Big shoes to fill: Replacing 2019 NFL Draft first round picks

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 01: Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young (2) reacts after getting the sack against the Northwestern Wildcats during the Big Ten championship game on December 1, 2018 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 01: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action during the Big Ten Championship game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 1, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ohio State won 45-24. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The 2019 NFL Draft took 32 of the best college football players in the country last year out of the equation in the first round, so who will replace each guy?

In the last weekend of April, 254 college football prospects were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. Moreover, countless undrafted free agents were then signed by the 32 professional teams to keep their hopes of playing in the NFL alive. All of those players, those drafted and not, will have to be replaced on their respective college football teams in the 2019 season. However, that’s easier in some cases than others.

As far as the 32 first-round picks are concerned, replacing them is undeniably the most difficult task that college football teams will face for 2019. There’s a reason that these players were taken with the 32 most valuable selections in the NFL Draft: They’re that good. Thus, they leave massive holes on their college teams that must be filled.

There are certainly instances where this is easier than others. After Baker Mayfield was taken first overall in the 2018 draft by the Cleveland Browns, the Oklahoma Sooners obviously had to replace him on their offense, which seemed like a tall task. However, Kyler Murray stepped into the starting quarterback role and never looked back, winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming a No. 1 overall pick himself.

However, there are also instances of replacing first-round picks that are more difficult transitions than the one from Mayfield to Murray. This is the case in some big programs, but it’s undeniably the case in regards to small-school prospects. For instance, when Khalil Mack was taken with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft, it’s safe to say that Buffalo didn’t have an immediate replacement to fill in for him.

Simply put, it’s a case-by-case basis for how each college football team will replace the first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft that they lost. Having said that, we’re going to go through all 32 selections and look at the players that will fill the voids that they left on their college teams. We start with the aforementioned Murray.

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