2019 Draft Board: Front Seven

Lance Leach -

Like I mentioned in the 2019 Offensive Backfield article, I’m continuing my transparency with the 2019 Draft Class. At the end of the 2021 season (provided there is a 2020 season) I will take their statistics and determine who is considered a successful pro and who is not. This Edge Rusher class was LOADED!! There were a few surprises to me, Maxx Crosby’s and Khalen Saunders’ rankings, as well as how definitive it was that Bush and White were the only Linebackers that should’ve gotten looks in the First. I’m really looking forward to seeing this Edge Rusher class play over the next decade.

2019 Edge Rushers removed from my board:

I was able to eliminate nine players. Players eliminated from my draft board were split into two categories: Empty and Depleted. “Empty” are players who had factors that led to a 0% success rate for pros drafted at their position from 2008-2017. “Depleted” are players who had factors that significantly decreased the success rate of pros drafted at their position from 2008-2017. Below you will see an ‘E’ or ‘D’ next to their names, ‘E’ signifies “empty”, ‘D’ signifies “depleted.”  They are:

Joe Jackson (E)

L.J. Collier (E)

Malik Carney (E)

Cece Jefferson (D)

Charles Omenihu (D)

Jalen Jelks (D)

Jonathan Ledbetter (D)

Wyatt Ray (D)

Zach Allen (D)

*Has a factor that led to 100% success rate from Edge Rushers taken between 2008 and 2017 that also had that factor.

My Edge Rusher Draft Board

Players College Round Grade Round Selected In
Maxx Crosby* Eastern Michigan First Fourth
Montez Sweat Mississippi State First First
Josh Allen Kenutcky First First
Nick Bosa Ohio State First First
Ben Banogu TCU First Second
Chase Winovich Michigan First Third
Brian Burns Florida State First First
Clelin Ferrell Clemson First-Second First
Christian Miller Alabama First-Second Fourth
Rashan Gary Michigan First-Second First
Jordan Brailford Arizona State First-Second Seventh
Jaylon Ferguson Louisiana Tech Second-Third Third
Oshane Ximines Old Dominion Second-Third Third
Jamal Davis Akron Second-Third Undrafted
Darryl Johnson North Carolina A&T Second-Third Seventh
Justin Hollins Oregon Third-Fifth Fifth
Anthony Nelson Iowa Third-Fifth Fourth
Shareef Miller Penn State Third-Fifth Fourth
Jachai Polite Florida Third-Fifth Third
Porter Gustin USC Third-Fifth Undrafted
John Cominsky Charleston Fourth-Sixth Fourth
Austin Bryant Clemson Fourth-Sixth Fourth
Carl Granderson Wyoming Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
D'Andre Walker Georgia Fifth-Seventh Fifth
Gerri Green Mississippi State Fifth-Seventh Sixth

2019 DTs removed from my board:

I was able to eliminate three players. Below you will see an ‘E’ next to all of their names signifying “empty.” They are:

Demarcus Christmas (E)

Isaiah Buggs (E)

Terry Beckner (E)

My DT Draft Board

Players College Round Grade Round Selected In
Ed Oliver Houston First First
Khalen Saunders Western Illinois First-Second Third
Dexter Lawrence Clemson First-Second First
Jeffery Simmons Mississippi State First-Second First
Quinnen Williams Alabama Second-Third First
Christian Wilkins Clemson Third-Fifth First
Jerry Tillery Notre Dame Third-Fifth First
Daylon Mack Texas A&M Third-Fifth Fifth
Trysten Hill UCF Fourth-Sixth Second
Gerald Willis Miami Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Armon Watts Arkansas Fourth-Sixth Sixth
Kevin Givens Penn State Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Kingsley Keke Texas A&M Fifth-Seventh Fifth
Greg Gaines Washington Fifth-Seventh Fourth
Byron Cowart Maryland Fifth-Seventh Fifth
Dre'mont Jones Ohio State Seventh-Undrafted Third
Renell Wren Arizona State Seventh-Undrafted Fourth
Chris Slayton Syracuse Seventh-Undrafted Seventh
Albert Huggins Clemson Seventh-Undrafted Undrafted
Dontavious Russell Auburn Seventh-Undrafted Seventh
Daniel Wise Kansas Seventh-Undrafted Undrafted

2019 LBs removed from my board:

I was able to eliminate seven players. Below you will see an ‘E’ next to some of their names signifying “empty” and a ‘D’ next to one name signifying “depleted.”  They are:

Bryson Allen-Williams (E)

Kendall Joseph (E)

Terez Hall (E)

Terrill Hanks (E)

Tre Lamar (E)

Vosean Joseph (E)

Ty Summers (D)

My LB Draft Board

Players College Round Grade Round Selected In
Devin White LSU First First
Devin Bush Michigan First First
Ben Burr-Kirven Washington Second-Third Fifth
Gary Johnson Texas Second-Third Undrafted
Sione Takitaki BYU Second-Third Third
Jahlani Tavai Hawaii Third-Fifth Second
Chase Hansen Utah Third-Fifth Undrafted
Otaro Alaka Texas A&M Third-Fifth Undrafted
Bobby Okereke Stanford Fourth-Sixth Third
Blake Cashman Minnesota Fourth-Sixth Fifth
Cameron Smith USC Fourth-Sixth Fifth
Dakota Allen Texas Tech Fourth-Sixth Seventh
Germaine Pratt North Carolina State Fourth-Sixth Third
Joe Giles-Harris Duke Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Ryan Connelly Wisconsin Fourth-Sixth Fifth
Drue Tranquill Notre Dame Fourth-Sixth Fourth
Cody Barton Utah Fourth-Sixth Third
Te'von Coney Notre Dame Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Sutton Smith Northern Illinois Fourth-Sixth Sixth
Andrew Van Ginkel Wisconsin Fourth-Sixth Fifth
Jordan Jones Kentucky Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
Deshaun Davis Auburn Fourth-Sixth Sixth
T.J. Edwards Wisconsin Fourth-Sixth Undrafted
David Long West Virginia Fifth-Seventh Sixth
Dre Greenlaw Arkansas Fifth-Seventh Fifth
Emeke Egbule Houston Fifth-Seventh Sixth
Nate Hall Northwestern Fifth-Seventh Undrafted
Quincy Williams Murray State Fifth-Seventh Third
Tyrel Dodson Texas A&M Fifth-Seventh Undrafted
Azeez Al-Shaair FAU Fifth-Seventh Undrafted
Jeff Allison Fresno State Fifth-Seventh Undrafted
Mack Wilson Alabama Seventh-Undrafted Fifth