2018 NFL mock draft: Saquon Barkley heads to Giants
By Brad Weiss
The 2017 NFL season has come to an end, which means it is officially time to start thinking about the 2018 NFL Draft. Here is our latest first-round mock.
With the 2017 NFL season in the rearview mirror, we start to seriously think about the 2018 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns did not win a single game last season, and due to that fact, they will be picking first overall in April. In addition, Cleveland has the fourth overall pick in round one, as they swung a deal with the Houston Texans during the 2017 NFL Draft to receive that pick.
The draft will look a lot different than it does right now in April, as there are sure to be some deals made before the teams pick in a couple of months. Two teams have multiple picks in the first round, and some want to trade up to select a franchise quarterback. We are in for a wild ride over the next few months, but first, let’s look at our latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft.
Sam Darnold. 1. player. 53. . Quarterback. USC
It was another long season for the Cleveland Browns in 2017, and in the last two seasons with Hue Jackson as the head coach, they have won only one game. Still, the organization decided to retain Jackson as their head coach, though they will have a new general manager this offseason. John Dorsey helped mold the Kansas City Chiefs into a perennial playoff team, and he will now try to do the same thing with the Browns.
While the playoffs are very far off when it comes to the Browns, they do have a ton of draft picks in April. In the first round alone, the Browns will be picking twice within the first four picks, including the top overall selection. With that pick, Dorsey is going to look to find his franchise quarterback, and Sam Darnold from USC could be the first signal-caller off the board.
Heading into April, which quarterback is going to go first overall is going to be the most debated topic. While guys like Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen are all viable candidate, Darnold may have done enough on the field to warrant being the top selection in the draft. He made his mistakes during his time at USC, but he is the best pure passer in this draft class, and the Browns are desperately seeking someone to bring this franchise out of the cellar in the AFC North.