Marquise Brown Now Favored to be First WR Off the Board at NFL Draft Tonight
- The NFL Draft takes place tonight in Nashville, Tennessee (8:00 PM ET)
- Many project D.K. Metcalf or Marquise Brown to be the first wide receiver selected
- Buffalo & New England are two of the teams who could look for a WR early in the draft
The best part of the NFL draft, for my money, is the mystery that surrounds so many of the selections.
The newest debate is which wide receiver will be the first called to the stage tonight in Nashville. For much of the pre-draft process, D.K. Metcalf from Ole Miss was projected to earn that distinction, but now things have shifted with buzz surrounding Marquise Brown from Oklahoma.
Which WR Will Be Drafted 1st?
| Wide Receivers | First WR drafted odds |
|---|---|
| Marquise Brown (Oklahoma) | -350 |
| D.K. Metcalf (Ole Miss) | +175 |
| A.J. Brown (Ole Miss) | +1500 |
| N’Keal Harry (Arizona State) | +2200 |
| Parris Campbell (Ohio State) | N/A |
| Kelvin Harmon (NC State) | +5000 |
| JJ Arcega-Whiteside (Stanford) | N/A |
*odds taken 4/25
The odds suggest this is a two-horse race that will come down to Brown and Metcalf. I’m siding with the new underdog for two big reasons.
PFF's Final WR Rankings for the 2019 NFL Draft
1. DK Metcalf
2. AJ Brown
3. JJ Arcega-Whiteside
4. Andy Isabella
5. Marquise Brown
6. Hakeem Butler
7. Deebo Samuel
8. N'Keal Harry
9. Terry McLaurin
10. Riley Ridley
11. Diontae Johnson
12. Kelvin Harmon— PFF (@PFF) April 24, 2019
Size Matters at the WR Position
Stacking up the measurements of the two wideouts, it’s clear to see Metcalf has a big advantage, literally. He is three inches taller, standing at 6’3, and slightly heavier, weighing in at 228 pounds.
Despite being bigger and heavier, Metcalf is also faster. He ran a 4.33 40-yard dash, while Brown ran a 4.49.
Can’t believe I offended @dkmetcalf14 with this question!!pic.twitter.com/cWHDYGnJTc
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) April 25, 2019
Metcalf’s physical gifts can’t be ignored and when you consider two of the most WR-needy teams in the first round play in cold climates (Buffalo and New England), Metcalf’s frame could be a big factor.
Will Family Ties Hurt Brown?
Marquise Brown is the cousin of Antonio Brown. Where Nick Bosa may get a bump up for being the brother of a proven star in Joey Bosa, Marquise could be hurt by all the antics from Antonio Brown over the last year.
"What if the Steelers replace Antonio Brown with Marquise Brown?"@LFletcher59 with an idea on how Pittsburgh can replace some of the offensive talent lost this offseason. #TOPS pic.twitter.com/6Hy3lXOusZ
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) April 25, 2019
Is Marquise necessarily going to cause the same problems as his cousin?
Of course not. But in a league where talent evaluators will ask anything to find dirt, this one seems pretty close to the surface for GMs to miss.
Unless you believe Marquise is far and away the best talent, why pass on Metcalf or even one of the other comparable players on the board to assume the risk?
Take the Value and Bet on Metcalf
The fact you can get the player the majority of people believe is the best talent at the wide receiver position at plus-money is too good to pass up. I’ll be laying some action on the Ole Miss beast.
PICK: D.K. METCALF (+175)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
