2018 NFL Mock Draft: Best Team Fits and Predictions for Top Prospects

With players getting cut or hit with the franchise tag, the NFL offseason is in full swing. That means it's time for another look at an NFL mock draft.

Below, we'll try to find the best fits for teams at their draft positions. This mock doesn't necessarily represent a prediction of what a team will do but rather is a suggestion of which selection might best address a major need.

Let's get to it.

Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

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

3. Indianapolis Colts: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State

4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston): Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

5. Denver Broncos: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame

6. New York Jets: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Connor Williams, OT, Texas

8. Chicago Bears: Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama

9.* San Francisco 49ers: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

10.* Oakland Raiders: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

11. Miami Dolphins: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

12. Cincinnati Bengals: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama

13. Washington: Derwin James, S, Florida State

14. Green Bay Packers: Marcus Davenport, DE/OLB, UTSA

15. Arizona Cardinals: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming

16. Baltimore Ravens: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma

18. Seattle Seahawks: Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU

19. Dallas Cowboys: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama

20. Detroit Lions: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College

21. Buffalo Bills: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas

22. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City): Vita Vea, DT, Washington

23. Los Angeles Rams: Billy Price, G/C, Ohio State

24. Carolina Panthers: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

25. Tennessee Titans: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

26. Atlanta Falcons: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan

27. New Orleans Saints: Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State  

30. Minnesota Vikings: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa 

31. New England Patriots: Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State 

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan

*Oakland and San Francisco will flip a coin to determine the Nos. 9 and 10 picks.

Analysis

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The best fit for the Browns with the first overall pick is the best quarterback available. That player, in my opinion, is Josh Rosen. So that takes care of that analysis.

Likewise, the Giants should take the next best available quarterback. I have Sam Darnold there. We're cruising through these picks now.

No. 3 is where the draft gets really interesting. Should the Colts address a need at defensive end, draft the best available player in Saquon Barkley to give Andrew Luck another weapon or perhaps address the offensive line?

To me, Bradley Chubb is the perfect marriage of upside and need at No. 3 for the Colts. 

"A 275-pounder with hips, feet, hand moves and the speed to run down the ball? That's what I want in a best player," a scout told B/R's Matt Miller when asked who he thought the best player was in the 2018 NFL draft.

As for Miller's analysis on Chubb:

"Defensive end Bradley Chubb had a late-first-round grade from scouts this past summer before the season began but quickly started rising once teams got a look at his tool set as a powerful, big-bodied pass-rusher who could slide effortlessly between 3-4 and 4-3 schemes. There's a ton of value in versatility, given the number of teams using multiple looks on the defensive line to get after quarterbacks. Chubb brings that with the athleticism to get into the backfield consistently. He looks like a future 10-sack player."

Landing Chubb at No. 3 makes plenty of sense for the Colts.

At No. 4, you can't pass on Barkley if you're the Browns. The team has already drafted its future defensive superstar in Myles Garrett. Now, they could land both a franchise quarterback and a dynamic running back to builds its offense around for the next decade. 

"I've been doing this longer than some of these prospects have been alive, and the only backs I've seen like him are [Marshall] Faulk and LT (LaDainian Tomlinson). He's that special," a scout told Miller.

If you still think this is too high for a running back, look at the impact players such as Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley and Leonard Fournette have had on their respective offenses in recent years. Barkley has that level of upside. A future with Rosen, Barkley and Garrett could be bright for the lowly Browns.

At No. 5, the Broncos should take Nelson, who would both fill a major need on the offensive line and also is the best pure football player left on the board. My guess is that Kirk Cousins ends up signing with the Broncos, alleviating the need for them to draft a quarterback here.

"Strip away the value of his position and he's the best player," a scout told Miller. "If this kid misses, then there's no such thing as can't-miss."

I'll take the scout's word for it.

Mayfield at No. 6 seems like the dream fit. He has the personality to handle New York and the talent to revitalize the franchise. 

From there, matching fit to the various teams becomes a bit less obvious, if only because at some point there will no longer be a balance between fit and upside among the prospects. At that point, the best fit becomes taking the most talented player available. 

A few fits later down the board I particularly love, however, include Roquan Smith to the Niners, Derrius Guice to the Dolphins and Calvin Ridley to the Ravens. Each seem like solid matches from both a need and upside perspective for those respective franchises.