We roll on with the second part of our first round mock draft for 2018, finishing out the Top 20.
To review part one, click here.
9. San Francisco 49ers – Derwin James, Safety – Florida State
The 49ers let Eric Reid walk in free agency and facing a trio of high-flying teams in the NFC West, they need to replace him.
10. Oakland Raiders – Roquan Smith, ILB – Georgia
I’m tempted to plug in a corner here, but John Gruden had Derrick Brooks with Tampa Bay. He’ll be looking for a guy like that in this draft.
11. Miami Dolphins – Maurice Hurst, DT – Michigan
The Dolphins have plenty of self-inflicted holes on their team thanks to a couple of trades and cuts. Hurst fills one, but they need to hit a home run with nearly every pick in the first three rounds of this draft to halfway make up for what they’ve tossed on the street.
12. Buffalo Bills – (from Bengals) Mason Rudolph, QB – Oklahoma State
Like the Jets, the Bills have desperately needed to draft a quarterback for years. They will now. The only question remaining is if they’ll stand pat at 12 and take whoever falls to them, or package some picks to trade up.
13. Washington Redskins – Taven Bryan, DT – Florida
The Redskins have significant holes all over the place, but they need to shore up their defense. Especially up front.
14. Green Bay Packers – Josh Jackson, CB – Iowa
The Packers have traded away a starting corner this offseason and can’t afford to come out of this draft without a replacement. Jackson is a pick machine who is used to playing in cold weather.
15. Arizona Cardinals – Josh Allen, QB – Wyoming
The Cardinals signed Sam Bradofrd on a one-year insurance policy. Even if he plays at a Pro Bowl level, and he might, they can’t count on him to stay healthy long term. They also can’t gamble that they’ll get a shot at a QB in the second round.
16. Baltimore Ravens – Calvin Ridley, WR – Alabama
The Ravens have let their wide receivers walk in free agency once again. If they want to get the most out of Joe Flacco, they need to build some consistency with this position. Ridley is the best route-runner and most complete wideout in this class.
17. Los Angeles Chargers – Orlando Brown, OT – Oklahoma
The knock on Brown is he ran a bad 40 at the combine. The Chargers don’t need him to run anywhere. They need him to pass block and keep Philip rivers alive.
18. Seattle Seahawks – Isaiah Wynn, OG – Georgia
The Seahawks have been screwing around with a patchwork offensive line for years and it finally bit them in the ass. Wynn should just be the first of a whole new set of OL in this draft.
19. Dallas Cowboys – Denzel Ward, CB – Ohio State
Dallas has to get serious with some defensive picks. They could go Marcus Davenport here, but I think Ward is more of a sure thing and they need a corner.
20. Detroit Lions – Vita Vea, DT – Washington
There’s a real need a running back in Detroit, but they can probably grab some quality later in the draft. What they won’t have a chance at is a disruptive interior defensive lineman like Vea.
