The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, which means teams now have even more information to work with as they assemble their big boards for next month’s draft.
This also means ESPN’s Todd McShay had more data to use in putting together his latest mock draft, released Wednesday on ESPN.com.
McShay previously projected Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa to go No. 1 overall, but he now believes the Arizona Cardinals will select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
McShay’s change of heart should come as no surprise, as there have been plenty of rumblings linking Murray to the Cardinals despite Arizona landing quarterback Josh Rosen with the No. 10 pick in the first round last season. Murray, a first-round pick of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics last June, hadn’t yet announced his intention to stick with football when McShay released the second edition of his mock draft last month.
Murray’s inclusion in McShay’s latest mock draft obviously had a ripple-effect at the top of his first round. But McShay’s prediction for the New England Patriots at No. 32 overall also was different this time around, as he now believes the defending Super Bowl champions will lean toward finding tight end Rob Gronkowski’s eventual replacement rather than addressing their defensive holes — if Bill Belichick keeps the pick.
McShay predicted the Patriots will select Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. with the final selection of Round 1. Here’s what he wrote about the possible pick:
I really wanted to go defensive line here with Trey Flowers, Malcom Brown and Danny Shelton all entering free agency, but there was just no value. Instead, the Alabama tight end would give the Pats an alternative to an aging Rob Gronkowski. But I’d bet that Bill Belichick trades out of the spot to stockpile extra picks.
Gronkowski is contemplating retirement for the second offseason in a row and hasn’t announced yet whether he’ll return in 2019. Still, the Patriots could use another tight regardless, especially after releasing Dwayne Allen this week in order to save $7.3 million in salary-cap space.
