NFL Draft 2018: Mock Draft Predictions for Every Team Selecting in 1st Round
The 2017 NFL regular season is over and so are the New Year's Day bowl games. But even though both seasons are coming to a close over the next few weeks, there is plenty of football left to talk about.
This is mock draft season, and now that most of the draft order is set—except for a couple of coin-toss scenarios—it's time to see which collegiate standouts are ready to take their game to the next level and make an impact on Sundays.
Here's my latest mock draft with a brief preview of what could happen in the early stages of the first round.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
2017 NFL Mock Draft
1. Cleveland Browns: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
2. New York Giants: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
3. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
5. Denver Broncos: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
6. New York Jets: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derwin James, S, Florida State
8. Chicago Bears: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
*9. San Francisco 49ers: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
*10. Oakland Raiders: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
11. Miami Dolphins: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
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: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College
19. Dallas Cowboys: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
20. Detroit Lions: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
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: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
26. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
27. Los Angeles Rams: Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State
28. New Orleans Saints: Marcus Davenport, DE/OLB, UTSA
29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
30. Minnesota Vikings: Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
32. New England Patriots: Austin Bryant, DE, Clemson
Note: Teams with an "*" next to their name indicate the possibility of a change in draft position depending on a coin flip.
Rounding Out the Top 5
While it's too early to predict who the No. 1 overall pick will be in this year's draft, it's nearly a guarantee that the Cleveland Browns, loaded with two top-four selections in this year's draft, will select a quarterback.
But instead of selecting a quarterback with their top selection, the Browns might take a chance on selecting Bradley Chubb out of NC State to create a formidable defensive line of Chubb and last year's top selection, Myles Garrett.
The Browns still need a quarterback, but they don't have to select him at the top of the order. Why? Because it's possible that their top signal-caller will fall to the No. 4 spot anyway.
Even though there's a bit of drama surrounding UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen's comments about being drafted by the Browns, it's possible that he and USC quarterback Sam Darnold will still be there for the taking a few picks later. The New York Giants still have Eli Manning and might not take a quarterback. And if they do, they'll likely take Rosen, who the Browns should try to avoid anyway.
At No. 3, the Indianapolis Colts don't need another quarterback after trading for Jacoby Brissett earlier this season and with Andrew Luck on the mend. They'll likely take a player like Saquon Barkley and upgrade their backfield as Frank Gore continues to age.
Sitting easy at No. 4 could be Darnold, who might be the best quarterback in this year's draft despite a tumultuous season filled with turnovers, including a pick-six in this year's Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.
Is it possible that the Browns don't take a quarterback in the top five and trade up at the bottom of the first round to take a guy like Josh Allen out of Wyoming? Maybe. But this franchise can't afford to take chances like that with so much pressure to draft the best quarterback available. With that in mind, there is also the possibility of the Browns taking a hard look at this year's Heisman Trophy winner, Baker Mayfield.
Currently, Mayfield is expected to fall into the lap of the Denver Broncos, a team that might be willing to pull the trigger on college football's most polarizing star after the likes of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch each failed to impress this season.
Despite the extracurriculars, Mayfield is accurate, can make all the throws, has mobility and is a leader—something the Broncos desperately need under center.
There is a lot of talent in this year's NFL draft, particularly at the top of the order. Although this mock's top five players are, arguably, the draft's most talented prospects, there are also players like Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and Florida State safety Derwin James who could each find themselves in contention as a top selection in the draft.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
