A day has passed since the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft concluded. The draft probably goes down as one of the most intriguing because of a stellar quarterback class headlined by Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson. There were a number of surprising moves and the classic moves up and down the draft board that surprised many, including me. four quarterbacks gone in ten picks, one more at the end to finish the first roundMAYFIELD: The draft kicked off with a huge shock. The Browns put in all their chips in Baker Mayfield in a move I didn't see coming. I thought Darnold was the right pick and the guy Cleveland was going to take. Mayfield is a boom or bust for me. I don't think he's Johnny Manziel but he does have a big personality that I'm not sure I like in Cleveland. I would have preferred him in Miami or Arizona but this is the new Cleveland. DARNOLD: I think Darnold should have gone number 1 by a mile and if not there, the Giants should have picked him up. I think him and Rosen are the best quarterbacks of this class and the New York Jets got themselves an anchor at quarterback for years. ALLEN: I wasn't sure at what spot but Buffalo seemed like the right pick for Allen. He's a big kid with a rocket arm that can play in cold weather. His accuracy does scare me without much of a receiving core there. ROSEN: Rosen slipped a little to 10 which he definitely didn't like. I did have a feeling he might slide but I figured that he was talented enough and someone would like him enough to take him. I also like him in Arizona competing with Sam Bradford for the starting job. Bradford does have a injury history, something that I think Rosen will benefit off. JACKSON: Often forgotten in the top tier of first round quarterbacks, Baltimore traded up to take Jackson. He ended up in the right situation and after sitting for Joe Flacco's last year in Baltimore, he should be able to take over in 2019. Wish the best for the kid. BOTTOM LINE: While I think Mayfield and Allen definitely have the ability to succeed in the right situation, I feel that Darnold and Rosen are the can't-miss prospects. I still feel Darnold should have gone #1 or at worst #2 but he should be able to succeed and learn in New York. Mayfield is a large personality but I don't think he'll bust in Cleveland. Allen's accuracy scares me but I think he has the arm for that climate. Rosen should beat out Bradford for the job if he can make the right impression in Arizona. Jackson will be the face of a bland Baltimore for years to come. Running backs early and lateBARKLEY: I thought New York needed to take Darnold here but they disagreed. Barkley is a tremendous player that I think can immediately benefit a New York team that haven't had a solid running back for as long as I can remember. He should be quick to sell jerseys there and will be an immediate fan-favorite. With the injury reserve wiped clean, Manning needs to turn it on for New York to have a real shot. PENNY: The Seattle Seahawks traded down and surprisingly selected Rashaad Penny, projected to be a 2nd to 3rd round pick, over notable backs such as Derrius Guice, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb. As a Seahawks fan myself, I haven't seen much of his film but from what I have seen, he seems to be quick and has good vision. Apparently, there was interest from other teams and an unnamed team tried to trade for him after he was drafted. Maybe they're seeing something I'm missing. MICHEL: As projected by many, Sony Michel came off the board in the last couple picks of the draft to New England. It will be interesting to see how Belichick uses him as he joins a committee of backs. He has the ability to receive which I'm sure New England loves. BOTTOM LINE: The Penny pick was the one that surprised me of these three. Barkley was going to be gone early and I think New York needs offensive line help but Barkley will succeed. Penny went earlier than I thought but Carroll wants him to be a three-down back and there's no denying Seattle's run game has been lacking. Michel fits right into New England's system and it will be interesting to see his role this season. Receivers slip and shiftMOORE: D.J. Moore was the first receiver off the board to Carolina at #24. With good route running, quick feet, and nice hands, Moore fits into Carolina. Steve Smith had high praise for him, claiming that Carolina has not been able to replace him until yesterday, taking Moore. RIDLEY: Atlanta get one of the bigger steals of the draft with Calvin Ridley, the best route-runner and cleaner prospect of the draft. Paired with Julio Jones, the Atlanta offense just got a lot scarier. BOTTOM LINE: I thought Ridley would come off the board earlier, most probably to the 49ers, Ravens, or Cowboys. I still like Ridley more than Moore and think he will have more success but I do like Moore, who is a little more flashy than Ridley. Christian Kirk and Coutland Sutton were both not taken in the first round, it should be interesting to see where they end up. Defensive line help addressedCHUBB: Denver's defensive line just got way more fearsome with Bradley Chubb alongside Von Miller. I still think Denver should have taken a quarterback but Chubb is a very good pick for them. VEA: Bucs managed to trade down and still take the solid Washington product. Similar to Denver, his presence should help a current star in Gerald McCoy and take some stress off the interior defensive line. PAYNE: I think the Redskins reached a little with this pick. I would have focused on surrounding Alex Smith with more weapons for the time. But in a division where there are a lot of runners, interior defensive line help can't hurt. DAVENPORT: The Saints gave a boatload of picks to trade up for this boom-or-bust product out of small school UTSA. Davenport is an athletic freak standing at 6'7" and could make the New Orleans defense a lot scarier. BRYAN: The Jaguars picked up Bryan right at the end of the draft. I think they should have thought about taking a receiver with this pick but Bryan is a fine addition to a young defense that reminds me of the Legion of Boom's days. BOTTOM LINE: Chubb and Davenport stand out to me in this group as immediate playmakers. I think both have the skill set to be special in the NFL. Vea, Payne, and Bryan should be solid additions but I don't see them as having the same impact, maybe because of their position as well. secondary needs are primaryWARD: Cleveland surprised many by taking Ohio State's Denzel Ward instead of N.C. State's Bradley Chubb at #4. Ward is a physical corner who excels at press coverage. He went off the board quicker than I thought and I think Chubb would have been the better pick at #4 but Ward is still a respectable player that I think immediately upgrades the Cleveland secondary. FITZPATRICK: Minkah Fitzpatrick went off the board at #11, a little later than I thought he would, to Miami. He should pair well with Reshad Jones and make a fearsome pair in the Miami secondary. He is very versatile and should be comfortable playing corner for the Dolphins if they need. JAMES: Derwin James dropped more than I thought he would and I was hoping he would slip one more pick to Seattle. Many had him going #7 to Tampa but the Chargers are able to get a hard-hitting safety that reminds me a lot of Keanu Neal. ALEXANDER: Green Bay wanted a corner back that brought some life to their secondary and Alexander brings that. He has a swagger that Green Bay has been missing for some time and should start Day 1. EDMUNDS: I didn't like this pick. Heading up to the draft, I hadn't even heard of this kid, only his brother Tremaine that went earlier to the Bills. Pittsburgh did need secondary help and hopefully Edmunds can play for them but I think there were better options at this pick. HUGHES: Minnesota's corner back group needed to get younger and Minnesota did that with Hughes. He came off the board around where I thought he would and can make a quick impact. BOTTOM LINE: The teams that needed secondary help addressed it. Ward went earlier than I thought and Fitzpatrick and James slipped more than I thought they would. Alexander went where he should have but I think Pittsburgh should have taken Hughes over Edmunds. Overall, not a bad first round for the secondary. Big takeawaysAs it always does, the NFL Draft brought on a lot of surprises. The Baker Mayfield pick sent much into chaos. The Giants knew they were taking Barkley, I think, but the Jets had Darnold fall into their lap, something I don't think they were expecting when they traded up with the Colts. Cleveland surprised many again by taking Ward over Chubb which Denver happily took advantage of. Indianapolis made the smart pick of Nelson at pick #6 and Buffalo patiently waited until the dust cleared and traded up to take Allen. Chicago made a solid pick with a clean kid, Roquan Smith. 49ers surprised me with Mike McGlinchey at #9 but they are building to support Garoppolo. Arizona gladly traded up to pick up Rosen at 10. The rest of the draft didn't have too many crazy moves, just the slip of some players such as Ridley and James, both who are very capable playmakers. This is a very interesting draft class and it will be very exciting to see the 2018 season, especially how these quarterbacks perform.
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This is my third and final mock draft. One of the best quarterback classes the draft has seen in a long time and a number of can't-miss prospects provide for an intriguing draft. A number of prospects have flown up draft boards and other have dropped. Reports have been leaked on which teams like which players and which teams are trading up to which pick. And, Cleveland is on the clock... 1. Cleveland Browns: Sam Darnold, QB, USC2. New York Jets (Projected Trade with New York Giants): Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming3. New York Giants (Projected Trade with New York Jets): Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State4. Buffalo Bills (Projected Trade with Cleveland Browns): Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA5. Denver Broncos: Bradley CHubb, DE, N.C. State6. Miami Dolphins (Projected Trade with Indianapolis COlts): Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, Alabama8. Chicago Bears: Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State9. San Francisco 49ers: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame10. Oakland Raiders: Derwin James, S, Florida State11. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (PROJECTED TRADE WITH MIAMI DOLPHINS): TREMAINE EDMUNDS, LB, VIRGINIA TECH
12. CLEVELAND BROWNS (PROJECTED TRADE WITH BUFFALO BILLS): MIKE MCGLINCHEY, OT, NOTRE DAME 13. WASHINGTON REDSKINS: VITA VEA, DT, WASHINGTON 14. GREEN BAY PACKERS: MIKE HUGHES, CB, CENTRAL FLORIDA 15. ARIZONA CARDINALS: LAMAR JACKSON, QB, LOUISVILLE 16. BALTIMORE RAVENS: CALVIN RIDLEY, WR, ALABAMA 17. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: LEIGHTON VAN DER ESCH, LB, BOISE STATE 18. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: MARCUS DAVENPORT, DE, UTSA 19. DALLAS COWBOYS: COURTLAND SUTTON, WR, SMU 20. DETROIT LIONS: HAROLD LANDRY, DE, BOSTON COLLEGE 21. CINCINNATI BENGALS: KOLTON MILLER, OT, UCLA 22. BUFFALO BILLS: D.J. MOORE, WR, TEXAS A&M 23. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: JOSHUA JACKSON, CB, IOWA 24. CAROLINA PANTHERS: CHRISTIAN KIRK, WR, TEXAS A&M 25. TENNESSEE TITANS: ROQUAN SMITH, LB, GEORGIA 26. ATLANTA FALCONS: DA'RON PAYNE, DT, ALABAMA 27. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: HAYDEN HURST, TE, SOUTH CAROLINA 28. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: RASHAAN EVANS, LB, ALABAMA 29. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: ISIAIAH WYNN, OG, GEORGIA 30. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: CONNOR WILLIAMS, OT, TEXAS 31. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: MASON RUDOLPH, QB, OKLAHOMA STATE 32. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: JAIRE ALEXANDER, CB, LOUISVILLE |
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