2018 NFL Mock Draft: Darnold goes to New York, but not the Jets
By Brad Weiss
In our latest NFL Mock Draft, a New York teams gets Sam Darnold first overall, but it isn’t the one we all expected to prior to the season.
After five weeks of the 2017 NFL season, it looks like we have three winless teams remaining. Incredibly, one of those teams is the New York Giants, who would have the first overall pick if the season ended tomorrow. On Sunday, they not only lost to previously winless Los Angeles, but also lost their star wide receiver for the season, which is certain to be a long one for head coach Ben McAdoo.
The other two winless teams are the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, though that is a surprise to no-one. The Browns have two first round picks next April, and the 49ers have a bunch of picks throughout the draft thanks to the trade they made during last year’s draft with the Chicago Bears. They need a franchise quarterback, and they will certainly get one picking in the top three picks.
Sam Darnold
Quarterback, USC
The New York Giants have been downright bad this season, and incredibly, their season got even worse on Sunday. Not only did they lose to the winless Los Angeles Chargers, but their schedule gets even more daunting from here on out. They could struggle to win two games this season, which would put them right in the hunt for the top overall pick.
As it stands now, the Giants would have the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. That sounds pretty weird considering they were playoff contenders entering the season, but that is their reality now. Star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. is out for the year, as is Brandon Marshall, and their defense has not looked like the unit that led them to the playoffs last season.
With the first overall selection, the Giants should look to bring in their future at the quarterback position. Eli Manning has had a Hall of Fame career for the G-Men, but he is starting to get up there in age. They have to look to the future, and while they did draft Davis Webb in the third round the last draft, they cannot afford to pass up what could be their next franchise quarterback in 2017.