NFL Draft 2018: Latest Order, Mock Draft Predictions Entering Wild Card Weekend
For 12 teams, the quest for a championship is about to begin during Wild Card Weekend. As for the rest of the NFL's 20 teams, the time has come to start focusing on finding the franchise's next star in the 2018 draft.
With UCLA's Josh Rosen and USC's Sam Darnold recently declaring for the draft, the next draft class is already starting to take shape. Several more top prospects are sure to follow in the coming days, but this mock draft will include every eligible player who has yet to announce intentions to return to school.
With that in mind, let us take a look at a first-round mock of what could transpire in a deep class that lacks a surefire top prospect.
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2018 NFL Mock Draft
1. Cleveland Browns: QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
2. New York Giants: OL Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
3. Indianapolis Colts: OL Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston): OL Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
5. Denver Broncos: QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
6. New York Jets: QB Sam Darnold, USC
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
8. Chicago Bears: WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
9. San Francisco 49ers: WR Courtland Sutton, SMU
10. Oakland Raiders: LB Roquan Smith, Georgia
11. Miami Dolphins: RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State
12. Cincinnati Bengals: DL Bradley Chubb, NC State
13. Washington Redskins: S Derwin James, Florida State
14. Green Bay Packers: CB Josh Jackson, Iowa
15. Arizona Cardinals: QB Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
16. Baltimore Ravens: WR James Washington, Oklahoma State
17. Los Angeles Chargers: QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
18. Seattle Seahawks: OL Connor Williams, Texas
19. Dallas Cowboys: CB Denzel Ward, Ohio State
20. Detroit Lions: OL Kolton Miller, UCLA
21. Tennessee Titans: S Ronnie Harrison, Alabama
22. Buffalo Bills: DL Arden Key, LSU
23. Atlanta Falcons: OL Will Hernandez, UTEP
24. New Orleans Saints: LB Tremaine Edwards, Virginia Tech
25. Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
26. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City): DL Harold Landry, Boston College
27. Los Angeles Rams: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
28. Carolina Panthers: WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
29. Pittsburgh Steelers: DL Da'Ron Payne, Alabama
30. Philadelphia Eagles: LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama
31. New England Patriots: LB Dorance Armstrong Jr., Kansas
32. Minnesota Vikings: OL Braden Smith, Auburn
Offensive Line Will Rebound
Last spring was a down year for high-end offensive linemen. The 2018 class will certainly not be.
There are several big guys who appear to be a lock to go within the top 10 picks this year, which is a far cry from the only two trench players that were picked last season, with both coming late at Nos. 20 and 32.
Orlando Brown leads the way as a mammoth offensive tackle who stands at 6'8" while possessing the athleticism to block out in space. He has plenty of experience extending plays and chasing down defenders playing with a guy like Baker Mayfield, and he would certainly help the New York Giants. The team has experienced well-known offensive line issues the past few seasons, and Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg could leave for free agency.
The Notre Dame pair of Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson should also draw high interest due to their physical strength and tenacity at the point of attack. Nelson, in particular, is a great fit inside for an Indianapolis Colts team looking to improve its protection of Andrew Luck while bolstering a maligned run game. The two helped the Fighting Irish notch the nation's seventh-best rushing attack this season.
Connor Williams could be a risky pick. He entered this season as a top prospect, but he struggled at times while missing seven games. He played poorly in Texas' season-opening upset to Maryland, getting beat several times while being called for holding to negate a couple of big plays. However, he did return late in the year and showed flashes of his former self, as NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler noted after the West Virginia game.
Look for UTEP guard Will Hernandez to be a sleeper in this class. He's a small-school prospect with great size and strength, and he could end up being a safe pick that goes late in the first round and plays for a long time. Look for him to have a career similar to Mike Iupati.
Quarterbacks a Hot Commodity
The 2018 class was hyped up as one of the top quarterback classes in recent years. While the play of some of the top prospects this season may not have lived up to that billing, expect plenty of signal-callers to go in the first round.
The last draft was a prime example of how desperate teams will get to take a quarterback, as a perceived down class ended up having three signal-callers go in the top 12 picks. With a much stronger class this time in terms of depth, quarterbacks should dominate the first round.
The Cleveland Browns' quarterback history is well-documented, which is why taking Rosen should be the obvious choice. He showed he can make every throw as a three-year starter for UCLA, and he was able to throw for 59 touchdowns despite lacking much a supporting cast. The Browns have plenty of talent in Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon and David Njoku; they just need someone who can get them the ball.
Mayfield going over Darnold may seem like a shocker initially, but he is a better fit for a Denver Broncos team in desperate need of a spark. Mayfield improved every season as a passer, consistently looking more comfortable progressing through his reads and making smart decisions. His touchdown totals increased each season, while his interception totals dwindled as he completed roughly 70 percent of his throws the last three years.
Targeting Mayfield would allow the team to bring in an offensive coordinator who can play to his strengths, and it would let Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas resurrect their careers to finally support the Broncos' great defense. Mayfield's size should be less of an issue given the successes of Drew Brees and Russell Wilson, with the Sooner having a blend of both's arm talent and mobility.
Darnold would fit better with the New York Jets, particularly if they bring back Josh McCown for one more season. Darnold has fantastic accuracy, though he just needs a year to tweak his elongated release while cutting down on the 13 interceptions last season.
Things could get interesting in the second tier of this class between Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph is the most ready to play right now of these three. He put up 86 touchdowns over the last three years and showed the ability to make accurate throws to all three levels of the defense. He has sound mechanics and requires the least amount of work. Given the Arizona Cardinals' immediate vacancy at quarterback, this is why they go with Rudolph.
He does lack the upside of Allen and Jackson, though. Allen is arguably the most gifted thrower in this class, but he has been wildly inconsistent at Wyoming, completing 56 percent of his passes to go with 21 picks over the last two seasons. If his potential can be harnassed, then Allen could be a force in the NFL. Look for the Los Angeles Chargers to make the smart play here and take their future QB behind Philip Rivers.
Jackson is arguably the most talented dual-threat quarterback to enter the NFL since Cam Newton or Michael Vick. However, there are question marks surrounding his inconsistent accuracy. He threw 27 interceptions over the last three seasons, and he was able to get away with holding the ball too long and missing reads by simply being faster than everybody else.
That will not fly in the NFL, but Jackson showed great improvement from the pocket this past season and could certainly develop into a superstar. With a strong running game and a dominant defense, the Jacksonville Jaguars could keep afloat with Blake Bortles for another year or two. This would allow Doug Marrone to work with Jackson and tailor an offense that could absolutely thrive down the road.
Statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.
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