2018 NFL Mock Draft

Call it the calm before the storm.

The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Dallas, and the quiet, reflective moments for players and teams are just about over. Once the festivities begin it will be sheer chaos, whether in the form of trades, unexpected picks or a player falling down the draft ladder.

Four high-profile quarterbacks could go in the top 10 picks, and one of the top running backs to come into the draft in years -- at least since Ezekiel Ellliott -- will also be a coveted chess piece. Add to that the litany of defensive talent available and it's clear that the 2018 Draft is one of intrigue and star power.

What follows is two different mock drafts -- a prediction of what the teams WILL do, and what they SHOULD do. The draft prediction has trades (though not a ton), while the GM one does not. In the GM version, need and best player available are both factored in, and am picking what I feel would best for the team.

2018 NFL DRAFT (PREDICTION)
1 CLEVELAND -- QB Josh Allen/Wyoming
2 NY GIANTS -- DE Bradley Chubb/NC State
3 NY JETS (from INDIANAPOLIS) -- QB Baker Mayfield/Oklahoma
4 CLEVELAND (from HOUSTON) -- RB Saquon Barkley/Penn State
5 ARIZONA (trade w/Denver) -- QB Sam Darnold/USC
6 INDIANAPOLIS (from NY JETS) -- OG Quenton Nelson/Notre Dame
7 TAMPA BAY -- DB Minkah Fitzpatrick/Alabama
8 BUFFALO (trade w/CHICAGO) -- QB Josh Rosen/UCLA
9 SAN FRANCISCO -- DE Marcus Davenport/UTSA
10 OAKLAND -- ILB Roquan Smith/Georgia
11 MIAMI -- DT Vita Vea/Washington
12 CHICAGO (trade w/BUFFALO) -- CB Denzel Ward/Ohio State
13 WASHINGTON -- ILB Tremaine Edmunds/Virginia Tech
14 GREEN BAY -- S Derwin James/Florida State
15 DENVER (trade w/ARIZONA) -- WR Calvin Ridley/Alabama
16 BALTIMORE -- OT Mike McGlinchey/Notre Dame
17 LA CHARGERS -- DT Da'Ron Payne/Alabama
18 SEATTLE -- DE Harold Landry/Boston College
19 DALLAS -- WR Courtland Sutton/SMU
20 DETROIT -- DT Taven Bryan/Florida
21 CINCINNATI (from BUFFALO) -- OG Will Hernandez/UTEP
22 CHICAGO (trade w/BUFFALO thru KANSAS CITY) -- OG Isaiah Wynn/Georgia
23 NEW ENGLAND (from LA RAMS) -- OT Kolton Miller/UCLA
24 CAROLINA -- C James Daniels/Iowa
25 TENNESSEE -- ILB Leighton Vander Esch/Boise State
26 ATLANTA -- DT Maurice Hurst/Michigan
27 NEW ORLEANS -- TE Hayden Hurst/South Carolina
28 PITTSBURGH -- CB Josh Jackson/Iowa
29 JACKSONVILLE -- WR DJ Moore/Maryland
30 MINNESOTA -- OLB Rashaan Evans/Alabama
31 NEW ENGLAND -- QB Mason Rudolph/Oklahoma State
32 PHILADELPHIA -- TE Dallas Goedert/South Dakota State

2018 NFL DRAFT (GM MODE)
1 CLEVELAND -- QB Josh Rosen/UCLA
2 NY GIANTS -- RB Saquon Barkley/Penn State
3 NY JETS -- QB Baker Mayfield/Oklahoma
4 CLEVELAND -- DE Bradley Chubb/NC State
5 DENVER -- QB Sam Darnold/USC
6 INDIANAPOLIS -- OG Quenton Nelson/Notre Dame
7 TAMPA BAY -- DB Minkah Fitzpatrick/Alabama
8 CHICAGO -- CB Denzel Ward/Ohio State
9 SAN FRANCISCO -- ILB Roquan Smith/Georgia
10 OAKLAND -- S Derwin James/Florida State
11 MIAMI -- DT Vita Vea/Washington
12 BUFFALO -- WR James Washington/Oklahoma State
13 WASHINGTON -- ILB Leighton Vander Esch/Boise State
14 GREEN BAY -- CB Josh Jackson/Iowa
15 ARIZONA -- WR Calvin Ridley/Alabama
16 BALTIMORE -- OT Mike McGlinchey/Notre Dame
17 LA CHARGERS -- DT Harrison Phillips/Stanford
18 SEATTLE -- DE Marcus Davenport/UTSA
19 DALLAS -- WR Michael Gallup/Colorsdo State
20 DETROIT -- OG Isaiah Wynn/Georgia
21 CINCINNATI -- OG Will Hernandez/UTEP
22 BUFFALO -- OLB Rashaan Evans/Alabama
23 NEW ENGLAND -- DE Harold Landry/Boston College
24 CAROLINA -- CB Isaiah Oliver/Colorado
25 TENNESSEE -- ILB Tremaine Edmunds//Virginia Tech
26 ATLANTA -- CB Jaire Alexander/Louisville
27 NEW ORLEANS -- TE Dallas Goedert/South Dakota State
28 PITTSBURGH -- RB Sony Michel/Georgia
29 JACKSONVILLE -- QB Mason Rudolph/Oklahoma State
30 MINNESOTA -- DT Taven Bryan/Florida
31 NEW ENGLAND -- OL Connor Williams/Texas
32 PHILADELPHIA -- RB Derrius Guice/LSU