With the NFL season being well past the halfway point, more is clear about what teams will need and where they will be drafting. Here is the latest 2018 NFL mock draft.
1. Cleveland Browns- Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
All of the good quarterbacks that were thought to come out of this draft class have struggled. Rosen has probably been the best overall and has some good arm talent. He does, however, have some flaws to overcome. Rosen needs to make better decisions and show he can lead a franchise. One thing he has proven is that his shoulder injury from last season won’t be a major factor going forward.
2. San Francisco 49ers- Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
After the trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, it is unlikely the 49ers will take a quarterback in this draft. They will take the best player in the class in Barkley. He is a do-it-all running back who will immediately improve the quality of the running game for San Francisco. Barkley is a premier talent who runs with great moves that are reminiscent of Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. This isn’t an area of need for the 49ers, but they can’t pass up the best player.
3. New York Giants- Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
The Giants could go for a replacement for Eli Manning, but the quarterback position won’t get any better with their bad offensive line. McGlinchey has had an up and down season and most recently didn’t play well against Miami. He has the ability to play either tackle position and can start from day one.
4. Indianapolis Colts- Arden Key, DE/OLB, LSU
Key is a very good edge rusher that uses his speed as his main way of getting to the quarterback. He had a better season in 2016 than this season, but still shows he can pressure the quarterback. The Colts need to get after the quarterback more as they only have 19 sacks on the season.
5. Cleveland Browns (via Hou)- Minkah Fitzpatrick, S/CB, Alabama
Cleveland needs to improve its secondary. They just drafted Jabril Peppers and like Peppers, Fitzpatrick can play multiple positions in the secondary. He will most likely fit in at safety, but should be able to cover batter than most safeties. With two top five picks, the Browns have a chance to vastly improve their roster.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. State
N.C. State has had a great season, in large part due to Chubb’s play. He has gotten better every year in Raleigh and has had at least ten sacks this season and last. Not only can he rush the passer, but he is also good at stopping the run. The Buccaneers need to re-haul their defense and they can start by getting after the quarterback more consistently.
7. Cincinnati Bengals- Connor Williams, OT, Texas
The Bengals have a terrible offensive line and need to upgrade almost every position. They can start by taking a cornerstone at tackle. Williams isn’t the biggest guy, so he may need to add some weight, but he is very athletic. He is currently injured with damaged ligaments in his knee and will have to prove he is healthy to be selected highly.
8. Chicago Bears- Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
Chicago has decided to make Mitch Trubisky the starting quarterback and he has played decently well. They have to get him some weapons in the passing game other than Tarik Cohen. Ridley is a dynamic playmaker that can make people miss once he gets the ball in his hands. He may be better as a pro than as a college player, as Jalen Hurts isn’t the greatest throwing quarterback.
9. Denver Broncos- Sam Darnold, QB, USC
Darnold raised some eyebrows when reports came out that he may skip out on the 2018 draft if it looks like the Browns will select him. He hasn’t even played well enough to deserve being a number one pick, but the Broncos would love to have him. With good arm strength and stature, Darnold will entice some teams, but he needs to stop turning the ball over. Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemian aren’t getting the job done and Paxton Lynch has yet to take it away from them, so a quarterback would be a nice option.
10. Los Angeles Chargers- Derwin James, S, Florida State
Florida State hasn’t played well this season, but James is one of the best safety prospects in the class. He can do almost anything on a football field and can start for 10 years in the back end of a defense. The Chargers can make a young promising defense even better with this pick.
11. New York Jets- Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Josh McCown has played well for the Jets, but he isn’t the future. Lamar Jackson would be an exciting player to see in New York. He can make plays and has improved as a thrower this season. His accuracy needs to continue to improve, but with his athletic ability and speed, he will remind people of Michael Vick.
12. Arizona Cardinals- Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
Carson Palmer is likely not going to ever be a decent quarterback ever again with his aging and injuries. Allen has NFL size, arm strength and great athletic ability. His problem is that he can’t perform against top competition in college, which will likely make him a project in the NFL. Bruce Arians would be a coach that could take that challenge on, as he likes big, strong armed quarterbacks.
13. Miami Dolphins- Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
It is not often that a guard is talked about as a top 15 pick, but Nelson is one of the best prospects at the position in years. He is very mobile, can pick up blitzers and has a high football IQ. The Dolphins offensive line hasn’t been good this year and will need to protect Ryan Tannehill when he returns.
14. Baltimore Ravens- Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
The Ravens need to get some playmakers at wide reciever to help out Joe Flacco. Flacco hasn’t played well in years, but they won’y move on, so they need to help him out. Kirk gets separation and has big play ability. With better quarterback play, he’d likely be the first receiver taken off the board.
15. Washington Redskins- Ken Webster, CB, Ole Miss
Webster is a lengthy corner that has really come on this season. The question is: Can he fit into Washington’s scheme? They run the cover 2 and with Josh Norman shutting down one side of the field, he will have to shut down the other.
16. Oakland Raiders- Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
Smith has done a little bit of everything for Georgia and has displayed his athletic ability in the process. He can stop the run, cover and blitz well. The Raiders need a quality linebacker on their roster if they want to take the team to the next level.
17. Green Bay Packers- Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
Ohio State’s secondary didn’t start the season off well, but Ward has been a nice find. He is a shut down corner that is capable of shutting down the nation’s top receivers. The Packers’ secondary is awful and needs to be upgraded immediately.
18. Buffalo Bills- Malik Jefferson, LB, TexasÂ
Jefferson is a talented linebacker, who is starting to live up to his potential. He was all over the field against Oklahoma State. The great recuruit coming out of high school is a better pass rusher than he gets credit for and can also stop the run well. Buffalo is another team that just needs to get one talented linebacker on their team.
19. Detroit Lions- Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
Payne makes freakish plays for a defensive tackle. He hasn’t done much in the stats department this season, but takes on multiple blocks at a time. The Lions need to improve the interior of the defensive line and Payne can fit in with his old teammate at Alabama, A’Shawn Robinson.
20. Dallas Cowboys- Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State
Ranking has been great as a pass blocker this season and has helped lead Mississippi State to a solid season thus far. Dak Prescott got killed in the game against the Falcons, so picking Rankin to protect him is the right call. Rankin can play right tackle and Chaz Green can stay on the bench.
21. Atlanta Falcons- Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
Davis is a lengthy corner who will likely move up draft boards when the draft comes closer. Desmond Trufant is a good corner, but the Falcons need more at the position.
22. Tennessee Titans- Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
Harrison has the chance to be a good safety in the NFL with his great size. He is 6’3″, 214 pounds and impacts games in a variety of ways. Johnathan Cyprien is having a rough season and needs to be replaced.
23. Seattle Seahawks- Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
If the Seahawks don’t start protecting Russell Wilson, he will get killed. They traded for Duane Brown, but the line is still bad. Seattle always does a good job of coaching bad offensive lineman to excel at the middle and end of the season. Brown has good size and with good coaching can be molded into a solid lineman.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars- Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
Blake Bortles still isn’t playing good football and isn’t signed for next season. They will likely sign him, but getting a quarterback as a backup plan isn’t a bad idea. Rudolph has a great long ball and good accuracy. He plays in a system that will raise some questions, but he has good talent.
25. Buffalo Bills (via KC)- Iman Marshall, CB, USC
The Bills picked Tre’Davious White last year in the first round, but still need more help at the corner position. Marshall is a good cover corner, who has stepped up after replacing Adoree’ Jackson as the top guy for USC.
26. Carolina Panthers- Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
Carolina traded away Kelvin Benjamin and now needs to get Cam Newton some weapons on the outside. Sutton has been able to produce at SMU for years and would have been drafted in the first or second round in last year’s draft.
27. New Orleans Saints- Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Wilkins is a good prospect who can stop the run and get after the quarterback from the interior. The Saints’ defense is getting better, but they can still improve. Wilkins can slide right in next to Sheldon Rankins to create a pretty good defensive line overall.
28. Los Angeles Rams- Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State
The Rams don’t have too many needs, but could use some help at corner. McFadden can shut down his man and isn’t afraid to be physical. Los Angeles has a lot of nice young pieces and a good young corner would vastly improve the team’s future contending hopes.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers- Baker Mayfield, QB, OklahomaÂ
Ben Roethlisberger has mentioned retirement too many times for it not to be taken seriously. Mayfield has always been seen as a guy who plays in too much of a college system and a quarterback that was too undersized for the NFL. He has had a fantastic season and has protected the football while putting up huge numbers. Mayfield can battle it out for the starting job if Big Ben does leave football.
30. Minnesota Vikings- Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
Jackson got more name recognition after getting two pick sixes against Wisconsin, but he has been playing well for a while now. The Vikings need to start thinking about some new corners to go opposite of Xavier Rhodes. Trae Waynes looks like a bust and Terrance Newman is ancient, so a corner could be the pick.
31. New England Patriots- Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
Although he is just a redshirt sophomore, Ferrell is producing at a big time level. In his very young career, he already has tallied 13.5 sacks. The Patriots need to get some pressure on the quarterback if they want to be as dominant as they used to be.
32. Philadelphia Eagles- Justin Reid, S, Stanford
The Eagles don’t have too many areas to improve, but could do so at safety. Reid can do a little bit of everything at safety, but doesn’t have any elite traits.
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