Todd McShay Says No QB, RB or WR Has First-Round NFL Draft Grade

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Speaking with Ryen Russillo on The Ringer’s “Dual Threat” podcast, Todd McShay said that there aren’t any college quarterbacks, running backs, or wide receivers with first-round grades for the 2019 NFL Draft.

If you weren’t aware, Ryen Russillo has continued working in the sports world since leaving his mid-day radio gig at ESPN. These days, Russillo has a football podcast (Dual Threat) which covers both NCAA and NFL football. And while I’d love to talk more about how good it is, the real story comes from Russillo’s most recent guest: Todd McShay.

McShay, fresh off his 2019 NFL Mock Draft 1.0, revealed that among the 20 players he has first-round grades for, none of them are from the cool positions. That’s right, according to McShay, zero college quarterbacks, running backs, or wide receivers qualify — there aren’t any tight ends, either.

If you’re surprised to hear that, you’re not alone because I was definitely taken back when it ran through my earbuds. Luckily, that doesn’t mean the exciting positions will get shut out the first day; besides the fact that there’s still plenty of time for guys to improve their stock, teams in need of certain positions will take the best available player (in their mind) regardless of grade, rank, etc. — think Tim Tebow in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Not surprisingly, Todd McShay is already on that train, according to his mock draft. Despite the lack of first-round grades for quarterbacks and skill positions, he has two quarterbacks going in the Top 10, as well as two wide receivers and a tight end a few picks later.

Todd McShay Mock Draft: QBs and Skill Positions (2019)

Herbert has been the guy for a long time now, in terms of the QB class this year, and as of now, nothing has really changed. McShay told Ryen Russillo that he’s the “most physically gifted” quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft, though he noted Dwayne Haskins has a shot at being the first QB taken. With that said, Russillo asked him to compare the duo to the 2018 QB group, prompting McShay to put Herbert and Haskins behind Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen, but ahead of Lamar Jackson.

On the subject of Haskins, McShay called him a “quick decision maker” who “doesn’t miss many easy throws.” From the con side, he said the Maryland native is “not a very good runner.”

Herbert, according to the ESPN vet, is more accurate than Haskins on difficult passes but not as swift with “easy to moderate throws.”

Other quarterbacks discussed were Heisman Trophy-winner Kyler Murray, who McShay believes to be a first-round pick had baseball not been in the picture, and West Virginia star Will Grier, who “needs a year” learning before he’s ready, per McShay.

From a DMV standpoint, his mock draft has the Washington Redskins taking a much-needed offensive lineman with the No. 13 pick in the first round — Cody Ford of Oklahoma — and the Baltimore Ravens keeping it in the family with a Jim Harbaugh-taught linebacker — Devin Bush of Michigan — at No. 21.

The entire mock draft from McShay is available for ESPN+ subscribers here.

 Featured Image: Marianne O’Leary [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons