We're a little more than 48 hours away from the start of the 2019 NFL Draft, and it sounds like almost no one knows how things will shake out.
The Arizona Cardinals own the No. 1 overall pick, and many expect them to draft Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray to pair with new coach Kliff Kingsbury.
However, a report leaked over the weekend that the Cardinals were planning to pass on Murray, leaving many to wonder how far the Heisman Trophy winner would fall should Arizona go in a different direction.
As it turns out, Murray might not have an Aaron Rodgers-type wait in the green room if the Cardinals pass on him, as many see the Raiders as a potential suitor at No. 4 overall. Coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have publicly supported current quarterback Derek Carr, but it sounds like Gruden isn't all that high on his signal-caller. He is, however, quite high on Murray, according to ESPN's Todd McShay.
"Jon Gruden loves Kyler Murray, I'm told. And does not necessarily love Derek Carr, I'm told, which is going to be the interesting thing to see," McShay said on Monday's episode of"Get Up!," via Bleacher Report. "It may not play out in this draft, but I think at some point, it's going to come to an end between Carr and Jon Gruden, from what I hear."
Last Friday, Gruden and Mayock reportedly closed ranks, sending all of their scouts home so they could finish their draft prep surrounded only by a few trusted members of the organization.
With a number of leaks coming out over the past few weeks, it's possible the decision to close ranks came out of the Raiders' desire to try and find a way to move up and take Murray while maintaining plausible deniability should the talks fall through. Oakland has four picks in the top 35, so the Silver and Black undoubtedly have the trade ammunition needed to move up to the top spot if they so desired.
But the Raiders have a number of holes to address in the draft. With game-changers like Quinnen Williams possibly being available at No. 4, the Silver and Black might want to restock their defense and worry about quarterback at a later date.
But if Gruden really does "love" Murray, all bets are off.
This is it, our final mock draft for the 2019 class. With the actual draft days away, this is our best guess at who does what and where.
Note: We're less certain than we were a month ago but we're still leaning towards the Cardinals taking Kyler Murray. Who knows what actually happens. Either way, he's still the first quarterback off the board, followed by our top passer in this class, Dwayne Haskins. But unlike previous iterations, Haskins slips all the way to No. 15 where the Redskins grab him. Two picks later, the Giants replace Eli Manning with the quarterback who most reminds us of ... Eli Manning. And then at the bottom of the round, the Broncos swing a trade with the Patriots so they can move up for their latest franchise quarterback.
And finally: A couple players fall out of the first round though through no fault of their own. Montez Sweat is a top-10 talent but reports that teams are concerned about a preexisting heart condition could affect his stock. And D.K. Metcalf, our top wide receiver in this class, slips out of the top 32 as teams focus on other needs. In fact, only one wide receiver goes in the first round.
Throughout the entire 2019 NFL Draft, we'll be bringing you live coverage right here on CBS Sports HQ, where we'll be analyzing all of the picks. You can also download the CBS Sports app for free on any mobile or connected TV device.
The draft continues to creep closer and closer and most if not all of the local Patriots coverage deals with this weekend’s selection process. New England has 12 picks heading into the three-day extravaganza and opinions vary greatly as to which direction the team might be looking early on.
Wide receiver is a position that many feel the Patriots could/should be interested in. Among the current depth chart, only Julian Edelman represents a proven, consistent performer at the position. The problem is, the Patriots haven’t always been successful when focusing on wide receiver in the draft.
On Thursday night, Dwayne Haskins will become only the third Ohio State quarterback to be selected in the first round, barring something incredibly unexpected. In a Monday interview with #PFTPM, Haskins outlined the teams that have shown interest in him.
“A lot of teams,” Haskins said. “The Raiders, the Redskins, Broncos, Dolphins, and the Giants. Those are the teams who have shown the most interest in me.”
The Giants have talked openly about the “K.C. model,” which would entail Haskins sitting for a year (and maybe two) behind Eli Manning. Which would mean Haskins wouldn’t play right way. Haskins said he has no problem with that.
“Whatever team I go to I just have to be ready to play whether that’s year one or year two and I don’t have a preference whether that’s to play right away or play year two or year three,” Haskins said. “I just want to be the best quarterback I can be for that franchise. Patrick Mahomes definitely did a great job learning [behind Alex Smith]. I learned from J.T. [Barrett] my first year at Ohio State, so it isn’t foreign nature for me, so I’ll be comfortable with either/or.”
Haskins had a private workout with Oakland, and he could be the “surprise” they’re considering with the fourth overall pick. Which could give the Jets a market at No. 3, if one of the other four teams (or someone else) wants to leapfrog Oakland to get Haskins.
The Phoenix Suns have fired Igor Kokoskov after just one year on the job.
Less than a year after he was announced as the new head coach of the Suns, Phoenix has decided to part ways with the European head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Phoenix has fired coach Igor Kokoskov, league sources tell ESPN.
At this time, Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that the Suns plan to begin their coaching search by requesting interviews with Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams, who is also reportedly in the running for the Los Angeles Lakers' coaching vacancy, and Portland Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool.
The Suns finished with the worst record in the Western Conference at 19-63 and the second-worst record in the NBA overall. It was the third consecutive season that Phoenix has finished with the West's worst mark -- with their record actually worsening from season to season.
With that said, the Suns did show improvement toward the end of the season, with Devin Booker further showing glimpses of being a superstar and DeAndre Ayton proving himself as worthy of being a No. 1 overall draft pick. Wojnarowski explains that the Suns had leaned toward bringing Kokoskov back for a second consecutive season, but the franchise's lack of stability ended up costing him his job.
"Suns had planned to bring Kokoskov back for a second season, especially after the team's stronger play in late stages of the season. Kokoskov has been a well-respected tactician who becomes another victim of the constant turnover in Phoenix."
To paint a picture of just how unstable the franchise is, the Suns' next head coach during the 2019-20 season will be their fifth head coach in the past five seasons. Phoenix hasn't had a winning record since the 2013-14 season and it holds the league's second-longest postseason-less streak, having not made the playoffs since the 2009-10 season -- when Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire were still leading the franchise.
It is unclear at the moment just who the favorite to take over the Suns would be considered to be, but the firing of yet another head coach for a team that is in a clear rebuilding mode is not a good look for a franchise that hasn't won many games over the last several seasons.
Duke quarterback Daniel Jones is now the closest thing to a consensus pick for the Giants at No. 17. He has a strong chance to be the third QB taken and could even pass Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins to be the second.
A year after Wyoming QB and Bills pick Josh Allen exposed the widest gap in opinion yet between NFL execs and most of the rest of us, Jones has emerged as 2019’s most disagreed-upon guy.
But unlike with Allen and other similar QBs, I have to squint to see why the NFL is even intrigued with Jones.
Start with Jones’ consistently underwhelming numbers at Duke.
He started for three years, and he never put up a passer rating better than 131.7, ranking 66th among FBS qualifiers in 2018. The average NFL starting QB these days ranked around 25th in the country in passer rating in his last college year. The only regular starter in 2018 who ranked lowerin his last college year was Allen, 73rd as a Wyoming junior.
Jones gained 6.8 yards per throw in 2018 — the best of his career, but eighth in the ACC and 81st in the country.
Of the 22 most talked about QB prospects from FBS, Jones’ Success Rate (how often his passes kept Duke on schedule) was third-worst in 2018. He was dead last in Marginal Efficiency, a measure that takes extra account of a play’s down and distance. Research by SB Nation’s Bill Connelly shows QBs almost never become more efficient in the pros than they were in college.
According to pass-charting by Derrik Klassen (in a spreadsheet here), Jones compares poorly to other top QB prospects on passes of all ranges from zero yards to 20-plus, and got to throw more short passes than most of his peers. He also did poorly when under pressure and on third and fourth downs. Pro Football Focus, which charts every game and has its own float of advanced stats, ranks Jones 70th overall and fifth among QBs.
Jones didn’t have a single standout college game against a great defense. His 10 best games by passer rating were against FCS North Carolina Central, Army, Northwestern, Temple, Notre Dame (the 2016 version that went 4-8), Pitt, FCS NC Central again, Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech again. None finished better than 30th in Defensive S&P+. Most did far worse.
Yet enough NFL teams are enamored with Jones that he’s apparently going to be a first-rounder. Some media, too, have found things to love.
There’s a lot to like about Jones, my fourth-ranked quarterback and No. 23 overall on my board. He has experience (36 starts). He’s athletic (4.81-second 40-yard dash with a 33 ½-inch vertical). He’s a leader (two-year captain). He’s tough (he missed only two games after breaking his collarbone). He can be a starter in the NFL.
Now, you’d like to see him be more accurate — he completed just 59.9 percent of his passes in his career — but he improved every year under Duke coach David Cutcliffe. Just turn on the film from last season, and you’ll see a quarterback who can play.
The vast majority of college starting QBs are captains. Maybe Jones did improve every year, but if he did, it’s hard to explain his rough sophomore numbers. (Also, that year, Duke was 25th of 130 teams in returning production on offense, meaning he had one of the country’s most experienced teams.)
You know the usual reasons why NFL teams pick QBs who didn’t light it up in college. But other QBs, who actually had productive college careers, fit those molds better than Jones does.
Maybe you’re like Allen was in 2018: really tall, strong-armed, and in need of better accuracy. Jones is 6’5, but why not just take 6’7 Buffalo flamethrower Tyree Jackson, who’s like Allen with one-fifth the hype?
Maybe you only had a year or so as a college starter — usually a strike against a QB, but, through another lens, a mark of untapped upside. That doesn’t fit Jones, but it could fit Haskins or Ole Miss’ Jordan Ta’amu.
Maybe you played in a conservative offense, which could both translate to the pros and suggest opportunity for bigger numbers. That could work for Jones, but if a team wanted a QB like that, why not just try NC State’s Ryan Finley, who’s an inch shorter but had a better college career?
So maybe this is the most important thing: the notion that he has a pedigreebecause of his college coach.
Cutcliffe was Tennessee’s coordinator when Peyton Manning played there. He was Ole Miss’ head coach when Eli Manning played there. He mentored top-three pick Heath Shuler and a few others who have gotten cups of coffee in the NFL.
Cutcliffe is currently one of Duke’s best football coaches ever. But the first line on his resume might as well be “coached Peyton Manning.” It jumpstarted Cutcliffe’s reputation as a QB whisperer, even though 15 years have passed since a QB of his became a regular NFL starter.
I can’t imagine there’s someone out there more equipped, top to bottom, in this draft or in the next draft if he had stayed, than he is to be an NFL quarterback. A starter. A star.
There’s no one football men trust more than other football men, and here’s the football man who coached the Mannings saying Jones is a budding star.
I. Love. Dan Jones. I have to say this carefully: When you watch him and you go back (20) years and watch Peyton Manning, you are watching the same guy. He’s athletic. He doesn’t have a rocket for an arm, but neither did Peyton. Very smart.
Look, they even have vaguely similar postures and senses of QB fashion:
Getty Images, USA TODAY Sports
Maybe Jones will be good. But he’s a bizarre part of the first round, unless some NFL team has seen something extraordinary.
That would have to be something that didn’t translate into above-average play in any of his three years starting at Duke.
My final mock draft is here. This time, we dove into the first three rounds, trying to find the fits and values that make the most sense for your team.
As always, I do not try to predict the draft. I’m playing the role of general manager for all 32 teams, so this mock may look different than many of the cookie cutters around the internet. Remember, draft good players at valuable positions.
Mike Renner’s final mock draft for this class will attempt to predict the picks rather than pick the best player/fit for all 32 teams.
[Editor’s Note: To view all of Pro Football Focus’ advanced stats and grades for draft-eligible players, check out our 2019 NFL Draft Guide. All EDGE and ELITE subscribers already have access to the guide, and for those who don’t, you can get your copy for as low as $9.99!]
Round 1
1. Arizona Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
The top player on the PFF draft board, Murray is the right move for the Cardinals. He has the best chance of being a top-10 quarterback in this draft class. He’s accurate from the pocket and dynamic as a runner, all leading to the top passing and rushing grade in the nation last season.
2. San Francisco 49ers: Edge Nick Bosa, Ohio State
Since stepping onto campus as a true freshman, Bosa has been one of the best edge defenders in the country, and elite PFF grades for defensive linemen have translated smoothly to the next level. Bosa has multiple years of top-notch play against the run and, most importantly, as a pass-rusher. We expect a smooth transition at a position of need for the 49ers.
3. New York Jets: Edge Josh Allen, Kentucky
This is where my mantra to always take the best player is going to be challenged. I love Quinnen Williams, but given New York’s courting of Anthony Barr and their massive need on the edge, Allen is an excellent fit. The positional value of an edge is slightly higher than an interior defensive lineman anyway, so I just talked myself into Allen as the pick after he posted the highest pass-rush grade in the nation last season at 94.3. He has legitimate, linebacker-like coverage ability if the Jets choose to tap into it.
4. Oakland Raiders: DI Quinnen Williams, Alabama
One of the best-case scenarios for the Raiders, Williams bring an impact interior defensive lineman who can play the run and rush the passer. He posted the highest grade we’ve seen from an interior lineman last season at 96.0 overall, while leading the nation both against the run and as a pass-rusher. Oakland doesn’t need to force an edge rusher here, just take the best player and move on.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Greedy Williams, LSU
Always one of the more difficult picks in the draft, I don’t love the value for Devin White here compared to his teammate, Williams. Greedy is the best man coverage cornerback in the draft, and the new defensive scheme in Tampa Bay fits his skillset after he allowed a passer rating of only 42.5 during his career at LSU.
6. New York Giants: QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
While the Giants may not value Haskins at this point, he’s the No. 2 quarterback on our board and worthy of a shot in the top 10. He is one of the most accurate short and intermediate passers in the draft and strong when playing from a clean pocket (a stable indicator of future success). However, Haskins was far more inconsistent when passing down the field or while under pressure. It’s a necessary move for the Giants to find their QB of the future.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: OT Jonah Williams, Alabama
This iteration of the draft has set up well for the Jaguars, who get the top offensive tackle on our draft board in Williams. He has experience playing both left and right tackle, last year finishing with an outstanding 89.2 grade while allowing only 12 pressures on the season. He can step right in as the starter at right tackle in Year 1.
8. Detroit Lions: Edge Brian Burns, Florida State
Even with Trey Flowers in the mix, Burns adds a different dynamic off the edge with his burst as a pass-rusher. He finished with an excellent 90.5 pass-rush grade last season to go with 66 total pressures, good for No. 2 in the nation during the regular season.
9. Buffalo Bills: CB Byron Murphy, Washington
Hear me out one last time, Bills fans. Sometimes scheme fit and positional value are too much to pass up. Murphy is the best zone corner in the draft, Buffalo plays as much zone as any team and cornerback is the most valuable position on the defense. You truly cannot have too many good cornerbacks, and no one on the current Buffalo roster is going to scare me away from adding this kind of value opposite Tre’Davious White. Murphy posted the top grade in the nation last year at 92.0 overall, and he’s a perfect fit for the Bills’ defense.
10. Denver Broncos: DI Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
The PFF draft board shows our love for Tillery, as he checks in at No. 7 overall after he tied Quinnen Williams for the No. 1 pass-rush grade in the nation last season at 92.5. Tillery’s size, length and explosiveness resemble that of Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, a player worthy of top-10 consideration a few years ago. Tillery adds an interior disruptor to the Denver defense.
11. Cincinnati Bengals: LB Devin White, LSU
One of the best fits in the draft, White patrols the middle with incredible athleticism that translated to a 91.6 coverage grade last season. He’s not great in the run game, but coverage is far more important and even more so for a Bengals defense that has assets on the outside but was torched over the middle of the field last year.
12. Green Bay Packers: DI Ed Oliver, Houston
The Packers are thrilled to add more playmakers to their front-7 with Oliver, who is an undersized terror in the run game (three years of 90-plus grades) and a developing pass-rusher (career-high 88.8 pass-rush grade last season). Oliver is an incredible athlete, but he has work to do in order for it to match the hype. Green Bay is a good situation where he can play opposite similarly-undersized interior disruptor, Mike Daniels, as he hones his craft.
13. Miami Dolphins: OT Jawaan Taylor, Florida
Taylor is a good mesh of value and need as the Dolphins let right tackle Ja’Wuan James walk and Taylor should step right in as the starter. He’s a mauler in the run game and has all the skills to continue his development as a pass blocker after allowing only nine pressures last season.
14. Atlanta Falcons: LB Devin Bush, Michigan
The Falcons have built their defense on speed and Bush adds even more in that department. He pairs with Deion Jones to form one of the league’s best linebacking duos and adds a versatile blitzer to the mix after notching 47 pressures, including 13 sacks, over the last two years. Bush’s 4.43 speed shows up on the field. He can make an impact both in coverage and in the blitz game.
15. Washington Redskins: CB Deandre Baker, Georgia
This pick is all about adding talent at a valuable position, and Baker has the movement and ball skills to make an immediate impact opposite Josh Norman or in the slot. He put together multiple excellent years in coverage for Georgia, allowing a passer rating of only 47.9 during his career.
16. Carolina Panthers: OT Andre Dillard, Washington State
Need and value match up well here, as the Panthers add one of the best pass protectors in the draft in Dillard. He has three straight years of 90-plus pass-blocking grades to go with plenty of experience in Washington State’s system.
17. New York Giants: WR A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
Brown is a good fit here, as the Giants look to add a high-volume receiver to the mix to replace Odell Beckham, Jr. His skillset is a perfect match with Haskins, as Brown can win at the short and intermediate level, both outside and in the slot. He averaged 7.6 yards after the catch per reception during his Ole Miss career while dropping only 13 passes on 201 catchable targets,
18. Minnesota Vikings: OT Dalton Risner, Kansas State
Another good match, Risner has four strong years of grading at Kansas State, including his freshman year at center. He can play multiple positions along the offensive line, but over the last three years at right tackle, he’s been one of the nation’s best. He has the size and brute strength to handle length off the edge.
19. Tennessee Titans: WR D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss
While Metcalf may not have gaudy numbers, he was an efficient receiver for Ole Miss, averaging 2.83 yards per route as their downfield, outside threat. He has incredible size and speed at 230 pounds with a 4.33 40, and that combined with his ability to get off press coverage makes him extremely dangerous on the vertical route tree. Metcalf is a perfect fit as a field-stretcher opposite Corey Davis on the other side for the Titans.
Another good wide receiver fit, Arcega-Whiteside has led the draft class in contested catches in each of the last two years, as he combines incredible physicality and body control at the catch point. He’s also adept at getting off the line of scrimmage to go with 4.49 speed, making him one of our favorite receivers in the class despite inconsistent evaluations in the draft community. Arcega-Whiteside needs to be paired with an aggressive quarterback, making him a good match with Ben Roethlisberger.
21. Seattle Seahawks: TE T.J. Hockenson, Iowa
Seattle can go a few different ways here, but this is a good time to add offensive playmakers in the draft. Hockenson is the best route-running tight end in the draft, as he separates at the top of routes at all levels and catches the ball better than most as he dropped only two passes during his Iowa career. Throw in his run blocking, and the Seahawks have a three-down weapon in Hockenson.
Talent is needed in the Baltimore front-7 and Winovich is a productive, under-the-radar talent who put up two straight years of 90-plus PFF grades. He can win with burst, bend or his hands off the edge, making him one of the best all-around defensive players in the draft.
23. Houston Texans: OT/G Cody Ford, Oklahoma
Houston must address the offensive line during this draft and Ford has tackle skills, though he may fit best at guard. He allowed just seven pressures as Oklahoma’s right tackle last year to go with his powerful run-blocking that is a perfect match for Houston’s run game.
24. Oakland Raiders: WR Marquise Brown, Oklahoma
Even with the additions of Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams, Brown adds another speed dimension that can win outside or in the slot. He has a next-level gear that will make Oakland dangerous to defend, and littering the field with playmakers is the best bet to get the most out of Derek Carr. He averaged 18.3 yards per reception during his career, to go with 9.5 YAC/reception.
25. Philadelphia Eagles: S Darnell Savage, Maryland
Savage is one of the best playmakers in the draft, as his 4.33 speed shows up on the field. He brings incredible range to the back end, accelerating through the catch point to pick off and break up passes. Savage can also play over the slot in zone looks, and he will shorten the field for opposing offenses after posting two straight years with 86.0-plus grades.
26. Indianapolis Colts: DI Christian Wilkins, Clemson
Indianapolis needs an influx of talent up front, and Wilkins brings a strong run-stopper with improving pass-rush ability. He has played all over the defensive front at Clemson, playing with the strength and leverage to make a three-down impact at the next level, especially if he can build upon his 91.0 pass-rush grade from 2018.
27. Oakland Raiders: Edge Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
Another Clemson defensive lineman comes off the board, this time fitting the need for an edge defender in the Oakland defense. Ferrell took a big step forward in 2018, improving his pass-rush grade from 73.2 to 89.7, as he picked up 13 sacks, 11 QB hits and 32 hurries last season.
28. Los Angeles Chargers: S Nasir Adderley, Delaware
The Chargers are strong all-around defensively, but Adderley adds a true free safety to pair with strong safety Derwin James. Adderley has incredible range and ball skills on the back end, evidenced by his 89.9 coverage grade, six pass breakups and five interceptions last season. Adderley and James are perfect for their respective roles and one of the best young safety duos in the game.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: CB David Long, Michigan
It’s all about adding coverage on the back end for the Chiefs, and they get one of the best man corners in the draft in Long. He allowed just one catch over 10 yards last season and opposing quarterbacks completed only 30 percent of passes thrown his way over the last two years. Long is on the smaller side, but he has the quicks to mirror in man coverage against the shiftier receivers in the league.
30. Green Bay Packers: WR Hakeem Butler, Iowa State
The Packers add another big-bodied receiver in Butler who has the size to box out and the body control to work the back-shoulder game with QB Aaron Rodgers. While Butler still needs work getting off press and separating consistently, he can produce when paired with an accurate quarterback like Rodgers, both down the field where Butler led the draft class with 721 yards on deep passes and in the red zone.
31. Los Angeles Rams: C Garrett Bradbury, NC State
Bradbury is more of a second-round prospect on the PFF draft board, but he’s an ideal fit for the Rams and their outside zone scheme. He is extremely quick off the ball in the run game, making the highlight-reel reach blocks necessary for a zone-blocking center, but he must show that he can handle power as a pass-blocker at the next level.
32. New England Patriots: QB Will Grier, West Virginia
The Patriots are in the quarterback market, and Grier has the accuracy and touch to be the QB-in-waiting. Grier excelled on “NFL throws” past the first-down markers, but he must cut down on the questionable decisions at the next level. If paired with a good offensive coordinator, Grier’s accuracy gives him the nod over Drew Lock or Daniel Jones at this point in the draft.
Round 2
33. Arizona Cardinals: WR Andy Isabella, Massachusetts
34. Indianapolis Colts: CB Justin Layne, Michigan State
35. Oakland Raiders: CB Amani Oruwariye, Penn State
36. San Francisco 49ers: CB Julian Love, Notre Dame
37. New York Giants: DI Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
38. Jacksonville Jaguars: WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
39. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DI Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
40. Buffalo Bills: OT Greg Little, Ole Miss
41. Denver Broncos: QB Drew Lock, Missouri
42. Cincinnati Bengals: Edge Montez Sweat, Mississippi State
43. Detroit Lions: WR N’Keal Harry, Arizona State
44. Green Bay Packers: TE Noah Fant, Iowa
45. Atlanta Falcons: Edge Rashan Gary, Michigan
46. Washington Redskins: C Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi State
47. Carolina Panthers: S Taylor Rapp, Washington
48. Miami Dolphins: G Chris Lindstrom, Boston College
85. Baltimore Ravens: WR Parris Campbell, Ohio State
86. Houston Texans: RB Miles Sanders, Penn State
87. Chicago Bears: WR Miles Boykin, Notre Dame
88. Detriot Lions: TE Josh Oliver, San Jose State
89. Indianapolis Colts: CB Joejaun Williams, Vanderbilt
90. Dallas Cowboys: WR Riley Ridley, Georgia
91. Los Angeles Chargers: QB Ryan Finley, NC State
92. Kansas City Chiefs: RB Darrell Henderson, Memphis
93. New York Jets: C Erik McCoy, Texas A&M
94. Los Angeles Rams: LB Vosean Joseph, Florida
95. New York Giants: CB Jimmy Moreland, James Madison
96. Washington Redskins: LB Ben Burr-Kirvin, Washington
97. New England Patriots: TE Caleb Wilson, UCLA
98. Jacksonville Jaguars: Edge Ben Banogu, TCU
99. Los Angeles Rams: Edge Ronheen Bingham, Arkansas State
100. Carolina Panthers: DI Armon Watts, Arkansas
101. New England Patriots: OT Bobby Evans, Oklahoma
102. Baltimore Ravens: LB Mack Wilson, Alabama
[Editor’s Note: To view all of Pro Football Focus’ advanced stats and grades for draft-eligible players, check out our 2019 NFL Draft Guide. All EDGE and ELITE subscribers already have access to the guide, and for those who don’t, you can get your copy for as low as $9.99!]
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Devin Booker was drafted by the Suns four years ago. Whoever the Suns hire will be Booker’s fifth coach in the NBA. Can you name the first four? That’d be Jeff Hornacek, Earl Watson, Jay Triano, and Kokoskov. No better way to build a team from the ground up than to ... constantly change direction on the sidelines, creating instability unnatural even in the chaotic NBA. (Great reaction to the Kokoskov news from Watson, by the way.)
Kokoskov will end up back on an NBA bench this summer if he doesn’t decide to get some more head coach reps in over in Europe (where he’s had success as the Slovenian national team coach). The Suns were never going to compete for wins this season -- they had a bizarre offseason punctuated by the general manager getting fired nine days before the start of the regular season -- and it seemed like Kokoskov patched together a rotation as best he could.
James Jones is now fully in charge of the basketball team, with Jeff Bower handling the day-to-day operations. I guess they’ll get to hire their own coach now ... if Robert Sarver doesn’t force his way into the conversation. Who are we kidding? Of course he will. This is why the Suns are the Suns.
Scores
Bucks 127, Pistons 104 Milwaukee wins series 4-0
Rockets 91, Jazz 107 Houston leads 3-1
Schedule
A good ol’ 4-game playoff Tuesday!
Magic at Raptors, 7 ET, NBA TV Toronto leads 3-1
Nets at Sixers, 8 ET, TNT Philadelphia leads 3-1
Spurs at Nuggets, 9:30 ET, NBA TV Series tied 2-2
Thunder at Blazers, 10:30 ET, TNT Portland leads 3-1
Links
Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for ruining yet another April for the basketball fans of Detroit. The Pistons haven’t won a playoff game since May 26, 2008. Yikes.
Meanwhile, Giannis is pulling out both Jordanesque hanging trick shots and volleyball spikes. He had 41 as he led Milwaukee to its first playoff series win since 2001. Giannis was six years old the last time the Bucks won a series!
There are less than 10 people in the world I will trust to handle a “let’s talk about Russell Westbrook” column and Chris Herring is one of them, so go read this.
Kevin Durant talks about media thirst and free agency speculation. It’s really kind of odd that this bothers Durant so much and he hasn’t followed the tried and true strategy of refusing to answer questions about it. Hasn’t he ever seen a Russell Westbrook press conference?
In some serious news, Luke Walton has been sued and accused of sexual assault by a former sports reporter in Los Angeles. The incident in question is alleged to have happened when Walton was an assistant coach with the Warriors. The alleged victim interacted with Walton once he was hired by the Lakers until she left the business. The Warriors, Lakers, and Kings (who hired Walton last week) all made brief statements saying this is the first they’ve heard of the allegations. Walton has retained Derrick Rose’s attorney.
SALT LAKE CITY -- "Determination over negativity" isn't just a marketing slogan for Donovan Mitchell's Adidas signature shoe. It's a mantra for the young Utah Jazz star.
So Mitchell wasn't thinking about how much he had struggled during this Western Conference playoff series when the fourth quarter of Game 4 began with the Houston Rockets leading by four points. He just wanted to make sure the Jazz got to board a flight to Houston the next afternoon.
"I'm not trying to go home," Mitchell told ESPN after scoring 19 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of the Jazz's series-extending 107-91 win Monday night. "I'm not trying to watch the rest of these games from the couch."
Mitchell made sure the Jazz's season didn't end by single-handedly outscoring the Rockets 19-12 in the final quarter. He had a flurry of 13 points during a 15-1 run in the first few minutes of the frame that gave Utah the lead for good.
Mitchell struggled mightily as the Rockets put the Jazz in jeopardy of being swept, shooting 32.8 percent from the floor in the first few games of the series, including missing a wide-open 3-pointer that would have tied the score in Game 3 with eight seconds remaining. Mitchell's misery continued for most of Game 4, as he missed nine of his first 12 shots from the floor.
Mitchell started to warm up when he made a couple of driving layups in the third quarter, just before he got a breather for a few minutes at the end of the period.
"That's when I realized that I had to continue to be aggressive," Mitchell said. "I thought they were fouls, and they weren't, and I've got to be able to fight through contact. I said, 'All right, you're not getting nothing. You've got to be able to be even more aggressive.'"
Mitchell came out firing to start the fourth quarter, with Rockets guard Eric Gordon, his nemesis all series, resting to begin the period. Mitchell swished a 3-pointer from the left wing off a feed from Ricky Rubio on the first possession. After a Rubio floater gave the Jazz a lead, Mitchell scored 11 consecutive points -- hitting a pretty turnaround jumper after a spin move in the lane, knocking down a pair of free throws, getting a shooter's roll on a 30-footer in transition and punctuating the run with a pull-up 3.
"The confidence level goes from zero to 100," Mitchell said. "Well, I wouldn't say zero, but it just goes up crazy. For me, the biggest thing is maintaining your composure. Not just going to shoot because you can, but being able to make the right plays. I think what I was most happy with was that I didn't settle. I kept getting into the paint.
"My teammates obviously just having my back is huge, continuing to fight, fight, fight and just [encouraging me] to take the same shots I've been taking, not shying away because of my struggles."
The Jazz had been outscored by 11 with Mitchell on the floor through the first three quarters. He was plus-19 in the fourth quarter, when he was 6-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
"We made some mistakes," said Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team was 4-of-20 from the floor and 0-of-13 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter. "Left him one time on a penetration and he hits a 3. We didn't square up on another penetration, it's a layup. Just, it's us. I mean, it's him, too. I mean, he's good. He's gonna get rolling, so I'm mot worried about that if we do what we're supposed to do, but we didn't."
Mitchell scored more points in Monday's fourth quarter than he had in the final frames of the Jazz's three losses in the series. He had 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting in the first quarter of the previous three games.
"We know he's a winner," said Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who along with Derrick Favors anchored a dominant defensive performance. "It was hurting him a lot, too, after those bad games. I knew that he was gonna come out ready tonight, and he did."
Jazz reserve guard Kyle Korver felt so strongly about Mitchell after Game 3 that he made a lengthy statement without prompting in support of the second-year guard, saying he'd never seen anyone as young as the 22-year-old take ownership of a team with such charisma and class. Korver said then that the missed 3 that would have tied the game would just be part of Mitchell's journey.
Now, so is a spectacular scoring flurry in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz avoid a sweep.
"Anyone who's spent any significant amount of time with him knows that his character is as high as his talent level," Korver told ESPN. "Things happen in playoff series. We're all on this learning curve. He's early in his postseason career. It's only his second year, but this is who he is. Tough night the other night, right? It was a hard one, but we all knew that he was going to bounce back.
"And he didn't start off this game well. He didn't really get going until the fourth quarter, but every single person in our locker room had confidence that when the game was on the line, he was going to take the shots and he was going to make them."
SALT LAKE CITY -- Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, who had perhaps his worst performance of the season in the Rockets' 107-91 Game 4 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday, told ESPN that he has been battling two respiratory illnesses during the series.
Capela, who missed a practice due to illness days before the series started, said he was diagnosed with adenovirus and a klebsiella infection during a Sunday visit to a Salt Lake City doctor, who prescribed medication and eye drops.
Capela, whose eyes were extremely bloodshot, was told it would be another four or five days before he would be fully recovered.
"It's tough, man," Capela told ESPN after being held to four points on 1-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds in the loss. "Especially when I try to breathe, it's hard. I'm just going to fight it the best that I can."
It was a season-worst scoring total for Capela, who averaged 16.6 points and 12.7 rebounds during the regular season. He grabbed fewer than seven rebounds only twice this season.
The Rockets were outscored by 20 points in Capela's Game 4 minutes. It was his second worst plus-minus of the season behind a minus-22 in a Dec. 6 loss in Utah.
The Giants had one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL in 2018 and then traded away Olivier Vernon, who led the team in sacks. They need to find a way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and, lucky for them, this may be the best draft in ages at that position (four of top five in this mock are up-front terrors). Sweat should give them the kind of sack numbers they haven’t seen since the days of Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. — Tom Rock, Newsday
Robin Roberts is moving this week from mornings on ABC to primetime. And while the shift is temporary, the business machinations behind it are likely to continue.
Roberts, best known for her regular appearances on “Good Morning America,” will serve this Thursday as an important presence during two nights of ABC’s coverage of the NFL Draft, an annual highlight for pigskin fans that will also be broadcast on ABC’s sister, ESPN. Both networks are part of the Walt Disney Company, which looks to be making its best play for NFL football as discussions about broadcast rights for the sport are nearing a new round.
“It’s going to be different,” says Roberts in an interview while preparing for the event near ESPN’s Connecticut headquarters. ABC will deliver her coverage on a night its viewers expect soapy fare like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Station 19,” but the host vows audiences will not be disappointed. “We are really going to give you storytelling,” she says, about dozens of “young men and their families” and their first steps into big-league sports. “You are still going to get the draft picks. That’s still the focus,” she says, but ABC’s coverage will tilt more toward entertainment, with country singer Luke Bryan and radio personality Bobby Bones on hand. ESPN’s coverage will lean toward sports die-hards, with more attention being paid to what Connor Schell, ESPN’s executive vice president of content, calls “X’s and O’s coverage.”
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“This is an event that has continued to grow,” says Schell, in an interview at ESPN’s New York offices. “We can figure out how to crate two complimentary broadcasts here that showcase the same event in slightly different ways.”
Throwing both ABC and ESPN at the Draft isn’t just a bid by parent company Walt Disney to bring more viewers to an off-season football mainstay. The two-network maneuver (Disney also intends to stream some elements and broadcast in Spanish) represents the clearest signal yet of the entertainment giant’s desires to to stay in the good graces of the National Football League.
It’s no secret in the media business that rights for NFL football are slated to come up for renewal in the not-too-distant future, with the contract for ESPN’s “” set to lapse in 2021. Other network contracts will quickly follow. As Disney has simulcast the Pro Bowl over both ESPN and ABC in recent seasons, there has been growing speculation the company would like to do something bigger with its main football property, which has been shown on ABC or ESPN since 1970. Could that entail a shift of “MNF” back to ABC or a bid for additional game rights?
“I won’t sit here and tell you that we don’t have a ton of interest in being a partner with the NFL in any way, shape or form that manifests itself in the future,” says Burke Magnus, the ESPN executive vice president who oversees relations between the network and various sports leagues. “Nobody has a crystal ball, so nobody knows how they are going to bring their rights to market, but however they choose, we are going to be interested.”
A year ago, the relationship appeared strained. ESPN was giving new emphasis to the NBA, after signing a nine-year deal in 2014 to extend its rights to professional basketball for another decade. Ratings for “Monday Night Football” had sagged over several seasons, even though the broadcast maintains its status as one of cable’s most-watched programs (and most expensive for advertisers). ESPN and its viewers weren’t getting the best possible games, but the NFL was watching the steady erosion of a cherished game-day property.
The situation hit a new low after the NFL gave rights to broadcast the Draft to Fox last year, alongside ESPN. That move rippled across the company, which over four decades of coverage has turned the event into something more spectacular. “We feel very proprietary about it,” says Trey Wingo, one of ESPN’s best-known football hosts. Suddenly, the network’s hold on a tradition it helped create seemed tenuous. “I’m not going to lie to you,” says Seth Markman, ESPN’s vice president of production. “That was something that stuck with us. We were like, ‘We need to find a way to come up with an idea that gets this back in our family.’”
The mood has changed. Under Jimmy Pitaro, named ESPN’s new president in March of last year, executives have worked to “reset” relations with the NFL. In quick order, “MNF” had a new on-air team (which will likely evolve this fall); football started getting new attention on ESPN’s “Get Up” morning program. And prominent personalities who expressed reservations about the sport were moved elsewhere in the empire, as Michelle Beadle was after noting on “Get Up” that her interest in football was on the wane. Viewership for “Monday Night Football” rose 8% in the 2018 season to more than 11.6 million, compared with nearly 10.8 million in the year-earlier period.
Disney will be under pressure to get wider attention for the NFL in a market when competitors can make similar claims. “Fox, NBC and CBS can all suggest the same thing to the NFL, that we can provide additional reach for you,” says Tag Garson, senior vice president of properties at Wasserman, the talent and marketing agency that has a specialty in sports. “It’s a good idea to expand the reach because you are going to have the potential to attract a wider audience using more platforms.”
Many media companies have experimented with “mega-casts” in recent years, using a suite of TV networks to nab more eyeballs for top properties. Viacom has broadcast its MTV Video Music Awards across multiple TV outlets and AT&T regularly airs games in the annual NCAA men’s basketball championship it shares with CBS on several of its cable holdings.
But Disney is testing something quite different. The ESPN and ABC broadcasts will each be tailored for different types of viewers, and the hope is that two differentiated broadcasts can do more to broaden the NFL’s appeal than merely running the same thing over multiple channels.
ABC expects to dive deeper into the stories of the young players and what being picked means for them, as well as making more of Nashville, where the Draft will take place, says Rob Mills, ABC’s senior vice president of alternative programming, specials and late night. “We are confident that anyone who tunes in and thinks they are going to see ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ will stay, because you are going to get that same kind of satisfaction,” he says.
Roberts will anchor the first round of picks, and ABC’s coverage will feature the on-air crew of ESPN’s “College GameDay” as well as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. On Saturday, ABC will air ESPN’s telecast and the NFL’s NFL Network will also broadcast the event. Roberts teases that ABC viewers will also get some surprises, suggesting other celebrities could make cameos.
ESPN will serve up what football die-hards expect, says Wingo, but the network is also prepared for whatever twists and turns arise. “It’s the only true reality show there is,” he notes, with hundreds of cameras following new NFL hopefuls. Wingo has seen drama in past years, such as the time a video leaked of one college player with a bong made from a gas mask. “There is no outline. There is no script.” Every new development can affect the next season for any of the NFL’s teams.
ESPN and ABC have been working on the plan since the fall, says ESPN’s Markman, when they heard about the rights package Disney would have for the Draft this year. Fox is not televising the event.
“It’s great theater,” says Roberts, who got her start as a sportscaster. So too is the work being done to court the NFL behind the camera.
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