This section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2019 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2019 NFL Draft Stock Up
Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama Last week in the Hot Press, we disclosed how multiple sources at the 49ers have been raving about Williams. Sources with the team were gushing about him. They think he is a rare prospect with an amazing skill set of speed and athleticism. Team sources also like Williams’ makeup as an individual and are very high on his immense upside. They were very exuberant about how Williams dominated in 2018 despite it only being his first season of real playing time. Sources feel that the sky is the limit for his potential. With Williams developing a lot of love from the team with the second-overall pick, he could end up going higher than the consensus as many mock drafts have him lower and going in the middle of the top 10.
Darnell Savage, S, Maryland Savage was one of the defensive backs who helped himself with an excellent workout at the combine, and his stock has stayed on the rise since then. In speaking with some team sources, they feel that Savage will go in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. If he somehow slips to Round 3, they think he would not wait long before finding his NFL home. Teams like Savage’s cover skills on the back end and believe that he could become a quality starting free safety in the NFL.
Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina Some team evaluators think that Samuel could end up going higher than expected in the 2019 NFL Draft. They feel that Samuel is similar to Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore, and there are a number of evaluators who really like Samuel. Some sources have told me that I should have Samuel going high in the second round of my mock draft because there are a lot of teams that are intrigued with him.
Cody Ford, OT/G, Oklahoma There are teams in the middle of the first round that like Ford and have him in contention for their first-round pick. While Ford is projected to be a right tackle or guard, evaluators like him more than some other college left tackles like Ole Miss’ Greg Little or Alabama’s Jonah Williams. They feel that Ford is a better player than Little and has a skill set that projects better to the NFL than Williams. While Ford hasn’t gotten a lot of media attention, he has a real shot to go in the top half of the first round this April based on speaking with team sources.
Justin Layne, CB, Michigan State The former wide receiver turned defensive back has gone under the radar even though he comes from a program that has produced a lot of NFL defensive back talent this decade. Layne helped change that with a good combine, showing off a good athletic skill set with size and speed. In speaking to some team sources, they think Layne could go in the second round, and some teams have him graded there. In a weak cornerback class, Layne is a prospect on the rise.
2019 NFL Draft Stock Down
Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky In speaking to multiple sources of teams picking in the top-four picks, they were not all that excited about Allen. They liked him as a prospect, but did not have him as highly graded as Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams or Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa. These sources felt Allen would be a more appropriate value if their teams traded down. They felt that Allen was not the same caliber of player as Williams or Bosa, and that Allen might slip a little lower than expected in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Elijah Holyfield, RB, Georgia Holyfield was not expected to be a burner, but his combine 40 time was very detrimental to his draft stock, as he came in at 4.78 seconds. That was the slowest time of any running back at the combine and illustrates that Holyfield has a serious speed concern for the NFL. The 5-foot-10, 217-pounder is going to need to run faster and look quicker during other pre-draft workouts. That 40 at the combine could send Holyfield from late second-round contention to sliding deep into Day 3 of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Joejuan Williams CB, Vanderbilt Entering the NFL Scouting Combine, Williams was getting some buzz as a potential second-round pick, with some draft analysts putting him in their top-50 prospects. However, that was dealt a serious blow in Indianapolis when Williams ran an extremely slow 40 yard dash of 4.64 seconds. That is a scary time for a cornerback, as teams will have major speed concerns for the big corners. That might prompt some to consider moving him to safety. After his combine performance, Williams looks more like a mid-round pick.
Blace Brown, CB, Troy NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah suggested Brown has not been the same player since suffering a knee injury earlier in college, and that was given more proof at the NFL Scouting Combine when Brown ran a 4.75-second time in the 40 yard dash. That is a very slow time for a cornerback, and Brown has to show massive improvement prior to the 2019 NFL Draft. Brown will now attach serious speed concerns to go along with the medical, and that combination could cause Brown to fall deep in the draft.
Isaiah Johnson, CB, Houston Some in the media have been hyping Johnson as a second- or third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. In speaking to some team sources, they did not have Johnson graded that high, projecting him to be a fourth- or fifth-rounder. They said perhaps the team that likes Johnson enough to draft takes him late in the second day, but they felt that Johnson was a third-day talent.
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