If you thought a lot of interior and edge defenders came off the board in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, that’s because they did. Of the 32 selections on Day 1 of the draft, 13 came from those two position groupings — just four were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Despite the volume of highly touted rookies along the defensive front, just three first-year players picked up 35-plus pressures on the season, and one of those players was Maxx Crosby (45 pressures), who didn’t come off the board until the fourth round.