NFL veterans most impacted by the 2019 draft

The NFL draft brings new stars to the league every year. With those rookie arrivals, established NFL veterans are affected in both positive and negative ways.

Here are the 10 veterans most impacted by the 2019 NFL Draft:

Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants 

The writing has been on the wall for Manning and the Giants for a few years. Since winning Super Bowl XLVII, he’s led the Giants to the playoffs just once.

New York drafted quarterback Davis Webb in the third round two years ago, but dedicating this year's No. 6 overall selection to Duke signal-caller Daniel Jones officially signifies Manning’s days as a starter are numbered.

If the Giants have a poor September like in the last two seasons, Jones will be forced into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals 

It seems like Fitzgerald has been on one-year contracts for half a decade now, but the way Arizona executed its draft should positively impact the future Hall of Famer. Rookie quarterback Kyler Murray will be throwing Fitzgerald passes next season, and fellow rookie receivers Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler should take some pressure away from the 35-year-old receiver.

With second-year wideout Christian Kirk as well, the Cardinals could utilize Fitzgerald all over the field — on the outside and the slot in 2019.

Solomon Thomas, DE, San Francisco 49ers 

San Francisco took the best available player with defensive end Nick Bosa at No. 2. But his selection does mean Thomas, who was the third overall pick in 2017, could see fewer snaps.

General manager John Lynch shot down rumors that he is now interested in trading Thomas because of the arrival of Bosa, so Thomas will have to earn his playing time this fall.

Joe Flacco, QB, Denver Broncos 

The Broncos trading for Flacco this offseason was met with some criticism mostly because it was unclear how general manager John Elway viewed the former Super Bowl MVP. Did he see him as a real potential answer behind center or simply a “bridge quarterback?”

The latter is definitely the case following the Broncos selection of Missouri quarterback Drew Lock in the second round. Flacco will have to earn the starting role this summer, or a rookie will once again replace him.

Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots 

The second-year running back was arguably New England’s MVP during its Super Bowl run. He averaged 4.7 yards per attempt and rushed for six touchdowns, as the Patriots turned to their power running attack in the playoffs with Tom Brady slumping at the end of the regular season.

But as is often the case with Bill Belichick, every back is replaceable. New England drafted Alabama running back Damien Harris in the third round Friday night.

Harris averaged 6.4 yards per carry during his career at Alabama, and he is certainly a threat to carve into Michel’s playing time this fall.

Vince Williams, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers 

The arrival of Devin Bush will likely mean less playing time for Williams, but that could be viewed as a positive impact. The Steelers didn’t address middle linebacker last offseason and thus tried Williams in the Ryan Shazier role.

But that was too much to ask from Williams. While he’s a quality leader, Williams will be better “riding shotgun” to the rookie and perhaps newly acquired veteran linebacker Mark Barron.

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals 

Although it didn’t happen until the fourth round, the Bengals selected N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley. The consensus is Finley will be a backup for most of his NFL career, but with no dead money left on Dalton’s deal, Cincinnati could elect to give Finley the starting job to see what he can do.

The Bengals should already know what they have in Dalton, and new coach Zac Taylor might prefer starting his head coach tenure with someone he drafted at quarterback.

Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals 

Eifert has been a beast when healthy, but he’s played just six games over the last two years. Cincinnati had no choice but to begin looking for his replacement.

The Bengals may have found that with second-round pick Drew Sample. The tight end from Washington isn’t as dynamic a pass-catcher as Eifert, but he should be viewed as his heir apparent.

James Carpenter, OL, Atlanta Falcons 

Carpenter isn’t as heralded a player as most of the others on this list, but I wanted to give some offensive linemen some love. The Falcons added Carpenter in free agency on a four-year, $21 million deal, which made most assume he would be one of Atlanta’s starting guards.

But with a somewhat surprising decision to draft Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom, the expectation now is that Lindstrom will play ahead of Carpenter. The veteran guard may have to beat out fellow free agent acquisition Jamon Brown to earn a starting role in 2019.

Mario Addison, DE, Carolina Panthers 

Carolina had just 35.0 sacks in 2018, which was sixth-fewest in the league. But the Panthers do have an elite pass rusher, as Addison led the team with nine sacks. If first-round draft pick Brian Burns can give the Panthers another elite rusher, Carolina would have the two book-end pass rushers all teams coveted.

If Burns has an immediate impact, Addison could be in for one of his best seasons.