2019 NFL Mock Draft, 4.0: Quinnen Williams suffers 1st-round slide

The Bengals are a wildcard at this spot in the first round because they’re just as likely to go with a  quarterback as they are an edge rusher, but they’ll stick to their draft board and select the best overall football player, T.J. Hockenson. It’s become increasingly obvious that today’s NFL offense requires a playmaking tight end to be among the elite, and while Hockenson isn’t exactly Rob Gronkowski, he’s pretty darn close.

This pick would be a whole lot of fun to watch come September. Aaron Rodgers has never had a tight end with the upside of Noah Fant, who’s essentially a big and fast wide receiver in disguise. If this pick actually comes to fruition, Fant will be an early pick in fantasy football rookie drafts and would challenge to be the most productive first-year pass catcher in the league in 2019.

The Miami Dolphins signed Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency because, well, they had no choice. Literally. There were no other options on the roster who could realistically start an NFL game. So Fitzpatrick is back for what should be a fun and unpredictable ride in 2019, but if Miami wants to prevent themselves from being the laughing stock of the NFL, they’ll need to address quarterback in the draft sooner than later. Missouri’s Drew Lock is overflowing with arm talent but he isn’t consistent enough to project as a starter immediately in his career. Perfect fit! The Dolphins aren’t ready to win now anyway, so Lock can benefit by sitting in Year 1 while he develops into a franchise building block.

Is Brian Burns this year’s best pass-rushing prospect? Some respected draft analysts think he is, but buyer beware. Yes, Burns is a freakish athlete who plays with advanced hand technique and the kind of quick-twitch reserved for top-tier pass rushers. But despite checking in at 249 pounds at the NFL combine, Burns’ playing weight is much less than that and will present a real challenge once he starts facing NFL power. Will it matter for him? Time will tell. But at this point in the first round, Burns would provide a massive boost to the Atlanta Falcons pass rush.

For those keeping score at home, Clelin Ferrell is the sixth edge defender off the board by the time we reach the 15th overall pick. And while this slotting may seem a bit rich for Ferrell’s draft stock, he looks and feels very much like the kind of player who will get drafted a lot earlier than what’s being projected right now. Ferrell may not have the highest ceiling among the pass rushers in the 2019 NFL draft, but he might be the safest. The Washington Redskins will give QB Daniel Jones a long, hard look at this spot, but Ferrell’s combination of production and solid film serve as the tiebreaker.