NFL Draft 2018: Updated Selection Order and Top Prospects Post-Super Bowl
With the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday, the first round of the 2018 NFL draft is set.
The selection order had largely been set, with the Eagles and Patriots left to fill out the final two spots and a coin-flip required to determine the ninth and 10th picks.
Hovering around the 30s isn't a position unfamiliar for New England. Only four times since 2010 have the Patriots selected a player prior to the 30th overall selection. Head coach Bill Belichick has been excellent at finding value later on Day 1 and early into Day 2, and he will be expected to continue that in to 2018.
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Below is the full first-round order, followed by a brief breakdown of five of the best players available in the 2018 draft class.
1st-Round Draft Order
1. Cleveland Browns
2. New York Giants
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Cleveland Browns (via Texans)
5. Denver Broncos
6. New York Jets
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Chicago Bears
*9. Oakland Raiders
*10. San Francisco 49ers
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Cincinnati Bengals
13. Washington Redskins
14. Green Bay Packers
15. Arizona Cardinals
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Los Angeles Chargers
18. Seattle Seahawks
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. Detroit Lions
21. Buffalo Bills
22. Buffalo Bills (via Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams
24. Carolina Panthers
25. Tennessee Titans
26. Atlanta Falcons
27. New Orleans Saints
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
30. Minnesota Vikings
31. New England Patriots
32. Philadelphia Eagles
*Pick Nos. 9 and 10 will be determined by a coin-flip.
Top Players in 2018 Draft
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
Most presume the Cleveland Browns will select either Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold with the first overall pick. While they are widely considered the top two quarterbacks in the draft, neither is head and shoulders better than the other.
Rosen's final numbers with UCLA aren't otherworldly. He had 9,341 passing yards, 59 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. But injuries limited him to six games as a sophomore, and he had three different offensive coordinators in as many seasons.
Bleacher Report's Ryan McCrystal encapsulated what has been one of the more frustrating aspects of the analysis surrounding Rosen, both during the 2017 season and in the buildup to the draft:
"the fact that the biggest knocks against Josh Rosen are "he's too small", "he was injured" and "he doesn't even like football".. that should tell you everything you need to know. No one ever has any football related complaints.
— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) January 17, 2018"
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller spoke to people in the NFL and Rosen's teammates, with one description of Rosen being "uncoachable, smarter than all of us and a prick." Rosen can simultaneously be cocky and a talented quarterback.
If the Browns think Darnold is a better passer than Rosen, then so be it. Cleveland would make a big mistake, though, if the front office passed on the UCLA product based on personality concerns.
Sam Darnold, QB, USC
As with Rosen, the potential is there for all to see with Darnold. The USC star has the perfect frame for an NFL quarterback (6'4" and 225 pounds) and the arm to match. He threw for 7,229 yards and 57 touchdowns in two years and completed 64.9 percent of his passes.
Turnovers are the biggest problem with Darnold. He threw 22 interceptions in 27 games with the Trojans. According to TeamRankings.com, he also lost 13 combined fumbles during that span, which is a high number for a quarterback with solid mobility but nowhere near a dual-threat option.
To some extent, Darnold was also a victim of the hype machine. USC was No. 4 in both the Associated Press' and USA Today Coaches' preseason polls, and Darnold was a preseason Heisman Trophy contender.
The Trojans proceeded to lose three games in 2017, while Darnold didn't make the final Heisman ballot. As a result, his stock slipped somewhat.
Still, Darnold's ceiling is as high as any other quarterback's in the 2018 draft.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
Defensive backs from Alabama have been a bit of a mixed bag when making the leap to the NFL, particularly when it comes to cornerbacks. Dre Kirkpatrick, Dee Milliner and Kareem Jackson are among the former Crimson Tide stars to offer either disappointing or no returns after being selected in the first round.
Minkah Fitzpatrick shouldn't join that group, and versatility is one of the biggest reasons why.
The junior defensive back finished with nine interceptions, 171 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss in three years with Alabama. Fitzpatrick was not only a lockdown corner in pass coverage; Pro Football Focus showed he was also effective as a pass-rusher:
With the number of ways he can influence a game, Fitzpatrick is as much of a can't-miss defensive prospect as anybody in this class.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
Much like Darnold and Rosen, Saquon Barkley would have been a top pick if he had been allowed to make himself eligible for the 2017 draft. This past year was mostly about avoiding a serious injury that would have tanked his draft stock.
The Penn State star finished with 1,271 rushing yards and a career-high 632 receiving yards in 2017. The fact he nearly doubled his receptions from 2016 (28) to 2017 (54) will only help him at the next level since he showed he can be effective on the ground and through the air.
The great thing about Barkley is he's equally adept fighting through defenders between the tackles as he is breaking outside and using his speed and agility to create big runs.
In each of the past two years, a rookie has led the NFL in rushing. Ezekiel Elliott had 1,631 yards in 2016, and Kareem Hunt went for 1,327 yards this past season.
As long as Barkley goes to a team that will make him a focal point of its offense, he should continue that trend into 2018.
Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
If you watched only the College Football Playoff National Championship, then you would have walked away thinking Roquan Smith was one of the best players in college football. The Georgia linebacker had 13 total tackles, one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss in the Bulldogs' overtime defeat to Alabama.
That game epitomized an excellent junior season in which Smith had 137 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
There's concern about Smith's size. As an inside linebacker, his 6'1", 225-pound frame is less than ideal and could leave him susceptible to getting pushed aside by bigger linemen and tight ends.
Still, Smith's talent and intuition will translate at the next level. He flies to the ball-carrier, and his pass-coverage ability—either in man or zone—will be a nice luxury for an NFL defense.
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