After the second week of college football action, who gets taken first in our 2018 NFL mock draft?
The third week of the college football season is in the books and there’s already talk about certain players helping and hurting their NFL draft stocks. It’s far too early to say which players have dropped out of the first-round conversation, but it’s never too soon to speculate.
Many players have lived up to early expectations in 2017 seeing as it’s just two weeks in while others have scouts wondering when they will finally break out. After one week of NFL action and two of college football, it’s time to look at the first edition of our 2018 NFL Mock Draft.
Since we are just one week into the NFL season, we’ve used Sportsline 2017 season simulation for the projected draft order in our mock. We will continue this order until Week 5 of the NFL season.
Assuming the Browns get the No. 1 pick yet again, there’s a good chance they go with yet another edge-rushing defensive end. Arden Key is this year’s Myles Garrett and we all know where the former Texas A&M star ended up in the 2017 NFL Draft: Clevland.
Imagine a growing defensive line with Garrett on one end and Key on the other. Now that’s just scary. What’s even more fearful for future NFL defenses is that Key might not even be as good as he can be at the college level. He has yet to play a snap in 2017, but will make his return in Week 3.
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound linebacker/end is one of the best pass rushers in college football and he’s still nowhere near reaching his potential. He finished his sophomore season with 55 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles.
If Cleveland gets the No. 1 pick again over the Jets and 49ers, don’t be surprised if it goes the same route as last cycle.
Yet another season with quarterbacks being rumored to San Francisco. The 49ers did end up drafting C.J. Beathard out of Iowa in the middle rounds of the 2017 draft, but chances are he’s not going to be the future of the organization.
The team hasn’t had good quarterback play in years and you could argue that it goes all the way back to Colin Kaepernick’s breakout season with the team. Since then, it’s been spotty play, at best, which holds the entire team back.
While Brian Hoyer has taken over in a veteran’s role this season, he’s basically just a hold-me-over until 2018. That’s where Sam Darnold comes in. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound gunslinger out of USC will likely be the best prospect in the 2018 class, assuming he decides to leave early.
Darnold is an accurate passer with all the tools to be successful. While some scouts will knock his long throwing motion, which has led to multiple fumbles, you can’t discount his accuracy. Not to mention, he’d be staying in his home state for all three levels of football. Can he make the 49ers relevant again?
The hot debate of this year’s draft won’t be which defensive player will go first, but rather who teams that need a quarterback would rather have, Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen? The answer isn’t quite obvious yet as both have had up-and-down starts to begin the 2017 season.
Rosen, in particular, had both ups and downs in the same start against Texas A&M in Week 1. He passed for 491 yards and four touchdowns in the 35-point second-half comeback effort and stayed calm throughout. Not many young quarterbacks can refrain from the panic button while down 44-10, but he did.
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As a former five-star recruit, Rosen chose to stay close to home and attend UCLA under Jim Mora’s watch. He started as a true freshman, passing for 3,760 yards and 32 touchdowns, but he completed just 60 percent of his throws.
Now a junior, coming off a season-ending injury in 2016, his completion rate is up to 68 percent through two games and he’s thrown for 820 yards, nine touchdowns and no picks. This kid has improved his draft stock drastically and he may be East Coast-bound.
When Derwin James committed to Florida State’s 2015 class as the top safety and No. 5 prospect in the country, Jimbo Fisher knew he was going to be special. However, no on really expected him to be quite this good. He’s arguably the top Heisman candidate on the defensive side of the ball for 2017.
James is one of the most athletic players in the entire class and might be the best overall prospect with the highest ceiling. However, the needs of the teams ahead of him will cause his drop to the No. 4 spot — although he’s talented enough to go No. 1.
There are some concerns regarding injuries since he missed the majority of the 2016 season with a knee injury, but he has shown no ill effects so far in 2017 — albeit just one game. The Rams could bolster their secondary with the top defensive back in the entire class, and arguably the top player.
While the Rams might be looking to add a cornerback in the 2018 NFL Draft, because of a potential departure of Trumaine Johnson to free agency, they will have to settle for best available seeing as I don’t believe any cornerback is worth a top-five pick this year.
Two years ago, the Chicago Bears made what could be considered a “risky” pick by choosing West Virginia wide out Kevin White No. 7 overall. He was arguably the top receiver in the class, but little did the Bears’ front office know, he was one of the most injury-prone players as well.
For the third year in a row, White has suffered an injury and Chicago has been spread thin at the position in 2017. He was expected to have a bigger role with Alshon Jeffery headed to Philadelphia and Cameron Meredith also on injured reserve.
The Bears drafted their “franchise” quarterback in North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky in 2017 and that leaves options for the team in 2018. Running back is set, but the defense could use work. However, receiver may be the most important.
If Kevin White is unable to return healthy next season, picking Christian Kirk in the first round would be a safe bet. He’s a speedy slot guy and can be a 100-reception wide out at the next level. He has strong hands and doesn’t lack confidence. The 5-foot-11 receiver has 174 receptions for 2,044 yards and 17 touchdowns in his three-year Texas A&M career.
What can you say about a starting left tackle on a team that finished 17th in the country in rushing last season? He’s pretty darn good. Connor Williams will likely be the best tackle prospect entering the 2018 NFL Draft and there’s a good chance he could be going in the top 10 to a team like San Diego that could use help up front.
Some may be arguing that Philips Rivers needs his replacement chosen and groomed as soon as possible, but while he’s still slinging the ball and leading the Chargers to fourth-quarter comebacks on the road against the Broncos, he’s set. He is getting up there in age, but why not get some protection for him to milk the most out of that arm?
Williams helped make D’Onta Foreman’s 2016 season a memorable one with over 2,000 yards on 6.3 per touch and is currently paving the way for Chris Warren III who is averaging 9.0 yards per carry this season.
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman from Texas is one of the most aggressive guys in the class and that’s what makes him such a hot commodity on the line. Although his aggression can hurt him at times, he usually makes the right blocks and opens up huge running lanes. He’s also a solid pass protector.
It will be another six picks after Arden Key before another defensive lineman goes in the 2018 NFL Draft, at least in my opinion. Talented edge rusher Harold Landry isn’t exactly a household name in the college ranks, but that’s quite a shame because he’d be a superstar at almost any other college.
The defensive end recorded 16.5 sacks in 2016 as a junior but elected to come back for his senior season at Boston College. He helped lead one of the nation’s best defenses in the country last year and is poised to do so again in 2017.
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Miami isn’t getting any younger on the defensive front, but the Dolphins did draft Charles Harris in the first round last year. He’s a solid end from Missouri and he could be a perfect complement for Landry.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound end from Boston College has burst onto the scene as one of the top NFL draft prospects and it’s be a shock to see him fall past No. 10 overall. The Dolphins would be wise to school him up here.
Although Texas hasn’t exactly gotten off to the ideal start in the Tom Herman era, it possesses one of the best linebacker prospects of any recent class. He’s somewhat of a raw talent who has yet to reach his full potential, like many who get drafted this early, and the Buccaneers could take a chance on him.
Jefferson has all the talent in the world, but his production thus far at Texas hasn’t exactly been eye-popping. He had 61 tackles as a true freshman for Charlie Strong in 2015 and then took a step back with 60 as a sophomore.
However, Jefferson could give the Bucs a nice pass-rushing inside, or outside, linebacker as he went from 2.5 sacks as a freshman to 6.5 as a sophomore as well as nine tackles for loss. He can get after it in the blitzing game, but he needs to show more production as a junior.
The junior linebacker’s ceiling is extremely high, but he needs the production to soon match the potential. The athletic defensive playmaker already has 16 tackles in two games this season, so look for him to shatter his previous season-highs.
Christian Wilkins is a monster. Heck, just ask Auburn how much it enjoyed facing Wilkins and the rest of the Clemson front-seven during the Week 2 matchup. Wilkins stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 310 pounds, making him nearly unblockable at the collegiate level.
The Lions could use a hard-to-guard defensive tackle as Haloti Ngata is getting up there in age. Although A’Shawn Robinson shows plenty of promise, the line should be one of the areas to target for the Lions’ front office in 2018.
That’s where Wilkins comes in. The junior is an absolute beast in the middle of the defense and could instantly impact the Lions. He’s a guy who could start day one and generate a pass rush with that young, improving Lions front-seven.
As a sophomore, Wilkins broke out with the national champs, recording 13 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks with 48 total takedowns. He currently has 11 tackles, 2.5 for loss and two sacks in 2017. Don’t sleep on him as a top-10 pick, although the Lions may not draft this high.
If you’re a Jaguar fan and you’re already sick of the Blake Bortles era, raise your hand. That’s all of you? OK, there’s a solution and his name is Josh Allen out of Wyoming.
You don’t often hear of Mountain West quarterbacks being near or even at the top of the draft prospect rankings for the position, but Allen breaks the mold. He’s an accurate passer on the run, which may be his best quality.
The Jaguars need a franchise quarterback, and it might be time to move on from Bortles who has been about as inaccurate and disappointing as any gunslinger in the NFL through his first couple of years. Allen would be a sight for sore eyes in Jacksonville, and the dual-threat ability helps.
Last year as a sophomore, he finished with 523 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while passing for another 3,203 yards and 28 scores. Some have dubbed him the best quarterback prospect in this class, but I think he forces too many throws to earn that distinction. However, he might have the highest ceiling.
The term “freak” gets thrown around a lot during each NFL draft process, but this year’s “freak” actually lives up to that billing. Saquon Barkley is one of the most unique talents in recent memory and there’s no mystery as to why he’s considered the top running back prospect in 2018.
In fact, he stands 5-foot-11 and weighs about 225 pounds. That may sound like a guy who isn’t quite quick or doesn’t have breakaway speed or elusiveness, but don’t let the size fool you. Barkley is 225 pounds of pure muscle and he shows that each offseason with his workout routines that constantly make headlines.
Barkley is a future franchise running back and the Bills could use that especially since LeSean McCoy will be 30 by the time the 2018 season starts, making his remaining time in the NFL limited. It’s also possible the Bills don’t bring him back, making a running back a priority in 2018.
The junior from Penn State has had an impressive career thus far, rushing for over 1,000 yards as a freshman and nearly 1,500 as a sophomore. He’s already off to his best start yet as a junior, accounting for 290 yards and three touchdowns on 9.3 yards per touch in two games.
Why is Andrew Luck always getting hurt? Oh yeah, because his offensive line has more holes than Swiss cheese. Luck is always getting planted into the ground with a tenacious pass-rush because, well, his line isn’t that great.
Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey would instantly fill the team’s biggest need and probably be the starter from day one. He’s an impressive talent that could very well go in the top 10, if a team had that need. However, the Colts will hope he falls to No. 12 and if he does, there’s no way they let him pass by.
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McGlinchey was a first-round talent last year, but elected to return to Notre Dame as a grad student. He has the potential to be the best lineman in this class, but his season has gotten off to a rough start, most notable in a loss to Georgia.
While the 6-foot-8, 315-pound tackle is usually great in pass protection, he was beat by the Bulldogs on several occasions, most notably on the winning strip-sack by Davin Bellamy. He will learn from those mistakes and move on, but he’s still an elite talent.
While Saquon Barkley is likely to be chosen as the top running back, barring some sort of injury or serious decline in production, LSU has another running back in the fold who could end up as a top-10 pick.
Just last cycle, Leonard Fournette became one of the best overall prospects and was chosen No. 4 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by Jacksonville. He had an impressive debut, showing that he wasn’t a reach as a top-five pick and proving that his injury issues wouldn’t hold him back.
Enter, Derrius Guice. Some have called Guice a more complete runner than Fournette and an even better running back prospect than his predecessor. While filling in for an injured Fournette in 2016 as just a sophomore, Guice accounted for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on 7.6 yards per touch.
Fournette has even said that he believes Guice can be the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, although that’s not likely. The 5-foot-11, 212-pound running back is a bruiser who doesn’t go down easily on first contact. Philadelphia’s backfield might be a bit crowded with LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, Donnel Pumphrey and Corey Clement, but Guice would start over all five.
And here we have it, folks, the first cornerback chosen in the 2018 NFL Draft will be Jaire Alexander, or at least it should be. There’s plenty of debate raging on who will be the top corner chosen, but the Louisville star looks to be the most NFL-ready.
Sure, there are some concerns about his health this season as he’s been ruled “day-to-day” with a knee injury. When he went down against Purdue in the season-opener, everyone assumed it was an ACL injury, but luckily he has been listed as a guy who may return as early as this week, which would be a huge boost for the Cardinals against Clemson.
After the Saints’ opener against Minnesota, it’s clear that one of the major needs is at cornerback. They have addressed this position in recent drafts, but in order to take the right steps forward, it has to be harped upon until things are fixed.
Alexander is a playmaker in the defensive backfield who is a specialist when it comes to reading opposing quarterbacks, breaking and making plays on the ball and generating turnovers. In fact, he had nine pass deflections, five interceptions and a forced fumble in 2016. He would immediately impact the Saints’ secondary.
When Vita Vea committed to Washington in 2013, he was a lean 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end, but boy has he ever changed to fill the Huskies’ needs. He has gained about 70 pounds for Washington head coach Chris Petersen and is now one of the best, if not the best, defensive tackles in the nation.
Moreover, he plays on one of the best defenses in college football as Washington was extremely stingy in 2016. The California-native would be traveling east just a tad if he were picked by the Broncos, which would be a high-value choice at 15.
While Vea could have been a top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, he surprised many scouts when he announced he’d be returning to Washington for his redshirt junior campaign. He may have hurt his stock slightly by coming back, but he is still an elite defensive line prospect.
Denver has one of the best defenses in the NFL, but why not add a guy who might be impossible to block one-on-one for depth purposes until he takes over after a year or two of learning the system? Vea has 61 tackles, 10.5 for loss and seven sacks in two-plus years with the Huskies.
This year is not exactly like last with two top-tier running backs with clear No. 1 potential pacing the rest of the class, but Bo Scarbrough is the wildcard at running back that 2018 needs. He is a freak athlete at the position and the Redskins could use another offensive weapon to build around Kirk Cousins.
Washington’s offense has been pass-heavy with Cousins under center, and that’s primarily because there has been no good running back option. Alfred Morris has moved on after regressing for a couple of years and the Redskins drafted Samaje Perine in 2017.
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Perine doesn’t exactly scream “franchise running back” so that’s where Scarbrough comes into play. Rob Kelley is also in the mix, but if Scarbrough were to be selected by Washington, he’d instantly become the most naturally-talented back of the bunch.
The 6-foot-2, 232-pound back is nearly impossible to take down on the first crack and he averaged 6.5 yards per carry in 2015 with 11 touchdowns and 812 yards rushing. He’s off to a slow start in 2017, but just wait for that production to pick up.
The first round of the 2018 NFL Draft may very well see more quarterbacks chosen that last year’s first 32 picks, and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Last year’s class was top-heavy while this group has much more talent spread throughout.
One of the more under-the-radar guys who could wind up being a top-10 pick is Mason Rudolph. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound gunslinger from Oklahoma State is probably a more complete passer than anyone from the 2017 draft class and could be a steal for the Giants at No. 17.
Rudolph has improved each season at the collegiate level and is on pace to shatter some previous career-highs in an electric Oklahoma State offense. He is completing 72.6 percent of his throws (career-best) through two weeks and has 638 yards and six touchdowns with no picks. His ball protection is what makes him so coveted.
Let’s face it, Eli Manning is 36 years old and his current backups are Davis Webb and Geno Smith. There may not be a soul in the NFL that believes one of those guys will adequately take over as the Giants’ starting quarterback once Manning retires in a couple of years. Rudolph would instantly trump the bunch and be groomed as the replacement.
Just four picks after the first cornerback is chosen, Mikah Fitzpatrick goes in our first mock edition. The Alabama defensive back might just be the best secondary player not named Derwin James in the entire 2018 class, but it’s too early to tell just how high he can go.
I’ve heard anything from top-10 to mid-first to late-first round projections for the talented defensive back. He’s already improving his stock with a move from cornerback to safety in 2017 which has shown scouts he can be quite versatile.
The Titans truly need to add talent to the secondary and that’s why Fitzpatrick makes sense here. Tennessee is one of the up-and-coming teams in the NFL but it has addressed the offense heavily in recent years, it’s now time to focus on the defensive backfield.
Tennessee could fill multiple needs — both safety and cornerback — depending on where they want to fit Fitzpatrick. He can play just about anywhere and is quick enough to be a top cover corner. He has six interceptions and four returned for touchdowns in three years with the Tide. Serious playmaker in the back-seven.
There aren’t many linebackers who I could see going in the first round this year, but Cameron Smith of USC is definitely one of them. The athletic former three-star recruit has far exceeded expectations with the Trojans in just three seasons.
In fact, he came in as the No. 403 recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports, and has played more like a five-star blue-chipper on that defense. While it hasn’t played up to par this season for a national contender, the junior linebacker sticks out as a star.
The Raiders have an elite defensive end by the name of Khalil Mack who was a linebacker at the collegiate level, but they could use some extra help at the backer positions. Smith would be an instant upgrade as an inside linebacker.
Smith is one of the best defenders in the nation when it comes to recognizing plays and he has impressive sideline-to-sideline movement. He has just 14 tackles to start the season, but expect him to approach the 100-mark.
If you’re the Arizona Cardinals, you jump at the opportunity to draft Carson Palmer’s replacement with the No. 20 pick. With guys like Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Mason Rudolph likely off the board at this point, they could go with one of two options: Lamar Jackson or Baker Mayfield.
Some are saying that Mayfield isn’t a great pro prospect, but his production at the collegiate level, especially thus far in 2017, say otherwise. However, Jackson would bring a much more dynamic element to Arizona’s offense and Bruce Arians is already an exotic guy.
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Just imagine the plays he would conjure up for Jackson even with Palmer still in the mix. There’s no way he would let Jackson just sit there without getting some use out of him before Palmer’s inevitable retirement. He’s a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball and, oh yeah, he won the Heisman Trophy in 2016.
Jackson has been working on his throwing motion and isn’t relying too much on the run this season, which has significantly boosted his draft stock. He’s completing 65 percent of his passes for 771 yards and five touchdowns with no picks. Oh, and he has 239 rushing yards and three more scores.
The first Ohio State player to be selected in my mock — are you surprised? — happens to be one of the more underrated defensive ends in all of college football. Sam Hubbard has been a consistent playmaker on the Buckeyes’ defense for the past couple of seasons and he’s finally getting some attention.
Ohio State has one of the top defensive lines in the entire country and Hubbard leads the group. He might be the 2017 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year before it’s all said and done, and that wouldn’t shock many who have seen him play.
During his first two seasons at Ohio State, the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder combined for 74 total tackles, 16.5 for loss and 10 sacks. He was tough to contain on the outside and gave opposing tackles fits. He’s off to another good start in 2017, this his junior campaign, with nine tackles, three for loss and two sacks in two games.
The Bengals could choose the hometown hero to help out the defensive line as Hubbard is from Cincinnati. It’d be cool to see the kid get drafted by the organization he probably grew up as a fan of. He certainly has the talent to go here.
The Browns could use some extra help in the defensive backfield. Heck, the Browns could use help just about everywhere, but a guy like Tarvarus McFadden, if available, needs to be considered heavily by Cleveland’s front office.
If this team is serious about a youth movement, especially in the secondary, it needs to take a look at McFadden, who some have dubbed the best cornerback in the class. I have him behind Louisville’s Jaire Alexander and Minkah Fitzpatrick of Alabama, but not by far.
Florida State has one of the best secondaries in all of college football with McFadden paired up with Derwin James and the junior cornerback could excel with Jabrill Peppers, another dynamic safety, in Cleveland. It would be a great situation for McFadden.
The junior corner broke out in 2016 as he played in each of the team’s 13 games, totaling 19 tackles, three for loss, and intercepting eight passes with six pass deflections to boot. This kid wreaks of a lockdown corner.
Don’t look now, but Alabama has yet another defensive lineman heading to the NFL draft in 2018. Da’Ron Payne, once a blue-chip recruit like the rest of his teammates in Tuscaloosa, has taken over a bigger role for the Crimson Tide in 2017.
And when I say “bigger role”, that means he will put up even more impressive numbers than those from 2016. The 6-foot-2, 308-pound defensive tackle had a breakout season for the Tide in their College Football Playoff run a season ago, recording 36 total tackles, 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Payne hasn’t even scratched the surface. Many consider Payne to be one of the top defensive linemen in the entire country, and he has yet to showcase what he can really bring to the table. He’s one of the strongest trench players in the class and can absolutely overpower opposing linemen.
While he hasn’t shown much pass-rushing prowess, he will be plenty ready to do more of that in 2017. The Vikings could improve that already-young defense with a strong tackle presence like Payne who may already have NFL-level strength.
Deon Cain is one of the biggest vertical threats in college football which makes him a top prospect in the 2018 draft class. He might not be a coveted possession receiver who catches 75-100 passes in a season, but he’s the type of player who can run the go route and get behind a defender before he has time to take a breath.
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The 6-foot-1, 190-pound former five-star receiver from Tampa, Fla., has the tools to become one of the premier deep threats in the NFL. While we watched Mike Williams drafted in the first round in 2017, Cain possesses a different skill set that could be perfect for Carolina’s offense.
In fact, the Panthers currently have Kelvin Benjamin who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs about 240 pounds. He’s a more physical receiver and can be that possession guy that the Panthers need while Cain could add a deep-threat element to Cam Newton’s offense.
Just imagine that offense with Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, Benjamin in there for 70-plus yearly receptions and a red-zone target and Cain as a home-run threat. This offense would be a well-oiled athletically-charged machine.
Another year, another top defensive back coming out of Ohio State. Over the past few seasons, guys like Eli Apple, Bradley Roby, Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley jhave wooed NFL scouts and now it’s Ward’s turn to be the Buckeyes’ No. 1 corner.
Ward is an absolute hawk and can be a nightmare matchup for receivers in one-on-one situations. He sticks to his wide outs like glue and has solid step-for-step movement in the defensive backfield. Rarely does he get beat deep with his speed and athleticism, but he’s been taking some criticism this season with Ohio State’s porous secondary.
In fact, the Buckeyes rank dead-last through two games in passing yards allowed per contest, but Ward is poised to change that. He showed that he can play at a high level in limited time as a sophomore, finishing with 23 tackles and nine passes defended.
So far in 2017, he has six tackles, his first career interception and five defended passes. He is making up for the rest of his secondary’s miscues, but if that continues to be the case, he could see a dip in his stock from simply being overworked. At No. 25, though, the Packers would be big winners with this pick.
My original choice for the Bills’ second pick in the first round was Penn State safety Marcus Allen, based on potentially being the best defensive back available. After going back-and-forth in my head with a defensive lineman, more specifically an end, I stuck with Allen here.
Yes, the Bills will benefit twice from Penn State in the first round after taking Saquon Barkley with the No. 11 overall pick. First they took care of the offensive side of the ball with a franchise running back and now it’s Allen, a workhorse on the defensive side.
Allen could have gone pro following the 2016 season, but he decided his time would come after he leads the Nittany Lions to yet another Big Ten title, hoping this time it results in a College Football Playoff appearance.
The senior safety is a strong 6-foot-2, 205-pound star who isn’t afraid to step up and make plays in the run game. He had 110 tackles and six for loss last season and already has 15 takedowns in 2017. In his three-plus years at PSU, he has accounted for nearly 270 tackles as a safety. That’s unheard of.
In 2017, the Seminoles sent DeMarcus Walker to the Denver Broncos via the second round of the NFL draft, but they’re hoping to have an even better prospect in Josh Sweat. Walker now plays more linebacker at the NFL level while Sweat will likely remain as a down lineman.
Dallas hasn’t had good luck with drafting high-character defensive linemen in recent years, but Sweat seems to be a potentially perfect fit. The Cowboys need edge rushers and the 6-foot-5, 250-pound athletic specimen can be just that at the next level.
Sweat came to Florida State as a five-star prospect with extremely high expectations. He played in 12 games as a freshman and recorded 41 tackles, five for loss, two sacks, an interception and two pass deflections. He was a stat-sheet stuffer, but didn’t completely break out as a sophomore like everyone expected.
However, he did had 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2016, but his total tackles remained the same. He will look to improve his stock as a junior and if he can show improvement in his techniques, he can sneak into the first round.
The Falcons are one of the few teams in the NFL without any glaring weaknesses, although you might be able to say not finishing the deal in last year’s Super Bowl could be one. However, it never hurts to add depth along the offensive line.
Oklahoma’s Orlando Brown is one of the more physically imposing linemen to come out in this year’s class and he will provide some added protection for the franchise quarterback that is Matt Ryan. We saw what Ryan could do to defenses when he has more time to pass, so add in a potential future all-pro and he’s set.
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The Falcons could also go receiver with this pick, too, but I’d expect them to stick to a safer choice in Brown. One look at his measurables and you’ll probably be left with your jaw on the floor. Brown is 6-foot-8 and 345 pounds of pure strength.
Let’s just hope Matt Ryan can throw over this behemoth up front, but other than that, there would be nothing but positive things to say about this selection. He can neutralize the best pass rushers in the nation with his length.
Not often do you see a player’s production decrease drastically from his freshman to sophomore year and still land in the first-round conversation, but Calvin Ridley is that type of talent at receiver.
The junior wide out from Alabama stands 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 190 pounds, so he’s not your typical red-zone threat, but he is capable of burning you deep if you take your eyes off him for a split second. He has elite-level speed and can blow by opposing defensive backs for a quick six.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t used much as a sophomore as Jalen Hurts was still learning the ropes at quarterback and isn’t exactly a deep-ball guy. He caught 72 passes (down from 89 in 2015) for 769 yards (1,045 in 2015) and seven scores. Scouts don’t need production to tell them what he brings to the table, though.
Ridley is likely a mid-to-late first-round pick and the Ravens would likely jump at the opportunity to snag him at No. 29. Although it’s not their biggest need, especially with the addition of Jeremy Maclin, it’s still a position that could use upgrades and depth.
Ohio State is known for sending guys to the NFL via the first round of the draft and Urban Meyer will add yet another player to the list at the end of the round, if all goes as planned. The Buckeyes’ defensive line is one of the best in the country and it’s led by Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis.
Lewis had the opportunity to forgo his senior season and head to the NFL with a slew of his defensive mates this past offseason, but he elected to come back for another title-chasing season in Columbus.
The Steelers could use an edge-rushing presence like Lewis who can also drop back in coverage as a linebacker hybrid. He’s one of the more versatile edge rushers in the draft, along with Arden Key, and could be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks like he has been at Ohio State.
In fact, he recorded the second most pressures by a returning edge defender, according to Pro Football Focus, in 2016. How many did he have from that end position? How does 43 sound? Good, right? This kid is going to be a monster for years and a steal this late in the first.
I’ve been high on Courtland Sutton of SMU for a while now. The junior wide out from Brenham, Texas, wasn’t exactly a blue-chip recruit coming out of the high school ranks, but rather he had to work his way onto the college football map. As a lower three-star prospect, SMU found an absolute diamond in the rough.
Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 216 pounds, he’s an aggressive, sizable receiver who makes opposing defensive backs’ lives extremely difficult. He already has a size advantage when he lines up across a defensive back, but his speed is sneaky. He doesn’t fly off the ball right away, but when he gains momentum, he’s tough to stop.
The Seahawks could use more targets for Russell Wilson who currently relies heavily on Doug Baldwin and tight end Jimmy Graham. Adding in a young player with tremendous upside like Sutton would be a match made in heaven and would only expedite the receiver’s NFL progression.
It’ll be mighty difficult for Sutton to match his production from 2016 when he caught 76 passes for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he’s off to a heck of a start. In fact, he has 10 catches for 185 yards and five scores thus far in 2017 — a touchdown on every two receptions isn’t half-bad.
The Patriots don’t have too many positions of need, which is why they are usually contending for Super Bowls, if not winning them. However, if there’s one spot in which they could improve on, it’s the edge rushing positions.
New England could, and should, target a guy like Bradley Chubb from N.C. State who has been considered a top-20 pick by some scouts. However, I think coming back for his senior season will drop his stock a bit — as we have seen plenty of times with top defensive linemen in the past.
Chubb had a huge season as a sophomore in 2015, putting himself on the map. He finished with an astonishing 66 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles. How did he follow that up in 2016? He put up even more impressive numbers.
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In fact, he had 56 tackles — which was a minor step back — but he made up with that with 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He also had three forced fumbles. Through two games in 2017, he’s already playing at a high level with 12 tackles, five for loss and a sack. Imagine him on New England’s solid defense.