Full 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Raiders and 49ers land defensive studs

A torn ACL suffered in February, unfortunately, tanked Jeffery Simmons‘ draft stock, but even so, he’s still expected to be drafted in the first round. He will likely be selected by a team that doesn’t have any major pressing needs who could afford to stash him until he recovers from his injury.

That team could be the Eagles who wouldn’t exactly need him, but could certainly use a player of his caliber. Simmons is the definition of an “interior disruptor” with his excellent burst and superb gap-penetrating ability. He won’t contribute right out of the gate, but this has the potential to be one of the steals of the draft in a few years time.

The Colts absolutely nailed the draft last year selecting two 2018 All-Pro players — Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard — who helped set the tone for a breakout 2018 campaign. This year, they’ll need to live up to the hype and they could do just that with the selection of safety Johnathan Abram here in the first round.

Abram would slot in as the team’s starting strong safety next to the rangy Malik Hooker and be asked to play in deep coverage in a two-deep safety look or even down in the box near the line of scrimmage. There is perhaps no safety who hits harder in this class than Abram and his skill set even has some comparing him to New York Jets All-Pro safety Jamal Adams.

With the last of their three first-round draft picks, the Raiders opt to go with what could be an unpopular move and select running back Josh Jacobs. After already addressing the defensive line and the secondary, Oakland shifts over to the offensive side of the ball to fill a need that is still pretty apparent.

The team signed Isaiah Crowell in free agency and returns the likes of Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, but it’s hard to get excited about a three-headed monster featuring those three. Jacobs’ vision and change of direction skills more than make up for his lack of breakaway speed and his skill set could give the team a true three-down running back, a rarity in today’s NFL.

While the Chargers could have elected to target an offensive lineman or an interior defensive lineman, the team instead opted to select the fast-rising Rock Ya-Sin with their first-round selection. Ya-Sin not only possesses perhaps the best name in the entire draft but offers a blend of physicality and press coverage ability that could make him a very solid boundary corner.

Outside of Casey Hayward, the Chargers lack a viable No. 2 corner option with Desmond King primarily manning the slot. Trevor Williams and Michael Davis shouldn’t be enough to deter the Chargers from going with the ascending Ya-Sin here in the first round.