2018 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Overrated Prospects Who Will Disappoint

Already clutching two picks in the top five of the 2018 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns decided to seize the spotlight early with a flurry of pre-free-agency trades. 

Those trades, while headline-dominating affairs, don't change much near the top of the upcoming draft. The Browns will likely want to take the best player available with one of the selections and grab the quarterback they most prefer with the other. 

The ripple effect on the entire class as a whole is interesting, though. And like the combine where Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown struggled, there is bound to be some disappointing players based on expectations, rankings and draft slot. 

Below, let's look at an updated mock draft and outline some guys who could disappoint the teams rolling the dice on them. 

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: Vita Vea, DT, Washington

13. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

14. Green Bay Packers: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State

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: Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

19. Dallas Cowboys: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

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: Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State 

25. Tennessee Titans: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama

26. Atlanta Falcons: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida

27. New Orleans Saints: Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP

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: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma 

15. Arizona Cardinals: Connor Williams, OT, Texas

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The aforementioned Brown isn't the only tackle prospect who could end up disappointing by the time this draft process concludes. 

Connor Williams out of Texas looks like a big gamble at this point. He's extremely athletic, which we saw at the combine when he ran a 40-yard dash in 5.05 seconds and had a vertical jump of 34 inches and a broad jump of 112 inches. 

But athleticism doesn't tell the whole story for tackle prospects. Williams looked great in 2016, then had an injury setback last year and didn't look the same. Based on the film, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein sees a possible different outcome for Williams at the pro level: 

And make no mistake—a team searching for a left tackle and needing to move that prospect to guard is a major disappointment. 

But that is where the NFL is right now. Elite left tackle talent isn't entering the league often, and guys like Cedric Ogbuehi—a superb athlete—busted at left tackle and could probably use a move to guard. 

So in the situation above, as the Arizona Cardinals look to find a left tackle for the future to help along a new quarterback, Williams might instead end up as one of the draft's more disappointing players.  

26. Atlanta Falcons: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The defensive trenches aren't having nearly as many problems as their counterparts these days. 

Still, misses happen, and Florida's Taven Bryan could end up as one. We've heard it before—the explosive athlete who isn't a natural football player just yet and needs time to develop eventually disappoints the team that drafted him and bounces around the league. 

Bryan is one of these guys after blowing off the door during workouts in Indianapolis, as Bleacher Report's Marcus Mosher showcased with his percentile measurables: 

While impressive athletically, it's scary to hear a scout tell Zierlein the following: "He's out here getting by on his AA [athletic ability], but he doesn't have enough feel for the game yet. That doesn't happen overnight."

Granted, this is what one scout sees. But the tape plainly shows Bryan winning with athleticism—and doing so to get by is always a red flag for a prospect entering the NFL, where everyone is a world-class athlete. 

Above, the Atlanta Falcons roll the dice on Bryan near the end of the first round. The upside is huge and worthy of the slot, but that doesn't mean Bryan is going to be pushing pockets consistently alongside guys like Grady Jarrett. 

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Teams don't have to look far or wide to see how much a big-play tight end can change the complexion of an offense at a time when franchise quarterbacks aren't exactly growing on trees. 

This has inflated the stock of most tight ends lately, which includes Oklahoma's Mark Andrews this year. He's 6'5" and 256 pounds, ran a 4.67 40-yard dash and has an extensive collegiate resume, which one would think assures some kind of pro success. 

But there are a few problems.

For one, Andrews struggles as a blocker and isn't going to be an in-line player often. Two, the good testing athleticism doesn't necessarily translate to the field, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller pointed out in February while labeling him a faller: "Andrews, though, doesn't move that well in space and can be stiff as a runner. As the league moves toward more athletic and versatile tight ends, a player like Andrews becomes less of a fit for many schemes."

Granted, this doesn't mean Andrews can't find success in the NFL. But for a team like the Philadelphia Eagles taking him at the end of the first round in the hopes of easing the potential loss of Trey Burton, it becomes a problem if he can't be as versatile or dynamic. 

In a superb class with athletes like Mike Gesicki, Andrews could have a hard time holding up well in the expectations department, which means hindsight won't smile on the decision in the mock above. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.