On April 26, 2018 the NFL held the first round of its annual amateur player selection meeting. Or, as the riffraff might call it, the NFL Draft.
This is what happened.
1. Cleveland Browns – Baker Mayfield, QB – Oklahoma
Mayfield Was my No. 1 rated QB and evidently I wasn’t alone in that. Reportedly the Jets had him their top guy as well.
2. New York Giants – Saquon Barkley, RB – Penn State
This draft was a massacre for my last mock, but I wasn’t alone. All the prognosticators took a batch thanks to the Mayfield pick. I did hit on Barkley, though.
3. New York Jets – (from Colts) Sam Darnold, QB – USC
Darnold was my No. 2 quarterback, so for the first time that I can remember the draft actually fell (at least this far) in line with my rankings.
4. Cleveland Browns – Denzel Ward, CB – Ohio State
Make no mistake, Ward is an elite prospect and a Day One starter. The problem here is the the Browns could have traded down and still landed him. Or, better yet, taken a guy like Bradley Chubb who was just a better value pick.
5. Denver Broncos – Bradley Chubb, DE – N.C. State
The Broncos saw Chubb land right in their lap and wasted no time pulling the trigger. If they still want a highly-ranked QB, there’s every chance Mason Rudolph will do the same in Round 2.
6. Indianapolis Colts – Quenton Nelson, OG – Notre Dame
This was my second and last correct pick. It made too much sense to everybody, especially with Chubb going a pick before.
7. Buffalo Bills – (from Buccaneers) Josh Allen, QB – Wyoming
The Bills had to take a QB, they just took the wrong one. I’ll be shocked if Allen isn’t an immediate bust. I hope I’m wrong.
8. Chicago Bears – Roquan Smith, OLB – Georgia
The Bears are apparently going old school, taking the best linebacker on the board and pushing offense to Day Two.
9. San Francisco 49ers – Mike McGlincey, OT – Notre Dame
The 49ers invested a lot of money in Jimmy Garoppolo. For some reason, that means they want to keep him healthy.
10. Arizona Cardinals – (from Raiders) Josh Rosen, QB – UCLA
The Cardinals stopped screwing around and drafted their QB of the future. All it took them was four years to get here.
11. Miami Dolphins – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Safety – Alabama
I had the Dolphins going D-Line. The decided to go with the best safety. Hard to complain about the pick.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (from Bills_ Vita Vea, DT – Washington
The Bucs traded down and probably cost themselves Fitzpatrick. Vea’s not a bad consolation prize.
13. Washington Redskins – Da’Ron Payne, DT – Alabama
I had the Redskins going defensive tackle in my mock. I just picked the wrong one. This selection was all about slowing down Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley.
14. New Orleans Saints – (from Packers) Marcus Davenport, DE – UTSA
The Saints gave up next year’s first rounder for Davenport. He better be worth it.
15. Oakland Raiders – Kolton Miller, OT – UCLA
Jon Gruden makes his first official pick as the Raiders new head coach and its a tackle to protect his $25 million QB.
16. Buffalo Bills – (from Ravens) Tremaine Edmunds, ILB – Virginia Tech
The Bills traded up to snag Edmunds, one of the most physically gifted players in this draft class.
17. Los Angeles Chargers – Derwin James, Safety – Florida State
The Chargers play their board and again see a Top 10 talent fall right into their laps without making a move.
18. Green Bay Packers – (from Seahawks) Jaire Alexander, CB – Louisville
Like the Redskins, I had the position correct with the Packers, just not the guy. I went with Josh Jackson and still would.
19. Dallas Cowboys – Leighton Vander Esch, ILB – Boise State
I don’t see a first round talent when I look at this kid, but I’m alone. From what I can tell, he’s the latest athletic white guy at a skill position scouts and coaches fall in love with for “some reason.”
20. Detroit Lions – Frank Ragenow, Center – Arkansas
I didn’t have a first round grade on Ragenow. Taking a center with your first pick doesn’t exactly build excitement, Matt Patricia.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – (from Bills) Billy Price, Center – Ohio State
If Ragenow was a reach for the Lions, Price wrenched general manager Mike Brown’s arm from his socket.
22. Tennessee Titans – (from Ravens) Rashaan Evans, OLB – Alabama
With a run on linebackers, the Titans couldn’t afford to wait to take Evans, trading up with the Bills for a pick that ended up belonging to four different teams before it was finally made.
23. New England Patriots – (from Rams) Isaiah Wynn, OG/OT – Georgia
This is why the Patriots are the Patriots and the Lions and Bengals remain the Lions and Bengals. Wynn was, in every conceivable way, a superior pick than Ragenow and Price and yet the Pats had to do nothing to land him other than watch Detroit and Cincinnati waste their picks.
24. Carolina Panthers – D.J. Moore, WR – Maryland
Moore got a ton of buzz in the last week as GMs and scouts fell in love with him. He jumped every wideout on the predraft boards. Let’s see if it matters when the games go live.
25. Baltimore Ravens – Hayden Hurst, TE – South Carolina
Ozzie Newsome better have picked his own second coming with Hurst here to have left Calvin Ridley on the board with this pick.
26. Atlanta Falcons – Calvin Ridley, WR – Alabama
All I can say about this pick is just, holy shit. Julio Jones, Marvin Jones and now Calvin Ridley. Too bad Steve Sarkisian is still calling the plays.
27. Seattle Seahawks – Rashaad Penny, RB – San Diego State
Sony Michel, Derrius Guice and Nick Chubb were all still on the board when the Seahawks made this pick. As were Orlando Brown, Connor Williams and Will Hernandez. This might turn out to be the craziest pick of the entire draft.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers – Terrell Edmunds, Safety – Virginia Tech
Ryan Shazier brought the house down by walking out to introduce this pick. Terrell and Tremaine are the first brothers in history to be taken in the first round of the same draft.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars – Taven Bryan, DT – Florida
For all the talk about offensive needs, the Jaguars loaded up on defense and may have stolen one of the best players in this draft.
30. Minnesota Vikings – Mike Hughes, CB – Central Florida
I don’t get this pick at all. The Vikings need offensive line help, specifically at tackle and two of the top guys (Williams and Brown) were still on the board. Instead they take Hughes at a position which they’re already Pro Bowl deep.
31. New England Patriots – Sony Michel, RB – Georgia
Again, this is why they’re the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks aren’t.
32. Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson, QB – Louisville
The Ravens trade back into the first round to grab Jackson and shut up any Colin Kaepernick talk for good. This is a move that could pay off down the road, but I’m not ready to show Joe Flacco the door just yet.
