2018 NFL Mock Draft - Charlie Campbell

NFL Draft Recent Links:



2. New York Giants: Sam Darnold, QB USC The Giants should grab their heir apparent to Eli Manning. Manning is a shell of his former self, and New York would be making a terrible decision not to take a potential franchise quarterback when it has a chance. It is reasonable to assume that the Giants followed the Browns' lead and turned down the trade that the Colts took from the Jets. A team would only really turn down a package of picks that size if that was going to cost it a franchise quarterback. Then, the Giants traded away Jason Pierre-Paul. Actions speak louder than words, and I don't think the Giants would trade a good edge rusher if they were trying to reload and win once more with Manning. To me, these actions say the Giants are going to take a quarterback and have him sit behind Manning for a year or two before taking over the offense. I think Dave Gettleman is a no-nonsense kind of guy and will be more comfortable with Darnold than Josh Rosen. Additionally, there has been a lot of media hype that Darnold is the Giants' preferred quarterback. If I change the first pick to Darnold, then I will probably make this pick Saquon Barkley.



Another reason why Darnold or a quarterback makes more sense is the money involved. If the Giants take Saquon Barkley, he immediately becomes the running back with the largest guaranteed money in the NFL, around $30 million. A quarterback on a rookie contract, on the other hand, is a huge cost savings. Eventually, I think New York signs Odell Beckham Jr. to an extension. He's too good to get rid of. If the Giants took Barkley they would have the most guaranteed money in the NFL at running back and wide receiver. They need a long-term trigger man to get the most out of Beckham.



Darnold (6-3, 221) is an accurate passer without an elite skill set, but he has developed good anticipation, feel and timing. Darnold is a rhythm thrower who would fit best in a West Coast system to maximize his ability to throw accurately in the short to intermediate part of the field. He also can throw accurately on the run. Routinely, Darnold can use his feet to buy time while keeping his eyes downfield and delivering accurate passes while under pressure. In every game at USC, Darnold would make some impressive throws that were very rare for a college quarterback.



In 2017, Darnold completed 63 percent of his passes for 4,143 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He did have problems with interceptions and fumbles in his final collegiate season. A general manager, who scouted Darnold in person during 2017, told me that they like the "it factor" that Darnold displays. That general manager thinks there's nothing wrong with Darnold's throwing motion or arm strength, and that Darnold has some similarities to Philip Rivers. Darnold completed 67 percent of his passes in 2016 for 3,086 yards with 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Click links to see the Giants' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Giants' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 2 | Rd: 3 Pk: 5 | Rd: 4 Pk: 8 | Rd: 5 Pk: 2





4. Cleveland Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State I think Cleveland has made a lot of wise decisions in the trades, and with the players and coaches that the team has added this offseason. Landing the best player in the 2018 NFL Draft with the fourth-overall pick would be the cherry on top to an excellent offseason for the Browns. Hiring John Dorsey, Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf to run this franchise were wise moves by the Haslams.



Barkley is the best player in the 2018 NFL Draft, regardless of position. He is an elite running back prospect in the same mold of Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley, and better than Ezekiel Elliott. All three of those backs turned their teams from picking in the top 10 to playing in the postseason within the first three years of their careers, if not as rookies. Thus, I think Barkley could help turn the Browns into a playoff competitor as soon as this fall.



The 6-foot, 233-pounder has devastating first-step quickness to hit the hole and accelerate downfield. Along with great speed, Barkley has tremendous balance, vision, cutting ability, elusiveness and power. He also is a receiving threat who presents mismatch problems for a defense in the passing attack, and is a good blocker. In the NFL, Barkley should be a devastating play-maker and three-down starter. He also put on a tremendous show at the combine, displaying amazing speed in the 40-yard dash along with explosion in the jumps, strength in the bench press, and solid interviews.



Barkley averaged 5.9 yards per carry in 2017 for 1,271 yards with 18 touchdowns. The junior made 54 catches for 632 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. Barkley averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 2016 for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also made 28 catches for 402 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver. Barkley was very impressive as a freshman in 2015 when he averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 1,076 yards with seven touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 161 yards and a score. Barkley was very impressive, running for 194 yards on 26 carries against an Ohio State defense loaded with NFL talent. Click links to see the Browns' picks across all rounds: Rd: 1 Pk: 1 | Click here to jump to the Browns' first second-round pick. | Rd: 2 Pk: 3 | Rd: 2 Pk: 32 | Rd: 4 Pk: 14 | Rd: 5 Pk: 13 | Rd: 6 Pk: 1 | Rd: 6 Pk: 14





7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quenton Nelson, G Notre Dame Tampa Bay needs four quarterbacks to go in the top six. If that happens, the Bucs should have Bradley Chubb or Quenton Nelson fall to them. If either gets to pick No. 7, I believe that would be the direction the Buccaneers would go. I know the Bucs love Nelson, and they would be ecstatic if he got to their pick. I think Nelson is their preferred realistic pick because Saquon Barkley is not falling past the Browns at No. 4 or the Broncos at No. 5. If Nelson and Chubb are off the board, I think Tampa Bay would turn to the defensive backfield and take Derwin James. I could also see them trading down with Arizona, Buffalo or Miami.



I think Nelson could get to Tampa Bay, which needs a guard upgrade. The regime is on the hot seat, and nothing can help a team go from worst to playoff contention like a newfound rushing attack. Nelson is a plug-and-play starter who will immediately upgrade the run blocking and pass protection for Jameis Winston. Nelson sliding to the Bucs reminds me of them having O.J. Howard fall to them last year. I don't think the Buccaneers will pass on Nelson if he gets to their pick.



Nelson was exceptional throughout 2017, dominating opponents on a weekly basis. He has superb strength to blast open holes and is a true road-grader as a run blocker. As a pass protector, Nelson is very athletic with balance, agility, and quickness to shut down pass-rushers. Some league sources say that Nelson is the highest graded guard they've ever scouted, and that includes the likes of Logan Mankins and David DeCastro.



The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Nelson was dominant in 2016 as well, showing strength at the point of attack to open holes in the ground game and athleticism in pass protection. That year, teams sources told me that Nelson was receiving first-round grades prior to him deciding to return for his senior season. One general manager told me in fall 2017 that they had Nelson as clearly the best guard prospect for the 2018 NFL Draft. They had Nelson as a top-five prospect at any position. < Pick change: previously Derwin James, S



4/25-Derwin James, S Close Previous Mock Selections: Click links to see the Buccaneers' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Buccaneers' second-round pick. | Rd: 4 Pk: 2 | Rd: 5 Pk: 7 | Rd: 6 Pk: 6 | Rd: 6 Pk: 28 | Rd: 7 Pk: 37





8. Chicago Bears: Chicago finishes off its front seven with Edmunds. The Bears could use more talent across from Leonard Floyd. Aaron Lynch was signed, but he's more of a rotational backup. Edmunds could play inside and outside linebacker as he is a great fit in Vic Fangio's defense.



Edmunds totaled 109 tackles with three forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks, 14 tackles for a loss and two passes batted in 2017. Edmunds recorded 106 tackles with 18.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, three passes broken up, one forced fumble and one interception that season.



In pass coverage, Edmunds (6-4, 253) is very well suited to today's NFL. As a professional he could be an asset as a linebacker weapon to neutralize receiving threat tight ends in man to man coverage. He was very good in zone coverage for Virginia Tech last two seasons. Edmunds is comfortable in space and uses his excellent closing speed to hunt down ball carriers. In zone coverage Edmunds is skilled to pick up receivers coming into his area and keeping them from getting open. He also is a dangerous blitzer and closes ground in an instant.



Edmunds is an excellent run defender. He has good instincts and is quick to read his keys. With quick reactionary skills, he is always around the ball. Add that in with his explosive speed and athleticism, Edmunds covers a ton of ground with a lot of tackles for a loss or near the line of scrimmage. He is a skilled defender at producing a lot of good down-and-distance situations for his defense. Edmunds gave Virginia Tech a lot of second-and-8s, third-and-7s, and consistently put his defense in good position. Click links to see the Bears' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Bears' second-round pick. | Rd: 4 Pk: 5 | Rd: 4 Pk: 15 | Rd: 5 Pk: 8 | Rd: 6 Pk: 7 | Rd: 7 Pk: 6





16. Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville The Ravens have shown interest in Jackson, and Joe Flacco has struggled over the past few seasons. I think Ozzie Newsome likes the idea of setting up Baltimore for the long term at the most important position on the field. The Ravens have signed Robert Griffin III this offseason as well. With Flacco and Griffin, Baltimore has time to work with and develop Jackson. I think the signs point to the Ravens being open to changing their offensive philosophy and going to a dual-threat quarterback.



In 2017, Jackson completed 59 percent of his passes for 3,660 yards with 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also averaged 6.9 yards per carry on the ground on his way to 1,443 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. One general manager told me they think Jackson could be deserving of going high in the first round because he's a taller and better version of Michael Vick. In speaking to multiple league sources including a few general managers, they think Jackson is being undervalued right now, similar to Deshaun Watson a year ago.



Jackson has a great athletic skill set, including a powerful arm that can make all throws the NFL requires and some rare passes. While his tremendous running ability gets a lot of attention, Jackson is better passing from the pocket than he is given credit for. Jackson can take some shots and deliver good passes in the face of the rush. He also handled Bobby Petrino's scheme well. Jackson can be inconsistent with his accuracy, and he needs to add weight to his frame for the NFL. He also needs to develop maturity in his leadership skills as he can be of one of the guys too much.



Jackson (6-2, 216) set college football on fire in 2016 while winning the Heisman Trophy. He was a massive point-producer for the Cardinals. Jackson completed 56 percent of his passes for 3,543 yards with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions on the year. He also ran for 21 touchdowns and 1,571 yards while averaging six yards per carry. Click links to see the Ravens' picks across all rounds: Click here to jump to the Ravens' second-round pick. | Rd: 3 Pk: 19 | Rd: 4 Pk: 18 | Rd: 5 Pk: 17 | Rd: 6 Pk: 16 | Rd: 6 Pk: 41 | Rd: 7 Pk: 20



