2018 NFL Mock Draft

With the draft just over 24 hours away, here is how I see the top ten selections unfolding.

1. Cleveland Browns – Sam Darnold, Quarterback, USC. Darnold is the best quarterback in this draft and the Browns need for a single-caller has been well-documented. While John Dorsey, the Browns GM, has long been fond of a quarterback’s hand size, I think he will bypass Josh Allen in favor of Darnold.

2. New York Giants – Saquon Barkley, Running Back, Penn State. The Giants will take the best player off the board here and fortify their offense. Barkley has as much potential as any running back in recent memory. The Giants brass will be tempted to take Bradley Chubb to replace JPP, but will ultimately take the mesmerizing tailback.

3. New York Jets – Baker Mayfield, Quarterback, Oklahoma. I think the Jets have focused in on Mayfield for quite some time now. The Oklahoma quarterback has some red flags given his checkered past, but once he steps between the white lines Mayfield is a fiery competitor. The Jets snag their quarterback for the next decade with the third pick.

4. Cleveland Browns – Bradley Chubb, Defensive End, NC State. With their second pick, the Browns will give last year’s first overall pick, Myles Garrett, an explosive counterpart. Chubb is an athletic marvel and should give Cleveland’s defense a much needed boost.

5. Denver Broncos – Denzel Ward, Cornerback, Ohio State. The Broncos need a replacement for Aqib Talib and will get just that in Ward. The former Buckeye is a ball hawk and is uber-physical at the point of attack.

6. Buffalo Bills*(via Indianapolis Colts) – Josh Allen, Quarterback, Wyoming. The Colts will trade down for a treasure chest of picks. The Bills needs a strong-armed quarterback to cut through the wintery Buffalo weather. I am not a huge Josh Allen fan, but NFL personnel seem to be infatuated with his rocket of an arm.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cornerback, Alabama. Tampa Bay has several glaring holes, but perhaps none more evident than in their secondary. Nick Saban has been effusive in his praise for Fitzpatrick and the versatile cornerback also has the ability to play safety.

8. Arizona Cardinals* (via Chicago Bears) – Josh Rosen, Quarterback, UCLA. The Cardinals badly need a quarterback. I do not care what it costs, they need to find a way to get into the top ten to select Rosen. In my eyes, he is neck and neck with Sam Darnold in terms of pure passing ability, but for one reason or another, many seem to believe that Rosen is too smart for his own good. That’s crazy talk, but it is a narrative that is out there. Rosen in the desert would be fun.

9. San Francisco 49ers – Roquan Smith, Linebacker, Georgia. I said last week that Smith will be the steal of the draft. He is freaky fast with infallible instincts. The 49ers really blew the Reuben Foster pick from a season ago, so taking Smith seems like a no-brainer.

10. Oakland Raiders – Marcus Davenport, Defensive End, UTSA. Davenport is a question mark. He absolutely shredded the Combine and his measurables are jaw-dropping. The main question with the 6’6” 284-pound pass-rusher comes down to the level of competition that he faced in Conference USA. I think his stature and his 4.58 40-yard dash time silenced much of that doubt and Jon Gruden will glady take the Ziggy Ansah look-alike.