NFL Mock Draft 2018: 1st-Round Predictions, Landing Spots for Rising Prospects

One of the more famous Sports Illustrated covers (and pictures) occurred in 1993, when NFL free agent defensive end Reggie White was pictured with numerous pro jerseys, with fans wondering where the future Hall of Famer would land.

That image comes to mind this year in advance of the draft, as it's hard to pinpoint a top prospect in a given city. Rather, like White in 1993, you can see a player in numerous spots.

At this point, few things seem certain. We can guess the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets are going to pick a quarterback in the top three, but which ones? Will the New York Giants go quarterback or another position? Will they even end up picking at No. 2? And how about the Buffalo Bills? Are they going to make a drastic move upward to take a quarterback?

Thursday, April 26, is the date of the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, and it should be a fascinating few hours. Until then, here's a look at a recent mock and a breakdown of the top five picks.

2018 NFL Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns: Wyoming QB Josh Allen

2. New York Giants: USC QB Sam Darnold

3. New York Jets: Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield

4. Cleveland Browns: North Carolina State DE Bradley Chubb

5. Buffalo Bills (proposed trade with Denver Broncos): UCLA QB Josh Rosen

6. Indianapolis Colts: Penn State RB Saquon Barkley

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick

8. Chicago Bears: Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson

9. San Francisco 49ers: Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmunds

10. Oakland Raiders: Georgia LB Roquan Smith

11. Miami Dolphins: Florida State S Derwin James

12. Denver Broncos (proposed trade with Buffalo Bills): Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey

13. Washington Redskins: Washington DT Vita Vea

14. Green Bay Packers: Ohio State CB Denzel Ward

15. Arizona Cardinals: Louisville QB Lamar Jackson

16. Baltimore Ravens: Alabama WR Calvin Ridley

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Alabama DT Da'Ron Payne

18. Seattle Seahawks: Texas OT Connor Williams

19. Dallas Cowboys: SMU WR Courtland Sutton

20. Detroit Lions: UTSA EDGE Marcus Davenport

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Alabama LB Rashaan Evans

22. Denver Broncos (proposed trade with Buffalo Bills): Ohio State OG/C Billy Price

23. Los Angeles Rams: Boston College EDGE Harold Landry

24. Carolina Panthers: Alabama S Ronnie Harrison

25. Tennessee Titans: Michigan DT Maurice Hurst

26. Atlanta Falcons: Florida DT Taven Bryan

27. New Orleans Saints: Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst

30. Minnesota Vikings: UTEP OG Will Hernandez

31. New England Patriots: Louisville CB Jaire Alexander

32. Philadelphia Eagles: LSU RB Derrius Guice

Top-5 Breakdown

1. Cleveland Browns: Wyoming QB Josh Allen

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (h/t Bleacher Report NFL 1000 Scout Marcus Mosher), the Cleveland Browns are deciding between Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen and USC signal-caller Sam Darnold for the first pick.

Browns head coach Hue Jackson raved about Allen in particular, per Cleveland Browns staff writer Patrick Maks: "This guy is what the quarterbacks look like when they get out of a truck. He looks the part."

Darnold may be the more polished prospect at this time, but Allen may have more upside. With Tyrod Taylor currently starting for the Browns, Cleveland can afford to wait for Allen to develop and eventually take over a few years down the line.

2. New York Giants: USC QB Sam Darnold

The Giants hold all the cards with the No. 2 pick. They can take their quarterback of the future. They can trade down for a boatload of picks. They can take an elite running back, defensive end or offensive guard.

But if Darnold is sitting there at No. 2, then it's hard seeing the Giants passing him up. Former Giant and ESPN New York radio personality Chris Canty reported on the Golic and Wingo show (h/t NJ.com) that Big Blue values Darnold more than the other top quarterbacks in the draft.

If that report is true, then Darnold seems like a slam dunk here. He can sit behind current starter Eli Manning for one or two years before taking over.

3. New York Jets: Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield

The Jets, who traded up from No. 6 to No. 3 to presumably take their quarterback of the future, would decide between UCLA's Josh Rosen and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield in this scenario.

Per Brian Costello of the New York Post, that pick might be Mayfield. Here's what he had to say in a March 27 report: "There has been heavy buzz here at the NFL league meetings that the Jets love Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, and he is the one they want with the third pick in next month's draft."

Mayfield had the spotlight on him plenty at OU, where he won the Heisman Trophy and was sometimes the center of controversy. However, Mayfield would have a great veteran leader in Josh McCown showing him the ropes in 2018 before presumably taking over in 2019. Because of McCown, the Jets may be an ideal landing spot.

4. Cleveland Browns: NC State DE Bradley Chubb

The Browns can go one of two ways: They can either go defense and pair edge rusher Bradley Chubb with 2017 No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, or they can get the most dynamic (and arguably best) overall prospect in Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

The guess here is that Chubb is the pick, in part because the defense needs a bit more help than the offense right now. The Browns made some solid moves in the offseason, adding Jarvis Landry and Carlos Hyde to a skill-position core that already includes Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, David Njoku and underrated running back Duke Johnson Jr.

With Taylor (and eventually Allen or Darnold, most likely) leading the way, Cleveland may have one of the most dangerous offenses in football. Therefore, Chubb may make the most sense, as he and Garrett could form a devastating one-two pass rush to anchor the defense.

5. Buffalo Bills (Proposed Trade with Denver Broncos): UCLA QB Josh Rosen

A quartet of quarterbacks stands out from the rest of the position group, and in this case, UCLA's Josh Rosen is the last one standing. Don't expect him to fall further than five. It's just a matter of what uniform he'll be wearing.

The guess here is that Buffalo, seeing that Rosen is the only one left from that top four, sells the farm to Denver for the No. 5 pick to take the former Bruin.

Given that Buffalo already traded up from No. 21 to No. 12 to try to get in better position for a quarterback, it's almost impossible to see the Bills leaving the first round without one.

In Western New York, Rosen would sit behind A.J. McCarron, who signed a two-year deal with Buffalo. Presumably, Rosen would take over no later than 2020, if not sooner.