NFL Draft 2018: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Scouting Combine Storylines to Watch

It's almost time for the 2018 class to put forth their best efforts to impress team personnel executives at the NFL Scouting Combine. Players will either boost draft stock or deter the shot-callers as final decisions approach in April.

For incoming prospects such as quarterback Mason Rudolph, the combine could serve as a buzz springboard after missing the Senior Bowl.

Generally, teams don't want to go in blind when building a case to draft a player. So, it's important for those who missed prior engagements to become readily available in an open, extensive job interview at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

When splitting hairs between two prospects high on the draft board, combine results and interviews can certainly sway opinions.

More importantly, meeting face-to-face with team brass could clear up preconceived notions. There's one particular potential first-rounder, who will need to speak up on prior lapses to help solidify his high draft projection at a premium position.

Here's a pre-combine mock draft for the latest first-round projections and plots to monitor in Indianapolis.

2018 NFL Mock Draft 1st-Round Projections

1. Cleveland Browns: Sam Darnold, QB, USC 

2. New York Giants: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA  

3. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama

5. Denver Broncos: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

6. New York Jets: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame

8. Chicago Bears: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa

*9. San Francisco 49ers: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

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

11. Miami Dolphins: Isaiah Wynn, OG, Georgia

12. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

13. Washington Redskins: Derwin James, S, Florida State

14. Green Bay Packers: Marcus Davenport, EDGE, UTSA

15. Arizona Cardinals: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

16. Baltimore Ravens: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama 

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

18. Seattle Seahawks: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma

19. Dallas Cowboys: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan

20. Detroit Lions: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama 

21. Buffalo Bills: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

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

23. Los Angeles Rams: Harold Landry, OLB, Boston College

24. Carolina Panthers: James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State

25. Tennessee Titans: Ronald Jones II, RB, USC

26. Atlanta Falcons: Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford

27. New Orleans Saints: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP

30. Minnesota Vikings: Billy Price, OG, Ohio State

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

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Arden Key, DE/LB, LSU

NFL Combine Storylines

Keeping an Eye on Quarterback Mason Rudolph's Draft Stock

John Raoux/Associated Press

Among the quarterbacks projected to hear their names called in the early rounds, Rudolph has the least amount of buzz. It's partially due to a mid-foot sprain that forced him to miss the Senior Bowl.

However, the NCAA's 2017 leading passer (4,904 yards) plans to participate at the combine and meet with the Buffalo Bills, per team insider Chris Brown:

According to NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein, one NFC team regional scout labeled Rudolph a "system quarterback": "I've just seen too many of those system quarterbacks struggle to make it in the league so I'm hesitant to buy in. He has gotten better this year."

In addition to inactivity, the Oklahoma State product will work to shed the non-flattering image as a cookie-cutter passer suitable to a specific system with two 1,000-yard wide receivers. He's not going to jump Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen after a day of drills, but he could boost his draft projection to a late first-round or early second-round pick.

Are Derrius Guice, Ronald Jones II First-Round Prospects? 

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Most would assume Penn State product Saquon Barkley leads the 2018 draft class as the first running back selected on Day 1. Behind him, there's healthy discussion between LSU's Derrius Guice and USC's Ronald Jones II.

Both ball-carriers put together consecutive 1,000-yards campaigns on the ground and eclipsed 25 combined rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons.

The two running backs bring different styles to the field, but durability concerns have been attached to both prospects. 

Guice battled through injury during his junior year at LSU. His grind-it-out, physical, ball-carrying tendencies may cause scouts to pause, but he's a playmaker through initial contact. Similar to Leonard Fournette, his predecessor in the Tigers backfield, a team can hand the ball off to him 20 times as the engine to an offense. 

Jones carries a leaner build compared to Guice, who's more compact. According to Zierlein, an NFC personnel executive had a reservation about giving the USC product a bigger workload: "He may be a little too light to give it to him more than 12-14 times per game though. I worry if he can hold up."

For Guice, team officials will look for his strength and ability to change direction. Jones must continue to show quickness and flash the ability to catch out of the backfield to boost his value.

A Deeper Dive into Arden Key 

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

After notching 11 sacks and 12.5 tackles resulting in a loss as a sophomore, LSU prospect Arden Key's name surfaced as someone to watch for the 2018 draft—potentially a top-10 pick.

After taking time away from the program for "personal reasons," and offseason shoulder surgery, many teams will sit on the fence about Key's ranking among the top prospects in the class. 

NFL teams will certainly dig into Key's reasons for taking an extended football time out, but they must also project whether the LSU product returns to his 2016 form or continues a mediocre but not overly impressive route from the 2017 term. 

In the previous campaign, Key registered just four sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss. One NFL executive didn't sugarcoat his initial assessment on Key's recent on-field display, per NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: "Key really needs to explain what happened last offseason and talk about where he is now. He was the biggest disappointment of the 2017 season." 

Key's candid question-answer sessions at the combine will reveal just as much if not more than his on-field performance.