Just about everyone thinks the Bills will trade up from No. 12 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft because of their immense arsenal of early draft picks and clear-cut need at quarterback. However, this will be GM Brandon Beane's first draft, and Buffalo has been linked to all of the top four signal-callers during the pre-draft process, so it's extremely difficult to decide which passer would be their target after moving up.
Right now, I think UCLA's Josh Rosen could be that guy. Why? Because he fits with a lot of what the Bills organizations want from its players, and that's a specific reference to the club's progressive-thinking ownership.
1. Cleveland Browns
Sam Darnold, QB, USC. All the speculation surrounding the Browns not picking Darnold at No. 1 overall is just noise.
2. New York Giants
Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State. Barkley will be considered here, but GM Dave Gettleman has a serious history investing in the defensive line with early selections.
3. New York Jets (from Indianapolis)
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming. There's a good chance the Jets view Josh Allen as the quarterback they thought they were picking when they grabbed Christian Hackenberg in the second round of the 2016 draft.
4. Buffalo Bills (via mock trade)
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA. The Bills get the most natural passer in the draft who can consistently win from the pocket. They move pick No. 12 overall, No. 22 overall and No. 96 overall for this selection and get Cleveland's lone fourth-rounder, No. 114.
5. Denver Broncos
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma. Let the Case Keenum and Mayfield quarterback battle begin. With this selection, John Elway buys himself some time and gets two similar signal-callers in his quarterback room.
6.
Indianapolis Colts
Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA. With Chubb gone, Indy wouldn't mind moving back, but the top four quarterbacks are gone too. Instead, to bolster their weak pass-rush, the Colts take Davenport, a high-upside edge-rusher with tremendous athletic talent.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State. Barkley to the Bucs? Sure, why not? Tampa Bay's backfield currently consists of -- no disrespect here -- Jacquizz Rodgers, Peyton Barber, and Dalton Crossan.
8. Chicago Bears
Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame. Prospect-position coach connection here. Nelson's offensive line coach at Notre Dame, Harry Hiestand, was hired to the same job with the Bears this offseason.
9. San Francisco 49ers
Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU. GM John Lynch continues to build around Jimmy G with a huge, athletic, power forward wideout in Sutton.
10. Oakland Raiders
Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia. Smith is a throwback player, which is exactly the type the new regime in Oakland -- namely Jon Gruden -- seems to like, and he'd fill a major need.
11. Miami Dolphins
Derwin James, S, Florida State. Reshad Jones is one of the most underrated defensive backs in football, but he's 30 and the Dolphins need more talent in their secondary. James would be a nice pick here.
12. Cleveland Browns (via mock trade)
Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State. Cleveland's pumped to land a player it considered at No. 4 with the No. 12 selection after trading back with Buffalo. Ward's a feisty man-to-man cornerback.
13. Washington Redskins
Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech. Edmunds could transcend the linebacker position as a 6-foot-4, 250-plus pound sideline-to-sideline tackling-machine.
14. Green Bay Packers
Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, Alabama. The Packers need to add more versatility to their secondary after trading Damarious Randall. Fitzpatrick can undoubtedly give them that as a slot corner-safety-blitzing extraordinaire.
15. Arizona Cardinals
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville. Jackson's too talented to slip in this draft, and Arizona gets its quarterback of the future.
16. Baltimore Ravens
Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. The Ravens still have a need at wide receiver and can't pass on Ridley here.
17. Los Angeles Chargers
Vita Vea, DT, Washington. Picks No. 16 and No. 17 are sweet spots for a quarterback to be selected to sit behind either Joe Flacco or Philip Rivers, but the Chargers try to capitalize on the final few years of Rivers' career by adding more talent to their rising defense.
18. Tennessee Titans (via mock trade with Seahawks)
Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State. Seattle needs to move back to acquire more draft capital, and the Titans are in dire need of a new leader in their linebacker corps.
19. Dallas Cowboys
Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa. The Cowboys could go Rashaan Evans, however, they can't pass on the ball-hawking Jackson who'd be an immediate impact player on the outside of their defense.
20. Detroit Lions
Harold Landry, OLB, Boston College. The Lions tagged Ziggy Ansah, which is good news for their defensive front. Will he be on the roster in 2019? Probably not. Landry isn't a traditional 4-3 end, but new head coach Matt Patricia is fine with utilizing different fronts.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (from Buffalo)
James Daniels, C, Iowa. The Bengals have a gaping hole at center, and Daniels is a young, highly athletic pivot ready to step in and change the dynamic of Cincinnati's front.
22. Cleveland Browns (via mock trade)
Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan. The Browns roster continues to look more promising after landing Darnold, Ward and now Hurst. The former Michigan star is an outstanding one-gap defensive tackle.
23. Los Angeles Rams
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State. Sammy Watkins was a big-play and clearing-route specialist for the Rams in 2017. He's now on the Chiefs. So, the Rams get Jared Goff the premier deep threat in this class in Washington.
24. Carolina Panthers
Will Hernandez, G, UTEP. Another club with a gigantic hole on its offensive line, the Panthers fill Andrew Norwell's former spot with Hernandez, a massive, surprisingly mobile guard.
25. Seattle Seahawks (via mock trade with Titans)
Taven Bryan, DL, Florida. After the slide back, the Seahawks get an ultra-versatile defensive linemen with on-field flashes of J.J. Watt who also had a similar combine to the Texans' superstar.
26. Atlanta Falcons
Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama. The Falcons need to get stronger on the interior of their defense, and they get a multi-dimensional talent in Payne.
27. New Orleans Saints
Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State. Need a quarterback ready to run a spread, pass-happy offense? How about Rudolph? He'd sit behind Brees for at least a year and could become a top-flight quarterback right away when he takes over.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Hughes, CB, UCF. The Steelers defense took a big step forward for long stretches in 2017, yet it needs more aggression in its secondary. Hughes would bring plenty of that.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame. The Jaguars will love McGlinchey's run-blocking prowess for their ground-and-pound attack.
30. Minnesota Vikings
Connor Williams, OT, Texas. The Vikings have a glaring need on the edge of their offensive line, and although some see Williams as a guard at the next level, he has legitimate pass-blocking skills due to his athletic talents and fundamentally sound hand placement.
31. New England Patriots
Josh Sweat, DE, Florida State. The Patriots place a high priority on athleticism, and Sweat had a Jadeveon Clowney-esque workout in Indianapolis. He'd be a three-down player in New England.
32. Philadelphia Eagles
Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA. In Lane Johnson, the Eagles have a tall, plus athlete at right tackle. They get a similar player in Miller to man the left tackle position after the Jason Peters era is over.
