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

The Indianapolis Colts signed Devin Funchess to be the size component of the passing game opposite T.Y. Hilton, but he only inked a one-year deal and he isn’t exactly a sure-thing after a hot-and-cold tenure in Carolina. Enter N’Keal Harry (Arizona State) who has big-slot ability with above-average, good enough quickness and a large catch radius. Is he the second-best receiver in this class? No, at least, not in my opinion. But this year’s group of pass-catchers is so closely clustered that there’s sure to be a surprise in how they all shake out.

The run on receivers continues with the Oakland Raiders’ third first-round pick. Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown will bring an Alshon Jeffery-type skill set to the NFL and with the Raiders already adding Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams to the receiving corps, drafting a guy like Brown will complete the team’s offensive transformation and put QB David Carr in position to have a career year.

Three receivers in a row? Yep! And the best of the bunch goes last in this scenario. Iowa State’s Hakeem Butler is the next coming of Plaxico Burress through his combination of rare size and exceptional athleticism for a guy as big as he is. Butler and Mike Williams as outside receivers for Phillip Rivers in 2019? Wow. I can feel AFC West cornerbacks shaking from here.

Byron Murphy is the most physically gifted cornerback in this year’s draft. He has fantastic feet, top-tier reaction time and is tough as nails. He’s just not that big; there’s a chance he will get bullied by bigger receivers in the NFL. Still, the NFL loves athletic cornerbacks, and he fits that profile.  The Chiefs need as much help as they can get on defense and Murphy projects as a high-impact rookie starter.

After selecting Noah Fant at No. 12 overall, the Green Bay Packers give another gift to Aaron Rodgers with the selection of Dalton Risner, one of the most experienced and toughest offensive linemen in the entire draft. Risner enjoys punishing people; he likes mauling defenders into the ground. Whether he lines up at guard or is given a chance to stay on the edge, he has legitimate Pro Bowl potential.

DeAndre Baker is a favorite in the analytics community and was mocked as high as the second overall pick recently by NFL.com. And while that’s way too rich for my liking, Baker is still a first-round prospect and would be a great fit for the Los Angeles Rams. Aqib Talib isn’t getting any younger, and adding a player like Baker will give the Rams positional flexibility moving forward.

A classic New England Patriots-style pick. Jerry Tillery is a boring-yet-productive defensive lineman who has the potential to emerge as the most reliable long-term starter in this year’s group, including several bigger names that came off the board in the first 15 picks. So why does he slide to No. 32? His tape simply wasn’t consistent enough; he played hot and cold, but once he gets indoctrinated into the Patriots way, he’ll reach his incredibly high ceiling.