The Hog Sty’s Official Unofficial 2019 Mock Draft
April 19, 2019
Edited by Steve Thomas
The draft is almost here!!!! Are you excited? Speaking for all of us on staff at The Hog Sty, we sure are. It’s essentially football Christmas, and we can’t resist discussing and hashing over all of the new gifts the Redskins receive during the 3 days of the draft. In that vein, we thought we’d do a site-wide mock draft this year, where everybody (okay, not everyone; just the people who wanted to participate) does separate mock drafts for rounds one through three and then writes about their thought process for each pick. That sounds fun, right? I, your loyal scribe, have the task of compiling all of the responses, so let’s see how this turns out. The idea here is that by presenting all of these different opinions, you’ll hopefully gain some insight as to the scope of who might be realistically available to the Redskins next week…maybe. Or maybe this is just a fun little Friday exercise. Either way, here we go.
Round One, pick 15
Alex Zeese: Montez Sweat, edge, Mississippi St. Of the 3 guys I’d most love to see the Redskins take in the first round, Sweat was the only one left on the board since Haskins and White both went in the top 10.
Eric Hill: Montez Sweat, edge, Mississippi St. Noah Fant, TJ Hockenson and Dwayne Haskins were off the board here, so my choice was between Sweat and CB Greedy Williams. Williams is a potential All-Pro and I wouldn’t be upset about getting him but need was the tiebreaker and Sweat was the pick.
Jay Evans: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, wide receiver, Oklahoma. If TJ Hockenson is available this is an easy choice. In this mock Montez Sweat went earlier, and Brian Burns is off the board. Assuming the medical reports are clear on Brown’s Lisfranc injury and it isn’t going to be a future concern then adding a 4.3 speedster with elite agilities gives Washington a dynamic weapon. Jay Gruden gets his Desean Jackson clone and special teams gets a boost with a player who can take it to the house on any given touch.
Jamual Forrest: TJ Hockenson TE, Iowa. The Redskins need a dynamic offensive player, one who can impact a game in a variety of ways. Hockenson is that player – he is a “do it all” tight end who is as good as a run and pass blocker as he is a receiver. The Redskins would love him.
Sean Conte: DK Metcalf, wide receiver, Mississippi. In my mock draft, Kyler Murray, Drew Lock, and Dwayne Haskins flew off the board pretty quickly. Top prospects at corner, edge rusher, and linebacker soon followed. I’m going with the #1-ranked position player still available: DK Metcalf, WR out of Ole Miss. We have no one on our roster beyond JAG status to catch passes from whoever the hell ends up throwing them. This should help.
Steve Thomas: Cody Ford, T, Oklahoma. Honestly, my first choice here was quarterback, but in my mock draft (thanks Fanspeak!) – and I believe this will be true in the real draft as well – all of the top quarterbacks were gone by pick 15, along with Montez Sweat, Brian Burns, TJ Hockenson, and DK Metcalf. Ford was next on my board, and he will fill a massive need at left guard for years to come. Not what I really wanted in round 1, but I think he’ll turn out to be a great pick.
Round Two, pick 14
Alex Zeese: Chris Lindstrom, guard, Boston College. Lindstrom would help solidify one of the biggest holes on the offense as one of the best guards in this draft class.
Eric Hill: Chris Lindstrom, guard, Boston College. The idea of Ereck Flowers playing left guard for this team makes my butt itch. Lindstrom is a potential long term starter and the run game could be dominant with his addition. I really wanted Deebo Samuel to fall to this spot, but Lindstrom was a nice consolation prize.
Jay Evans: Dalton Risner, OT/G, Kansas State. Risner is a stud with positional flexibility. If he is available in round two I run to the podium and officially have my starting left guard with the possibility of a moving to right tackle in the future. Risner started as a true freshman at center before moving to right tackle in college. Risner plays mean and looks the part to be a 10-year veteran in the league with ideal height/weight measurements and positional flexibility.
Jamual Forrest: Hakeem Butler, wide receiver, Iowa St. Again, the Redskins are in a position where they need as much help as possible on the offensive end. Jay Gruden’s last two seasons produced the worst offenses he has had during his tenure. Hakeem Butler is a playmaker who makes quarterbacks look better than what they really are.
Sean Conte: Michael Dieter, guard, Wisconsin. Ereck Flowers doesn’t impress me much. I like Deiter even though the higher ranked Lindstrom was still on the board. Deiter plays LG naturally and has experience at center. The Redskins favor versatility for obvious reasons, and this seems like a great fit.
Steve Thomas: Deebo Samuel, wide receiver, South Carolina. The Redskins’ receiver group is in crisis. It desperately needs a massive injection of talent. I realize I’ve raised questions on the show whether Samuel is a great fit for the Redskins given that he’s a bit similar in body type to Paul Richardson Jr., but Samuel is a tremendous talent. If he’s available in round two, Washington should grab him.
Round Three, pick 12
Alex Zeese: Jaylon Ferguson, edge, Louisiana Tech. Most of my top choices went off the board between picks in the 2nd and 3rd round, but Jaylon Ferguson is someone on whom I have a big draft crush. Even though a 2nd edge rusher wouldn’t be a huge need I think that Ferguson’s speed could be a dangerous weapon.
Eric Hill: Terry McClaurin WR, Ohio St. McClauren is an underrated receiver in this year’s draft, especially for a guy who ran 4.35 at the combine. He is a polished route runner and is willing to get physical against press coverage. While he may take time to develop into a starter, he is a special teams demon and could help there immediately. His tape reminds me of a young Pierre Garcon.
Jay Evans: Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama. Thompson comes to the Redskins with high upside and plenty to prove. Considered one of the better safeties going into the 2018 season, he struggled down the stretch and didn’t play well during the championship. Deionte has shown that he will throw his body into tackles and has adequate athleticism at 6’1’’ and 195 lbs to work over the top of a defense.
Jamual Forrest: Christian Miller, OLB, Alabama. The team should get its edge rusher here. The Redskins have a need for pass rusher but it is not as overwhelming a need as many may think. The interior defensive line is the key cog behind the pressure being produced by the defense, so they just need to get a serviceable pass rusher to add depth and talent to the position group. Christian Miller will come in and immediately challenge the other edge rushers on the roster and play a part in a good rotation at the position.
Sean Conte, Vosean Joseph, linebacker, Florida. This was a tough one. Most of the other guys I was considering were already gobbled up at this point. Joseph is an unpolished, somewhat undersized LB with a ton of speed, strength, range, and natural athleticism. I’m snagging him in rd 3 in the hopes someone can clean up the sloppier parts of his game.
Steve Thomas: Darnell Savage, safety, Maryland. Safety is another need position for the Redskins. The team needs rangy, athletic free safety to pair with Landon Collins for the long term, and Savage is a playmaker who will fit in well. Savage may need an adjustment period, but I think he has the potential to be a high-quality starter at a position of need. That’s a win-win.
Round Three, pick 32
Alex Zeese: Miles Boykin, wide reciever, Notre Dame. I was trying to decide between Boykin and Mecole Hardman from Georgia. Boykin put up more solid numbers in college and I feel like the Redskins need to be sure they have a reliable wideout.
Eric Hill: Jace Sternberger TE, Texas A&M. Passing on QB Jarrett Stidham at this spot was tough, but Sternberger is a potential fan favorite at the tight end spot that could allow the team to move on from expensive veteran Vernon Davis or injury prone Jordan Reed. Sternberger is a very good pass catcher and a willing blocker in the run game. He needs to add some strength to reach his potential but he could end up being as good as Noah Fant in the NFL.
Jay Evans: Kahale Warring, TE, San Diego State. Over the past several drafts the Redskins have reached on prospects with elite measurable traits. Warring is an elite athlete who played just about every sport (basketball, water polo, swimming, soccer, tennis) prior to trying football. His game is raw, especially the blocking aspects, but his elite offensive traits make him a true multidimensional threat who could take over for Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis after a year of professional development.
Jamual Forrest: Ryan Finley, QB, North Carolina St. Ryan Finley is a mid round quarterback who for whatever reason is undervalued. Finley is capable of immediately coming in to compete and challenge Case Keenum and Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback. Even if that does not work out for him early on, Finley is still in a good position to acquire knowledge on the bench, learning from the abundance of former quarterbacks on staff. He will be in good shape.
Steve Thomas: Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn. The Redskins would be fools to not draft a quarterback this year, even if it’s a mid-round developmental prospect. In my opinion, Stidham is the best of the mid-round group of quarterbacks and can come into Washington without having to start right away (or ever). Assuming that the Redskins haven’t already either brought in Josh Rosen or drafted a quarterback in round 1, they should definitely grab Stidham if he’s available at this spot in round 3.