NFL Mock Draft 2018: Projections for Top Prospects Before Championship Weekend

Only four teams remain in the running for a Super Bowl championship this season, meaning the NFL's other 28 teams are already thinking about how they can improve for 2018 and beyond.

The 2018 NFL draft is perhaps the most efficient way to do that, although there is no shortage of risk involved, especially when it comes to first-round picks.

Here is a full, first-round mock draft projecting where the top prospects in the class will land, as well as a closer look at some of the riskiest potential first-round picks on the board.

2018 First-Round NFL Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns: Sam Darnold, QB, USC

2. New York Giants: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

3. Indianapolis Colts: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama

4. Cleveland Browns (from HOU): Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

5. Denver Broncos: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

6. New York Jets: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State

8. Chicago Bears: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma

9. Oakland Raiders: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

10. San Francisco 49ers: Derwin James, S, Florida State

11. Miami Dolphins: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

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

13. Washington Redskins: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

14. Green Bay Packers: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama

15. Arizona Cardinals: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming

16. Baltimore Ravens: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Connor Williams, OT, Texas

18. Seattle Seahawks: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

19. Dallas Cowboys: Vita Vea, DT, Washington

20. Detroit Lions: Arden Key, DE, LSU

21. Buffalo Bills: Marcus Davenport, DE, Texas-San Antonio

22. Buffalo Bills (from KC): Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan

23. Los Angeles Rams: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa

24. Carolina Panthers: Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M

25. Tennessee Titans: Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State

26. Atlanta Falcons: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida

27. New Orleans Saints: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma

30. Philadelphia Eagles: Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

31. New England Patriots: Harold Landry, DE, Boston College

32. Minnesota Vikings: Isaiah Wynn, OL, Georgia

Breaking Down Risky First-Round Picks

Josh Allen

In a draft that could see as many as five or six quarterbacks get taken in the first round, Wyoming's Josh Allen is among the riskiest choices.

After a breakout season in 2016, Allen regressed last year and put up less-than-impressive numbers, especially when considering the fact that he played in the Mountain West Conference.

Allen finished with just 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions through the air, while completing 56.3 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 204 yards and five scores.

As a sophomore, Allen threw for 3,203 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 picks to go along with 523 yards and seven scores on the ground.

According to Bleacher Report's Marcus Mosher, more than half of Allen's 27 career games at Wyoming were essentially duds from a statistical perspective:

For all his drawbacks, it is difficult to ignore the rare physical tools Allen possesses, as they could go a long way toward making him a star at the NFL level.

Allen has prototypical size at 6'5" and 233 pounds, along with a cannon for an arm and the mobility needed to get out of trouble and complete passes down the field while on the run.

Even so, it is difficult to envision a team taking a chance on him inside the top 10 since he has yet to prove that he can get the job done consistently.

There are teams in need of a quarterback picking in the mid-to-late first round, though, and that seems like a more logical landing spot.

The Arizona Cardinals are settled in at No. 15, and with Carson Palmer retiring, they have little to speak of under center.

Arizona has no shortage of weapons offensively, and if Allen can harness his rare ability, he has a chance to be a star in what looks like a favorable situation.

Derrius Guice

Taking a running back in the first round tends to be a risky proposition, and that is the case even with a supreme talent like LSU's Derrius Guice.

Penn State's Saquon Barkley is the only lock among running backs to go in the first round, but he seems like a surefire star, much like Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette.

Guice may not be far off, but if he is anything short of brilliant, it can be argued that taking him in the opening round is a bad move since it's generally easy to find impact backs in the mid-to-late rounds.

The 2017 NFL draft was an ideal example of that, as Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs were both third-round picks.

They are already among the NFL's best running backs, and they are the leading candidates to take home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Guice is coming off two huge seasons in a row, including a 2017 campaign that saw him rush for 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns to go along with 18 receptions for 124 yards and two scores.

He was even better while splitting time with Fournette, as Guice finished with 1,387 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns from scrimmage.

According to Shea Dixon of 247Sports, Guice is part of an exclusive club in terms of putting together some massive games in the SEC:

The Seattle Seahawks have some major needs along the offensive line, but if the best linemen are off the board when they pick at No. 18, Guice could be an equally good addition.

Seattle had virtually no running game to speak of in 2017, and essentially the entire offensive burden fell on the shoulders of quarterback Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks were at their best when they had more balance offensively and running back Marshawn Lynch took pressure off Wilson.

Guice can do something similar if he lives up to his potential, but if he doesn't, then Seattle will have wasted a valuable pick on one of the deepest positions in football.

Marcus Davenport

There are few sure things with regard to pass-rushers in the 2018 NFL draft, which means defensive end Marcus Davenport could turn some heads as a first-round selection.

Davenport played against a low level of competition at Texas-San Antonio, but he has impressive physical tools and a strong resume as a four-year contributor.

As a senior in 2017, Davenport finished with 55 tackles and a career-high 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

Jonah Tuls of NDT Scouting tweeted some game tape of Davenport and expressed his belief that the big man is poised for NFL stardom:

Davenport is listed at 6'7" and 255 pounds, and he appears to have the ideal mix of strength, quickness and athleticism needed to consistently pressure the quarterback.

His length also makes him capable of swatting down passes at the line of scrimmage, plus he has shown the ability to be tough against the run as well.

Perhaps no defensive end in the draft other than NC State's Bradley Chubb have the makings of being a complete player as much as Davenport.

The Buffalo Bills were among the worst teams in the league at sacking the quarterback in 2017, and they figure to address that issue with one of their two first-round picks provided they don't package them to move up.

Buffalo having two picks means it can afford to take a chance with at least one of them, and if Davenport pans out, an already strong defense will be even tougher to crack in 2018.