Here’s our second ridiculously early 2018 NFL Mock Draft following the 2017 version that went down in Philly over a month ago.
Pegging which players will actually perform well in college this coming season is an inexact science, but almost every mock you read has USC QB Sam Darnold as the No. 1 player heading into the next NFL draft cycle. We predict the Jets, who have been waiving good players left and right recently, to get the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft and of course they need a QB. Yeah, yeah, it didn’t work out all that great the last time the Jets took a USC QB in Mark “The Sanch-ize” Sanchez … but, in Jets-speak (and butt-fumble talk aside) he was decent for them. Darnold has much more upside than Sanchez did when he jumped to the NFL early (you’ll remember then-USC head coach Pete Carroll criticizing Sanchez’s decision to leave after his junior season because he wasn’t “ready”).
1. New York Jets: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. Los Angeles Rams: Arden Key, DE, LSU
3. San Francisco 49ers: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
4. Cleveland Browns: Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, Alabama
5. Chicago Bears: Derwin James, S, Florida State
6. Los Angeles Chargers: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
7. Arizona Cardinals: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
9. Detroit Lions: Vita Vea, DT, Washington
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
11. Buffalo Bills: Andrew Brown, DE, Virginia
12. Indianapolis Colts: Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
13. Philadelphia Eagles: Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
14. New Orleans Saints: Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State
15. Denver Broncos: Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State
16. Washington Redskins: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
17. New York Giants: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
18. Tennessee Titans: Dontavius Russell, DT, Auburn
19. Oakland Raiders: Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State
20. Miami Dolphins: Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
22. Cleveland Browns: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
23. Minnesota Vikings: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
24. Carolina Panthers: Connor Williams, OT, Texas
25. Green Bay Packers: Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame
26. Buffalo Bills: Kevin Tolliver, CB, LSU
RELATED: 2017 College Football power rankings
27. Dallas Cowboys: Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
28. Atlanta Falcons: Trenton Thompson, DT, Georgia
29. Baltimore Ravens: Josh Sweat, DE, Florida State
30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech
31. Seattle Seahawks: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
32. New England Patriots: Iman Marshall, CB, USC