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2018 NFL Mock Draft: Post Week 13 Breakdown
December 4, 2017
There's still a full month of football left to be played, but the Cleveland Browns may have locked up the No. 1 pick on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers, the Browns' closest competitor for the top spot, knocked off the Chicago Bears on Sunday for their second win of the season. The 49ers win puts the Browns two games up in the race for the No. 1 pick, and a team that's managed to start out 0-12 seems unlikely to relinquish such a commanding lead.
Based on the rest of Sunday's action, here's a look at the updated draft order and a potential selection for each team:
1. Cleveland Browns: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
2. New York Giants: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
3. San Francisco 49ers: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
4. Denver Broncos: Derwin James, S, Florida State
5. Indianapolis Colts: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
6. Chicago Bears: Minkah Fitzpatrick, FS, Alabama
7. Cleveland Browns (from HOU): Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Arden Key, DE, LSU
9. Arizona Cardinals: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
10. New York Jets: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
11. Washington Redskins: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
12. Miami Dolphins: Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. State
13: Cincinnati Bengals: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
14. Los Angeles Chargers: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
15. Dallas Cowboys: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
16. Oakland Raiders: Connor Williams, OT, Texas
17. Detroit Lions: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
18. Buffalo Bills: Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State
19. Green Bay Packers: Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State
20. Atlanta Falcons: Austin Bryant, DE, Clemson
21. Baltimore Ravens: Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia
22. Carolina Panthers: Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
24. Seattle Seahawks: Billy Price, OG/C, Ohio State
25. Buffalo Bills (from KC): Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
26. New Orleans Saints: Harrison Phillips, DL, Stanford
27. Tennessee Titans: Harold Landry, LB, Boston College
28. Los Angeles Rams: Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State
29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
30. Philadelphia Eagles: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
31. Minnesota Vikings: Mitch Hyatt, OT, Clemson
32. New England Patriots: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
Note: Full-season strength of schedule is used as a tiebreaker. Playoff teams are ordered by seed.
15. Dallas Cowboys: Malik Jefferson
The Cowboys have looked lost on defense without the injured Sean Lee in recent weeks, and it's a situation Cowboys fans have become all too familiar with during Lee's tenure in Dallas. Since the Cowboys drafted Lee in 2010, he's never played a full 16-game schedule.
Hopefully Lee can return to full strength again in 2018, but it would be foolish to rely on the 31-year-old, injury-prone linebacker without a reliable backup plan in place.
Lee has one year left on his contract, which could make this the perfect time to bring in his eventual replacement.
Malik Jefferson is an elite athlete, but lacks some awareness on the field at this stage of his career. Due to Lee's contract situation, however, Dallas could afford to bring Jefferson aboard and groom him behind Lee for a season before handing him the reigns to the defense in 2019.
21. Baltimore Ravens: Lorenzo Carter
At the age of 35, Terrell Suggs leads the Ravens in sacks. It's an impressive feat, but it also raises concerns about the future of the defense once Suggs retires or his production starts to decline.
The Ravens have a few other talented linebackers on the roster, most notably 2016 fifth-round pick Matt Judon, who is second behind Suggs with six sacks. But it wouldn't hurt for general manager Ozzie Newsome to target another pass-rusher in the upcoming draft.
Lorenzo Carter could be an option for the Ravens, and he should be well prepared for the NFL, having spent the last two years playing under defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. Prior to returning to the college ranks in 2015, Tucker spent the previous decade in the NFL, including roles as the defensive coordinator in Cleveland, Jacksonville and Chicago.
Carter has a similar skill set to Suggs, which would give the Ravens some insurance behind their aging future Hall of Famer.
24. Seattle Seahawks: Billy Price
Russell Wilson deserves MVP consideration for the work he's done behind the Seahawks patchwork offensive line this season. If Seattle wants to keep its franchise quarterback healthy for years to come, however, it needs to invest more heavily in the unit that helps keep Wilson on his feet.
The most glaring hole on the line is right guard, where journeyman Oday Aboushi has struggled this season.
Billy Price, a four-year starter at Ohio State, would be an immediate upgrade for Seattle's line and would also give them some flexibility in how they construct the line in the future.
Price was a dominant guard for the Buckeyes during his first three seasons in Columbus, and then made a seamless transition to center for his senior year. He's capable of playing either position at the next level, and that flexibility increases his value in the draft.