NFL Mock Draft 2018: Predictions for NCAA's Most Coveted 1st-Round Prospects

The earliest stages of free agency have started to have an interesting impact on the 2018 NFL draft and the prospect stock market.

Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron won his grievance against the team and is headed to unrestricted free agency, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, throwing another potential starting quarterback on the market and altering the outlook. 

This comes a little ways before the scouting combine and a draft in which four quarterbacks could come off the board in the top 10. And like the Chicago Bears last year with Mike Glennon and Mitchell Trubisky, a free-agent signing shouldn't stop teams from taking chances on a coveted rookie. 

Speaking of sought-after newcomers, here's how the entire draft could shake out if it happened today. 

2018 NFL Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

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

3. Indianapolis Colts: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC 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: Derwin James, S, Florida 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: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma

13. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

14. Green Bay Packers: Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU

15. Arizona Cardinals: Connor Williams, OT, Texas

16. Baltimore Ravens: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech

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: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

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: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa

30. Minnesota Vikings: Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado

31. New England Patriots: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Oklahoma

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Ronald Jones II, RB, USC

*Nos. 9 and 10 will be decided by a coin-flip.

1. Cleveland Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

While the quarterback class is deep and good-looking at the top, the most coveted prospect of all seems to be former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. 

Running backs like Barkley don't come around often. As cliched as it sounds, Barkley does it all, using a 5'11", 230-pound frame to weave his way to 1,271 yards and 18 touchdowns on a 5.9 per-carry average in 2017, with another 54 catches for 632 yards and three scores as a receiver.

One glance at his numbers compared to recent draft classes says it all, as Graham Barfield of FantasyGuru highlighted:

Numbers only tell part of the story with any prospect. But Barkley's stats work to confirm he's the archetypal NFL runner who doubles as a threat through the air and does so while looking oddly reminiscent of someone like LaDainian Tomlinson—or Barry Sanders, a great whom NFL.com compared Barkley to while dishing high praise.

Obviously, this is worth the top overall pick in a draft class. Even if the Cleveland Browns don't add a quarterback via free agency, Barkley should be the pick considering the team has another at No. 4, which would still give them time to nab a top-tier quarterback prospect if they so desire.

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

Upside is the name of the game when it comes to quarterbacks. It's why teams won't hesitate too much on a Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson, as the versatility and ceiling while fitting what a modern NFL quarterback looks like is worth the risk. 

It's the same story for USC product Sam Darnold, though we will call him a bit of a more traditional passer. 

Like other prospects in the class, teams will look past Darnold's odd-looking windup and focus on the good: accuracy, arm strength (meaning velocity, not pushing the ball down the field) and what seems like scheme-free upside. 

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein detailed this upside while rounding off his scouting report: "Darnold has the tools to thrive in any system and doesn't have to have perfect protection to succeed. His floor is solid starter, but he has the ceiling to be one of the top-tier quarterbacks in the game as he gains more experience."

So much of a quarterback prospect's ability to succeed comes down to fit and coaching, which makes the New York Giants at No. 2 so interesting. The team has Eli Manning able to soak up at least another year of starting while Darnold learns, and when he gets on the field, he would have weapons like Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram awaiting him. 

It's not a surefire guarantee everything works out, but one can begin to see why this is the year the Giants could decide to risk it all on a possible quarterback of the future.

*10. Oakland Raiders: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

In a way, former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith is the Barkley of his position. 

That means teams can't afford to overthink it—Smith is one of the best prospects to enter the draft at his position in a long time. He's the archetypal modern NFL linebacker thanks to his dynamic ability to blitz, drop into coverage or bully running games into submission with alarming awareness and athleticism. 

It sounds too good to be true, but the Butkus Award winner doesn't have any major flaws, and where he might struggle at times (man coverage, an acceptable issue) will be blown out of proportion by some while NFL teams focus on the rest and take him with a high selection.

The MMQB's Albert Breer threw down an interesting comparison for Smith in January: "A sideline-to-sideline wrecker, he's drawing comparisons to Jon Beason—when the linebacker was coming out of Miami—based on his stature and nose for the ball."

And that's what Smith could do right out of the gates. Based on scheme, coaching and personal growth, the upside as one of the NFL's best outright linebackers is there.

That is exactly what the Oakland Raiders want to hear at No. 10.

Those Raiders and head coach Jon Gruden will want some attitude and identity on the defensive side of the ball next to Khalil Mack and would get plenty of both with Smith. As an added bonus, new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is more than accustomed to coaching up an elite sideline-to-sideline defender (Vontaze Burfict), which only ups the chances Smith turns into something special.

In the top 10 and faced with borderline unrealistic expectations because of the head coach, the Raiders can't ask for much more.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.