We have concluded Week 11 of the college football season, so it is time to take a look at the latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft.
We have just a handful of weeks remaining until the conference championship games followed by almost a month of bowl battles, but as far as NFL scouts are concerned, these games are of much more interest.
Teams are still battling for a shot at the College Football Playoff and other big-time bowls, meaning players are giving it their all. Where will the top players in college football be playing on Sundays next year?
Here’s at look at our latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft following Week 11 of the college football season. The draft order used was from the latest Las Vegas Super Bowl odds.
It has been a tough few drafts for Cleveland, as they have watched as Philadelphia and Houston have landed franchise quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson.
Instead, the Browns went with DeShone Kizer last year, and that appears to be a bust.
If Cleveland secures the No. 1 pick this year, a handful of worthy quarterbacks will be available. But without a lot of great talent on offense, the Browns need a playmaker.
Lamar Jackson is the best playmaker of the group. The reigning Heisman winner has rushed for at least 960 yards each of the past three seasons to go along with over 8,000 passing yards, showing he knows what being a one-man offense takes.
He’s also improved his ability to read defenses, pushing his completion percentage up to 60 from 56 this year.
Jackson has thrown for 3,003 yards with 21 touchdowns and just six interception, completing 212 of 352. He also has 1,175 yards rushing and 15 more touchdowns.
By making the trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, the Niners can now focus on the defensive side of the ball.
Derwin James could become the focal point to a defense that needs to be able to defend the pass playing in the NFC West. Standing 6-3 and weighing over 200 pounds, James hits like a linebacker but has the speed of a cornerback to keep up with some of the best receivers in the ACC.
He had a huge game earlier this year vs. Boston College, making 13 tackles. He also had eight stops vs. both NC State and Louisville, but could not help Florida State from dropping those three games.
San Francisco, who uses a base 4-3 defense, needs more athleticism on the field. James would pair nicely with linebackers Arik Armstead, Reuben Foster and NaVorro Bowman, giving them a fourth heavy-hitter.
James has made 53 total tackles, including 2.5 for loss, with an interception this year. He also has nine passes defended, and has returned four kicks for an average of 29.5 yards per.
Another trying season will likely lead Josh Rosen to departing from UCLA early. Rosen has battled a concussion late this year, which could help make his decision to try to secure a pro contract sooner than later.
The Giants need a lot of help, but with Eli Manning not getting any younger, now might be the time to grab his heir apparent.
Three time this year Rosen has done his best Manning impression, throwing for over 400 yards vs. Texas A&M, Memphis and Stanford. Those three performances, though, came in the first four weeks of the season.
Currently, the only other quarterbacks on the New York depth chart are Geno Smith and Davis Webb, two guys who come nowhere near matching Rosen in terms of physical skills.
Rosen has his second 3,000-yard season, throwing 21 touchdowns and completing 62 percent of his passes.
The Tampa Bay offense is pretty set, so the focus needs to shift to the defense this draft.
Running a base 4-3, the Bucs could slide Arden Key from end to linebacker with ease, as the LSU star has plenty of speed.
Key missed the first two games of this season, but has continually gained steam as the season has progressed. Standing 6-6 and weighing almost 240 pounds, he should be able to pack on muscle to his frame moving forward.
If you needed more reason to believe Key is a future NFL star, he had his best game of the year vs. Alabama, recording eight tackles, including four solo stops.
The Bucs would be able to pair Key with the likes of Gerald McCoy, Kwon Alexander and Vernon Hargreaves III.
On the year, Key has made 30 tackles with four sacks and forced a fumble.
Frank Gore continues to age and Marlon Mack might make a better third-down running back. Could the Colts get lucky and have Saquon Barkley fall to them at No.5?
They just might.
Barkley looked like the clear Heisman favorite after October, but he has failed to keep that momentum going in November as Penn State has fallen with him.
When scouts and general managers go back through and watch film on Barkley, they will likely examine his “bad” games more than the “good” ones, but boy, those good ones were great.
The 230-pounder broke free for 211 yards in a win over Iowa and also had 18 touches for 161 yards vs. Michigan. His skills in both the passing game and return game make him worthy of such a high pick.
A healthy Andrew Luck next year paired with Barkley and T.Y. Hilton could really push the Colts back to the top of the division.
Barkley sits at 899 yards rushing with 11 scores to go with 40 catches for 517 yards and three touchdowns. He also has two return scores.
The New York Jets could land a perfect player for the 3-4 defense in NC State superstar Bradley Chubb.
Chubb has a family pedigree when it comes to football, and he just might be the best of them all with an incredible long frame and quick feet that make him almost impossible to block one-on-one.
A rush-end with the Wofpack, Chubb could replace either defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson or Leonard Williams, or he could snag one of the outside linebacker spots currently occupied by Jordan Jenkins and Josh Martin.
Chubb also has a great “New York attitude” about him, as evident by his constant stealing of Kelly Bryant‘s towel in an attempt to get in the head of the Clemson quarterback recently.
On the season, Chubb has 17.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and 53 stops in all.
It really isn’t all that fun for NFL fanbases when teams draft offensive tackles, but the Dolphins need help up front – as do most teams selecting in the Top-10.
Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey might end up grading out as the best offensive linemen in the draft. A two-year captain with the Irish, the 6-foot-8, 315-pounder has already graduated and is further pursuing his degree.
After not playing his first year with Notre Dame, he hasn’t missed a game – including starting every contest each of the past two seasons for Brian Kelly.
Putting together a line with McGlinchey, Laremy Tunsil and Mike Pouncey would be a great way to protect Ryan Tannehill next year and clear holes for whoever the Dolphins have in the backfield now that they have traded Jay Ajayi.
Chicago needs a lot to get back to the top of the NFC North, but the best way to make sure the Mitchell Trubisky pick of last year pays off would be giving him a super-talented wide receiver like Alabama’s Calvin Ridley.
In terms of putting up big-time numbers, Ridley isn’t going to blow anybody away. He went over the 1,000-yard mark his freshman season, but has watched that number dip, along with his receptions since.
However, he has good size and speed, plus he has worked in a total pro-style offense with the Crimson Tide. And he’s made Jalen Hurts look a lot better over the past two seasons with his ability to stretch the field.
Kevin White might never be healthy enough to standout, but the likes of Deonte Thompson, Kendall Wright, Joshua Bellamy and Markus Wheaton are not NFL-level receivers.
Ridley has 49 receptions for 755 yards with two touchdowns this year.
Here we go with a run of Alabama players, as the Crimson Tide produce NFL players seemingly on the regular.
Safety Ronnie Harrison is expected to follow in those footsteps, as the junior is a perfect blend of size and speed for the next level.
Denver’s offense has struggled this year, and you can almost see it wearing on the defensive unit. Typically, the Broncos are one of the top defenses in the NFL, but Von Miller and company need some help.
Harrison could slide in at either safety spot over Justin Simmons or Darian Stewart, providing a playmaker at the back end. He has made 50 tackles and picked off three passes, recording 2.5 sacks this season.
And make it three consecutive Alabama players, as a second member of the secondary goes to Cincinnati in Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Standing 6-1 and weighing over 200 pounds with the speed of a wide receiver, Fitzpatrick should have no trouble converting his game over to the NFL.
Plus, he’s been coached by Nick Saban and his ultra-talented staff for the past three seasons, so he has that going for him.
Fitzpatrick would make a great third addition to the secondary alongside Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones, who are the corners, moving out Shawn Williams or George Iloka. He could probably even replace either Kirkpatrick or Jones if he decided to move full-time to cornerback.
Through nine games, Fitzpatrick has 38 tackles, with 5.5 of them being for loss. He’s also broken up four passes, giving him 21 in his career.
It definitely hasn’t been the kind of season most expected from Josh Allen, but the Wyoming quarterback is starting to turn the corner here in November.
Allen, who many viewed as the top overall pick entering the year after a 3,000-yard season as a sophomore, isn’t likely to reach that number this season. He has, though, kept his completion percentage right around 55, which is a number he can work on with an NFL staff.
With Carson Palmer suffering an injury this year, the clock is starting to speed up on his career. Arizona has Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert on the roster, but neither scream future NFL superstar.
Giving Allen a chance to learn under Palmer and Bruce Arians would really smooth the transition from college to the NFL for him.
Allen, who was injured this past Saturday vs. Air Force, has thrown for 1,658 yards and 13 touchdowns this year.
How excited would recently-drafted (according to his mock, at least) Lamar Jackson be to see the Browns gobble up Washington behemoth Trey Adams to protect him?
Adams suffered a season-ending injury and has said he plans to return to school, but we still have plenty of time for his mind to change.
The 6-8, 327-pounder has started each of his last 21 games protecting Jake Browning and opening holes of Myles Gaskin. The Washington offense struggled a bit after he went out, which just shows how super-talented he is.
And by going to Cleveland, Adams would be able to learn from Joe Thomas, who is one of the best tackles in all of pro football.
Remember when the Baltimore defense struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the NFL? Yeah, it’s been a while.
Christian Wilkins, though, has the talent to bring the Ravens back to the top of the league on that side of the ball.
The Clemson junior has started over half his games with the Tigers, an admirable feat considering the amount of skill brought to the school. He is over the 140-tackle mark while playing deep inside the line.
Baltimore is starting Michael Pierce at defensive tackle in a 3-4, meaning Wilkins should have little trouble finding his way on the field next year.
Wilkins has 37 tackles, with five being for loss, to go with three quarterback sacks.
Like drafting an offensive tackle, selecting a guard typically gets even few cheers from the fan base.
Quenton Nelson, though, is a player that immediately makes the Bills much better.
Tyrod Taylor has moved into the upper-level of NFL quarterbacks, and with LeSean McCoy, Kelvin Benjamin and Jordan Matthews at the skill positions, Buffalo can use his first of two picks in the opening round to upgrade.
Nelson has worked in the Brian Kelly pro-style offense at Notre Dame and should be able to handle the playbook of the NFL in a heartbeat. He would fit in nicely with Richie Incognito on the line to protect Taylor.
The Chargers need to start to look at finding a replacement for Philip Rivers, but at this point in the draft, they might be better to look at building a line to protect whoever that is.
Connor Williams might go even higher if Trey Adams of Washington elects to return, as some have stated. Even though the Texas tackle has battled his own injuries, now might be the best time for him to go.
He elected to not have surgery after injuring his MCL, meaning the issue shouldn’t be a problem moving forward. Russell Okung has the left side of the offensive line down, leaving Williams to slide in over Joe Barksdale.
Williams also was able to learn under Texas head coach Tom Herman this year, who helped produce several NFL linemen while at Ohio State.
A bit of a glaring weakness for Detroit is its secondary, which features Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson at the cornerback positions. If you haven’t heard of either, don’t worry, the names don’t really strike much fear into the heart of NFL wide receivers.
Ken Webster has quickly found himself as one of those prospects that start shooting up the charts as the season progresses.
Webster tore nearly ever ligament in his left knee on the first defensive series of the 2016 season opener, but has picked up from his 2015 year in which he started every game for Ole Miss.
A highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, Webster certainly possesses the makeup of an NFL corner. He has made 16 tackles in five games with two passes defended.
What’s the best way to shore up your defense? Grabbing a game-changer at defensive tackle.
Alabama’s Da’Ron Payne might be that player, as the Redskins sit in a perfect position to draft him this year.
Ziggy Hood is currently locked in at tackle in the 3-4 for Washington, but pairing him with someone like Payne would allow the Redskins to keep them fresh and more active in the hunt for quarterback sacks.
Washington might have to go a different direction if they finally decide to part with Kirk Cousins, but at this point in the draft, adding defensive talent that is worthy of Top-10 consideration makes the most sense, especially with quarterbacks expected to be there in later rounds.
Payne has 34 tackles and a sack this season.
For a period of time, the Green Bay defense could match the production level of the offense led by Aaron Rodgers.
Over the past few years, though, the group has looked old. Bringing in a rush-specialist like Boston College’s Harold Landry would help everyone on the defense.
Landry had himself a day earlier this year when he recorded three sacks and seven tackles vs. Virginia Tech.
In 2016, Landry set a new school record with 16.5 sacks. He also recorded 22 tackles for loss that year, which ranks second on the all-time charts for Boston College.
Landry could hold an outside linebacker spot opposite Clay Matthews, or shift down and form a 4-3 for the Packers. He has battled an ankle injury over the past two weeks but has five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
Karl Joseph and Reggie Nelson just aren’t getting it done for the Raiders as the last line of defense this year. Oakland needs a playmaker in the secondary to go along with the talent they have upfront on defense.
When you are searching for such a college player, you look at Alabama. However, both of those safeties are already off the board.
Instead, Oakland follows its former path and takes a chance here, grabbing Pittsburgh’s Jordan Whitehead.
Whitehead missed the first three games of 2017 with a suspension, but has rebounded to showcase his physical skills since. As a freshman in 2015, he made 108 tackles, broke up six passes and had two turnovers. Last year, Whitehead added 65 tackles and a pair of pass break ups.
Despite his size obviously throwing up the red-flag at just 5-11, scouts will be drooling over his skills when they see him up-close and in-person. Whitehead has made 48 tackles this year, broken up three passes and forced a fumble.
Several years ago, Atlanta grabbed a linebacker from nearby Georgia Tech named Keith Brooking, who patrolled the center of the field for seasons.
Now, Georgia has a talented linebacker that would fit in nicely for the Falcons in Roquan Smith.
Dontari Poe, Grady Jarrett, Courtney Upshaw, Vic Beasley Jr. and Desmond Trufant are all stars on the defense for Atlanta, but you just can’t have too many pieces on that side of the ball when you are looking to compete with the best of the best.
Smith, a Georgia native, would get the chance to fit in where he is needed on this team. He made 11 tackles against Tennessee earlier this year and has had multiple other games with eight and nine stops.
As a sophomore, Smith led the Bulldog defense in tackles with 95 stops, including five for loss with five quarterback pressures to boot. He is up to 70 tackles with three for loss and two sacks this season.
A big issue with Tennessee this year has revolved around the offensive line, but Clelin Ferrell‘s skills make him too good to pass over at this point in the draft.
Clemson’s depth along the defensive line might make Ferrell’s stats look rather pedestrian, but when the big man is on the field, he makes an impact.
Sylvester Williams, the current starting defensive tackle in the Titans’ 3-4 base defense, has made just five tackles on the year. Ferrell would slide right in next to DaQuan Jones and Jurrell Casey and improve their respective games in the process.
Over nine games, Ferrell has made 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.
When he isn’t skipping workouts and photo ops, Leonard Fournette looks the part of a top-flight NFL running back. Blake Bortles, meanwhile, has turned a corner and seems ready to continue as the starting quarterback for Jacksonville.
With good talent at wide receiver, the Jaguars can bulk up their offensive line with Martinas Rankin, the talented tackle out of Mississippi State.
The 6-5, 315-pound senior is part of one of the best rush offenses in the nation, which should bode well for Fournette. And he hasn’t allowed a sack this season, which should be music to the ears of Bortles.
A left tackle with the Bulldogs, Rankin’s arrival could move Cam Robinson to the right side of the line, giving Jacksonville book-ends for years to come.
Another piece to an excellent Clemson defense comes off the board next, as Carolina grabs Christian Wilkins.
A 300-pound tackle, Wilkins was a first team freshman All-American by multiple outlets in 2015. He continued to improve last year, as he was a finalist for the Nagurski award and earned first team All-American honors by Phil Steele and more after helping the Tigers claim the national title.
Wilkins also has experience playing defensive end, giving him added points for a defense like the Panthers.
Carolina could slide Wilkins around in place of Mario Addison or Kawann Short on the right side both on the end and the interior, pairing him up with Charles L. Johnson and Star Lotulelei.
He has 37 tackles with five being for loss and 3.5 sacks this season, giving him nine sacks for his career.
Minnesota needs a game-breaker at wide receiver that can help take the pressure off Stefon Diggs in the passing game.
Courtland Sutton might not be as explosive as some other possibilities here in the draft, but the SMU standout has proven his worth in a pass-happy offense.
With Teddy Bridgewater working his way back, Sutton could help free the field for Dalvin Cook in the run game. The 6-4 Texas native had 1,246 yards last year on 76 catches and sits at almost 3,000 yards for his career.
Bringing in Sutton would allow the Vikings to move Adam Thielen to an inside receiver and third-down specialist role that better fits his skill sets. It might also light a fire under former top pick Laquon Treadwell, who has struggled adjusting to the pro game.
Sutton has caught 55 passes for 875 yards with 11 touchdowns this season.
Much like Alabama, the Clemson defensive front helps fill needs for several NFL teams.
Austin Bryant has been part of the Tiger defense since 2015, rotating in with a number of stars to help Clemson reach back-to-back national championship games.
As a backup to Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson two years ago, Bryant learned on the fly and as a viewer. He missed the first part of his sophomore season, but returned with a flurry, helping replace Clelin Ferrell when he went down with an injury.
The Rams could put Bryant alongside Aaron Donald in their 3-4 base defense and really put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, along with clearing room for linebackers Connor Barwin, Mark Barron and others to roam free and attack.
Bryant has made 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks to go along with 41 total tackles.
Dorance Armstrong Jr. is not to blame for all the struggles of the Kansas football program over the past couple of years.
Armstrong has continued to build his resume, as the 2016 unanimous all-Big 12 first team linebacker is making a name for himself with NFL personnel thanks to his play on the field.
As a sophomore last year, Armstrong recorded 10 sacks, the most for a Jayhawk since 2008. He’s played at both defensive end and linebacker since arriving in Lawrence as a freshman, when he saw action in all 12 games that year, making over 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Los Angeles has one of the best offenses in the NFL with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley II and Sammy Watkins, but if they can continue to build up the defense, they will be a Super Bowl contender year after year after year.
Armstrong sits at 47 tackles this season, eight of which have been for loss. He’s also broken up three passes.
Josh Sweat, a weak-side defensive end from Florida State, looks the part of an NFL player already.
Standing 6-5 and weighing 260 pounds, Sweat can get to the quarterback in a heartbeat and has the speed to chase down running backs at the same time.
An injury forced Sweat to miss the Miami game earlier this year, but he has picked up his play as of late, making nine and eight tackles vs. Louisville and Boston College. He also has recorded sacks in multiple games.
For Seattle this season, injuries have hit the defense hard and it might be a time to start adding young talent to learn under those veterans like Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. At the same time, a focused Sweat has the talent to step in on the first day and compete for playing time in the trenches.
Sweat has recorded 43 tackles in eight games, including 10.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He’s also broken up three passes.
Yes, two Josh Allen’s are going in the first round of the NFL Draft in this mock, but this one doesn’t play quarterback.
Kentucky’s Josh Allen was just a two-star prospect coming out of high school in New Jersey, selecting the Wildcats over Buffalo and Monmouth. However, great athleticism runs in his family, as two of his sisters play college basketball at Louisville and Virginia Tech, with an uncle being a former professional basketball player.
He made 62 tackles last year and seven sacks despite only starting nine of 13 games for Kentucky, not a bad number for a high school wide receiver – he did lead the state of New Jersey in quarterback sacks from his defensive end position – who also spent time in Alabama during his prep career.
We’ve seen a bit of a career resurgence out of Drew Brees, so maybe he does have a few more years left in him. If that is the case, pairing Allen up with Manti Te’o and A.J. Klein at linebacker gives the defense more pieces to work with.
Allen has picked up seven sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and 52 total stops on the year. He’s also forced two fumbles.
A friend who both studies the draft down to the final pick and is also a Bills fan sees Rashaan Evans as the perfect fit for the second first round pick for Buffalo.
Linebacker is a weak spot for the defense right now, and Evans comes from the Nick Saban school of football, so you know he is of the utmost talent. There is no reason he couldn’t step in for Ramon Humber, Preston Brown or Lorenzo Alexander immediately after being selected.
Evans, a senior from Auburn, has the skills to play either inside or on the outside in a 4-3 defense. He has also overcome adversity, playing through a groin injury suffered in the season opener vs. Florida State.
Last year as a junior, Evans recorded 53 tackles and four sacks. He has played for Saban’s defense since arriving as a true freshman, something that will not go unnoticed by NFL general managers and scouts.
This year, Evans has seven tackles for loss and four sacks to go with 36 total stops.
Remember back when Pittsburgh had Heath Miller running seam routes to free up the middle of the field? Yeah, the Steelers are lacking that at the moment.
Jesse James just doesn’t have the same abilities to be the safety blanket Ben Roethlisberger needs in the offense, and it has been compromised even more by Martavis Bryant‘s lack of desire to compete.
For the Steelers to remain one of the top offenses in the NFL, they need more weapons around Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.
Mark Andrews from Oklahoma has no issue being a top target in a pass-heavy offense. The 6-5 junior has almost doubled his offensive output from a year ago, including a pair of big games in close wins over Texas and Oklahoma State.
For as great as Baker Mayfield is at getting the ball down the field, Andrews has given him an excellent target to work with when the deep ball isn’t there. And, with over three catches of 45 yards this year, Andrews can also make big-time plays in the passing game.
Andrews sits at 43 receptions for 745 yards with three touchdowns this season.
This pick is a reward for the job done by Carson Wentz this year, along with the sad season-ending injury to Jason Peters.
It’s unknown how Peters will recover from tearing both his ACL and MCL during the year, leaving a huge void along the offensive line.
How do you feel a huge void? By selecting the 6-8, 345-pound Orlando Brown from Oklahoma.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman in 2015, Brown hasn’t missed a game or start. He allowed just one single sack in over 650 snaps a year ago, earning the 2016 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award by the coaches.
If Peters does return from the injury, Brown’s arrival would give the Eagles depth and possible trade-bait if needed during the season.
It just seems like talent falls to New England late in the first round, and if the Patriots decide to hold the pick, it will do so once again.
Maurice Hurst Jr. has been producing at a high-level for Michigan over the past month-plus, making a sack in several games and racking up eight tackles vs. Rutgers.
In a game earlier this year vs. Michigan State, the senior had a career-high 10 tackles with 3.5 for loss. He is a three-year letterwinner for the Wolverines and has over 115 career tackles.
Next: Projected Week 12 CFB Playoff Rankings
Hurst would be added to a defensive line that currently includes Alan Branch, Malcolm Brown, Lawrence Guy and Trey Flowers. His selection by the Patriots would also see him join the same team his father, Maurice Hurst, played for.
He has four sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and a total of 40 tackles for the Wolverines.