Today we continue on with the 7 round mock draft series for the 2018 NFL Draft.
For those interested, you can see the 2017 7 round mock here, and a Packers only 7 round mock drafts here –>(1, 2).
Something to keep in mind is the fact that this exercise started mid-March so some trades and player rankings will likely change over time but considering a 7 round mock can’t be done with any seriousness in a week, you’ll just have to tolerate a couple errors here and there.
The big board I’m using is from NFLBigBoard.com. It uses an aggregation of several of the top big boards around the web. Also I built it so there’s that.
33 Cleveland Browns
Ronald Jones II, RB, USC
As I said, Chubb and Jones are a better option than Barkley and Hubbard and I’m standing by that here.
Darnold, the new franchise QB for the Browns, is also reunited with his RB so that’s kind of cool too.
34 New York Giants
D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
This was a very tough call. There are a lot of players here that could help but none of them felt quite right.
The Giants are likely going to be without Marshall and ODB for 2018 and need to reload at the position and quickly.
If Moore has a chance to be a WR1, the Giants could be okay with Moore, Shepherd, and Engram for receiving weapons.
35 Cleveland Browns
Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
I wanted to take Harrison two picks ago but wasn’t really sure the role was as well defined as it would be for Jones.
As it stands Damarious Randall is the FS and Jabrill Peppers is the SS. We aren’t really sure how either of those things will turn out but it’s unlikely they will both develope very well in their roles.
Harrison has the ability to play FS as well as SS and could win out one of those jobs starting in 2018.
36 Indianapolis Colts
James Daniels, C, Iowa
Castonzo is a good LT, Slauson is now paired with Quenton Nelson, which could be pretty solid depending on Slausons ability to bounce back, and now we have James Daniels to play center in place of Ryan Kelly who can’t seem to get it together.
After 2 rounds the Colts might just need to find a little help at left tackle to have a functioning starting offensive line in 2018.
37 Indianapolis Colts
Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
Our team is Andrew Luck, period. We invested to protect him with offensive line, now we are going to find him some weapons. We really would like to find a RB but Kirk in the slot with TY on the outside? Come on that’s pretty solid work in just 3 picks.
38 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Hughes, CB, UCF
For a minute I thought doubling down on DB’s with Minkah going in round 1 was overkill but to have Hughes and Grimes on the boundary, Hargreaves in the slot and Fitz and Conty at safety? That’s a solid DB group.
Hughes was also a fantastic value here.
39 Chicago Bears
Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
The Bears offensive line isn’t anywhere near as impressive as it was in 2017.
Outside of Leno and Whitehair there isn’t much to be overly excited about. I suppose Long at RG isn’t terrible if you don’t factor in his massive paycheck.
Miller is a 6’9 behemoth that was knocked for a lack of athletic ability but he tested off the charts at the combine.
Either way he should stack up pretty well at RT and be an upgrade over their current tackle.
40 Trade – Detroit Lions
Sam Hubbard, EDGE, Ohio State
Lions receive pick 40
Giants (from round 1 trade with Broncos) receive 2nd (51) and 3rd (82)
Hubbard has limitations but is projected to be a real good strong side 4-3 defensive end which is what the Lions need.
Hubbard paired with Ansah could make for 2 very good players on the edge for Detriot.
41 Oakland Raiders
Dallas Goedert, TE, SDSU
I’m not a fan of many of the players at the top of my board but Dallas is intriguing. We have Jared Cook but that isn’t as lethal as we had hoped. Beyond that, Cook is 30, we’re paying him $5M, and there is 0 dead cap this year, meaning, if we so chose to, we could cut him and it wouldn’t cost us a dime.
Probably makes more sense to let him play out his last year and coach up Dallas but either way the pick makes sense.
42 TRADE – Green Bay Packers
Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
Packers receive pick 42
Dolphins receive 2nd (45), 5th (172), and 6th (186)
Dolphins didn’t feel comfortable with the top of the board and could use the picks. Davis is at the top of the board so it didn’t take long to find a suitor in GB. The Packers made it easy for the Dolphins offering two picks to move back 3 spots.
Carlton Davis is a big, long, physical corner that dominates receivers in press man coverage.
The Packers defensive backfield now consists of Carlton Davis, Kevin King, and Tramon Williams at corner and HHCD, Derwin James, and Josh Jones at safety. They may not be the top unit in the NFL but try and find a bigger, faster, and more physical group. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
43 New England Patriots
Sony Michel, RB, Georgia
James White is a good receiving back but the Patriots could use a Mel Blount type north and south pounder on their roster. Michel fits that mold perfectly.
44 Washington Redskins
Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford
The Raiders snagged Vea 1 spot before the Redskins in the first round but Phillips is a good consolation and fell on our board making him a good value.
It’s not certain whether Phillips can play nose but regardless of his exact position, he’ll be an upgrade somewhere.
45 Miami Dolphins (From Packers RD 2)
Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
Tannehill isn’t the worst QB in the league but is he ever going to take them to a SB?
The way I see it, the team will be rebuilding for another couple years. Grab Rudolph, let him sit and when the team is ready to go, Tannehill will be in his 30’s and at the end of his contract. We’ll have Rudolph ready to take the new and improved Dolphins to the promise land.
That’s the plan anyway.
46 Cincinnati Bengals
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
1 pick after his QB gets taken by hte Dolphins, Washington finds a home in Cinci and to be honest, I don’t hate how things are shaking out. We have Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling on the left side of the line and drafted Isaiah Wynn to hold down the RG spot. Joe Mixon is in his sophmore year and we now have James Washington and AJ Green on the outside.
Our defense isn’t horrible but if we can hit a couple more linemen and a few defensive pieces the Bengals might surprise some people.
If nothing else they’ll have the weapons to be one of those terrible teams that blow a few teams out of the water once in a while.
47 Arizona Cardinals
Arden Key, EDGE, LSU
Chandler Jones had 17 sacks in 2017. The man is a freak. With that said, the team as a whole had 27.
That’s 17 for Jones, 10 for everyone else combined. That’s actually really pathetic. Jones needs help and although there are concerns with Key, he’s physically gifted and was considered a front runner for number 1 overall in the 2018 draft less than a year ago. The potential is certainly there.
48 Buffalo Bills
Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
One of the best things you can do for a young QB is give him a safety valve. The Bills get that guy in Mike Gesicki. Mayfield now has Kelvin Benjamin and sophomore Zay Jones on the outside, Shady in the backfield, a young stud TE, and a solid defense. It’s on him to make this team a contender.
49 Indianapolis Colts
Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
Marlon Mack has some potential but the Colts came out and said they want to find a RB compliment for their QB.
With the addition of Quenton Nelson, James Daniels, and now Nick Chubb, Andrew Luck should have a better run game than he’s seen in quite some time (ever?). A couple more defensive pieces and the Colts are quickly going to remind everyone why they were SB favorites not long ago.
50 Dallas Cowboys
Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
I’m sticking with my theory that the Cowboys success is dependant on them reviving their glorious offensive line. Smith, Frederick, and Martin still remain but RG and RT aren’t really set.
Cam Flemming isn’t terrible but hasn’t proven to be dominant by any stretch. Brown has terrified people with his stunningly terrible combine but the man was considered the best tackle in the class by a lot of people prior to the combine.
By putting him on the right side they can minimize the impact of his limited athleticism.
51 New York Giants (From Lions RD 2)
Justin Reid, S, Stanford
Reid has been top of the board for a while and if he’s able to play FS should be a great fit. He played SS for Stanford but his 4.40 40 time leads me to believe he can manage as a FS.
Either way he should be a massive upgrade over Darian Thompson.
52 Baltimore Ravens
Anthony Miller, WR, memphis
Reaching a little bit according to our board but we need some help at WR. We’ve gone out and gotten a ton of veteran help the last few years, and maybe that’ll be fine, but at some point we need some young blood. For that reason we decide to pull the trigger rather than risk losing him by trading back.
53 Los Angeles Chargers
Lorenzo Carter, OLB, Georgia
Labeled an edge rusher, Carter is going to be an OLB in our 4-3 defense which is something the Chargers desperately need. Their DL is elite but their linebackers aren’t getting it done.
54 Kansas City Chiefs
Donte Jackson, CB, LSU
Kendall Fuller had an unbelievable sophomore season. Assuming he continues to dominate, the Chiefs are still devoid of any talent at corner aside from Fuller.
Jackson is an athletic corner that blazed a 4.32 40 at the combine.
55 Trade – San Francisco 49ers
Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
49ers receive pick 55
Panthers receive 2nd (59) and 4th (128)
The Panthers aren’t thrilled with the way the board is stacked up so they make some calls.
Yes, I heard Andrews fell into the 3rd round too but just try to act like the 49ers did something stupid.
Their new stud QB now has Goodwin, Garcon, and Andrews with a promising Trent Taylor in the slot; An underrated RB in Jerrick McKinnon running behind a pretty decent offensive line; and a pretty scary defense that added Roquan Smith yesterday.
56 Buffalo Bills
Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
The Bills added some DL help with Maurice Hurst in round 1 but still have some work to do in the center of the defense and LB might be the biggest need.
Jefferson is a high ceiling player that was at one point thought of as an early 1st round prospect.
He’ll contribute right away.
57 Tennessee Titans
Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech
The Titans D line isn’t horrible but the NT spot could be better.
313 pound Austin Johnson is young and can continue to get better but why mess around. Tim Settle is a 335 pound monster that could likely upgrade the position immediately.
58 Atlanta Falcons
Rasheem Green, DT, USC
The Falcons need another lineman to play next to Grady Jarrett and where I’m sittin’ there aren’t very many good options currently on the roster. Green is 6’5 275 and is an ideal fit for the team.
59 Carolina Panthers (From 49ers RD 2)
Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan
The Panthers grabbed Matt Kalil from the Vikings. I’m not sure the point of this other than his brother being on the team. It certainly can’t have anything to do with actually wanting him to play left tackle. That can’t be…
Let’s just say we draft a left tackle to be safe, eh?
60 Pittsburgh Steelers
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Oklahoma
I’m certainly concerned about Okoronkwo’s size and whether or not he can manage on the strong side but it seems clear the Bud Deupree experiment was a massive failure. They need help opposite Watt and here it is.
61 Jacksonville Jaguars
Braden Smith, OG, Auburn
Yes I considered a TE but let’s play it smart. Protecting your QB and helping your star RB, Fournette is far more important than converting a couple third downs.
The Jags got Andrew Norwell and now added one of the top guards in the draft.
Oh and Smith was higher on our board so there’s that.
62 Minnesota Vikings
Tyrell Crosby, OT, Oregon
There are never sure things but if everything pans out, the Vikings could have an okay line.
Reiff is serviceable, they drafted Billy Price who can play any guard spot and center (we’ll say LG), Elflein is going into his sophomore year so there is reason for optimism, and now Crosby can hold down the right tackle spot.
This still requires everything to go very well, no injuries, and an additional guard at some point… but they could be okay…
63 Trade – Houston Texans
Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn
Texans receive pick 63
Patriots receive 3rd (68), 6th (177), and 6th comp (214)
Lamar Miller was expected to explode when he went to the Texans. That wasn’t the case. Miller isn’t very productive at all and can certainly be upgraded or at the very least, replaced this year or the next when the Texans feel ready to move on and free up the cap space.
Johnson, according to the all knowing big board was a fantastic value and fell quite a ways until the Texans could take it no more.
64 Cleveland Browns
D.J. Chark, WR, LSU
So let’s break this down. On offense the Browns now have Darnold at QB. Josh Gordon and DJ Chark at WR with Jarvis Landry in the slot. Ronald Jones and Duke Johnson at RB and Njoku at TE.
On defense we have Garrett and Chubb off the edge. Gaines and Carrie at corner with Calhoun in the slot. And we also added Ronnie Harrison at safety.
All this just through 2 rounds. How in the world is this team not in the playoffs in 2018?