April 25th, Nashville—the 2019 NFL Draft officially kicked off.
After the turbulence of 2017 and the quarterback boom of 2018, 2019 was widely regarded as a severe downturn—a "small year."
A year of universal decline.
From offense to defense, young players with talent and potential were generally unimpressive. Scouts and experts alike noted a significant gap this year, expressing concerns that the draft results might be less than satisfactory.
Not only the NFL, but the NCAA also recognized this issue.
As a result, college players who were "not eligible for the draft" this year eagerly filed to enter early—ranging from juniors to redshirt sophomores. Everyone realized that this year was a "small year," which also meant an increased chance for themselves to make it into the first round, leading to a record-high number of 119 players declaring early for the draft.
Was this a good thing?
Not necessarily.
But that was the reality at hand, and teams had no choice but to accept it.
