Trevor Sikkema’s 2018 NFL First-Round Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Browns – USC QB Sam Darnold
Darnold to the Browns has been the worst kept secret for the last month or so. Darnold is very much a boom-or-bust style of quarterback with unorthodox technique, which comes with success and failure. Cleveland is hoping they’ll get more of the former.

2. Buffalo Bills (from New York Giants) – UCLA QB Josh Rosen
It’s been reported that the Giants have already been offered big trades by the Jets and the Bills and have turned them down. I think they did that to see if they could get Darnold, if there was any chance Cleveland didn’t take him. Once Cleveland does, I think they open up the phone lines and strike a deal with the Bills. They want Rosen.

3. New York Jets – Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
Like Darnold to the Browns at No. 1, Mayfield to the Jets has been in the works for quite some time, and contrary to the reports we heard at the NFL Owner’s Meetings that they traded up with fix or seven prospects in mind, I think they traded up with just one prospect in mind – Mayfield.

4. Cleveland Browns – N.C. State DE Bradley Chubb
Cleveland could take running back Saquon Barkley here at No. 4, but that would mean they have two Top 10 paid running back on their team. That’s just not financially smart. However, picking the best pass rusher on a rookie contract is. I think Chubb is the guy.

Penn State RB Saquon Barkley – Photo by: Getty Images

5. Miami Dolphins (from Denver Broncos) – Penn State RB Saquon Barkley
This one hasn’t been talked about much,  but I think the Dolphins are in it to win it for Barkley’s services. With the Bill already moved up, I think the Dolphins are the team that jump on Denver’s pick being for sale. They can get their guy for a reasonable price with no quarterback war to out-bid.

6. Indianapolis Colts – Georgia LB Roquan Smith
There’s a chance the Colts could be eying a trade down here if the market for one of the remaining two quarterbacks is strong enough, but I also know they’re in on the top two linebackers – Smith and Tremaine Edmunds. I think one of those players is ultimately the pick, and I think they go with the obvious choice and the better prospect. Smith was the best linebacker in the country last year.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Florida State SS Derwin James
The Bucs need a Pro Bowl player. They won’t be trading down. I think it’s going to come down to James or Barkley and if Barkley is gone, the Bucs will pick up their impact secondary player.

8. Chicago Bears – Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson
The Bears need help everywhere along the offensive line. They could have their sights on Mike McGlinchey, the offensive tackle form Notre Dame., but I’ve been told they’re higher on his partner, Quenton Nelson.

9. San Francisco 49ers – Ohio State CB Denzel Ward
I believe the 49ers will be choosing a player on the defensive side of the ball with this pick. I think it’s going to come down to Ward, Tremaine Edmunds, Minkah Fitzaptrick or James. With no James, I think they lean shutdown cornerback.

10. Oakland Raiders – Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey
Jon Gruden loves quarterbacks, but we’ve seen hints that he doesn’t love making the decision to draft one. Right now he has one in Derek Carr, and he’s going to make sure he can do everything to keep him there and good to go. That starts with the offensive line. The Raiders are in on McGlichey, per sources.

11. Denver Broncos (from Miami Dolphins) – Wyoming QB Josh Allen
I have a feeling that Elway would have taken Allen at No. 5 overall, but wanted to pump his ego a bit by moving back, getting an extra pick or two and still getting his guy. I don’t think they’ll take a running back this high and with Nelson and McGlinchey off the board, he’ll take his chance on Allen.

12. New York Giants (from Buffalo Bills ) – Washington DT Vita Vea
With the Giants now drafting at No. 12, they can get back to the regularly scheduled Dave Gettleman (their GM) strategy of drafting defensive linemen in the first round. Vea took a private visit to the Giants, so i think this is the move they make.

LSU RB Derrius Guice – Photo by: Getty Images

13. Washington – LSU RB Derrius Guice
Washington has met with Guice on three separate occasions: at the Combine, at his pro day and in a private visit. If he makes it to No. 13, which he should, I think this is the spot for him, especially with Barkley gone so quickly.

14. Green Bay Packers – Alabama S Minkah Fitzpatrick
It’s rumored that the Packers could be a dark horse team to trade up from 14. The expectation is that it would be for a defensive back, either Ward, James or Fitzpatrick.  I’m not so sure they need to trade up to land Fitzpatrick, so he would be their guy here.

15. Arizona Cardinals – Louisville QB Lamar Jackson
The Cardinals, the Patriots and the Ravens will be the three teams gunning for Jackson outside of the Top 10. If no trades are made, Jackson will go to the Cardinals due to the order, but this pick might happen earlier in the draft, if a bidding war starts to take place (which I think it will).

16. Baltimore Ravens – Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch
Leighton Vander Esch was one of the busiest prospects after the Combine with 12 private visits, one of if not the most by any prospect in the draft. It won’t take him long to hear his name called, and if the Ravens miss out on Jackson, expect this to be one of Vander Esch’s possible landing spots.

17. L.A. Chargers – Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmunds 
Edmunds seems to have more media hype then team hype, but perhaps that’s just a coincidence. He only had two private visits, and neither of them were with the Chargers. However, the Chargers did have visits with a lot of linebacker of his type, and if he’s still on the board, I think they’d go get him.

18. Seattle Seahawks – Florida State DE Josh Sweat
World on the street is the Seahawks really like Sweat. If Sweat is going to go in the first round, it’s either here to the Seahawks or later to the Titans. But, it will be one of the two. He’s too freakishly gifted to make it out of the Top 32.

19. Dallas Cowboys – Alabama DT Da’Ron Payne
The Cowboys need interior defensive line help. They’re mismatched right now with their personnel and need to find a way to let David Irving be a full-time edge player. Da’Ron Payne has had a private visit with the Cowboys, and i think he’s the pick for them at No. 19.

20. Detroit Lions – Boston College DE/OLB Harold Landry
If you ask me, Landry should be going higher than this, but that doesn’t seem to be so. Landry was a sackmaster in 2016, and if he’s back to form, he’s a steal for the Lions this late.

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Arkansas C Frank Ragnow
Though the Bengals will likely have their choice at some of the top interior offensive lineman, I think Ragnow will ultimately be their guy. They had him in for a private visit, and are reportedly all in on him.

22. New York Giants (from Buffalo Bills) – UTEP OG Will Hernandez
With the Giants going defensive line with their first of two picks since the trade down with Buffalo, I expect Gettleman to continue to work in the trenches with his top picks and snatch up the next best interior guard in this class.

23. New England Patriots – Texas OL Connor Williams
The Patriots need offensive line help in a variety of areas, including tackle and guard. Williams has he potential to play both. If they can’t package these two first round picks to move up for a quarterback, I think it’s offensive line at No. 23.

24. Carolina Panthers – Stanford S Justin Reid 
The Panthers have a few ways they can go with their first pick in the draft. The biggest needs are in the secondary, both with cornerback and safety. The other is on the offensive side of the ball with a receiving weapon for Cam Newton. I think they ultimately land on defense and that’s because I’m told they’re very high on both Jessie Bates and Reid as safeties. It will be one of the two.

25. Tennessee Titans – Louisville CB Jaire Alexander
With Landry and Sweat off the board, instead of the Titans reaching for a player like Marcus Davenport, I believe they’ll selected a talented player they’ve had in for a private visit, Louisville’s Jaire Alexander. Alexander can play outside or nickel for them and completes their revamped secondary.

Gators DT Taven Bryan –
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

26. Atlanta Falcons – Florida DT Taven Bryan
The Falcons love their athletic big guys. Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett and Takk McKinley were all top athletes on the defensive line, and with another hole to fill in the middle, they’ll snatch up Taven Bryan if they can to replace Dontari Poe.

27. New Orleans Saints – Penn State TE Mike Gesicki
The New Orleans Saints are a player for Jackson, but they don’t think they can get high enough to get him above the other teams. Instead, they’ll take the most athletic tight end in the class. Their interest in Jimmy Graham in free agency makes me believe Gesicki will be their pick.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers – Wake Forest S Jessie Bates
Whichever safety the Panther don’t pick, either Reid or Bates, the other will go here to Pittsburgh. They have other needs such as linebacker, but this is the big one and they will address it with one of those two player, who they both like.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars – South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst
Hurst doesn’t have a lot of production, but as a do-it-all tight end who can block and catch, he’s a guy we know the Jaguars are honing in on.

30. Minnesota Vikings – UCF CB Mike Hughes
With no Alexander and no Hernandez, I think the Vikings will dip into the cornerback well and select Hughes to be the eventual replacement on the outside.

USC RB Ronald Jones II – Photo by: Getty Images

31. New England Patriots – UCLA OT Kolton Miller
There is a chance that Willer could be long gone before this pick. There have been whispers of him going as high as No. 10 overall to the Raiders. But, if he is here, even if the Patriots have already gone offensive line, I think they snatch him up.

32. Philadelphia Eagles – USC RB Ronald Jones
The Eagles don’t have too many needs on their roster with them just winning the Super Bowl and all, but running back is one of them. They’ve interviewed Jones twice, including at a private visit. If they pick a running back at No. 32, it will be Jones.

Click the next page to see Mark Cook’s 2018 NFL First-Round Mock Draft