressure the media and fans would be putting on the G-Men if they struggle early on.

Therefore I went with the type of player GM Dave Gettleman tends to fall for. Rashan Gary didn’t nearly produce at the level you would want a top ten pick to do during his career at Michigan as a former number one overall recruit, but he is a monster when you at his physical tools and the size he brings to the table.

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Pick #7 Jacksonville Jaguars - Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

Jawaan Taylor

I really only debated between two positions here for the Jaguars – either a tight end in the mold of Zach Ertz like new quarterback Nick Foles had in Philadelphia or a right tackle to protect him.

I went with the latter one because of Doug Marrone and Tom Coughlin’s history with offensive linemen and the consensus I am starting to get about who most teams around the league saw as the number one tackle in the draft. Jawaan Taylor would immediately upgrade the rushing attack, which Jacksonville is looking to feature heavily, while giving them a steady presence in the protection.

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Pick #8 Detroit Lions - Montez Sweat, Edge, Mississippi State

Montez Sweat

Matt Patricia is looking to build a beast in Motown in New England fashion and I think he sees his version of Willie McGinest in this young edge rusher from Mississippi State. Montez Sweat is another athletic phenom, running a 4.41 at 6’6”, 260 pounds while being one of the most physical players on the edge.

The Lions head coach already brought over Trey Flowers from his former team, but he might slide inside for Detroit on third downs and they still need a true outside guys with letting Ezekiel Ansah still on the open market.