Ten things to watch for in the 2019 NFL Draft

The 2019 NFL draft begins in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday night (1am UK & Ireland time).

The first round takes place on Thursday with rounds two and three on Friday and the fourth to seventh rounds on Saturday.

Here are ten things to look out for as the elite college football players are chosen by the 32 NFL teams.

1 With the first pick ...

Last year the Cleveland Browns kept their selection close to their chest and QB Baker Mayfield was still a 20-1 shot to go first just a couple of days before the draft. Bookmakers think the Arizona Cardinals will emulate the Browns by taking another Oklahoma quarterback, this time Kyler Murray. Murray, who was drafted by Major League baseball team Oakland Athletics in the first round of the MLB draft last year but has since committed to playing in the NFL, is the 1-4 favourite to be taken first. There was more reason for Cleveland to keep their plans secret, as they had the fourth pick as well, but Arizona are claiming they have not decided yet. "We're still working through things," said Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

2 The Josh Rosen factor

The elephant in the room with the Cardinals poised to take a quarterback in the first round is that they chose one with the tenth pick of the first round last year. Josh Rosen had little chance to impress in a struggling team as a rookie, but he has talent that could be tapped in more conducive surroundings. If the Cardinals pick Murray and trade Rosen to a QB-needy team such as the Giants, it could have a major effect on the storyline of the first night.

3 Surprise surprise

Bookmakers are being a little cautious with the first-pick betting and Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams, the second and third favourites to be the first name called, are as short as 10-3 and 9-2 respectively in places, even though pass-rusher Bosa, the brother of Chargers star Joey, is available at 9-2 and defensive tackle Williams can be backed at 14-1. If Arizona trade the top pick it could be to a team who love one of this pair rather than Murray.

NFL Draft 2019 betting preview and tips

4 What are the Giants' steps?

The New York Giants are one of the more intriguing teams to watch. They clearly need a quarterback at some point with Eli Manning in his twilight years. And they have two first-round picks - their own at number six and the Browns' number 17 after the off-season blockbuster trade involving Odell Beckham. The Big Blue should really be in the market for Rosen, or they could take QB Dwayne Haskins, but whatever they do will affect the plans of the teams who want a quarterback behind them, such as the Broncos and Raiders.

5 Hey big spenders

Oakland have the strongest hand to play in the draft, albeit after giving away two of their best players last season. They have three first-round picks after trading star pass-rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago and wide receiver Amari Cooper to Dallas. With the number four, 24 and 27 picks they could do anything. That said, as they appear to be following the Cleveland model of acquiring as much draft capital as possible, the possibility of trading down with at least one of their early choices, to acquire multiple picks again next year, can't be ruled out.

6 Who will be the big fallers?

Every draft has a player previously expected to be chosen early who drops like a stone. If it happened to Aaron Rodgers (taken 24th when he could have gone first in 2005), it can happen to anyone. This year pass-rusher Montez Sweat was all the rage after posting some eye-catching athletic numbers at the combine, but his stock has plummeted after reports that he has a heart condition. Off-field issues are never far away from the draft headlines and this year the focus will be on Jeffery Simmons, an elite defensive lineman with an assault charge on his record and a knee injury to boot. His skill level means someone will take a chance on him, but the question is when. Another defensive lineman whose stock is falling is Rashan Gary, who reportedly has a shoulder problem that is leading teams to take him off their draft boards.

7 Bring on the champions

The Super Bowl champions are not normally a major factor in the draft as they pick last in the first round but New England's moves could tell us a lot about their future plans. Star tight end Rob Gronkowki has retired and legendary QB Tom Brady is saying he will play on aged 42 next season. The Pats could be interested in trading for Rosen, and they have two second-round picks and three thirds if they want to make something happen higher up the first round.

8 Open and shut cases

Some of the positional battles look clear-cut to the bookmakers with Josh Jacobs 1-4 to be the first running back picked and the impressive TJ Hockenson as short as 1-5 to be the first tight end selected. Bosa is 3-10 to be the first DE off the board.

9 Differences of opinion

Some other positions, however, have no clear favourite among teams or bookmakers. The draft is seen as being rich in NFL-quality safeties (as well as defensive linemen) but the pick of them is disputed. Johnathan Abram is 9-5 to be the first safety taken, but Darnell Savage, Nasir Adderley and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson are all 9-2 or shorter.

10 The best pick may have been made already

Last year the Cleveland Browns were the stars of the draft with four of the first 35 picks, but this year they have nothing until the 49th selection. There will be no tears about that at the First Energy Stadium though, as they used the 17th first-round pick in their trade for Odell Beckham, just one of the off-season moves that has made them unlikely fifth-favourites for the Super Bowl with some bookmakers. Landing OBJ takes the Browns' offence to the next level.

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