If the television ratings from the 2018 NFL Draft are any indication, there's definitely some serious interest in this year's draft class. 

As a matter of fact, there's so much interest that this year's draft actually set the all-time record for most viewers. The NFL will be hoping that the TV ratings from the draft translate to higher ratings in the regular season, which is completely possible, and that's because some of the draft's biggest stars will be going up against each other in must-see games this year. 

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We won't even have to wait long to see the best rookie matchups, and that's because the fun starts in Week 1 when the Browns host the Steelers in a game that will pit two electrifying rookies against each other. We'll find out pretty quickly if the Browns drafted another first-round bust, and that's because No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward is going to have his hands full with a Steelers receiving corps that includes fellow rookie, former Oklahoma State receiver James Washington. 

Sure, that matchup will be fun to watch, but it didn't even crack our top five for most exciting rookie matchups of 2018. What did? Let's get to the list of the seven most exciting rookie matchups of 2018, starting with Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. . 

1. Sam Darnold vs. Josh Allen

Best QB vs. QB rookie matchup
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo
Date: Dec. 9 (Week 14)

Although these two teams will be playing each other twice in 2018, we're only listing the second game here, and that's because there's a good chance that both quarterbacks will have earned the starting job by the time this game rolls around. 

This will be a December game in Buffalo, which means it will be a good time for Allen to prove that he's the perfect quarterback for the blizzard conditions in western New York. Since the end of the draft, you may have noticed that if there's one thing people haven't stopped talking about in regards to Allen, it's the fact that he was the one quarterback in the draft who was best suited for Buffalo's weather.  

I mean, if Hoth had a football team, it definitely would have drafted Allen. In this game, there's going to be a lot of pressure on Allen and that's mainly because the first rule of being a cold-weather quarterback is that you better not lose to a guy who was raised in Southern California, which Darnold was. 

Although Allen is the one joining a team that went to the playoffs last season, you could certainly argue that Darnold has been drafted into a better situation. For one, Darnold will be competing for the starting job in New York with a quarterback (Josh McCown) who seemingly wants to help him more than compete with him. 

"The best thing I can do is look back in five years and Sam Darnold is in the Pro Bowl," McCown told the New York Daily News. 

On the other hand, Allen is going to be in a free-for-all against AJ McCarron for the Bills' starting job. After spending four years as a backup in Cincinnati, there's a zero percent chance that McCarron is going to want to emulate the mentor role that McCown is playing for the Jets.

Even if McCarron fizzles out and Allen wins the starting job, he's not going to have much help. The Bills have lost two offensive lineman to retirement this offseason (Eric Wood, Richie Incognito), their starting running back will be 30 by the time the regular season starts and their top two receivers. well, they might have some trouble catching passes from Allen. 

So what does this all mean? It means that you should circle December 9 on your calendar, because we'll likely be getting the first taste of a quarterback rivalry in the AFC East that could last into the next decade. 

2. Josh Rosen vs. Derwin James

Best QB vs. DB rookie matchup
Arizona at L.A. Chargers
Date: Nov. 25 (Week 12)

Another rookie quarterback who could end up starting this year is Josh Rosen in Arizona. To win the Cardinals job, all Rosen has to do is beat out a quarterback who can't stay healthy (Sam Bradford) and beat out another quarterback who lost his job to a rookie last year (Mike Glennon). Basically, it seems like a lock that Rosen is going to be the starter at some point this season. 

If Rosen does win the starting job, he'll be facing multiple rookie defensive backs during his first season as quarterback -- including the Jaire Alexander/Josh Jackson combo in Green Bay and Mike Hughes in Minnesota. However, we're giving the nod to Rosen vs. Derwin James for our top matchup ranking, because there's a good chance James will be playing more snaps than any other rookie defensive back who was selected in this year's draft. 

James is almost certainly going to be the starting strong safety for the Chargers, and by Week 12, he should be pretty comfortable in his role. Rosen's not really going to get to enjoy Thanksgiving weekend, because in this game, which is being played three days after Turkey Day, Rosen will be going up against a Chargers defense that ranked third overall in the NFL against the pass last season, and that was before they added James. You could make a strong argument that the Chargers have the best secondary in the NFL heading into 2018, which means this could turn into an ugly game for Rosen. 

The Cardinals actually have a pretty brutal schedule for a team that might be starting a rookie quarterback. Of the top-five passing defenses in the NFL last season, Rosen might have to face three of them -- Minnesota, Denver and the Chargers -- over a seven-week period, if he wins the starting job by Week 6. 

3. Kolton Miller vs. Bradley Chubb

Best OT vs. DE rookie matchup
Oakland vs. Denver 
Dates: Week 2 (Sept. 16 at Denver) and Week 16 (Dec. 24 at Oakland)

Although there's no guarantee Miller will be a starter by the time the regular season rolls around, we're ranking this matchup No. 3, because we're going to assume that he ends up winning the right tackle job in Oakland. If he does win the job, the Raiders are going to find out pretty quickly whether or not taking Miller with the 15th overall pick was a good idea. 

Not only does Miller have to go up against the Rams in Week 1 -- hello, Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh -- but if he survives that, then he has to deal with fellow rookie Bradley Chubb and the Broncos in Week 2. It's a brutal opening schedule for a right tackle that Raiders fans don't seem too excited about. The Raiders had some gaping holes on defense and could have selected either Derwin James or Tremaine Edmunds, but instead, they went with Miller. 

Of course, if Miller completely shuts down the pass rush of both the Rams and the Broncos during his first two regular season games as an NFL player, then Jon Gruden is going to look like a genius and he'll have earned every penny of his $100 million contract in just two weeks. Oh, and just in case you're scoring at home, that's 10 billion pennies. 

On the other hand, Chubb could make a name for himself in this game if he can rack up a few sacks on Derek Carr. The Raiders only surrendered 24 sacks in 2017, which was tied for the third fewest in the NFL. 

4. Roquan Smith vs. Sony Michel/Isaiah Wynn

Best matchup of former teammates
New England at Chicago
Date: Oct. 21 (Week 7)

Roquan Smith probably didn't get to hit his offensive teammates too often during practice in college, but that's going to change in October, when the Bears host the Patriots for a Week 7 showdown that University of Georgia fans will probably want to make sure they watch. 

The school had three first-round picks this year, and there's a good chance that they will all be playing in this game. For the Bears, there's a good chance Smith will be a starting inside linebacker from Day 1. If that happens, you can fully expect Smith to bump heads with both Michel and Wynn at Soldier Field. 

As a matter of fact, if Michel is getting steady playing time in New England's backfield, then Smith is probably going to spend all four quarters of the game chasing his former teammate from sideline to sideline. If Michel's college playing style translates to the NFL, then it's probably going to be a long day of chasing him for Smith. Michel averaged an absurd 7.9 yards per carry during his senior season at Georgia last year. 

One person Smith won't have to chase is Wynn, and that's because the two will likely be butting heads directly in the trenches, if the offensive lineman is on the field for New England. Although it's not clear where the Patriots will have Wynn, the versatile lineman can play both guard and tackle. Over the past two years at UGA, Wynn started 15 games at left tackle and 12 at left guard. Wherever the Patriots decide to put him, you can rest assured that Smith will find him. 

5. Jaire Alexander/Josh Jackson vs. Calvin Ridley

Best WR vs. DB rookie matchup
Atlanta at Green Bay
Date: Dec. 9 (Week 14)

It's a good thing that Alexander and Jackson are going to have 12 games to get their feet wet before facing the Falcons, because they're definitely going to need it. In what should be one of the best rookie matchups of the year, Week 14 is going to give us the 26th overall pick (Ridley) trying to get open against the Packers' top two picks in the 2018 draft.

This game is going to be a huge test for Alexander and Jackson, and not just because they'll be going up against Ridley. They'll also have to face an explosive Falcons offense that includes Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. You throw Ridley in there and it's almost like someone gave the Falcons a Madden cheat code. If Ridley proved one thing in college, it's that it's nearly impossible to slow him down. 

As for Jackson and Alexander, if they do struggle against the Falcons offense, the good news for them is that the rest of their December should be slightly easier. From Weeks 13 thru 16, the Packers will potentially be facing Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold and Mitchell Trubisky, which seems arguably easier than trying to stop Matt Ryan. 

6. James Washington vs. Denzel Ward

Another great WR vs. DB rookie matchup
Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh
Dates: Week 1 (Sept. 9 at Cleveland) and Week 8 (Oct. 28 at Pittsburgh) 

Although we ranked the Packers-Falcons rookie matchup higher, you could have made a strong argument to put Ward vs. Washington there, and that's because these two rookies are going to be meeting twice a year for the foreseeable future. If the Browns can turn their rivalry with the Steelers into an actual rivalry, then this matchup could turn into must-see TV. However, if you've watched any Browns-Steelers game over the past 15 years, then you've probably noticed that it's usually the opposite of must-see TV. Since 2004, the Browns have gone 3-25 against the Steelers, which is such an ugly record that not even a potentially awesome rookie matchup will be able to save it. 

Basically, let's hope that the Browns are actually good this year -- or at least close to good -- so we can fully appreciate Washington going up against Ward two times in the first eight weeks of the season. 

7. Lamar Jackson vs. Baker Mayfield?

Best wild-card matchup
Cleveland at Baltimore
Date: Dec. 30 (Week 17)

You can't write a story about rookie matchups without mentioning the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, so I created a wild card slot, just so I could mention that draft's two most intriguing quarterbacks: Mayfield and Jackson. Now, the thought of these guys starting against each other this year might sound crazy -- which is why I'm listing this as a wild card -- but there is a not-so-crazy scenario that could give us this Heisman showdown. 

Although the Browns and Ravens play twice in 2018, I'm only listing the second game, because that's where this might happen. The second game is being played in Week 17, which is a week where anything usually goes in the NFL. If the Ravens have clinched a playoff spot or if the Ravens have given up on Joe Flacco at this point, both of which are possible, then there's a good chance that Ravens would let Jackson start the final game of the season.

The same reasoning applies to Cleveland. If the Browns are horrible in 2018, then you can almost guarantee that Mayfield will be given the starting quarterback job at some point. On the other hand, if Tyrod Taylor somehow leads the Browns to the playoffs -- stop laughing, it's possible -- then the Browns could let Mayfield start in Week 17, if there's nothing on the line (see: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last year). 

Although I hate watching games when there's nothing on the line, there is a one million percent chance that I would watch a meaningless Week 17 game between Lamar Jackson and Baker Maryfield, especially if one or both of them was making their first career start. Heisman winner vs. Heisman winner? Who's not going to watch that?

You know what, I'd even make an entire production out of it. I'd put the thing in primetime, have Nissan set up the Heisman house and let Tim Tebow handle the coin toss in an effort to involve as many former Heisman winners as possible. I'm now rooting for this matchup to happen.