NFL Draft 2018: Mock Draft and Potential Surprise 1st-Round Picks to Watch

Whether it's via a trade-up, trade-down or a team simply having a player higher on their draft board than others, the NFL draft always has those surprise first-round draft picks that fans and draftniks alike did not expect to go in Round 1.

This year, we could see some of that due to the anticipated slew of quarterbacks going atop the draft, making for multiple trade-up and trade-down scenarios.

We'll look at a first-round mock draft and comment on three players who could be surprise first-round draft picks, though they may not necessarily be mocked below.

Who do you think could be a surprise pick?

NFL Mock Draft: Round 1

1. Cleveland Browns: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming

2. Buffalo Bills (projected trade w/ New York Giants): Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

3. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts): Sam Darnold, QB, USC

4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State

5. Denver Broncos: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

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

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama

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

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

10. Oakland Raiders: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State

11. Miami Dolphins: Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia

12. New York Giants (projected trade w/ Buffalo Bills, via Cincinnati Bengals): Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP

13. Washington Redskins: Vita Vea, DT, Washington

14. New England Patriots (projected trade w/ Green Bay Packers): Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

15. Arizona Cardinals: Derwin James, S, Florida State

16. Baltimore Ravens: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan

18. Seattle Seahawks: Isaiah Wynn, OG, Georgia

19. Dallas Cowboys: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State

20. Detroit Lions: Josh Sweat, DE, Florida State

21. Cincinnati Bengals (via Buffalo Bills): Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

22. New York Giants (projected trade w/ Buffalo Bills, via Kansas City Chiefs): Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College

23. Green Bay Packers (projected trade w/ New England Patriots, via Los Angeles Rams): Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA

24. Carolina Panthers: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

25. Tennessee Titans: Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama

26. Atlanta Falcons: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida 

27. New Orleans Saints: Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame 

30. Minnesota Vikings: Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

31. Green Bay Packers (projected trade w/ New England Patriots): Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Hughes, CB, UCF

Potential Surprise Picks

Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame

Mocked to go No. 29 overall above, Equanimeous St. Brown doesn't get a lot of the same credit that the Calvin Ridleys or the Courtland Suttons of the world get.

Coming out of Notre Dame, St. Brown was plagued by horrific quarterback play in his final season.

Due to his poor statistical output, St. Brown isn't looked at as highly as others.

St. Brown is a tall, lanky receiver standing at 6'5", weighs nearly 215 pounds and ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine. 

NFL.com has St. Brown projected as a third- or fourth-round pick, and it's highlighted that he has trouble separating against physical corners.

However, Matt Harmon, also of NFL.com, charted St. Brown in his Reception Perception series for The Fantasy Footballers and found that St. Brown has a success rate against man coverage close to 74 percent of the time.

Like Harmon, I have trouble finding faults in St. Brown when watching his game.

If St. Brown played at a top school with a better quarterback prospect, he'd receive first-round praise heading into the draft.

Losing Allen Robinson to the Chicago Bears in free agency, the Jaguars find their successor in St. Brown, who is a much better prospect than a third- or fourth-round projection.

Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State

As you'll notice above, there are five quarterbacks projected to go awfully early in my mock.

With this, the second and third-tier quarterbacks will get a bump in value.

One of those guys could be Mason Rudolph out of Oklahoma State.

He's not projected to go in the first-round above, but Rudolph could be a candidate for a Teddy Bridgewater-like draft day in which a team trades up to the bottom of the first-round and takes Rudolph.

One scenario that could make some sense is the Arizona Cardinals trading up, or even progressively trading down from their No. 15 selection.

The Cardinals are in dire need of a quarterback. They may have Sam Bradford, but if history tells us anything, Bradford might not be around long.

However, he could be around long enough to mentor a young Rudolph.

Look for the Cardinals to perhaps make a move and come in late in the first-round and secure Rudolph's services.

Jessie Bates, S, Wake Forest

Jessie Bates is not a player you'll see a lot about in mainstream draft coverage.

However, Bates has the talent and ability to be a late first-round pick—perhaps the last pick to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

There are some concerns with Bates, though, like every prospect.

Bates plays safety. He'll need to tackle. There are some concerns that he may not be big enough to tackle on a consistent basis.

However, he has a great feel for the game. What does that mean? He processes plays quickly and can shift when he's covering the field quickly. 

While his size may be a negative in some eyes, it can be spun into a positive, as he can play in multiple different packages and coverages.

There's a word for that: Versatility.

Perhaps Bates ends up atop the second round, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him taken at the end of Round 1 by a team that won't have a chance at him in the second.

Everyday fans might not know his name, but they'll get to know him quickly when he hits the field.