4 potential surprises in the 1st round of the 2019 NFL draft

Dalton Risner is selected in the top 15

Risner is no doubt a stud, and draft analysts have long pegged him as a first-round prospect since the 2019 NFL draft process began. But he’s been consistently valued as a late-first round pick and as a guy who’s likely to get kicked inside to guard. Don’t buy it. Teams will value Risner as a tackle, and teams love tackles who have more than 40 starts under their belt.

Plus, Risner is a mean, nasty and downright intimidating presence who can single-handedly change the reputation of his team’s offensive line.

This year’s draft has a lot of talented interior offensive linemen but few true tackles. With that in mind, Risner’s overall value will be pushed up a bit and he’ll end up coming off the board much higher than analysts are projecting right now.