NFL Draft 2018: Top Prospects Who Must Shine in Draft Process to Solidify Stock
The march to the NFL draft can be a long, excruciating process for both prospects and fans alike.
For some hopeful prospects, said process is more important than it is for others. A guy like Penn State running back Saquon Barkley isn't going to see his draft stock wildly fluctuate unless he has a major down performance or some sort of negative development.
Other prospects, though, need strong outings at each event, good interviews and a bit of luck in the process to keep current stock where it is now, if not climb even higher. We see it every year when a prospect comes out of nowhere to solidify strong stock, then cashes in on draft day.
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Let's glance at an updated mock and point out some guys who need a strong process.
2018 NFL Mock Draft
1. Cleveland Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
2. New York Giants: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
3. Indianapolis Colts: Derwin James, S, Florida State
4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
5. Denver Broncos: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
6. New York Jets: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
8. Chicago Bears: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
*9. San Francisco 49ers: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
*10. Oakland Raiders: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
11. Miami Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
12. Cincinnati Bengals: Connor Williams, OT, Texas
13. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
14. Green Bay Packers: Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU
15. Arizona Cardinals: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
16. Baltimore Ravens: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
18. Seattle Seahawks: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
19. Dallas Cowboys: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
20. Detroit Lions: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
21. Buffalo Bills: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
23. Los Angeles Rams: Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State
24. Carolina Panthers: James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
25. Tennessee Titans: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
26. Atlanta Falcons: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
27. New Orleans Saints: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Davenport, DE/OLB, UTSA
29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
30. Minnesota Vikings: Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Ronald Jones II, RB, USC
32. New England Patriots: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Oklahoma
*Depicts tiebreakers to be decided by a coin flip. Pick Nos. 31 and 32 will be determined by playoff results.
Prospects in Need of Stellar Draft Process
Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
The ball, as they say, is in Courtland Sutton's court.
Sutton is a 6'4", 216-pound receiver who lit it up for the SMU Mustangs over the past three seasons, totaling at least nine touchdowns in each campaign and north of 1,000 yards twice.
Granted, the NFL doesn't care so much about production as it does upside, though Sutton's obvious size-speed allure has teams watching closely. Had the senior come out a year ago, one could argue he would have been a first-round pick there, too.
Back then, NFL's Daniel Jeremiah didn't hesitate to sing his praises: "Sutton has an outstanding build for the position. He's tall with a long, muscular frame. He uses his size/strength combination to win a lot of 50/50 balls. Sutton is a matchup nightmare in the red zone. He easily boxes out defenders, times his jump and catches the ball at the highest point."
The only problem for Sutton? This 2018 draft class is just as deep, if not more so, than last year's offering. Guys like James Washington and Calvin Ridley, if not others, could easily leapfrog him on draft day if he stumbles in one fashion or another.
For now, Sutton has the benefit of the doubt that he didn't have great quarterback play in college, which counteracts the sometimes iffy competition.
The upside is there, and it's why he comes off the board in the top 10 to a needy team like the Chicago Bears above, but he'll need a consistent path to draft if he's to keep the stock level.
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
Every quarterback prospect is polarizing in one form or another this year, though Wyoming's Josh Allen might sit on the throne when it comes to splitting the opinion of the most people.
Allen passes the often silly eye test, standing at 6'5" and 233 pounds. But playing for the Cowboys out of the Mountain West in 2017, Allen managed a 56.3 completion percentage with 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns against six interceptions.
That's what we call a red flag—production isn't the biggest issue for NFL scouts, but when a potential top pick stutters this poorly over the course of a season, it begins to look like a problem.
Yahoo Sports' Jordan Schultz put it best:
One doesn't have to look far in order to find Allen supporters, either, which makes sense. He's big, has a live arm and the athletic upside alone is enough to woo NFL teams, even if most pound the table that accuracy isn't something that can necessarily be fixed.
But for an NFL team looking for a franchise passer, the first round has plenty and in intriguing ways. Mason Rudolph, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen and even Sam Darnold all offer something, if not a handful of the things Allen can do. It's not necessarily a knock on him, though it does stress the importance of his having a strong draft process.
Above, Allen falls to the middle of Round 1, where a team (Buffalo Bills) with a pair of first-round picks is comfortable rolling the dice on his skill set and upside. But this is about staying afloat in a draft class littered with strong quarterback prospects—a process starting now for the Wyoming quarterback coming off a down year.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Oklahoma
Here's a candidate to blow up fast and stay there.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo out of Oklahoma is far from a household name, yet athletic upside will have scouts and the press raving about him sooner rather than later.
The Sooners' star pass rusher comes in at 6'1" and 240 pounds with extreme athleticism, bend and burst around the edge with a few different moves that drove Big 12 quarterbacks from pockets with regularity.
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley didn't hurt his senior's draft stock any by pointing out there is enough versatility here to fit any scheme, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News:
Not that NFL teams didn't already know this—Okoronkwo is likely one of the best-kept secrets right now, at least until the nation gets a good look at him in front of the endless cameras at the scouting combine soon.
In a draft class with big names like Bradley Chubb, Arden Key and the fast-rising Marcus Davenport, Okoronkwo simply doesn't have name recognition yet. But he has perhaps the most important draft trait of all in his explosive athleticism coaches view as something they can mold to fit their scheme.
Look for Okoronkwo's stock to blow up soon, such as the above where he sneaks into the end of the first round. From there, he'll simply need to coast while knocking other bigger names out of his way.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com.
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