NFL Mock Draft 2018: Best Landing Places for 1st-Round Prospects
For non-playoff teams and fans, the attention next turns to the 2018 NFL draft.
With the order for teams outside of the postseason mostly set, the conversation morphs into draft boards, mock drafts and interesting debates. Perhaps this year's biggest debate outside of which quarterback should come off the board first is whether an uber-talented running back should be the top overall pick.
A mock draft to start the year off isn't too early by any means. Not only is it something fans look forward to once Week 17 passes, it's a good way to get acclimated with current prospect standings, the draft order and team needs, to name a few factors.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here's a look at an updated mock draft:
1. Cleveland Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
2. New York Giants: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
3. Indianapolis Colts: Derwin James, S, Florida State
4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
5. Denver Broncos: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
6. New York Jets: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
8. Chicago Bears: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
*9. San Francisco 49ers: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
*10. Oakland Raiders: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
11. Miami Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
12. Cincinnati Bengals: Connor Williams, OT, Texas
13. Washington: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
14. Green Bay Packers: Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU
15. Arizona Cardinals: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
16. Baltimore Ravens: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
18. Seattle Seahawks: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
19. Dallas Cowboys: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College
20. Detroit Lions: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
21. Tennessee Titans: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
22. Buffalo Bills: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
23. Atlanta Falcons: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
24. Carolina Panthers: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
26. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
27. Los Angeles Rams: Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State
28. New Orleans Saints: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Davenport, DE/OLB, UTSA
30. Minnesota Vikings: Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
32. New England Patriots: Austin Bryant, DE, Clemson
* depicts tiebreakers to be decided by a coin flip. Picks Nos. 21-32 will be determined by playoff results.
1. Cleveland Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
Few teams have ever had the luxury the Cleveland Browns do here.
Sitting with this pick and No. 4, the Browns could choose to ignore the most important position of all and take the top overall player.
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is the top player in the minds of most.
Few prospects have the sheer game-changing ability and upside of a player like Barkley, who almost casually rushed for 1,271 yards and 18 touchdowns on 5.9 yards per carry this year. As expected, he didn't waste any time announcing his intentions:
There is likely a camp vehemently against taking a running back with the top pick these days. But the position has made a serious comeback in recent years and it's hard to understate the value someone like Todd Gurley has had while helping the Los Angeles Rams get back to competing. Even this year, a rookie like Leonard Fournette made a huge difference for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cleveland obviously has many more problems than teams like that. But leaning on an every-down workhorse like Barkley can make things easier on a rookie passer and keep a rebuilding defense off the field.
4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Overthinking is a major problem in sports.
If the Browns do so here, they'll keep being the Browns, to put it nicely. It's almost hard to explain what a great prospect Barkley is, though suggesting he would enter the league as at least a top-20 back in terms of talent should do the trick.
The Browns have the luxury of taking a sheer talent like that because they can still grab a guy like Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield at No. 4. The guy who just threw for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns against five interceptions and has an alluring bit of upside not only because of a strong arm, but thanks to his ability to extend plays with his feet.
Like Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote back in October, Mayfield has what it takes in three critical areas: "The three things I look for first when evaluating a quarterback are accuracy, decision-making and toughness. Mayfield has shown all three at a high level every chance he's had on the field in college."
When it comes to the Browns, this runs straight into the fact the team already spent a costly draft asset on DeShone Kizer. There's plenty of upside there, especially when considering the disaster around him likely hurt his development.
But the Browns are a case study in quarterback failure. Should they have another shot at a potential franchise passer, it doesn't make sense to pass the opportunity up. At worst, the Browns have a competition and the eventual loser causes the team a headache down the line via contract status or trying to get some value back via his departure.
And in the NFL, that's one of the best problems to have.
8. Chicago Bears: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
In a class with superb offensive talent, it's hard to avoid talking about SMU's Courtland Sutton.
Sutton, 6'4" and 216 pounds, looks like a high-end NFL prospect who could grow into a No. 1 role with ease. He dominated the competition again in 2017 as a junior, catching 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns, his third year in a row with nine or more receiving scores.
While he isn't a speedster, drafting those sorts of wideouts in the top 10 hasn't always worked out well for teams lately (see Kevin White, John Ross, etc.). Sutton makes up for it in other areas, as an anonymous general manager told Sporting News' Kristian Dyer: "He's got some flaws but you watch him on film and you see some things that translate well on Sundays. There's a chance he's the first wide receiver off the board."
The Chicago Bears have no more obvious need than at wideout. They will likely pursue the spot in free agency, but last year's goofy offseason included letting Alshon Jeffery walk and bringing on ho-hum signings like Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton.
This offseason, the Bears can't whiff on getting a top-tier running mate for budding potential franchise quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. His leading wideout in 2017 was the slot man Wright with 614 yards and one touchdown. No wideout scored multiple touchdowns on the season.
Sutton isn't going to create dramatic separation, yet he can overpower and use his huge catch radius to help along Trubisky's development as they grow together in the coming years.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
