2018 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions and Analysis for Most Exciting Prospects

After a pre-draft process that has seemingly taken three years as opposed to three months given the constant stream of information, the NFL draft is finally around the corner.

It will take place AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, from April 26 through April 28. The most exciting day will be the first, when teams make their first-round selections.

This year's draft is filled with exciting prospects and the potential for serious drama as teams potentially trade up for stars. We have already seen a few big moves. The New York Jets got the No. 3 pick, while the Buffalo Bills moved from No. 21 to No. 12 with an eye on perhaps going up even further.

Here's a look at a new mock draft alongside predictions and analysis for three of this year's most exciting prospects.

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): Ohio State CB Denzel Ward

13. Washington Redskins: Washington DT Vita Vea

14. Green Bay Packers: Iowa CB Josh Jackson

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: Michigan DT Maurice Hurst

19. Dallas Cowboys: Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch

20. Detroit Lions: UTSA EDGE Marcus Davenport

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey

22. Denver Broncos (proposed trade with Buffalo Bills): Georgia OG Isaiah Wynn

23. New England Patriots: Boston College EDGE Harold Landry

24. Carolina Panthers: Maryland WR D.J. Moore

25. Tennessee Titans: Ohio State EDGE Sam Hubbard

26. Atlanta Falcons: Florida DT Taven Bryan

27. New Orleans Saints: South Dakota State TE Dallas Goedert

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alabama OLB Rashaan Evans

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

Analysis for 3 of the Most Exciting Prospects

Indianapolis Colts: Penn State RB Saquon Barkley

It seems like one NFL assistant coach is excited about the prospect of drafting Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, judging from a note relayed by Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report:

That perhaps crosses the line of being too excited, but nevertheless, Barkley is a phenomenal player who has received comparisons to two of the most exciting players in league history—former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders and former Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk. 

Barkley is just as impressive catching the ball out of the backfield as he is running it. He's also a dynamic returner, taking two kickoffs back for touchdowns in 2017. His ability to make something out of nothing is second to none in this class, hence the comparison to Sanders.

As an added bonus, Oliver Connolly of Land of 10 noted Barkley is an adept pass protector, saying "his dedication as a pass-blocker led to one of the signature plays Penn State's season: Keeping [PSU quarterback Trace McSorley] clean as he found a receiver on the final play of the game to beat Iowa."

Barkley's four most likely destinations appear to be the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. If Josh Allen goes first, the guess here is the Giants take Sam Darnold at No. 2.

Barkley would be a great addition in Cleveland, but North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb might be a better fit for the team after general manager John Dorsey spent many resources reshuffling the offense through trades and free agency.

Denver is the next possible stop, but it could conceivably receive a Godfather offer from the Buffalo Bills for the fifth pick so the latter team can take one of the top remaining quarterbacks.

No. 6 to the Colts seems like Barkley's floor, especially after Indianapolis lost Frank Gore to the Miami Dolphins in free agency. As long as quarterback Andrew Luck returns to 100 percent after missing the 2017 season with a shoulder injury, a Luck-Barkley-T.Y. Hilton-Jack Doyle tandem would be one of the scariest skill-position combinations in the league.

Chicago Bears: Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson

You might be asking yourself why an offensive guard is listed under a subheadline advertising the most exciting prospects. It's a fair question to ask, but watching Quenton Nelson pancake defensive lineman after defensive lineman is remarkable.

Nelson is considered one of the best overall prospects in this year's draft, ranking top three on numerous big boards, including those by CBSSports.com, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report and Josh Norris of Rotoworld.

Nelson and the Chicago Bears seem like the perfect connection. The Bears are building around franchise quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, signing wide receiver Allen Robinson and tight end Trey Burton in free agency. They should continue that drive by investing in the offensive line in the draft, and Nelson seems like a perfect fit at guard to go alongside Kyle Long.

The only issue is No. 8 seems like Nelson's floor. It's possible a team ahead of the Bears (e.g., the New York Giants or Denver Broncos) takes the Notre Dame star. But the guess here is the Giants go for a quarterback and the Broncos take a king's ransom for the No. 5 pick from the Buffalo Bills, who then take another signal-caller.

That would pave the way for Nelson to go to Chicago, where he would become an instant fan favorite.

Arizona Cardinals: Louisville QB Lamar Jackson

Granted, excellent college production doesn't necessarily foreshadow a fantastic pro career, but looking at Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson's numbers could make you think there has to be a typo someplace.

In three seasons as the starter, Jackson rushed for 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns. That's in addition to 69 passing touchdowns and 9,043 yards through the air.

A primary knock on Jackson is his accuracy (only 57.0 percent of his passes were completed), but Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com noted that some of those incompletions were not his fault:

Former NFL quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick Michael Vick said Jackson is "the spitting image" of himself, per NFL Media's Chase Goodbread. Vick had his own accuracy issues, completing just 56.2 percent of his passes, but he still enjoyed a successful 13-year career and was one of the more exciting players in the history of the game.

Freeman noted that the New England Patriots are the team "most interested" in Jackson, but the Patriots would likely have to trade up from their highest pick (No. 23 overall) to land the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner. That's in part because of the Arizona Cardinals at No. 15, a good landing spot for Jackson.

The Cardinals signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford to a two-year deal this offseason, per Over the Cap, but the former first overall pick has suffered numerous knee injuries that have limited him to just 38 starts in the past five years. It's hard seeing him as a long-term solution for the Cards at QB.

In fairness, the former Oklahoma Sooner showed flashes of what he's capable of in a Week 1 start against the New Orleans Saints in 2017, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns against what ended up being one of the better pass defenses in the league (seventh-lowest quarterback rating allowed).

However, seeing Jackson at No. 15 may be too enticing to pass up. The pressure would be off Jackson as he acclimates to the league while Bradford starts in 2018 (and perhaps 2019). Then the former Louisville star could take over and lead Arizona into a new era.