2018 NFL Mock Draft: Third Edition

Here is my third edition of my 2018 NFL Mock draft.

1. Cleveland Browns- Sam Darnold, Quarterback, USC: The Browns are insistent to snag a potential franchise quarterback in this draft and Darnold would seem like the bet here. They have passed on Carson Wentz and DeShaun Watson in the past two drafts and they regret passing on both of them.

2. New York Giants- Saquon Barkley, Running Back, Penn State: There has been some talk lately that the Giants will pass on a possible franchise quarterback and Barkley would be an outstanding fit here assuming the Giants address their offensive line in free agency. If they go Barkley here, they can possibly pick a possible Eli Manning replacement in a later round.

3. Indianapolis Colts- Bradley Chubb, Defensive End, North Carolina State: With Barkley off the board, the Colts go with a need pick. That said, Chubb would be a great pick here since he's a three-down back that would help them stop the likes of DeShaun Watson and Marcus Mariota within their division.

4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans)- Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cornerback/Safety, Alabama: The Browns should go defense with this pick if Barkley is off the board and Fitzpatrick is the best defensive player perhaps in this draft. He would have an immediate impact on a secondary that needs playmakers due to his versatility.

5. Denver Broncos- Josh Rosen, Quarterback, UCLA: This pick changes if the Broncos land Kirk Cousins. Rosen is the type of talent John Elway is looking for and could very well be the best quarterback in this draft.

6. New York Jets- Josh Jackson, Cornerback, Iowa: There are reports around saying that the Jets are the favorites for Kirk Cousins. Lets say they sign Cousins and they use this pick elsewhere. Jackson is excellent in man-to-man coverage and comes off a season in which he led the nation in interceptions. He would be a nice fit in that young secondary the Jets are building.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Quenton Nelson, Guard, Notre Dame: The Bucs have a need at offensive line and Nelson can fit in right away. Nelson seems like a sure thing and worthy of a top-ten pick and will help the Bucs on the interior of the offensive line and will serve good for Jameis Winston.

8. Chicago Bears- Calvin Ridley, Wide Reciever, Alabama: The Bears have a huge need at wide receiver and Ridley fits the bill. Ridley brings a downfield, speedy option on the outside and the Bears have lacked that for a few years now.

9. San Francisco 49ers- Denzel Ward, Cornerback, Ohio State: The Niners have options here and Ward would be a great pick because it fills a need in the secondary. Ward isn't the biggest cornerback in the draft but he can cover, skills that are hard to come by in the league.

10. Oakland Raiders- Roquan Smith, Linebacker, Georgia: The Raiders have a need at the off-ball linebacker position and Smith would fill that need. Smith brings speed and athleticism and that would be another dimension to a young defense.

11. Miami Dolphins- Josh Allen, Quarterback, Wyoming: This pick would be fascinating and would say a lot about whether Ryan Tannehill remains with the Dolphins long term or not due to his injury concerns. That said, Allen draws comparisons to Carson Wentz and he has a ton of upside due to his arm strength, size, and athleticism.

12. Cincinnati Bengals- Mike McGlinchey, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame: The Bengals have to come out of this draft with a better plan for their offensive line after the disaster of 2017, and McGlinchey is a great step in the right direction. He has proven himself against some of the country's best edge-rushers during his Notre Dame career, and he'll improve both the pass- and run-blocking for a team that desperately needs it.

13. Washington Redskins- Tremaine Edmunds, Linebacker, Virginia Tech: The Redskins are an ideal landing spot for Edmunds, who can thrive immediately with an underrated defensive line behind him. He brings a combination of size and athleticism that can change the way the league views a traditional linebacker.

14. Green Bay Packers- Derwin James, Strong Safety, Florida State: Perhaps the best defensive playmaker in the draft, James is the new NFL prototype as a safety capable of producing against the run or in both man and zone coverage. Florida State also used him as a pure edge rusher, where he regularly pressured the quarterback.

15. Arizona Cardinals- Baker Mayfield, Quarterback, Oklahoma: The Cardinals are a trade up candidate if they don't land Kirk Cousins. Lets say they draft Mayfield here, who has a ton of potential with his gunslinger mentality although due to his height and off the court antics, is compared to Johnny Manziel.

16. Baltimore Ravens- Orlando Brown, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma: The Ravens would be wise to trade down for a wide receiver, but instead they get a possible steal here with Brown. He will help protect Joe Flacco and bolster the running game.

17. Los Angeles Chargers- Da'Ron Payne, Defensive Tackle, Alabama: The Chargers pose what is arguably the best edge rushing duo in the league with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Adding someone like Payne would only make that defensive line better.

18. Seattle Seahawks- Connor Williams, Offensive Tackle, Texas: A big issue with the Seahawks is protecting Russell Wilson. Williams is coming off a knee injury, but he has a ton of upside and will help protect Wilson.

19. Dallas Cowboys- Vita Vea, Defensive End, Washington: Vea, a massive presence in the middle of a defensive line, will go a long way toward fixing that deficiency, while also providing enough quickness to penetrate into the backfield on some third downs.

20. Detroit Lions- Harold Landry, Outside Linebacker, Boston College: Landry had a good, but not great of a final season of college as he was a projected top-10 pick not that long ago. Landry will likely be a solid pro and a guy that Matt Patricia would like for his defense and also provides insurance for Ziggy Ansah.

21. Buffalo Bills- Courtland Sutton, Wide Receiver, SMU: Sutton put together back-to-back seasons of 1,000 yards and 10 TDs, and he scored 32 times in all in his three seasons with the Mustangs. The Bills also have a huge need at wide receiver even with the trade for Kelvin Benjamin and he and Sutton would make a nice receiver combo.

22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs)- Mason Rudolph, Quarterback, Oklahoma State: Tyrod Taylor's tenure with the Bills is likely over, so they should take a quarterback with one of their two first rounders. Rudolph's an experienced pocket passer with nice downfield touch.

23. Los Angeles Rams- Isaiah Oliver, Cornerback, Colorado: Oliver has some good size and has the potential to be a solid pro. The Rams have a need in the secondary and Oliver would be a nice fit.

24. Carolina Panthers- James Washington, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma State: This would be a great fit considering the Panthers have a receiver need after trading Kelvin Benjamin away. He has the speed and route-running to be the first receiver off the board in a wide receiver class with no clear favorite at the top.

25. Tennessee Titans- Rashaad Evans, Linebacker, Alabama: Alabama continues to churn out linebacker prospects and Evans brings an athletic presence who can fill multiple roles. He was more of an edge defender early in his career, and he pressured the quarterback on 67 of his 284 career rushes. However, he also showed well in a more traditional role over the last two years. 

26. Atlanta Falcons- Taven Bryan, Defensive End, Florida: The Falcons don't have any major needs, but bolstering the defensive line could be necessary if Dontari Poe leaves in free agency. Bryan has drawn comparisons to JJ Watt and will bring depth to the Falcons defensive line.

27. New Orleans Saints- Billy Price, Center, Ohio State: The Saints offensive line isn't bad, but Price would be a great value pick here. Price will strengthen what is already a good offensive line and would be a nice fit.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers- Carlton Davis, Cornerback, Auburn: Picking Davis here would turn the Steelers secondary into a strength with him joining Artie Burns and Joe Haden (if he sticks around). They would love his physicality and has more of it than Burns.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars- Isaiah Wynn, Guard, Georgia: Wynn would bring a nice upgrade to a Jags offensive line to take pressure off Blake Bortles and Leonard Fournette. can play tackle if needed but will succeed as a guard instantly. He plays with outstanding leverage and has the athleticism to mirror pass-rushers.

30. Minnesota Vikings- Maurice Haust, Defensive Tackle, Michigan: Hurst doesn't have the size that teams are generally looking for in an interior defensive lineman, but his quickness more than makes up for that deficiency and makes him in particular a great threat rushing the passer on third downs.

31. New England Patriots- Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Defensive End, Oklahoma: The Patriots have a need at cornerback now that Malcolm Butler is likely headed out. With Okoronkwo still on the board, the Pats addresses the pass-rushing deficiencies and will circle back to those secondary needs in later rounds.

32. Philadelphia Eagles- Chukwuma Okorafor, Offensive Tackle, Michigan: Okorafor is in the mold of a franchise left tackle, and he has traits that suggest he'll become exactly that. If he adds point-of-attack strength, he'll be a monster in the NFL.