NFL Draft 2018: Latest Selection Order, Odds and Prospects to Watch in 1st Round

The drama surrounding the top selections in the 2018 NFL Draft is going to eclipse any conflicts seen on reality television by a far margin.

Cleveland controls the balance of power at the top of the selection order, as it holds the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks, with the New York Giants and New York Jets sandwiched in between.

The Denver Broncos are fifth in the draft order, and they could use their pick in a variety of ways after signing quarterback Case Keenum.

In the final few weeks building up to the draft, you will most likely hear rumors about which team prefers a certain prospect and who is going to make the big splash by trading up to for a quarterback.

USC quarterback Sam Darnold is currently the odds-on favorite to be taken with the No. 1 pick, but a lot can change between now and April 26.

Selection Order

1. Cleveland Browns

2. New York Giants

3. New York Jets (via Indianapolis)

4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston)

5. Denver Broncos

6. Indianapolis Colts (via New York Jets)

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8. Chicago Bears

9. San Francisco 49ers

10. Oakland Raiders

11. Miami Dolphins

12. Buffalo Bills (via Cincinnati)

13. Washington Redskins

14. Green Bay Packers

15. Arizona Cardinals

16. Baltimore Ravens

17. Los Angeles Chargers

18. Seattle Seahawks

19. Dallas Cowboys

20. Detroit Lions

21. Cincinnati Bengals (via Buffalo)

22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City)

23. New England Patriots (via Los Angeles Rams)

24. Carolina Panthers

25. Tennessee Titans

26. Atlanta Falcons

27. New Orleans Saints

28. Pittsburgh Steelers

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

30. Minnesota Vikings

31. New England Patriots

32. Philadelphia Eagles

Odds for No. 1 Pick

Sam Darnold (-300; Bet $300 to win $100)

Josh Allen (+175; Bet $100 to win $175)

Saquon Barkley (+400)

Josh Rosen (+1000)

Baker Mayfield (+3300)

Bradley Chubb (+3300)

Rest of Field (+3300)

Minkah Fitzpatrick (+6600)

Odds via OddsShark.

Prospects To Watch

Sam Darnold

Darnold is almost guaranteed to be selected by the Browns at No. 1 or the New York Giants at No. 2. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller reported if the Browns select Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, the Giants are expected to go after the USC signal caller with the second-overall pick: 

The 20-year-old is the highest-rated quarterback of the four prized prospects at his position in Scouts Inc.'s grades, as ESPN's Adam Schefter showed us: 

While few will say it publicly, Darnold gained points in the eyes of executives for his display of selflessness to get back to USC for his teammates' Pro Day workouts.

Darnold switched his flight home from Cleveland in order to throw to Ronald Jones II and Deontay Burnett, per USC's official athletics Twitter account:

With the USC gunslinger doing all the little things right in the buildup to the NFL Draft, it is hard to see him lasting long on the draft board.

The deciding factor for the teams in the top-five positions of the first round will be how much they value Darnold compared to Allen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen.

Leighton Vander Esch

Boise State's Leighton Vander Esch is rapidly becoming a hot commodity for teams in the middle of the first round. 

The linebacker gained steam throughout the draft process, and he earned meetings with every team from picks 12 to 26 except the Ravens, Rams and Chargers, per NFL Network's James Palmer: 

The buzz around Vander Esch continued Thursday when it was announced he would be attending the first round of the draft at AT&T Stadium.

In addition to receiving the draft invite, Vander Esch appeared in the top 10 of a mock draft from CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, which is the first time he's been rated that high.

The ideal landing spot for Vander Esch is somewhere in the middle of the first round after elite defensive prospects Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Denzel Ward are selected.

Young Kwak/Associated Press

San Francisco and Oakland could go after the Boise State linebacker, but the first real chance of seeing his name come off the board comes at No. 13, where Washington currently resides.

After Washington, there are a plethora of teams in need of someone like the Idaho native, which means he shouldn't last on the draft board past the 20th-overall selection.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.