NFL Draft 2018: 1st-Round Order, Odds and Predictions for Top Teams to Watch

Classes like the one in the 2018 NFL draft don't come around often. 

In many respects, this refers to the quarterback class, where several potential franchise passers could come off the board in the top 10 and a deep class overall could have another great Dak Prescott story in the later rounds, rare as it is. 

This on top of a strong free-agent class including Kirk Cousins and AJ McCarron, not to mention the Jimmy Garoppolo deal, will reshape the quarterback scene in the NFL as fans know it. 

As the path to the draft continues, let's look at the order, some predictions and those critical quarterbacks set to hit the pros. 

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.

Odds

• Josh Rosen (UCLA) -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
• Sam Darnold (USC) +175 (bet $100 to win $175)
• Josh Allen (Wyoming) +500
• Lamar Jackson (Louisville) +1000
• Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) +1000
• Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) +2000
• Will Grier (West Virginia) +2000
• Luke Falk (Washington State) +2500
• Nick Fitzgerald (Mississippi State) +5000

According to OddsShark's Justin Hartling, these are the odds for the first quarterback off the board this year. 

The top three doesn't come as much of a surprise. Josh Rosen out of UCLA is a third-year player who has plenty of upside. Sam Darnold out of USC might have the most upside of any pocket passer in the class, and his traditional style could have him off the board at No. 1. Josh Allen is a high risk-reward candidate given his immense upside but flawed final collegiate season. 

Then there's Baker Mayfield sixth on the list. The Oklahoma product isn't going to have a problem wowing scouts on the path to the draft. After all, this is the versatile player who just threw for 43 touchdowns and six interceptions while also running for 311 yards and five scores. 

If there's an upset pick here, it's Mayfield as a team falls in love with the total package. Darnold is a safer payout swing, but we're still a long way from seeing a prospect separate himself from the rest of the class. 

Teams to Watch 

Cleveland Browns  

No kidding, right? 

The Cleveland Browns hold two picks in the top five, though this is more about how unpredictable they could get with so much draft capital. After all, this is the team that pulled off some NBA-style moves to get to this point in the first place. 

What comes next? There are seemingly endless options in the top five for the Browns, a team in need of a franchise quarterback but might find it hard to pass on top-tier talent. Imagine the pass-rushing tandem of Myles Garrett and Bradley Chubb, for example. Or imagine an elite defensive back prospect like Derwin James behind Garrett's rush. 

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah explained the situation best: 

Keep in mind how the Browns act in free agency and elsewhere will have a huge ripple effect on the draft. Maybe they decide to move guys like DeShone Kizer and Josh Gordon. Maybe they spend eye-popping money on a Cousins or McCarron, freeing them up to get the best player available twice in the top five. 

The above mock has the Browns going with Penn State running back Saquon Barkley as the best player available, the logic being the front office will likely add a quarterback it likes in free agency. Barkley is a franchise-changing player in the way he balances an offense and lets a rookie develop, which is why they turn around and take Mayfield at No. 4. 

Thanks to some uncanny moves and the expected losing, the Browns sit in a position to control not only their fate, but the fates of many NFL franchises in the top 10 this year. 

Buffalo Bills 

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Where in the world do the Buffalo Bills go from here? 

The Bills made the playoffs with some help; they happen to also hold Nos. 21 and 22 overall in the first round and also have a pair of picks in the second. They have done all this despite shipping away talent such as Sammy Watkins and Marcell Dareus. 

Not only that, the Bills already have an interesting quarterback tandem in Tyrod Taylor and Nathan Peterman. Not perfect by any means and the team still figures to explore the idea of drafting a quarterback, as it should, but there are worse situations around the league. 

Yet according to Benjamin Allbright of 104.7 FM Denver, the Bills could look to make a big splash via utilizing the assets: 

One would think such a major move would get the Bills a potential franchise passer, yet the cost to jump about 10 spots or more is gigantic. 

Above, the Bills remain in a holding pattern and use their first pick on Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward before plucking the falling Allen out of the air. 

It's quite the coup of a scenario for the Bills, as a blue-chip prospect at a premier spot like defensive back is nothing but a win regardless of where a team drafts. And Allen's risk drives him down the board, where a team with a pair of first-round picks and a big need to solve the question mark at the position for a long time don't mind rolling the dice. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.