NFL Mock Draft 2018: Latest 1st-Round Projections for Top College Prospects

Tyler ConwayJan 16, 2018

The NFL playoffs are down to four. Which, for the 28 remaining teams, means it's time to start focusing on the offseason.

Free agency will be teams' first crack at improving their roster in March. Franchises will already be beginning to negotiate contracts with their impending free agents. It will likely not be long from the end of the Super Bowl before the first massive new deal is handed out.

However, NFL draft night is our focus, so here's a look at some projections for the first round heading into conference championship week.

TOP NEWS

Bleacher Report1w

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Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns: Josh Rosen, QB UCLA

Josh Rosen may not care about being the No. 1 overall selection, but it may well happen. Rosen's outspoken personality will no doubt rub people the wrong way. The Browns cannot afford to kick the can down the road for another year at quarterback, however.

Rosen is the most talented passer in this draft, with a big arm and underrated athletic ability. His struggles to stay healthy are a concern, and he'll need to put on a little weight to withstand the rigors of NFL contact.

But the Browns need to stop overthinking the quarterback position and find someone who can at least give them competency at the most important position. Rosen should do that instantly with the potential for much more.

2. New York Giants: Sam Darnold, QB, USC

The Giants should try to trade Eli Manning this offseason. If they can't, take Darnold anyway and set up a Manning-esque chain of succession.

In 2004 the Giants drafted Manning with Kurt Warner already in place as their expected starter. Manning sat out the first seven games while the veteran floundered, eventually taking over and starting every game for more than a decade.

New York has enough veterans on its roster that some pegged it an NFC East favorite before last season. The infrastructure is there to develop a new quarterback slowly while also building a young roster around him.

3. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

The Colts are by far Barkley's best fit in the top five, both from a schematic standpoint and a long-term career outlook. Andrew Luck, if healthy, is the type of franchise quarterback who can help avoid eight-in-the-box looks and allow him to unlock the full potential of his skill set.

Jim Irsay also seemed to hint he wants a player of Barkley's caliber behind Luck.

"You put [Andrew Luck] on that field heeled up, and all the sudden you put an Edgerrin James type of player, maybe, with that bigger, faster, stronger, and let this man continue the job that he's already begun to do," Irsay told reporters. "This is going to be a special place to be, and a special place to play."

The Rest

4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston Texans): Connor Williams, OT, Texas

5. Denver Broncos: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama

6. New York Jets: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State

8. Chicago Bears: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

9. San Francisco 49ers*: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

10. Oakland Raiders*: Derwin James, S, Florida State

11. Miami Dolphins: Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU

12. Cincinnati Bengals: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame

13. Washington: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech

14. Green Bay Packers: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU