Just before the NFL Combine really kicks off, how does the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft look? From the college perspective, here’s your pre-combine mock draft.
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2018 NFL Mock Draft: Pre-NFL Combine
It’s NFL Combine time – it’s really here, and now the draft world kicks in full force. So before it all goes down, what does the first round look like?
From the college perspective, here are the correct answers.
In the Mock Draft If Done Correctly spot, those are all the picks how they should go if the teams actually do this right – which they won’t.
Of course there will be trades to screw this all up, but before everyone spends their weekend running around in shorts …
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1. Cleveland Browns
The Pick Will Be: QB Sam Darnold, USC
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State
The Browns should get their quarterback at the four, or – lone wolf on this one – try to develop the young DeShone Kizer and try to remember that Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions as a rookie. NO, NO, NO, sorry, don’t leave … please keep reading despite putting Kizer and Manning in the same sentence. I’ll do better.
Take Barkley and get either Darnold or Josh Rosen at the four, but that won’t happen. They need to set a new tone and direction, and Darnold will be it.
And then he’ll throw 22 interceptions as a rookie, just like Kizer did.
2. New York Giants
The Pick Will Be: RB Saquon barkley, Penn State
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
DE Bradley Chubb, NC State
Remember how New York built two Super Bowl champions – and rebuilt another two – thanks to a dominant defensive front? As those four teams proved, you can’t have enough amazing defensive ends. Even so, if they don’t go quarterback, they’ll build around Barkley.
3. Indianapolis Colts
The Pick Will Be: DE Bradley Chubb, NC State
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
OG Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
No, you don’t take a guard early. No, really, you don’t take a guard early. Even so, the Colts have to fortify their offensive front, but they also can’t pass on Chubb.
4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston)
The Pick Will Be: S Minkah fitzpatrick, Alabama
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
QB Sam Darnold, USC
Again, if Cleveland doesn’t trade out of the No. 1 pick and does this correctly, it takes Barkley or Chubb in the top spot, and then takes Darnold, Josh Rosen, or even Josh Allen (shudder) if it wants to keep building this thing up.
Derwin James is the better safety prospect, but the Browns won’t miss with Fitzpatrick.
5. Denver Broncos
The Pick Will Be: og Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
Everyone will probably have the Broncos taking a quarterback here, but that won’t matter if there’s no one up front to protect the passer. They’ll take a chance on getting a good quarterback prospect a little later – or nail it in the free agent market – and build up the infrastructure with Nelson.
Top Five Prospects Pre-NFL Combine
QB | RB | WR | TE | OG & C | OT
DE | DT | LB | CB | S
6. New York Jets
The Pick Will Be: qb josh rosen, ucla
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
LB Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
Welcome to the Jets’ dream world. Watch out for the quarterbacks to fall a bit if a few teams don’t trade the farm to move up into the top five, and they’ll take the best one available. If and when Rosen is still on the board at the six, one word: yoink.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Pick Will Be: lb tremaine edmunds, virginia tech
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
S Derwin James, Florida State
This is the pre-Combine mock draft, but I’ll be happy to be the first to clue you in on this one: everyone will have Edmunds in the top ten of their mock drafts after Indianapolis. If you haven’t been hearing the buzz, he’s going to come out of the weekend with a freakish workout for the ages.
8. Chicago Bears
The Pick Will Be: Cb denzel ward, ohio State
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
No, Chicago, you’re not getting Quenton Nelson. It should jump all over Derwin James, but that would make too much sense. After getting pantsed last year by unnecessarily trading up to get Mitchell Trubisky, GM Ryan Pace will try to make up for it by trading down and getting Calvin Ridley later. If not, they’ll address the painful corner problem.
9/10. Oakland Raiders
The Pick Will Be: lb roquan smith, georgia
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
LB Roquan Smith, Georgia
Undersized, fast, with an attitude, ultra-productive – Roquan Smith is a Raider. Jon Gruden might be known a bit more for his offense, but he won’t need a GPS to remember that his great Tampa Bay teams were built around Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. He’ll get THIS GUY – his playmaking linebacker.
9/10. San Francisco 49ers
The Pick Will Be: de marcus davenport, utsa
The Mock Draft If Done Correctly pick …
S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
The 49ers need to give Jimmy Garoppolo more weapons to work with, and they could use some help in the secondary, but they also need a pass rusher. Davenport needs seasoning, but his stock is going through the roof.
Up Next: Picks 11-32 …
