The NFL Draft is a good way to measure how the league values particular positions. Last year, it seemed as though the running game was back in vogue: after quarterback, running back was perhaps the most highly valued position in the 2018 Draft, and a lot of draft capital was used on non-pass rushing linebackers.
Which positions did NFL teams focus on in the 2019 NFL Draft? We can use the Football Perspective Draft Value Chart to answer that question pretty easily for the first 224 picks (all picks after that have been excluded, since they have a draft value of zero). This was a draft for interior defensive linemen and edge rushers, but even more notable was the absence of draft capital spent on interior offensive linemen.
Consider that 3 out of every 22 players on a football field, at all times, is a guard or center. All else being equal, you would expect 14% of all draft picks and all draft capital to be spent on interior offensive linemen. That means 1 out of every 7.3 draft picks should be an offensive guard or center, but in the first 73 draft picks, there were just 5 interior offensive linemen selected. Just 8% of the first 100 picks were guards or centers, and overall, only 8.4% of all draft capital was spent on guards and centers. Here’s the full list of draftees.
Here is a look at the Draft Value, based on my chart, spent at each position in the 2019 Draft. (Note that I split front seven players into interior defensive lineman (labeled as DI), edge rushers, and linebackers; there is going to be some overlap for certain players, but I did the best I could to pick one label for each player.) The center position was by far the most ignored position, but guard — given that there are twice as many guards on each play as centers — didn’t fare much better:
![](https://www.footballperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/draft-capital-2019-1024x683.png)
While that chart is a helpful starting point, I think it makes more sense to analyze things based on how many players at each position are on the field on a given snap. This involves some estimating, of course, but here are the rough numbers I used: 1.0 QBs, 1.2 RBs, 2.5 WRs, 1.3 TEs, 2.0 OTs, 2.0 Gs, and 1.0 C on offense. For defense, I used 2.0 Edge players, 2.4 DI (Defensive Interior), 1.8 LBs, 2.5 CBs, 2.3 Ss, and 0.3 P/Ks (we need to come up with some value here). You can quibble with the ratios, but here are the per snap results using those numbers. This is where the league’s lack of draft capital spent on guards and centers stands out, along with the heavy emphasis on edge rushers and interior defensive linemen.
![](https://www.footballperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/draft-capital-per-pos-2019-1024x683.png)
So what’s up with the lack of draft capital spent on centers and guards? This was a weak free agent year for interior offensive linemen, with Mitch Morse, Matt Paradis, and Rodger Saffold being the only notable free agents. Perhaps this is was a weak guard class — and that’s why you saw teams with a need at the position trade for Kelechi Osemele and Kevin Zeitler.
Some other takeaways:
- This was a second straight weak year for wide receivers. Last year, the first WR went off the board at 24, and just 10 of the first 100 picks were wide receivers. This year, 10% of all draft capital was spent on wide receivers, despite them being about 11.4% of all players. Given the increasing importance placed on the passing game, I suspect we are due soon for a big year for receivers in the Draft.
- Interior defensive linemen and edge rushers make up about 20% of all players on the field, but over 26% of all draft capital was spent on those players. This was billed as a draft for those players, and 13 of them — Quinnen Williams, Ed Oliver, Rashan Gary, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, Jerry Tillery, and L.J. Collier as interior defensive linemen and Nick Bosa, Clelin Ferrell, Josh Allen, Brian Burns, and Montez Sweat as edge rushers — went in the first round. That’s 41% of the first round! It appears that if you are a big bodied football player, you should go play defense.
Finally, the table below shows the first 224 players in the 2018 Draft, their position (as identified by me), and their draft value. Feel free to change whatever you like: the data is yours.
Rnd | Pick | Tm | Player | College | Pos | Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | ARI | Kyler Murray | Oklahoma | QB | 34.6 |
1 | 2 | SFO | Nick Bosa | Ohio St. | Edge | 30.2 |
1 | 3 | NYJ | Quinnen Williams | Alabama | DI | 27.6 |
1 | 4 | OAK | Clelin Ferrell | Clemson | Edge | 25.8 |
1 | 5 | TAM | Devin White | LSU | LB | 24.3 |
1 | 6 | NYG | Daniel Jones | Duke | QB | 23.2 |
1 | 7 | JAX | Josh Allen | Kentucky | Edge | 22.2 |
1 | 8 | DET | T.J. Hockenson | Iowa | TE | 21.4 |
1 | 9 | BUF | Ed Oliver | Houston | DI | 20.6 |
1 | 10 | PIT | Devin Bush | Michigan | LB | 19.9 |
1 | 11 | CIN | Jonah Williams | Alabama | G | 19.3 |
1 | 12 | GNB | Rashan Gary | Michigan | DI | 18.8 |
1 | 13 | MIA | Christian Wilkins | Clemson | DI | 18.3 |
1 | 14 | ATL | Chris Lindstrom | Boston Col. | G | 17.8 |
1 | 15 | WAS | Dwayne Haskins | Ohio St. | QB | 17.4 |
1 | 16 | CAR | Brian Burns | Florida St. | Edge | 16.9 |
1 | 17 | NYG | Dexter Lawrence | Clemson | DI | 16.6 |
1 | 18 | MIN | Garrett Bradbury | North Carolina St. | C | 16.2 |
1 | 19 | TEN | Jeffery Simmons | Mississippi St. | DI | 15.8 |
1 | 20 | DEN | Noah Fant | Iowa | TE | 15.5 |
1 | 21 | GNB | Darnell Savage | Maryland | S | 15.2 |
1 | 22 | PHI | Andre Dillard | Washington St. | OT | 14.9 |
1 | 23 | HOU | Tytus Howard | Alabama St. | OT | 14.6 |
1 | 24 | OAK | Josh Jacobs | Alabama | RB | 14.4 |
1 | 25 | BAL | Marquise Brown | Oklahoma | WR | 14.1 |
1 | 26 | WAS | Montez Sweat | Mississippi St. | Edge | 13.9 |
1 | 27 | OAK | Johnathan Abram | Mississippi St. | S | 13.6 |
1 | 28 | LAC | Jerry Tillery | Notre Dame | DI | 13.4 |
1 | 29 | SEA | L.J. Collier | TCU | DI | 13.2 |
1 | 30 | NYG | Deandre Baker | Georgia | CB | 12.9 |
1 | 31 | ATL | Kaleb McGary | Washington | OT | 12.7 |
1 | 32 | NWE | N'Keal Harry | Arizona St. | WR | 12.5 |
2 | 33 | ARI | Byron Murphy | Washington | CB | 12.3 |
2 | 34 | IND | Rock Ya-Sin | Temple | CB | 12.1 |
2 | 35 | JAX | Jawaan Taylor | Florida | OT | 12 |
2 | 36 | SFO | Deebo Samuel | South Carolina | WR | 11.8 |
2 | 37 | CAR | Greg Little | Mississippi | OT | 11.6 |
2 | 38 | BUF | Cody Ford | Oklahoma | OT | 11.4 |
2 | 39 | TAM | Sean Bunting | Central Michigan | CB | 11.3 |
2 | 40 | OAK | Trayvon Mullen | Clemson | CB | 11.1 |
2 | 41 | DEN | Dalton Risner | Kansas St. | OT | 11 |
2 | 42 | DEN | Drew Lock | Missouri | QB | 10.8 |
2 | 43 | DET | Jahlani Tavai | Hawaii | LB | 10.6 |
2 | 44 | GNB | Elgton Jenkins | Mississippi St. | C | 10.5 |
2 | 45 | NWE | Joejuan Williams | Vanderbilt | CB | 10.4 |
2 | 46 | CLE | Greedy Williams | LSU | CB | 10.2 |
2 | 47 | SEA | Marquise Blair | Utah | S | 10.1 |
2 | 48 | NOR | Erik McCoy | Texas A&M | C | 9.9 |
2 | 49 | IND | Ben Banogu | TCU | Edge | 9.8 |
2 | 50 | MIN | Irv Smith Jr. | Alabama | TE | 9.7 |
2 | 51 | TEN | A.J. Brown | Mississippi | WR | 9.6 |
2 | 52 | CIN | Drew Sample | Washington | TE | 9.4 |
2 | 53 | PHI | Miles Sanders | Penn St. | RB | 9.3 |
2 | 54 | HOU | Lonnie Johnson Jr. | Kentucky | CB | 9.2 |
2 | 55 | HOU | Max Scharping | Northern Illinois | OT | 9.1 |
2 | 56 | KAN | Mecole Hardman | Georgia | WR | 9 |
2 | 57 | PHI | JJ Arcega-Whiteside | Stanford | WR | 8.9 |
2 | 58 | DAL | Trysten Hill | Central Florida | DI | 8.7 |
2 | 59 | IND | Parris Campbell | Ohio St. | WR | 8.6 |
2 | 60 | LAC | Nasir Adderley | Delaware | S | 8.5 |
2 | 61 | LAR | Taylor Rapp | Washington | S | 8.4 |
2 | 62 | ARI | Andy Isabella | Massachusetts | WR | 8.3 |
2 | 63 | KAN | Juan Thornhill | Virginia | S | 8.2 |
2 | 64 | SEA | D.K. Metcalf | Mississippi | WR | 8.1 |
3 | 65 | ARI | Zach Allen | Boston Col. | DI | 8 |
3 | 66 | PIT | Diontae Johnson | Toledo | WR | 7.9 |
3 | 67 | SFO | Jalen Hurd | Baylor | WR | 7.8 |
3 | 68 | NYJ | Jachai Polite | Florida | Edge | 7.7 |
3 | 69 | JAX | Josh Oliver | San Jose St. | TE | 7.6 |
3 | 70 | LAR | Darrell Henderson | Memphis | RB | 7.5 |
3 | 71 | DEN | Dre'mont Jones | Ohio St. | DI | 7.5 |
3 | 72 | CIN | Germaine Pratt | North Carolina St. | LB | 7.4 |
3 | 73 | CHI | David Montgomery | Iowa St. | RB | 7.3 |
3 | 74 | BUF | Devin Singletary | Florida Atlantic | RB | 7.2 |
3 | 75 | GNB | Jace Sternberger | Texas A&M | TE | 7.1 |
3 | 76 | WAS | Terry McLaurin | Ohio St. | WR | 7 |
3 | 77 | NWE | Chase Winovich | Michigan | Edge | 6.9 |
3 | 78 | MIA | Michael Deiter | Wisconsin | G | 6.9 |
3 | 79 | LAR | David Long | Michigan | CB | 6.8 |
3 | 80 | CLE | Sione Takitaki | BYU | LB | 6.7 |
3 | 81 | DET | Will Harris | Boston Col. | S | 6.6 |
3 | 82 | TEN | Nate Davis | Charlotte | G | 6.5 |
3 | 83 | PIT | Justin Layne | Michigan St. | CB | 6.5 |
3 | 84 | KAN | Khalen Saunders | Western Illinois | DI | 6.4 |
3 | 85 | BAL | Jaylon Ferguson | Louisiana Tech | Edge | 6.3 |
3 | 86 | HOU | Kahale Warring | San Diego St. | TE | 6.2 |
3 | 87 | NWE | Damien Harris | Alabama | RB | 6.2 |
3 | 88 | SEA | Cody Barton | Utah | LB | 6.1 |
3 | 89 | IND | Bobby Okereke | Stanford | LB | 6 |
3 | 90 | DAL | Connor McGovern | Penn St. | G | 5.9 |
3 | 91 | LAC | Trey Pipkins | Sioux Falls | OT | 5.9 |
3 | 91 | LAC | Trey Pipkins | Sioux Falls | OT | 5.9 |
3 | 92 | NYJ | Chuma Edoga | USC | OT | 5.8 |
3 | 93 | BAL | Miles Boykin | Notre Dame | WR | 5.7 |
3 | 94 | TAM | Jamel Dean | Auburn | CB | 5.7 |
3 | 95 | NYG | Oshane Ximines | Edge | 5.6 | |
3 | 96 | BUF | Dawson Knox | Mississippi | TE | 5.5 |
3 | 97 | LAR | Bobby Evans | Oklahoma | OT | 5.5 |
3 | 99 | TAM | Mike Edwards | Kentucky | S | 5.3 |
3 | 100 | CAR | Will Grier | West Virginia | QB | 5.3 |
3 | 101 | NWE | Yodny Cajuste | West Virginia | OT | 5.2 |
3 | 102 | MIN | Alexander Mattison | Boise St. | RB | 5.1 |
4 | 103 | ARI | Hakeem Butler | Iowa St. | WR | 5.1 |
4 | 104 | CIN | Ryan Finley | North Carolina St. | QB | 5 |
4 | 105 | NYJ | Chauncey Gardner-Johnson | Florida | S | 5 |
4 | 106 | OAK | Maxx Crosby | East. Michigan | Edge | 4.9 |
4 | 107 | TAM | Anthony Nelson | Iowa | DI | 4.8 |
4 | 108 | NYG | Julian Love | Notre Dame | CB | 4.8 |
4 | 109 | IND | Khari Willis | Michigan St. | S | 4.7 |
4 | 110 | SFO | Mitch Wishnowsky | Utah | P/K | 4.7 |
4 | 111 | ATL | Kendall Sheffield | Ohio St. | CB | 4.6 |
4 | 112 | WAS | Bryce Love | Stanford | RB | 4.6 |
4 | 113 | BAL | Justice Hill | Oklahoma St. | RB | 4.5 |
4 | 114 | MIN | Dru Samia | Oklahoma | G | 4.4 |
4 | 115 | CAR | Christian Miller | Alabama | Edge | 4.4 |
4 | 116 | TEN | Amani Hooker | Iowa | S | 4.3 |
4 | 117 | DET | Austin Bryant | Clemson | Edge | 4.3 |
4 | 118 | NWE | Hjalte Froholdt | Arkansas | G | 4.2 |
4 | 119 | CLE | Sheldrick Redwine | Miami (FL) | S | 4.2 |
4 | 120 | SEA | Gary Jennings Jr. | West Virginia | WR | 4.1 |
4 | 121 | TEN | Trevon Wesco | West Virginia | TE | 4.1 |
4 | 122 | PIT | Benny Snell Jr. | Kentucky | RB | 4 |
4 | 123 | BAL | Ben Powers | Oklahoma | G | 4 |
4 | 124 | SEA | Phil Haynes | Wake Forest | G | 3.9 |
4 | 125 | CIN | Renell Wren | Arizona St. | DI | 3.9 |
4 | 126 | CHI | Riley Ridley | Georgia | WR | 3.8 |
4 | 127 | BAL | Iman Marshall | USC | CB | 3.8 |
4 | 128 | DAL | Tony Pollard | Memphis | RB | 3.7 |
4 | 129 | OAK | Isaiah Johnson | Houston | CB | 3.7 |
4 | 130 | LAC | Drue Tranquill | Notre Dame | LB | 3.6 |
4 | 131 | WAS | Wes Martin | Indiana | G | 3.6 |
4 | 132 | SEA | Ugochukwu Amadi | Oregon | S | 3.5 |
4 | 133 | NWE | Jarrett Stidham | Auburn | QB | 3.5 |
4 | 134 | LAR | Greg Gaines | Washington | DI | 3.4 |
4 | 135 | ATL | John Cominsky | Charleston | DI | 3.4 |
4 | 136 | CIN | Michael Jordan | Ohio St. | G | 3.3 |
4 | 137 | OAK | Foster Moreau | LSU | TE | 3.3 |
4 | 138 | PHI | Shareef Miller | Penn St. | Edge | 3.2 |
5 | 139 | ARI | Deionte Thompson | Alabama | S | 3.2 |
5 | 140 | JAX | Ryquell Armstead | Temple | RB | 3.1 |
5 | 141 | PIT | Zach Gentry | Michigan | TE | 3.1 |
5 | 142 | SEA | Ben Burr-Kirven | Washington | LB | 3 |
5 | 143 | NYG | Ryan Connelly | Wisconsin | LB | 3 |
5 | 144 | IND | Marvell Tell III | USC | S | 3 |
5 | 145 | TAM | Matt Gay | Utah | P/K | 2.9 |
5 | 146 | DET | Amani Oruwariye | Penn St. | CB | 2.9 |
5 | 147 | BUF | Vosean Joseph | Florida | LB | 2.8 |
5 | 148 | SFO | Dre Greenlaw | Arkansas | LB | 2.8 |
5 | 149 | OAK | Hunter Renfrow | Clemson | WR | 2.7 |
5 | 150 | GNB | Kingsley Keke | Texas A&M | DI | 2.7 |
5 | 151 | MIA | Andrew Van Ginkel | Wisconsin | Edge | 2.7 |
5 | 152 | ATL | Qadree Ollison | Pittsburgh | RB | 2.6 |
5 | 153 | WAS | Ross Pierschbacher | Alabama | G | 2.6 |
5 | 154 | CAR | Jordan Scarlett | Florida | RB | 2.5 |
5 | 155 | CLE | Mack Wilson | Alabama | LB | 2.5 |
5 | 156 | DEN | Justin Hollins | Oregon | Edge | 2.4 |
5 | 157 | NYJ | Blake Cashman | Minnesota | LB | 2.4 |
5 | 158 | DAL | Michael Jackson | Miami (FL) | CB | 2.4 |
5 | 159 | NWE | Byron Cowart | Maryland | DI | 2.3 |
5 | 160 | BAL | Daylon Mack | Texas A&M | DI | 2.3 |
5 | 161 | HOU | Charles Omenihu | Texas | DI | 2.2 |
5 | 162 | MIN | Cameron Smith | USC | LB | 2.2 |
5 | 163 | NWE | Jake Bailey | Stanford | P/K | 2.2 |
5 | 164 | IND | E.J. Speed | Tarleton St. | LB | 2.1 |
5 | 165 | DAL | Joe Jackson | Miami (FL) | DI | 2.1 |
5 | 166 | LAC | Easton Stick | North Dakota St. | QB | 2 |
5 | 167 | PHI | Clayton Thorson | Northwestern | QB | 2 |
5 | 168 | TEN | D'Andre Walker | Georgia | Edge | 2 |
5 | 169 | LAR | David Edwards | Wisconsin | OT | 1.9 |
5 | 170 | CLE | Austin Seibert | Oklahoma | P/K | 1.9 |
5 | 171 | NYG | Darius Slayton | Auburn | WR | 1.9 |
5 | 172 | ATL | Jordan Miller | Washington | CB | 1.8 |
5 | 173 | WAS | Cole Holcomb | North Carolina | LB | 1.8 |
6 | 174 | ARI | KeeSean Johnson | Fresno St. | WR | 1.7 |
6 | 175 | PIT | Sutton Smith | Northern Illinois | Edge | 1.7 |
6 | 176 | SFO | Kaden Smith | Stanford | TE | 1.7 |
6 | 177 | NOR | Saquan Hampton | Rutgers | S | 1.6 |
6 | 178 | JAX | Gardner Minshew | Washington St. | QB | 1.6 |
6 | 179 | ARI | Lamont Gaillard | Georgia | C | 1.6 |
6 | 180 | NYG | Corey Ballentine | Washburn | CB | 1.5 |
6 | 181 | BUF | Jaquan Johnson | Miami (FL) | CB | 1.5 |
6 | 182 | CIN | Trayveon Williams | Texas A&M | RB | 1.5 |
6 | 183 | SFO | Justin Skule | Vanderbilt | OT | 1.4 |
6 | 184 | DET | Travis Fulgham | WR | 1.4 | |
6 | 185 | GNB | Ka'dar Hollman | Toledo | CB | 1.4 |
6 | 186 | DET | Ty Johnson | Oklahoma St. | RB | 1.3 |
6 | 187 | DEN | Juwann Winfree | Colorado | WR | 1.3 |
6 | 188 | TEN | David Long Jr. | West Virginia | LB | 1.3 |
6 | 189 | CLE | Drew Forbes | Southeast Missouri State | OT | 1.2 |
6 | 190 | MIN | Armon Watts | Arkansas | DI | 1.2 |
6 | 191 | MIN | Marcus Epps | Wyoming | S | 1.2 |
6 | 192 | PIT | Isaiah Buggs | Alabama | DI | 1.1 |
6 | 193 | MIN | Oli Udoh | Elon | OT | 1.1 |
6 | 194 | GNB | Dexter Williams | Notre Dame | RB | 1.1 |
6 | 195 | HOU | Xavier Crawford | Central Michigan | CB | 1 |
6 | 196 | NYJ | Blessuan Austin | Rutgers | CB | 1 |
6 | 197 | BAL | Trace McSorley | Penn St. | QB | 1 |
6 | 198 | SFO | Tim Harris | Virginia | CB | 0.9 |
6 | 199 | IND | Gerri Green | Mississippi St. | Edge | 0.9 |
6 | 200 | LAC | Emeke Egbule | Houston | LB | 0.9 |
6 | 201 | KAN | Rashad Fenton | South Carolina | CB | 0.8 |
6 | 202 | MIA | Isaiah Prince | Ohio St. | OT | 0.8 |
6 | 203 | ATL | Marcus Green | Louisiana-Monroe | WR | 0.8 |
6 | 204 | SEA | Travis Homer | Miami (FL) | RB | 0.7 |
6 | 205 | CHI | Duke Shelley | Kansas St. | CB | 0.7 |
6 | 206 | WAS | Kelvin Harmon | North Carolina St. | WR | 0.7 |
6 | 207 | PIT | Ulysees Gilbert III | Akron | LB | 0.6 |
6 | 208 | TAM | Scott Miller | Bowling Green | WR | 0.6 |
6 | 209 | SEA | Demarcus Christmas | Florida St. | DI | 0.6 |
6 | 210 | CIN | Deshaun Davis | Auburn | LB | 0.6 |
6 | 211 | CIN | Rodney Anderson | Oklahoma | RB | 0.5 |
6 | 212 | CAR | Dennis Daley | South Carolina | OT | 0.5 |
6 | 213 | DAL | Donovan Wilson | Texas A&M | S | 0.5 |
6 | 214 | KAN | Darwin Thompson | Utah St. | RB | 0.4 |
7 | 215 | TAM | Terry Beckner | Missouri | DI | 0.4 |
7 | 216 | KAN | Nick Allegretti | Illinois | G | 0.4 |
7 | 217 | MIN | Kris Boyd | Texas | CB | 0.3 |
7 | 218 | DAL | Mike Weber | Ohio St. | RB | 0.3 |
7 | 219 | PIT | Derwin Gray | Maryland | OT | 0.3 |
7 | 220 | HOU | Cullen Gillaspia | Texas A&M | RB | 0.3 |
7 | 221 | CLE | Donnie Lewis Jr. | Tulane | CB | 0.2 |
7 | 222 | CHI | Kerrith Whyte Jr. | Florida Atlantic | RB | 0.2 |
7 | 223 | CIN | Jordan Brown | South Dakota St. | CB | 0.2 |
7 | 224 | DET | Isaac Nauta | Georgia | TE | 0.1 |