100 players to know for the 2018 NFL Draft

The start of the college football season also starts the process of leading up to the 2018 NFL draft.

Many of the usual suspects are again stacked with NFL talent. Alabama has the most players in the watch list with eight, just months after having 10 players picked in the 2017 draft. Ohio State has seven players listed below after having seven picks in this year’s draft. The reigning national champion Clemson Tigers have five players on the list, led by defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

Florida State has four players on the watch list, but arguably the best draft prospect in safety Derwin James. The redshirt sophomore, all 6’3 and 220 hard hitting pounds of him, can move all around the field from safety all the way down to the defensive line. James could be the next Kam Chancellor in the NFL. That’s as long as he stays healthy. In 2015 he had 91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a freshman. He missed most of last season, though, with a knee injury. Sports Illustrated tabbed James as college football’s best player, and they just might be right.

The early expectation for the 2018 NFL draft is that it will be a strong year for quarterbacks. While it’s said almost every year, it could be true if the top signal callers continue on their current developmental trajectory.

At the top is the trio of Josh Rosen of UCLA, Sam Darnold of Southern California and Josh Allen of Wyoming. They’re all viewed as first-round picks, but each has a glaring issue. For Rosen, it’s his health after his missed part of last season with a shoulder injury. For Darnold it’s his inexperience, playing in just nine games and owning a slightly unorthodox delivery. For Allen, it’s a matter of decision making after he threw 15 interceptions and completed only 56 percent of his passes last season.

There are plenty of wild cards too. Don’t forget, at this time last year, almost no one was talking about Mitchell Trubisky or Patrick Mahomes as the top 10 picks they became. The biggest wild card is Lamar Jackson, the Heisman Trophy winner from Louisville. His athleticism is without question, but he has to make strides as a passer. Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma is full of moxy, but some teams may not like his size and reckless play style. Finally, late nights this season will be spent monitoring Luke Falk of Washington State and Jake Browning of Washington.

In the 2017 draft, running backs Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey were top 10 picks. The 2018 draft could have another one in Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. The junior has good size and speed, and he can catch the ball.

Derrius Guice, Fournette’s replacement at LSU, could challenge Barkley as the top running back. Consider that in 183 carries last season, Guice ran for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns. If not for injuries, Georgia’s Nick Chubb would be on the same level as Barkley and Guice. A healthy season could put him back there.

What’s a little different about this season is the known talent already in non-Power Five teams. SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton could have gone pro after last season and been a top 100 pick. Memphis has two draftable players on offense in quarterback Riley Ferguson and wide receiver Anthony Miller. South Dakota State’s Dallas Goedert may prove himself to be the draft’s tight end prospect. Will Hernandez, a senior guard at UTEP, is similar in many ways to Gabe Jackson of the Oakland Raiders.

With college football starting, here are the 100 players you need to know for the 2018 NFL draft: