Buccaneers pick linebacker Devin White in first round of NFL Draft
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The skies threatened rain all day Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee and, not long after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Kyler Murray as the No. 1 pick overall to Arizona, the rain started falling.
A year after the Cardinals traded up to the 10th spot to grab Josh Rosen, they went with Oklahoma's dynamic Heisman Trophy winner. The team apparently believes Murray is a better fit running the offense of new coach Kliff Kingsbury, who worked in the Big 12 that Murray dominated last season.
Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa went to San Francisco as expected. The 49ers have used a first-round selection on four defensive linemen in the past five drafts. Bosa is considered the top pass rusher in this group. His older brother, Joey, plays for the Chargers and was the 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Their father also played in the NFL.
The New York Jets held onto the third pick and took defensive tackle Quinnen Williams of Alabama, a dominant man in the trenches accustomed to playing in big games. The Jets were widely speculated to want to trade down, but instead got a building block for their defense and new coach Adam Gase.
Not even a starter before 2018, Williams won the Outland Trophy last season and is Alabama's highest-drafted defensive player since linebacker Cornelius Bennett went No. 2 overall in 1987.
Oakland, which owns three first-round spots, took the third straight defensive lineman in a draft loaded with them, selecting Clelin Ferrell of Clemson. A two-time All-ACC player who has pass rushing skills on the edge, he is the first of several national champion Tigers likely to go very high from their outstanding D-line.
Up next was Tampa Bay, which had a sieve of a defense last season. So the Buccaneers - with their new coach and offensive mastermind, Bruce Arians - chose LSU linebacker Devin White, the Butkus Award winner who led the SEC in tackles.
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He's exactly the kind of playmaker the unit has lacked for several years and had the highest percentage of pass pressures in FBS last year.
The Giants ended that mini-run of D-linemen when they took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, who has learned under Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe -- the same man who tutored Peyton and Eli Manning.
Jones was considered an outsider to go in the opening round until recently, and the Giants clearly feel he can do some more learning under Eli Manning before taking over as their signal caller. Jones was the MVP of the Senior Bowl.
Kentucky's Josh Allen, the national defensive player of the year (Bednarik Award) and a fast, physical linebacker, went to Jacksonville at the seventh spot.
The Jaguars have some significant needs on offense, but Allen generally was projected to go in the top five picks. It's the second successive draft in which Josh Allen went seventh. Buffalo took the Wyoming quarterback by the same name in 2018.
Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, who seemed destined for Jacksonville before Josh Allen fell to the Jaguars, went at the eighth pick one spot later to Detroit. Hockenson is an all-around tight end with blocking skills, speed and savvy. He finds open areas in defenses and doesn't drop the ball.
Buffalo also shored up its defensive line with tackle Ed Oliver, a three-time All-AAC player who didn't have a great 2018 season after being dominant the previous years, including first-team All-America in 2016. He had 50 tackles for loss or no gain in the past three years, leading FBS.
The first trade of the 2019 NFL draft lifted Pittsburgh from 20th to 10th, swapping with Denver.
The Steelers, with all-time great Joe Greene making the announcement, then selected Michigan linebacker Devin Bush - a player apparently coveted by AFC North rival Cincinnati at No. 11. Pittsburgh doesn't often make such bold moves in drafts, but after missing the playoffs last season, and with Ryan Shazier unlikely to play again because of a severe injury, getting Bush was a key to rebuilding the defense.
Picks carried on as fans packed Broadway next to the draft stage, having no issues with the rain, wearing ponchos or having umbrellas and hats at the ready.
The downpours were so intense, water was coming through the roof at the media center where approximately 2,000 reporters were covering the draft.
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