NFL Mock Draft 2018: 1st-Round Projections, Latest Top Prospects' Stock Watch
The stock market surrounding the 2018 NFL draft doesn't slow until names start coming off the board.
While prospect visits with teams are finally wrapping up about a week or so before the first round, the work of those in front offices across the league never really stops.
The board is mostly set for those teams, yet they'll still run through draft-day scenarios and keep an ear to the ground both about prospects themselves and potential moves with other teams.
TOP NEWS
.png?w=256)
2027 NFL Mock Draft 🔮
Colts Release CB After Trade Request
Projecting Every NFL Team's Starting Lineup 🔮
For prospects, a litany of visits and workouts comes to a close and the most they can do is play the waiting game while keeping a low profile. They might have some idea of what could happen on draft day, but NFL front offices don't normally tip their hands during what we know as smokescreen season.
Below, let's look at one possible scenario for the first round and examine some of the notable slight stock-market movements as the process winds down.
2018 NFL Mock Draft
1. Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
2. New York Giants: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
3. New York Jets: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
5. Denver Broncos: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
6. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derwin James, S, Florida State
8. Chicago Bears: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
9. San Francisco 49ers: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
10. Oakland Raiders: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
11. Miami Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
13. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
14. Green Bay Packers: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
15. Arizona Cardinals: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
16. Baltimore Ravens: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
18. Seattle Seahawks: Isaiah Wynn, OT, Georgia
19. Dallas Cowboys: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
20. Detroit Lions: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
23. New England Patriots (via Los Angeles Rams): Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State
24. Carolina Panthers: James Daniels, OL, Iowa
25. Tennessee Titans: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
26. Atlanta Falcons: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
27. New Orleans Saints: Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP
28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Davenport, DE/OLB, UTSA
29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
30. Minnesota Vikings: Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
31. New England Patriots: Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
Stock Up: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
Fans haven't heard much about Alabama's Calvin Ridley on the path to the draft, largely because they haven't heard much about wideouts as a whole.
It's a rather weak class from a first-round perspective, though it doesn't help that this class actually offers multiple viable first-round talents at quarterback and along the offensive line.
This doesn't change the fact Ridley is a solid prospect for teams needing help in the opening round. He's 6'0" and 189 pounds of solid route running and proven production at a program like Alabama, where even in a run-first attack he caught 63 passes for 967 yards and five scores a year ago.
Things are getting more interesting around the 23-year-old late in the process, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport pointed out:
Ridley is certainly in play for the New England Patriots as a run on quarterbacks and otherwise should push him down the board a bit. The fact even Bill Belichick is showing interest is something of a late stock jump.
Yet in the scenario above, the Washington Redskins don't let Ridley past No. 13. They just banked the future on 33-year-old Alex Smith and need to make sure he's successful upon arrival, which isn't something the core of Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson can do.
Ridley's extensive, refined route tree helps right away.
Stock Down: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
Beware smokescreen season, but buzz about UCLA's Josh Rosen taking a dive on draft day is starting to make the rounds.
Granted, the idea he could take a fall smells like a team hoping he tumbles down the board or perhaps the party surrounding another quarterback trying to manipulate things. But it's worthwhile to point out nonetheless.
Here's Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com:
"Part of it comes back to the durability concerns for Rosen that we've heard about throughout the process. We'll continue to hear people question his intangibles as a leader, but that's far less of a concern than the fact that he missed half his sophomore year with a shoulder injury and suffered two concussions last season."
Other concerns seem to exist as well:
Rosen, 6'4" and 226 pounds, threw for 3,756 yards and 26 touchdowns against 10 interceptions a year ago, showing off his flashy mechanical side, as well as his ability to read defenses and pick and choose his spots.
But the mock above has the 21-year-old coming off the board at No. 3 to the New York Jets for a reason. They have Teddy Bridgewater sitting behind the resurgent Josh McCown but likely want a long-term option at the most important position of all, making it a smart fit.
And let's be honest: NFL teams have taken much bigger risks than Rosen. He's a potential franchise passer and those are going to come off the board early no matter what, regardless of what his stock seems to be doing right now.
Stock Up: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
The Saquon Barkley draft has left LSU's Derrius Guice slightly flying under the radar for most of the process.
For shame, too. Guice is 5'10" and 212 pounds of violent-finishing runs who at his collegiate peak in 2016 ran for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on a 7.6 per-carry average, excelling when it comes to picking up yards after contact.
We've seen Guice pick up some serious momentum as of late via visits, with a notable recorded by Rotoworld's Josh Norris:
At this point, those Eagles might not be in a position to get the 20-year-old, though.
A note by Bleacher Report's Doug Farrar says quite a bit:
Above, the Detroit Lions take the LSU star off the board earlier than some might expect. Waiting for Ameer Abdullah to finally carry the load effectively hasn't worked and the addition of LeGarrette Blount only does so much.
With Guice, the Lions get an every-down back prospect who can have an immediate impact on a team winning games well before he takes over on his own. The comparisons to Barkley would only just start on draft night.
.png?w=480)
