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No. 3 New York Jets: DL Rashan Gary, Michigan
The New York Jets are still a work in progress. The team lacks offensive talent to go with quarterback Sam Darnold, but the value at the top of the draft is on defense. New York can address some of their offensive needs later in the draft, but the Jets would be wise to look at the top defensive players available where they are picking.
At times, Rashan Gary's potential has been higher than his production. Gary may have some room to grow, but the Michigan defensive tackle still made a major impact during his time in Ann Arbor. ESPN's Todd McShay believes Gary is ready to play right away.
“Could he continue to develop? Absolutely, but I think he’s ready,” McShay explained to the Detroit News. “With a player of that talent and skill level, if you come back asking questions and wondering if you want to be back, you don’t want it to turn into (Houston’s) Ed Oliver. We’re just seeing more and more guys who try to put their feet back in but not totally in -- maybe one foot back into the senior season. If you’re not there mentally, and you’re talented enough to be a first-round pick, which Rashan is, then I think the right decision is to go. Outside of running backs, I’m usually a proponent of go back and get as much experience as you can get, but Rashan’s ready.”
No. 4 Oakland Raiders: LB Josh Allen, Kentucky
We could dedicate this entire mock draft to a case study on the Raiders. Jon Gruden and the Raiders are betting on themselves in the 2019 draft. They traded away top players like Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper in order to secure a total of three first-round draft picks.
Prior to the firing of former GM Reggie McKenzie, Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke with ESPN about the void of talent on the current Raiders roster.
“The drafts did not help supplement what we were doing in the free-agent market,” Davis told ESPN. “If you look at our roster now, it's a bunch of free-agent, one-year guys that are mercenaries. And they're great guys and they're Raiders. Once a Raider, always a Raider... but we just don't have the overall talent of a 22-man roster."
It is not just the roster, but the entire franchise that is in disarray. Oakland is without a GM and does not even know where they will play in 2019. The Raiders need to hit on the upcoming draft for more reasons than one as the team looks for a major boost of morale.
According to OddsShark, Josh Allen now has the second highest odds to be selected with the No. 1 pick. Allen is a distant second behind Nick Bosa, but it shows how high Allen's draft stock has risen. According to The Athletic's Dane Brugler, Allen added 20 pounds of muscle which led to a dominant season in the SEC.
"...Senior EDGE Josh Allen (6-4, 262, 4.68, #41), who went from possible top-100 pick to potential top-10 selection. Last offseason, he added 20+ pounds of muscle and expanded his pass rush repertoire, which resulted in a spike in his impact and production. Allen currently leads the SEC in sacks (14.0), tackles for loss (18.5) and forced fumbles (five)," Brugler noted.