2019 NFL Draft: Special SB Nation NFL Mock Draft

Apr 2019

Check out the entire 1st round prediction, and who the Steelers bring home, in the latest mock draft.

Every year everyone here at SB Nation goes through a bloggers NFL Mock Draft. There was a time we did multiple rounds, but it has been trimmed down to just the first round.

Each editor, or someone designated to represent their website, makes the pick for their team, and in the 2019 mock draft I chose CB Byron Murphy for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In case you were wondering, many, if not all, of the headline names floating around the black-and-gold fan base were off the board before my selection. I chose to go cornerback over wide receiver, and I like Murphy over Greedy Williams and Deandre Baker.

Check out what I wrote about the pick, and the analysis from SB Nation below:

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

Hartman: The Pittsburgh Steelers make this selection looking at the future. While the fan base will bemoan the selection, Murphy will be a player who can play sparingly in Year 1, before taking over for the aging Joe Haden. Murphy is young, and declared for the draft after a stellar sophomore season saw him total 58 tackles, 13 pass defenses, four interceptions, and a touchdown.

Murphy will bring versatility in being able to play both man and zone schemes, and could be a valuable commodity in some shape or form as a rookie. The Steelers know their secondary needs to improve to match their pass rush — which was tied for the most sacks in the NFL last season — and the pick of Murphy is a big step in the right direction.

Analysis: It took all of 20 games of college football for Murphy to decide he was ready for the NFL. He made the right decision. Murphy may not be a press specialist, but that is one of his few flaws. He can help the reshaping of Pittsburgh’s secondary that started this offseason with the signing of free agent Steven Nelson. A combination of Nelson and Murphy would give Pittsburgh a viable partnership on the outside for several seasons. That’s good considering former first-round pick Artie Burns has been a letdown and Haden has just a season left on his deal.

The best part about this mock draft is we did something unique this year. We decided to create a podcast with all of the bloggers stating their pick, and why. It is a really unique feature, and one I encourage everyone to check out!

To hear the full mock draft in audio form, check out the podcast below to see who was left, who was gone, who surprised and who disappointed: