2018 NFL Mock Draft: Broncos hit the reset button at QB with Mason Rudolph
John Elway addresses the Broncos' major need at quarterback by drafting the Oklahoma State star
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The Broncos are turning to Paxton Lynch for their Week 12 outing against the Raiders. If John Elway can't lure a free-agent quarterback to come to Denver in March, he'll likely look to the draft for a passer.
Mason Rudolph just had his worst game of the season at home in a loss to Kansas State. Elway will look past that and focus on the senior's overall body of work during an illustrious career at Oklahoma State.
While he doesn't have Matthew Stafford's arm, Rudolph knows where to go with the football, manages the pocket well, and has good downfield touch.
As we're heading into Week 12, I'm now using the official draft order.
1. Cleveland Browns
Lamar Jackson QB, Louisville. Jackson's the best quarterback prospect in this class, the Browns need a quarterback and are picking first. This isn't difficult. He'd give the Browns a dynamic weapon on offense who just happens to be a quite polished quarterback prospect too. Hue Jackson would love having Jackson as his starter -- if he's still coaching in Cleveland in 2018.
2. San Francisco 49ers
Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU. I'm on #TeamBigWR and, more specifically, believe contested-catch ability is more important than pure speed at the wide receiver position. Sutton is a high-point monster who can make defenders miss in the open field after he makes grabs downfield. Jimmy G's new best friend right here.
3. New York Giants
Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma. I'm not convinced the Giants are ready to move on from Eli Manning. Because of that thought, in this mock, New York addresses the offensive tackle spot with Brown, the enormous but athletic left tackle from Oklahoma. He'll immediately help the Giants run game and serve as a quality pass-protector.
4. Denver Broncos
Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State. Suddenly, the Broncos need a quarterback. Badly. Really though, they got about as much as they could have reasonably expected out of Trevor Siemian. However, Paxton Lynch's ineffectiveness and injuries have kept Brock Osweiler on the field, and we all know how Brock has played.
5. Indianapolis Colts
Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia. The Colts defense has actually held its own this season, much more than the unit did under former GM Ryan Grigson, that's for sure. But it needs a game-changing off-ball linebacker. Current GM Chris Ballard was in the Kansas City organization for years and witnessed first-hand the impact a player like Derrick Johnson can have on a defense. Smith is the most well-rounded off-ball linebacker in the class.
6. Chicago Bears
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State. Mitchell Trubisky is slowly but surely displaying good signs as the Bears starting quarterback. And he's doing that with a rag-tag group of wide receivers. With Washington, the young signal-caller gets a scintillating deep threat who'll also do the dirty work as a chain-mover.
7. Los Angeles Chargers
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA. This is a pick for the future, as Philip Rivers has proven to still be a capable NFL quarterback. For as much hype as Rosen as received in his three years at UCLA, he's still only 20 years old. Like Rivers did in the mid-2000s, Rosen will sit behind a veteran for a season or two before taking over the Chargers offense.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA. Staying with the "teams keep the status quo at quarterback" theme of this mock, the Bengals hang onto Andy Dalton for (at least) one more year and get him a steady pass-protecting offensive tackle, something he needs to thrive as a passer. Miller probably won't be Andrew Whitworth 2.0 right away, but he'll be a riser during draft season.
9. Arizona Cardinals
Sam Darnold, QB, USC. Darnold is a gun-slinger. He's not super-reckless with the football, yet he has accounted for quite a few turnovers this season. Because of his unafraid mentality behind center, he makes an assortment of "wow" connections with his receivers too. Tell me he doesn't sound like the ideal quarterback for Bruce Arians to mold.
10. Oakland Raiders
Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State. Khalil Mack is a top three edge-rusher in football. Beyond him, the Raiders pass-rush is non-existent, particularly on the edges. Chubb can play three downs for Oakland and be as equally effective against the run and pass. He's ready to be a major contributor from Day 1.
11. Cleveland Browns from Texans
Derwin James, S, Florida State. Safeties in back-to-back first rounds for Cleveland? Sure, why not? James can play weakside linebacker or man the free safety position and use his athleticism to range from center field. Also, he'll be a valuable blitzer in Gregg Williams' blitz-heavy scheme.
12. New York Jets
Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, Alabama. Todd Bowles will lean toward adding another youthful member to his secondary. Like James, Fitzpatrick is a long, versatile defensive back. He can play cornerback or safety and would be the Jets' No. 1 boundary cornerback right away.
13. Washington Redskins
Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame. Somewhat quietly, the Redskins have gotten awesome return on investment from first-round guard Brandon Scherff. Unfortunately for Washington, its other guard spot needs work. That's where Nelson would step in. With Scherff and Nelson on the interior, the Redskins would be much better equipped to face the trio of dynamic pass-rushes in their division.
14. Miami Dolphins
Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan. Ja'Wuan James has actually turned out to be a serviceable right tackle. The same can't necessarily be said about Laremy Tunsil on the left side. He'll stay inside at guard with the addition of Okorafor, a mountain of a left tackle with outstanding footwork and balance.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Arden Key, DE, LSU. Tampa Bay has some issues on defense, and the most glaring need is on the outside of their defensive line. Key is a freaky specimen who looks the part of defensive end, part outside linebacker. At 6-foot-6, he'll be a real presence in the Buccaneers pass rush. If healthy, he has 10-plus sack ability.
16. Dallas Cowboys
Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa. The Cowboys picked some cornerbacks in the 2017 draft, and while I liked both Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie, Jackson has more potential as a lockdown outside cornerback capable of covering different types of wide receivers. He currently has seven interceptions and 17 pass breakups. He's a stud.
17. Buffalo Bills
Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan. The Bills need an infusion of young talent on their defensive line more than anything else. Hurst is the premier pass-rushing defensive tackle in the class, and he's a load against the run. He'll ultimately become the central figure in Buffalo's defensive front four.
18. Green Bay Packers
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, OLB, Oklahoma. Green Bay runs a pretty traditional 3-4 defense, a scheme that's meant to highlight the linebackers. On the edges, the Packers simply don't have enough juice anymore. Okoronkwo has plenty of juice off the edge. Perfect match! The Oklahoma standout has eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss this season. He wins with speed and bend around the corner.
19. Seattle Seahawks
Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP. I can't bear to watch another game with Russell Wilson running around to extend plays like I did in my friend's backyard in the mid-1990s. While your mind first goes to the offensive tackle position for Seattle, how about a guard to limit NFC West interior pass rushers like Aaron Donald and DeForest Buckner? Hernandez isn't a household name, yet. He's a brick wall in pass-protection and agile enough to work well in Seattle's zone-blocking scheme.
20. Detroit Lions
Marcus Davenport, DE, UT-San Antonio. Another small school sleeper. I chronicled Davenport's awesomeness a week ago. He's a productive, rocked-up defensive end loaded with springiness, length, and a wide variety of pass-rushing moves. He'll be the perfect replacement for Ziggy Ansah if Detroit decides to move on from their 2013 first-round pick in the offseason.
21. Baltimore Ravens
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State. Ozzie Newsome would likely be ecstatic if Barkley was still available at No. 21 overall, but even if he's not, look for Baltimore to draft one of the many ultra-talented running backs in his class. Barkley has serious feature back talent.
22. Tennessee Titans
Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson. Right now, the Titans are getting a ton out of Brian Orakpo, and Derrick Morgan has had his moments on the edge in 2017. Tennessee's pass rush needs to get younger though. Ferrell's a rangy defensive end with his best football ahead of him, as he's only a redshirt sophomore.
23. Atlanta Falcons
Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State. To boost their already high-powered passing attack, the Falcons go wideout in Round 1. Gallup isn't super flashy. He won't run the fastest 40 at the combine. He's not 6-foot-4 with a 230-pound frame. He's just a refined wideout who can get open, make tough grabs, and elude defenders in the open field. He had 1,272 yards with 12 touchdowns last year and has 1,350 yards with 14 scores this season.
24. Los Angeles Rams
Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State. If the Rams have a clear weakness, especially projecting to the future, it's at cornerback with Trumaine Johnson unlikely to return. Ward doesn't have Johnson's size, yet he's a similarly pesky cornerback who consistently plays the ball in the air. The Ohio State standout has 11 pass breakups this season.
25. Buffalo Bills from Chiefs
Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis. No quarterback? Nope. This is the status quo at quarterback mock, remember? Also, without the top four quarterbacks available, the Bills take who they believe is the best player on the board in Miller. Beyond that, they need more wideout help. Miller's a former walk-on who morphed into one of the nation's most accomplished receivers. He'll bring a speed element to Buffalo's passing game.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
Connor Williams, OT, Texas. The Jaguars are winning games with remarkably stingy defense and a decent running game. But their offensive line (and quarterback play) leaves a lot to be desired. While they seem to be content with Cam Robinson at left tackle, Williams would be an upgrade in the play-to-play reliability department at that position for Jacksonville.
27. Carolina Panthers
Rasheem Green, DE, USC. This might be higher than Green ultimately goes, yet he'd be a wonderful fit as a sturdy strongside defensive end in Carolina's 4-3 alignment. Some teams will like Green as a block-eating 3-4 end, yet that'd be wasting his pass-rushing skill. The Trojans star has eight sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss this season.
28. Minnesota Vikings
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU. Hear me out on this selection. Dalvin Cook looked as advertised before going down with a season-ending injury as a rookie. However, he carried a gigantic workload at Florida State. It wouldn't hurt the Vikings to complement Cook with a bruiser with electric cutting ability. The two runners would formulate a phenomenal one-two punch in Minnesota's backfield. For a team without a clear-cut roster hole, Guice is a best player available pick.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers
Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado. The Steelers could use more cornerback reinforcement, especially with Joe Haden likely only sticking around for one year. Oliver can excels in man and has the supreme physical gifts to run with even the speediest wide receivers in the NFL.
30. New Orleans Saints
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma. This is another scenario in which a team plans for the future at the quarterback spot. Mayfield isn't a prospect of Brees caliber, yet he's been playing "point guard" for the wide-open Oklahoma offense for a while now and could stand to learn a great deal about Sean Payton's offense from Brees.
31. New England Patriots
Deontay Burnett, WR, USC. The Patriots prioritize offensive skill-position players who can make defenders miss. Per Pro Football Focus, Burnett has forced 11 missed tackles as a receiver this season on 73 receptions. He's a smaller, twitchy pass-catcher with reliable hands and outstanding body control.
32. Philadelphia Eagles
Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame. The Eagles are on fire on offense and defense. Looking at their roster, a logical move would be to draft a left tackle to eventually replace perennial All-Pro Jason Peters. McGlinchey needs quicker foot speed to deal with speed rushers but dominates in the run game.
