NFL Mock Draft 2018: Projections for Most Enigmatic 1st-Round Prospects

After a busy week of NFL free agency, teams are starting to get a feel for how the 2018 NFL draft will play out.

Holes have been filled, while glaring needs stand out more than ever. With many of the top options off the free-agent market, organizations will look to their scouting departments to help complete the team.

Signing players wasn't the only action during the first week of the new league year. Draft positioning also became a priority for some teams, such as the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills. And yet, the movement may only just be getting started with a month still to go.

Now that rosters are beginning to take shape, check out how free agency has affected the draft.

2018 NFL Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns: Sam Darnold, QB, USC 

2. New York Giants: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

3. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts): Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

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

5. Denver Broncos: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming

6. Indianapolis Colts (via New York Jets): Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derwin James, S, Florida State

8. Chicago Bears: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame

9. San Francisco 49ers: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

10. Oakland Raiders: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

11. Miami Dolphins: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama

12. Buffalo Bills (via Cincinnati Bengals): Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

13. Washington Redskins: Vita Vea, DT, Washington

14. Green Bay Packers: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

15. Arizona Cardinals: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

16. Baltimore Ravens: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

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

18. Seattle Seahawks: Connor Williams, OT, Texas

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

20. Detroit Lions: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

21. Cincinnati Bengals (via Buffalo Bills): Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State

22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

23. Los Angeles Rams: Marcus Davenport, DE/OLB, UTSA

24. Carolina Panthers: Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M

25. Tennessee Titans: Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College

26. Atlanta Falcons: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida

27. New Orleans Saints: Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State

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

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas

30. Minnesota Vikings: Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa

31. New England Patriots: Sam Hubbard, EDGE, Ohio State

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Justin Reid, S, Stanford

3. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts): Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

The New York Jets gave up quite the haul to move up from No. 6 to No. 3, but they did so with the intention of grabbing a franchise quarterback.

The only question is: Who will be on the board by the time they are on the clock?

With the Jets moving up, it almost assuredly forces the Cleveland Browns' hand, making them take a signal-caller with the first overall pick rather than wait until No. 4. Former USC Trojan Sam Darnold is widely viewed as the top passer in the draft, making him the pick.

At No. 2, the New York Giants have options. They can take the best player available (Penn State running back Saquon Barkley), they can draft Eli Manning's successor (former UCLA Bruins star Josh Rosen), or they can hold the pick for ransom as both the Bills and the Arizona Cardinals both explore moving up for a potential franchise quarterback.

It would not be a surprise if the G-Men traded the pick, but as it stands now, they'd be best suited to give Manning a dynamic playmaker to share the backfield with. That would leave Rosen for Gang Green.

The 6'4", 226-pound Rosen completed 62.6 percent of his passes last season while throwing for 3,756 yards and 26 touchdowns.

While turnovers (26 career interceptions at UCLA) are not as big a concern for Rosen as they are for Darnold, he does have some injuries in his past. A shoulder injury sidelined him for the second half of the 2016 campaign, and a concussion kept him out of his team's bowl game this past season.

The Jets brought back Josh McCown and signed Teddy Bridgewater in free agency. However, both are on one-year deals in 2018. With no long-term answer at quarterback right now, look for New York to address the position in the draft.

12. Buffalo Bills (via Cincinnati Bengals): Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

Darnold, Rosen and Josh Allen appear to be the top tier of passers in this draft class. After that trio, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the other prospects.

It would not be a surprise if Buffalo continued to stay aggressive in search of a signal-caller. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the team may explore trading up after signing veteran A.J. McCarron, although Bills general manager Brandon Beane revealed last week that the team has not decided what it will do next, per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak.

Barring another trade, Buffalo will have to settle for whoever falls to No. 12. It could have its pick of the last two Heisman Trophy winners. If that's the case, Lamar Jackson would make sense.

Bleacher Report's Chris Simms ranks the former Louisville Cardinals star as his top quarterback in the class:

There are concerns about Baker Mayfield's size; the 6'3", 200-pound Jackson does not have to worry about that. He did, however, struggle with accuracy (57 percent in his career) in college, making snowy Buffalo a less-than-ideal fit. In the same breath, there's a long list of Big 12 passers who have struggled to transition from playing against soft coverages in college to physical defenses in the NFL.

Jackson racked up 9,043 passing yards, 4,132 rushing yards and 119 total touchdowns in his three years at Louisville. 

Buffalo may make another trade if it identifies a quarterback as the next face of the franchise. If not, Jackson could be sitting there for them at 12.

15. Arizona Cardinals: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

There may not be a more polarizing player in the draft than Mayfield.

Scouts rave about his arm, his mobility, his vision and his competitiveness. His 6'1" frame, on the other hand, has turned into a big talking point. As mentioned above, Oklahoma's system combined with the Big 12's lack of defense create question marks.

Of course, there are also character issues, including a run-in with police and a crotch-grab, to take into account.

Mayfield threw for 12,292 yards, added another 895 on the ground and had a hand in 137 touchdowns in three years as a Sooner. There's no doubt he's a playmaker—but do his red flags outweigh his talent?

Like Buffalo, Arizona may not have as many options as it would like. Replacing Carson Palmer with Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon may work for the short term, but in the long term, the team needs a passer to build around.

The Cardinals can afford to draft a quarterback and let him develop while the veteran Bradford—if healthy—takes the snaps under center in 2018. Letting Mayfield sit and learn may be best for his long-term development.