Outside of Saturday’s Army-Navy game, the 2017 college football regular season is now complete, which brings us to the Week 14 edition of the 2018 NFL Mock Draft.
The next several weeks will be very interesting in the world of the draft despite no games taking place. Players have shown in recent years a new trend, opting to skip bowl games in order to rest up and prepare for the combine and evaluations in front of NFL scouts, coaches and officials.
Which players might do the same this season? We will have to wait and see. But for now, enjoy who we thing teams will target in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Putting it nicely, Cleveland needs a lot of help.
That starts with adding talented skill players to the field that can score points and make plays. Saquon Barkley from Penn State fits both of those.
Barkley ran for just 1,134 yards this year, but averaged almost six yards per carry. He also had 594 yards receiving, giving him just over 1,700 yards and 19 total touchdowns.
Add to his 2016 season that featured 1,898 yards and 22 scores, and it is easy to see why Barkley could make a quick impact in the NFL.
Barkley also has excellent return skills, having scored twice on kickoffs this year and averaging almost 30 yards per return.
His ability to create in the open field coupled with excellent speed and hands is what makes the Nittany Lion a great candidate to get on the field in year one and help the Browns out.
Barkley has scored 306 points in his three-year career, which spans 37 games in a Penn State uniform.
By securing a trade during the season, the 49ers believe they have already locked up their quarterback of the future with Jimmy Garoppolo.
So, what’s next?
Well, quite a bit to be honest. But one piece that could make a difference right away would be a speed rusher off the end on the defense.
Bradley Chubb has recorded 25 sacks, including 10 each of his past two seasons, to go along with 54.5 tackles for loss to help resurrect NC State. Last year, he had 21 tackles for loss to go along with those 10 sacks, improving that first category by two.
Landing a solid No. 1 wide receiver would help Garoppolo out, but at this point in the draft, there is not one guy that stands that much further than the rest.
Primarily a defensive end, Chubb has defended four passes and has one interception, showing that he can drop back into coverage as an outside linebacker in the 3-4.
Believe it or not, I’d actually locked in this pick before the Giants benched Eli Manning and decided to go with Geno Smith.
Now, it makes even more sense.
For all the talk of Darnold skipping his senior year because the Browns hold the No. 1 pick, there remains something that makes me believe Darnold will depart from USC and head to the big leagues.
The Trojans always have some of the top quarterbacks in the nation, and maybe Darnold will feel some pressure from those on the roster behind him. He can also look at the career of Josh Rosen at UCLA, as Rosen has been injured several times during his run and could see his stock drop.
Darnold finished the regular season with 3,787 yards passing and 26 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. His yardage total went up, but his touchdowns down and interceptions up, along with almost a four-point drop in his completion percentage.
It’s been a rough season for Indianapolis, as star quarterback Andrew Luck was forced to miss the year with an injury. If Luck can recover and be back to his old self next season, the Colts could make a huge turnaround adding in a big defensive playmaker here in the draft.
Enter LSU junior Arden Key for that.
Key missed time this year, playing in just eight games, but his presence was known on the field. The 6-6, 265-pounder is recovering from surgery on an injured finger, but still made four sacks and 33 tackles this season.
As a sophomore last year, Key had 55 tackles, 12.5 for loss and 11 sacks. His career totals sit at 129 tackles, with 24.5 being for loss and 20 sacks. He’s also defended four passes and recovered two fumbles, forcing three of them.
When you talk about trying to slow NFL offenses down, a great secondary is so important. With wide receivers being bigger, stronger and faster than ever, a player like Minkah Fitzpatrick can help turn a unit right back around after a down season.
The Broncos have put excellent defenses on the field for several years, but they look a little older and slower this year. Adding Fitzpatrick from Alabama would help with a lot of those issues.
The three-year starter has recorded over 160 tackles during his career and showed his big-play ability last year with six picks – two of which he returned for scores. He has 52 tackles, six being for loss, with 1.5 sacks, an interception and six passes defended this year.
At 6-foot-1 and over 200 pounds, Fitzpatrick can play either safety or corner at the next level, providing defensive coaches with that all-important flexibility.
When you draft a young quarterback like the Bears did last year with Mitchell Trubisky, you need to surround him with talent. Chicago is seriously lacking in the wide receiver department at the moment, meaning this Top-10 pick can be justified on landing a potential star.
Calvin Ridley had a breakout season two years ago as a freshman for the Crimson Tide, helping them win the national title with 89 catches for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, his numbers dipped to 72 receptions for 769 yards but he had seven scores again.
Ridley, who stands 6-foot-1, is excellent in blocking and has soft hands that allow him to haul in just about everything. While his receptions are down this year compared to last, his yards are up, which has given him a career-high 16 yards per reception.
He has hauled in 55 passes for 896 yards, giving him 216 career catches for 2,710 yards with 17 touchdowns.
Would there be a more New York Jets thing to do than select Lamar Jackson?
Some have questioned his skills as a quarterback, but there is no doubting that the Heisman winner has been working to improve in those areas.
Jackson has thrown for 3,489 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, completing a career-high 60 percent of his passes. That completion percentage is up over four points from last year and almost six better than his freshman season.
The redshirt junior has rushed for 1,443 yards and 17 touchdowns.
For his career, Jackson has 8,872 yards and 67 touchdowns to go along with 3,974 yards and 49 scores on the ground.
If the Jets want to turn their offense around, landing a player with the skills of Jackson can do that.
The Browns have been ripped for passing on the likes of Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz and others in recent drafts. But after landing Saquon Barkley at the front of the first round, Cleveland fans would have to be overjoyed with the idea that Josh Rosen slides to them here.
Rosen, a three-year starter at UCLA, has battled injuries the past two seasons. Still, he threw for a career-high 3,717 yards and 26 touchdowns in 11 games, completing 62.5 percent of his throws.
For his Bruin career, assuming he doesn’t return to work with Chip Kelly next season, Rosen had 59 touchdowns, 26 interceptions, completed 61 percent of his throws and racked up over 9,300 yards passing.
Pairing the 6-foot-4 Rosen with Barkley in the backfield would give the Browns a great nucleus for years to come.
After seeing action in just seven games last year, Austin Bryant has become a force this season for Clemson.
The Tigers have been ranked near the top of several defensive categories this year, and much of it has been thanks to the play of Bryant.
Over the first 13 games of the season, the 6-4, 265-pound junior defensive end recorded 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, making 47 stops in all. Last year, he had 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks with 13 stops after making 22 tackles his freshman season.
Landing a defensive end with the pass-rush skills of Bryant that can also get the job done in the run is exactly what priority No. 1 should be for the Bucs this draft.
One of the big pieces to Georgia’s success this year on the defensive side of the ball has been linebacker Roquan Smith.
A bit of an unknown entering the season, Smith has surpassed the 100-tackle mark this year to go along with four-plus sacks and eight-plus tackles for loss. As a sophomore last season, he made 95 tackles, with five being for loss.
Smith even played in 10 games as a freshman in 2015, making 20 total tackles and showing his potential at that time for the Bulldogs.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder has a great ability for sniffing out plays and making the tackles. His presence would be an upgrade for the Dolphins on the defense.
Some wondered what Connor Williams would do this year after injuries hurt him at Texas. Williams has decided to not only enter the NFL draft, but he’ll skip out on the postseason for the Longhorns to prepare himself for his future.
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at over 315 pounds, it is no wonder why NFL teams are drooling for Williams. It was quite evident why Texas struggled without him up front to protect the quarterback and clear holes for the ground game.
With Cincinnati, Williams can become a staple along the offensive line for years to come in the same mold of former Bengal great Anthony Munoz.
The Cardinals could be in for a huge transition season, as quarterback Carson Palmer, receiver Larry Fitzgerald and even head coach Bruce Arians remain cloudy in regards to their futures.
If Palmer does return with David Johnson coming back from an injury that cost him this season following a run at the MVP last year, securing some blocking for both will be important.
Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson is far and away the top player at his position in the draft. Maybe he isn’t worthy of a high pick, but when you are that good at what you do – and that much better than everyone else – it helps you get noticed.
The Irish have fallen off a bit here as of late, but Nelson was a huge part to a unit that was running all over everybody early in the season.
Ken Webster might be a bit on the small side, but he’s shown no lack of abilities on the field for Mississippi.
The 5-foot-11, 194-pounder has recorded 29 tackles this year, knocking down just two passes as opposing quarterbacks work the other parts of the field.
Webster, a junior, has 92 career stops and one interception, defending 15 career passes – 11 of which came last year.
Much like division rival Denver, shoring up a weak secondary will go a long way for the Raiders when it comes to competing in the AFC.
We might be nearing a quarterback change with the Chargers, but the team needs to do a better job along the offensive line regardless of who is under center and taking snaps.
Like Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey has been a staple along the offensive line for Notre Dame.
He stands 6-foot-8 and weighs over 300 pounds, prototypical size for an NFL tackle.
McGlinchey grades out right along with the best of the best at his position, and formed an impressive duo with Nelson for the Irish. Even with a few decent quarterback options on the board for the Chargers, landing a huge piece to the puzzle up front makes the most sense at this point.
Luck has not always been on the side of the Washington Redskins, but maybe that will change here.
Florida State’s Derwin James is one of the top players in the draft, but with how things have shaken out so far, he falls to the Redskins here.
The redshirt sophomore has made over 70 tackles this year, with five of them being for loss, as the Seminoles have struggled to stop many teams.
But give James credit, as he has continued to deliver plays for Florida State. He has two interceptions, including one returned for a score.
In his two-year FSU career, James is over 170 tackles, with 14-plus being for loss and five-plus sacks.
What’s one of the best things you can do if you are an NFL team looking to get better on the defensive side of the ball? Check out the talent in Tuscaloosa playing for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
One of the biggest players on the Tide roster is defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne, 6-foot-2, 308-pound junior is a beast to move inside. He has made 45 tackles, with a sack and two passes defended this season.
Payne, who played in 13 games last year with 36 tackles, as recorded over 45 stops this season. He even played in eight games as a redshirt freshman for Alabama inside the trenches.
Dallas’ problems are big on the defensive side, but they can solve a good chunk of that with the addition of Payne.
Many of the top teams in college football have one thing in common: NFL talent on the defense.
Clemson’s Christian Wilkins is a three-year starter for the Tigers, playing in 39 games and recording over 120 tackles. He has 25-plus tackles for loss and has reached double-digits for sacks in his career.
As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-4, 310-pounder made 13 tackles for loss and 48 stops in helping Clemson win the national title. He also showed his athleticism by defending nine passes and recovering two fumbles.
Jordy Nelson remains a great receiver for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, but Rodgers could definitely use another weapon.
Enter Courtland Sutton, as the SMU junior wide receiver has racked up 3,000-plus yards and almost 200 catches in his career with the Mustangs.
As a sophomore a season ago, Sutton shined bright, catching 76 balls for 1,246 yard and 10 touchdowns. His receptions and yardage total are down a bit this year, but his scores have went up.
Sutton is 6-foot-4 and weighs over 200 pounds, giving him the physical presence needed to be an over-the-middle target for Rodgers.
A lot has been made about the late-season surge by Auburn and the offense. But the defense has been very, very good in helping the Tigers reach new heights.
Carlton Davis has the NFL-body, standing 6-foot-1 and weighing over 200 pounds. He is a three-year starter for Auburn, playing in 36 games over the past three seasons and making 130-plus tackles.
As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Davis had 56 tackles and picked off three passes. He made 46 stops last and reached double figures in passes defended with 10.
Davis has matched those numbers this season and looks ready to take that next step to the NFL. With Richard Sherman going down this year with an injury, getting some help for the secondary will be key for Seattle.
Dorance Armstrong Jr. is ready for the NFL.
The Kansas defensive end/outside linebacker stands 6-foot-4 and weighs almost 250 pounds, but he has no trouble getting after it on the field.
Armstrong completed his junior season for the Jayhawks by making 63 tackles, with 9.5 being for loss and tow sacks. He also defended four passes, forced three fumbles and recovered another.
Last year, Armstrong made 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, recording 56 tackles in all and forcing three more fumbles.
If he decides to take his talents to the NFL, Armstrong will finish his Kansas run with 142 tackles, 34.5 of them being for loss with 15.5 sacks, eight passes defended and six forced fumbles.
The Ravens could use some offensive help, but at this point in the draft, the defense should take priority with a player like Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison sitting on the board.
The 6-foot-3, 214-pound junior is a three-year regular for the Crimson Tide, making over 160 tackles and picking off seven passes in his career. And he’s shown steady improvement as expected each season with Alabama.
After seeing limited action as a freshman in 2015 with 17 tackles and two picks, Harrison entered the starting lineup last year on a full-time run and made 83 tackles with a pair of picks, one he returned for a score, and seven passes defended.
Once more, the Tide have relied on Harrison, as he has 68 tackles, 3.5 for loss, three picks and 2.5 sacks this year.
Despite all the struggles by Florida this year, junior defensive tackle Taven Bryan has had a breakout season.
After playing in 20 games his first two seasons with the Gators and recording a total of 25 tackles, Bryan has made 37 stops in 10 games this year, including six tackles for loss and four sacks.
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing just under 300 pounds, Bryan is going to be a one-man mountain in the NFL along the interior of a defensive line.
With Atlanta struggling to stop teams this year, landing a specialist such as Bryan would be a great move here in the draft.
The numbers for Florida State junior wide receiver Auden Tate are not going to scream first round NFL draft pick. But if you examine him further, you’ll see the potential there.
Tate is 6-foot-5 and weighs 225 pounds, but has put together a career average of almost 15 yards per reception. Despite struggles by the Seminoles at quarterback this year, he’s put up over 400 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
Jacksonville has nailed several draft picks in recent years, putting them in a great position to target some value here late in the first round.
Despite being 6-foot-8 and weighing almost 350 pounds, Orlando Brown has had no troubles moving up and down the field with the high-octane Oklahoma offense.
Brown’s abilities are out of this world, as he is a force on his side of the line in both pass and run blocking.
If Carolina is sitting here at this point and Brown remains on the board, Cam Newton should be screaming at the top of his lungs for them to draft the Sooner.
Putting Brown on the line would lock up that position for years to come and allow the Panthers to focus on other areas later in the draft.
With two picks in the first round, Buffalo could be a key player when it comes to wheeling an dealing.
However, if the Bills elect to stay put and draft, Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen would fill a crucial void.
Allen has the size NFL scouts drool over, standing 6-foot-5, weighing 230 pounds and with speed to track down running backs as evident by his successful career in the SEC.
This year, Allen recorded seven sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, knocked down three passes and recorded 59 tackles. He has made 14.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss and 125 stops overall with the Wildcats in two-plus seasons of work.
Allen is also sound at forcing turnovers, recording six forced fumbles to go along with an interception.
This season has made it quite obvious Drew Brees is not done yet. That means the Saints can afford to look elsewhere and do not need to stretch to grab a quarterback here late in the first round.
Enter Clelin Ferrell, a member of the stacked Clemson defensive line, as the perfect pick for New Orleans.
Coming in at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Ferrell could eventually transition into an interior player along the line. But for now, the Saints can use his exceptional speed to cause problems.
Ferrell, who played in all 14 games last year as Clemson won the national title, registered six sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and 44 tackles in all. He’s improved each one of those numbers this year.
After redshirting his first season in Columbus, Sam Hubbard has become a big pain for opposing teams of Ohio State over the past three seasons.
Hubbard recorded 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in 2015, making another 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss the following season.
He hasn’t skipped a beat this year for the Buckeyes, which should put him squarely on the draft radar of a lot of teams.
The biggest need for the Titans is finding someone to get after the quarterback, making this a perfect match.
The biggest draft day need for the Rams comes in the secondary. Unfortunately, many of the top players have already come off the board by this stage in the first round.
Florida State’s Tarvarus McFadden, though, could be quite the steal for the Rams here.
McFadden is a two-year starter for the Seminoles, recording over 50 tackles in his career. Last season, though, he was at his best, recording eight interceptions and three tackles for loss.
McFadden also defended six passes as a sophomore and has surpassed that total this year.
Some initial reports have indicated that Trey Adams will return to Washington after suffering a torn ACL.
But maybe the 6-foot-8, 327-pounder will have second thoughts if he can get started on his pro career.
Adams was a big piece to the puzzle for the Huskies when it came to protecting Jake Browning and clearing holes for running back Myles Gaskin.
He slotted right in for Washington along the line, using his incredible size and skills to dominate opposing Pac-12 team for the past three seasons.
Minnesota appears set at several positions, but offensive tackle is a weak spot at the moment.
It would be very surprising to see the Patriots take a gamble here on a quarterback, meaning secondary is the place to look.
With many top corners already off the market, Ohio State’s Denzel Ward fits here. Ward is a good, athletic corner with two years of starting experience under his belt for the Buckeyes.
Ward made 23 tackles and defended nine passes last year, and he has already surpassed both of those total this season.
One reminder here is the Patriots are always active when it comes to dealing, so this could be another season where they shift out of the first round for more picks later.
While the Patriots were unwilling to pull the trigger on landing a young quarterback, the Steelers shouldn’t follow that same path.
Ben Roethlisberger definitely isn’t getting any younger, and the depth chart behind him leaves much to be desired.
Josh Allen was viewed when the season started as a potential No. 1 pick, but the Wyoming junior has struggled. He even missed the last two games with a sprained AC Joint in his shoulder.
Prior to the injury, Allen completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,658 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. As a sophomore, he completed 209 of 373 for 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns to 15 picks.
Pittsburgh had success several years ago grabbing a small-college quarterback and turning him into a star. Can they do it again?
Picking at the tail end of the first round, Philadelphia can afford to take a gamble.
Desmond Harrison of West Georgia fits that.
Harrison was previously at Texas before winding up at West Georgia where he has dominated in the lower-ranks.
At 6-foot-7 and 288 pounds, the former junior college standout is a project, but one worth putting the time in after injuries hit the Eagles hard along the offensive line.
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Harrison could also be easily motivated by those that doubted he could make it to the NFL after leaving Texas and attending a school like West Georgia.