2018 NFL Mock Draft: Post-Super Bowl Predictions for 1st-Round Prospects
The Philadelphia Eagles are now the gold standard of the NFL as Super Bowl champions for the first time ever following their 41-33 win over the New England Patriots. The rest of the league is left wondering what to do as teams pursue their spot and the Lombardi Trophy.
An ideal place to start would be accumulating young talent in the 2018 NFL draft, and the Cleveland Browns are officially on the clock with Super Bowl LII now in the rearview mirror.
With that in mind, here is a mock draft for the first round, as well as a prediction for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year among the available players.
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Mock Draft
1. Cleveland Browns: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. New York Giants: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
3. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Connor Williams, OT, Texas
5. Denver Broncos: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
6. New York Jets: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
8. Chicago Bears: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
*9. San Francisco 49ers: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
*10. Oakland Raiders: Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, Alabama
11. Miami Dolphins: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
12. Cincinnati Bengals: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
13. Washington: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
14. Green Bay Packers: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
15. Arizona Cardinals: James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
16. Baltimore Ravens: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Derwin James, DB, Florida State
18. Seattle Seahawks: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
19. Dallas Cowboys: Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
20. Detroit Lions: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
21. Buffalo Bills: Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
23. Los Angeles Rams: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
24. Carolina Panthers: Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State
25. Tennessee Titans: Sam Hubbard, DE/OLB, Ohio State
26. Atlanta Falcons: Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA
27. New Orleans Saints: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
30. Minnesota Vikings: Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
31. New England Patriots: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Harold Landry, LB, Boston College
*The order of the ninth and 10th picks between the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders will be determined by a coin flip.
Offensive Rookie of the Year Prediction: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
Rookie of the Year awards come when opportunity meets talent, and that is exactly what will happen with Saquon Barkley and the Indianapolis Colts.
Frank Gore is as consistent as running backs come and a potential future Hall of Famer, but he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and 35 years old before the 2018 campaign begins. Elsewhere, Marlon Mack averaged an uninspiring 3.8 yards per carry in 2017 and doesn't bring the same ceiling Barkley does as a young playmaker who can change the game a number of ways.
That means Barkley will immediately step into the role of starting running back for Indianapolis as a rookie after serving as a touchdown machine for Penn State.
Two of his 15 kickoff returns in 2017 went for scores, he threw a touchdown and caught three scores while compiling 632 yards as a receiver. There will be no need for the Colts to consistently rotate backs because Barkley can help them stay ahead of the sticks with his running ability on first and second downs and then convert third downs as a receiver.
He used that running ability to accumulate more than 1,000 yards on the ground in each of his three collegiate seasons, including in 2017 when he finished with 1,271 yards. He had runs of 53, 65, 69, 80 and 92 yards this season thanks to his quick jump cuts at the line and head-turning straight-line speed that leaves defenders gasping for air.
Considering the Colts were 31st in the league in total yards and 30th in points in 2017, they are in dire need of someone who can put the offense on his back for stretches and take the pressure off quarterback Andrew Luck as he returns from injury.
Barkley will do just that on his way to Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
No team in the NFL had fewer sacks than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. Tampa finished with 22, or just 1.5 more than the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt had by himself in 2012 and again in 2014.
Tampa Bay was also dead last in the league in yards allowed on the way to a last-place finish in the NFC South.
However, it is not difficult to envision the Buccaneers challenging for a playoff spot with players such as Jameis Winston, Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson on the offensive side, especially if they can undergo a quick defensive turnaround like the New Orleans Saints just did.
New Orleans finished in third place in the division in 2016 with the second-worst scoring defense in the league and then won the NFC South in 2017 with the 10th-best scoring defense thanks in part to the help of young newcomers such as rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Bradley Chubb can be one of the young newcomers in Tampa Bay and provide a much-needed boost to the pass rush and defensive front.
The 2017 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Bronko Nagurski Award winner finished with 10 sacks and 72 total tackles marking his second straight year with 10 sacks.
ESPN's NFL draft guru Mel Kiper pointed to his potential as maybe the best player available in this draft, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com:
"You could make the argument [Chubb] is the best player in the draft. He's not that far off from being the No. 1 guy in the draft. He had two great years back-to-back. He's got a great attitude, great approach. He's not the elite talent that [2017 No. 1 overall draft pick] Myles Garrett is, but he's more consistent and more on a daily basis gave you everything he had against the run and the pass. He chased down plays. He's not Myles Garrett, but he's close enough to say, ‘Hey, he could be the No. 1 player on anybody's board.'"
That ability to play against the run and generate pressure in the backfield will help Chubb stay on the field all three downs and lead to additional production.
The thought here is his presence will help elevate the defense as a whole, as Tampa Bay competes for a playoff spot down the stretch. That, along with impressive sack totals, will help him win the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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