NFL Mock Draft 2018: 1st-Round Projections for Nation's Top Prospects
The path to the 2018 NFL draft is clear, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes.
With free agency still playing out and the Odell Beckham Jr. drama unfolding, the draft has taken something of a backseat for a moment while bigger stories command the spotlight.
Not that fans should have any complaints about this. The wait for draft day is a painful one considering it doesn't start until the end of April. Right now, the only action around the draft is pro days, where little in the way of prospect stock changes at this point.
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With team boards mostly solidified and nothing but the wait remaining, let's attack the need for draft talk with a mock draft covering one scenario unfolding on draft day based on team need and prospect value.
2018 NFL Mock Draft
1. Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
2. New York Giants: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
3. New York Jets: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
5. Denver Broncos: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
6. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derwin James, S, Florida State
8. Chicago Bears: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
9. San Francisco 49ers: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
10. Oakland Raiders: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
11. Miami Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
12. Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
13. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
14. Green Bay Packers: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
15. Arizona Cardinals: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
16. Baltimore Ravens: Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
18. Seattle Seahawks: Isaiah Wynn, OT, Georgia
19. Dallas Cowboys: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
20. Detroit Lions: Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
23. Los Angeles Rams: Billy Price, C/G, Ohio State
24. Carolina Panthers: Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
25. Tennessee Titans: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
26. Atlanta Falcons: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
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: James Daniels, OL, Iowa
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
6. Indianapolis Colts: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
At one point, it seemed like Penn State running back Saquon Barkley could come off the board No. 1 overall in large part because the Cleveland Browns hold two picks in the top five.
Barkley would be worth it considering his talent. Some will nitpick over the idea of calling Barkley a gestational talent, but at the least, he's one of the best running back prospects to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson.
An NFL general manager explained it perfectly while talking to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: "You don't screw up the special ones when you are a talent evaluator. This guy is special. Any concerns you file on him just feels like nitpicking to fill out the report."
Which makes the decision for the Indianapolis Colts at No. 6 rather easy. The team desperately needs talent on both sides of the football, and the trade down from No. 3 will help in that pursuit. It also gives them some wiggle room to take a guy who can carry the offense and not place all of the pressure on Andrew Luck, who has started throwing again, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
Barkley is a far cry from the attack that averaged 3.7 yards per carry for the Colts last year. He posted consecutive 1,200-yard seasons at a minimum with 18 rushing scores in each and never saw his per-carry average dip below 5.5 yards. It's more impressive when remembering defenses skewed their approach to stopping him.
An every-down back with solid hands in the passing game as well, Barkley could turn out to be one of the NFL's best, especially if he's flanked by a healthy and effective Luck.
11. Miami Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
The Miami Dolphins have worked hard to retool their culture this offseason, so why not go out and add a Nick Saban leader from Alabama who happens to fill a premium position?
Minkah Fitzpatrick is an obvious fit for a team with a leadership void, and he's an elite prospect to boot. He's best suited for slot duties in the NFL, both because of play style and size (6'1", 201 pounds), which isn't a negative considering the NFL's increased reliance on the position.
Bleacher Report's Justis Mosqueda talked about the role change while tabbing Fitzpatrick as a future franchise cornerstone: "He had 171 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, nine interceptions (four for touchdowns) and 24 passes defended in college, and one usually would assume he would project into a Harrison Smith-like safety role. Instead, that seems to be his floor, as his transition to cornerback seems inevitable."
Considering the Dolphins still play in the same division as the ageless Tom Brady, adding a prospect like Fitzpatrick at any position helps. The Dolphins will also need to reinforce the secondary because it will no longer have the benefit of Ndamukong Suh collapsing pockets in front of it and reducing the time spent in coverage per play.
Dolphins fans might want a bigger splash move here, especially with a notable quarterback still on the board. But slow and steady roster building wins the race in a division like the AFC East, so securing a defensive back with huge upside is a smart balancing act.
13. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
It's slim pickings at the top of the wideout position in the 2018 class, with Alabama's Calvin Ridley right behind SMU's Courtland Sutton.
Ridley, 6'0" and 189 pounds, has the upside teams look for in first-round wideouts in large part because he ran a huge route tree quite well and has great game speed once the ball is in his hands.
The Washington Redskins have likely paid close attention to Ridley's NFL path for a long time and remain on the hunt for a way to balance out the offense in the wake of DeSean Jackson leaving.
The Redskins have even brought up the idea:
It makes sense, as Ridley is one of the rare first-round wideouts who should be able to help right away. And the pristine route running means reliability for new quarterback Alex Smith as he takes the field alongside weapons such as Jordan Reed and new arrival Paul Richardson.
The Redskins have other needs and could look to go with a guy like Vita Vea, but NFL teams like to look smart, and looking smart for the Redskins is having Smith succeed early and often after moving on from Kirk Cousins.
The natural course of an NFL draft usually creates a huge run on wideouts, too, whereas the Redskins can still get help in the defensive trenches and elsewhere later in the draft.
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