With the 2019 NFL Draft just hours away, ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is back with his latest and final Big Board. Kiper released his final rankings and projections for the 2019 player selection on Thursday, April 25, just hours before the first round officially kicked off in primetime.
While many believe that former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray is favored to be the Arizona Cardinals’ selection at No. 1 overall, the signal-caller is absent from Kiper’s top five.
Instead, Kiper goes with a preseason favorite atop his list in Ohio State Buckeyes defensive star Nick Bosa.
“Bosa has been my top-ranked prospect since last summer, and I’m not changing now,” Kiper wrote on ESPN.com. “Bosa made just 10 college starts, but he had 17.5 career sacks.”
Just behind Bosa are two SEC stars in Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and LSU Tigers linebacker Devin White.
“You could make the case that Williams is the best prospect in this class. He’s a dominant interior disruptor. Williams had 52 pressures when lining up at defensive tackle last season, 11 more than any other interior pass-rusher,” Kiper added. “White is the best sideline-to-sideline player in this class, a true three-down linebacker who never has to leave the field. White also can rush the passer. He had the second-best pressure percentage among FBS players with at least 100 pass rushes in 2018.”
In fact, all five of Kiper’s top players are on the defensive side of the ball.
- Nick Bosa, Ohio State
- Quinnen Williams, Alabama
- Devin White, LSU
- Josh Allen, Kentucky
- Devin Bush, Michigan
You can check out the full Mel Kiper Big Board on ESPN.com.
The 2019 NFL Draft will take place between April 25 and April 27 in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville earned the honor of hosting the 84th annual player selection over cities Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Cleveland/Canton.
