The NFL’s legal tampering period began Monday, a window that gives every team a jump on Wednesday’s official start of free agency. But there is no room for rest on the league’s calendar. After teams address their needs in free agency — or attempt to, at least — attention will turn toward the 2018 NFL draft, which runs from April 26 to 28 in Arlington, Texas.

This mock draft, which covers the first 32 picks, was constructed with the help of film review, conversations at the NFL combine, a review of the performances in Indianapolis and a study of the various needs of every NFL team. There will almost certainly be trades come draft day, but we will not incorporate any theoretical deals for now.

Let the games begin.

1. Cleveland Browns, Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State: After trading for quarterback Tyrod Taylor last week, Cleveland doesn’t need to kick off the draft by taking a QB. They can save that business for their fourth overall pick — or even wait until later in the draft. That leaves the Browns free to select the draft’s best overall prospect, one who just so happens to also fill a big need for a team that went 0-16 last season.

2. New York Giants, Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming: The Giants are searching for their successor to Eli Manning, and they’ll likely be asking that player to sit on the bench during his rookie season. This could be an ideal scenario for Allen, who has the biggest arm in the draft but, with only two seasons as a starter in the Mountain West under his belt, could benefit from a developmental year.

3. Indianapolis Colts, Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State: Chubb aspires to be a mix between Khalil Mack and Von Miller, and he just may have the motor to become that theoretically terrifying pass rusher. That’s simply not a prospect the Colts could pass up after finishing 31st in the NFL last season with just 25 sacks.

4. Cleveland Browns, Sam Darnold, QB, USC: Darnold could land at No. 2, but getting him here would be a huge coup for Cleveland as it begins the uphill climb of resurrecting its long-sagging offense. The trade for Taylor is likely to mean Darnold would begin his career as a backup, which may not be a bad thing for a quarterback who doesn’t turn 21 until June.

5. Denver Broncos, Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: Even with Case Keenum set to become the Broncos’ next starting quarterback, don’t be surprised if the Broncos invest further into the quarterback position. John Elway appeared to dismiss one of the biggest concerns surrounding Mayfield — an on-field swagger that borders on cockiness and led the QB to cross lines, at times, in college — at the NFL scouting combine. “I like to see a guy with that kind of passion,” Elway said in Indianapolis. The guess here is that Elway sees just enough of himself in Mayfield to roll the dice on the 6-foot Heisman Trophy winner as Denver exhausts all options to solve its long-running quarterback problem.

6. New York Jets, Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: Though he’s the last of the “big four” QBs off the board in this scenario, Rosen may have the chance to provide the biggest first-year impact. Though injury concerns may affect his draft slot, Rosen could be the quarterback most ready to play right away. That would fit well with a Jets team that doesn’t have a bonafide starter on its roster.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama: The Bucs have no shortage of needs, and they could address problems on the defensive and offensive lines here, but the early run on quarterbacks gives them a chance to grab a game-changing player in Fitzpatrick. The Swiss Army Knife defensive back could step in immediately, and he’s worth the investment of a top-10 pick even after the Bucs reportedly reached an agreement to re-sign Brent Grimes for the 2018 season.

8. Chicago Bears, Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame: Selecting this mauling offensive guard could help pave the way for talented running back Jordan Howard — more than 2,400 rushing yards in his first two NFL seasons — to blossom even further, while also providing protection for second-year QB Mitchell Trubisky against the interior rush, which was a problem for the Bears last season. Nelson is the rare guard who is well worth a top-10 pick.

9. San Francisco 49ers, Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech: The 49ers have bigger needs — cornerback and edge rusher among them — but it would be difficult to pass up a talent like Edmunds here. Few defensive players at the combine last month saw their stock rise more than Edmunds, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound freak of an athlete who had 10 sacks and 30½ tackles for loss the last two seasons at Virginia Tech.

10. Oakland Raiders, Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State: The Raiders get the benefit here of filling their biggest need while also selecting perhaps the best player available. Ohio State produced the 2017 NFL defensive rookie of the year in Marshon Lattimore, and Ward has just as much upside. Ward ran the 40-yard dash in a combine-best 4.32 seconds, and he’s physical on the outside despite size — 5-foot-10, 191 pounds — that is considered under ideal for the position.

11. Miami Dolphins, Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia: The Dolphins have begun a major rebuild on their defense after parting ways with linebacker Lawrence Timmons and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Smith, the 2017 Butkus Award winner as college football’s best linebacker, was dominant last season in leading Georgia to the national title game. He’d be a plug-and-play prospect who could quickly boost a Miami defense that has underperformed the last two years despite big-money acquisitions.

12. Buffalo Bills, Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: The Bills jumped to this spot Monday by trading offensive tackle Cordy Glenn to Cincinnati. After trading their 2017 starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, to the Browns last week, Buffalo is in the market for a new QB. Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, is the most polarizing quarterback in the draft. But if teams are truly intent on incorporating more of the spread, run-pass option concepts of the college game, Jackson could have immense upside and could have great value at this stage in the draft.

13. Washington Redskins, Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama: After investing long-term money in quarterback Alex Smith, Washington needs to give him some weapons. Ridley is widely considered by many analysts to be the best wide receiver in the draft, even if his combine performance was somewhat underwhelming. Washington team president Bruce Allen was on hand to see Ridley at Alabama’s pro day.

14. Green Bay Packers, Marcus Davenport, DE, Texas-San Antonio: Davenport is the next small-school gem to crash the first round of the NFL draft, and he may just be the best pass rusher in the class not named Bradley Chubb. At 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds, he has the speed (4.58-second 40-yard dash) to get to quarterbacks from the outside and the strength to be come up the interior in certain situations.

15. Arizona Cardinals, Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame: The Cardinals are in serious need of a quarterback and would certainly pounce on one of the top four if they were to plummet this far. But Arizona also needs to keep its QBs upright. It gave up 52 sacks in 2017, tied for third-most in the NFL. McGlinchey helped pave the way for one of the country’s best running attacks last season at Notre Dame, but his true value in his the mobility he has to get to elite edge rushers.

16. Baltimore Ravens, Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama: The Ravens could really use a wide receiver, but grabbing one here may be a stretch. Evans could pair with fellow Alabama product C.J. Mosley to give the Ravens a thumping presence at the second level of the defense. This pick would follow a history of the Ravens investing heavily at the position. They’ve taken a linebacker in the first round four times since 1997.

17. Los Angeles Chargers, Vita Vea, DT, Washington: The Chargers have arguably the league’s best pass-rushing duo in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Adding Vea, a 6-4, 347-pound freak athlete who can run a 40-yard dash in less than 5 seconds and did 41 bench-press reps at the combine, to the inside could help Los Angeles develop one of the more dominating fronts in the league.

18. Seattle Seahawks, Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida: The Legion of Boom, the secondary that carried Seattle to a Super Bowl title in 2014, has been all but dissolved with the release of Richard Sherman last week. Hughes lacks some experience — he started only one season in college — but he has a physicality that belies his 5-11, 191-pound frame and he shows up on tape as a natural playmaker with a nose for the ball.

19. Dallas Cowboys, Derwin James, S, Florida State: While in college, James never lived up to the potential he displayed while being named a freshman All-American in 2015. Much of that, though, could be attributed to a knee injury he suffered as a sophomore. As he approaches full health and explosiveness, James could become one of the most dynamic defensive backs in the draft, and the Cowboys desperately need help at safety.

20. Detroit Lions, Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama: Payne did himself a big favor with his performance during the College Football Playoff in December, and that’s not even including the touchdown pass he caught against Clemson. The 6-2, 311-pound Payne, who ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the combine, has intriguing athleticism at a position where teams are increasingly seeking quicker and more versatile rushers.

21. Cincinatti Bengals, Connor Williams, OT, Texas: The Bengals got one tackle position taken care of when they traded with Buffalo for Cordy Glenn. Drafting Williams, who carries concerns about his strength but was one of the more impressive players at the position overall at the combine, could help Cincinnati address the other outside spot on its line.

22. Buffalo Bills, Cortland Sutton, WR, SMU: Though the Bills picked up Kelvin Benjamin in a mid-season trade in 2017, they are still in the market for major help at the position. The 6-3, 218-pound Sutton is a big body at the position who uses his physicality to ward off defensive backs. He would give the Bills size at the position they lacked last season.

23. Los Angeles Rams, Isaiah Wynn, OL, Georgia: The Rams took care of their biggest need, the cornerback spot, before free agency even began, trading for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. This leaves them free to bolster the interior of their offensive line. Wynn was instrumental in paving the way for running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb at Georgia. Though he played at offensive tackle last season, Wynn’s future appears to be at guard.

24. Carolina Panthers, Harold Landry, DE/OLB, Boston College: As a junior in 2016, Landry had 16½ sacks and appeared to be one of the country’s most dynamic pass rushers. Injuries stalled his senior season, but the athleticism of the 6-3, 252-pound edge rusher was on full display at the combine, where he was among the top performers at his position in nearly all of the agility drills. Carolina needs to get younger at the pass-rusher spots. Related Articles September 21, 2020 Broncos Analysis: Minus key players, focus is on Vic Fangio to lead staff, roster through adversity

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25. Tennessee Titans, Taven Bryan, DL, Florida: The 6-4, 291-pound defensive tackle from Casper, Wyo., was among the standout performers at the combine. Bryan trained with new Broncos performance coach Loren Landow during the build-up to the combine, and while in Indianapolis he showed the speed, explosiveness and strength that could allow him to be used in multiple spots.

26. Atlanta Falcons, Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M: The Falcons have needs elsewhere — offensive and defensive lines, for example — but Kirk could be a versatile complement to all-pro Julio Jones. Kirk is already a polished route-runner who could step into the slot and produce right away.

27. New Orleans Saints, Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State: Goedert is a former basketball standout who transferred his leaping ability to the football field and became one of the country’s top players at the position. He’s a big target at 6-5, 255 pounds and has great hands. He had nearly 1,300 yards receiving last season and is physical enough to excel down the middle in the NFL.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers, Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State: The devastating injury to Ryan Shazier has put the Steelers on the path to selecting a linebacker. At 6-4 and 256 pounds, Vander Esch was the Mountain West defensive player of the year and was the MVP of the conference’s title game, when he had 16 tackles and an interception. He has enough feel for the position to be able to start right away.

29. Jaguars, D.J. Chark, WR, LSU: Chark jumped up draft boards with an impressive performance at the combine that included a 4.34-second time in the 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical. Jacksonville could use a playmaker who can create in space in the middle of the field. Chark needs to improve as a route-runner, but his speed and strong frame (5-11, 199 pounds) gives him the tools to blossom in the right situation.

30. Vikings, Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa: Jackson could very well be off the board at this point, but he’d be a big steal for the Vikings here. Jackson led all FBS players last season with eight interceptions, and his ball-hawking talent was on display in the Hawkeyes’ biggest games, including an upset rout of Ohio State. Jackson needs more seasoning — he started only 14 college games — but it’s hard to teach his nose for the ball.

31. New England Patriots, Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan: The Patriots have used each of their first-round picks since 2012 on defensive players. Hurst, a three-technique defensive tackle, might not seem like the most natural fit in New England’s modified 3-4 scheme, but the Patriots are as good as anyone at molding players to their system. Hurst, though slightly undersized at 6-2, 282 pounds, has great get-off speed and can be disruptive up the middle.

32. Philadelphia Eagles, Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama: It would not be surprising if the Eagles target one of the draft’s top running backs at this spot, but finding a backup safety may be a more pressing need for the defending Super Bowl champs.