2018 NFL mock draft: Baker Mayfield back in play at No. 1

While everyone else was getting ready for the Super Bowl, the Cleveland Browns were getting ready for the 2018 NFL draft.

On Sunday, word came out the Browns were bringing in former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan to help consult on this year’s draft. Regarded as one of the league’s top talent evaluators, that comes with an interesting wrinkle.

In October McCloughan went on record saying Baker Mayfield would be the quarterback he would pick to run a franchise. Suffice to say, you don’t bring in someone like McCloughan just to ignore what he has to say.

Here’s this week’s mock draft:

Whether or not McCloughan still believes Mayfield is this draft’s franchise savior we’ll soon find out. If that’s the case, and general manager John Dorsey likes him as well, the Browns should go after the electric Oklahoma quarterback.

If both Darnold and Josh Rosen of UCLA are available, it would present the Giants with a difficult decision. Darnold isn’t a perfect quarterback prospect by any means, but he closed the season strong and doesn’t have Rosen’s injury questions.

When the Colts are choosing between Chubb and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, it may come down to pass rusher being a more valued position than running back. Chubb is one of the draft’s five best players, so it’s not like this is that much of a stretch.

Speaking of players among the five best in this year’s draft, Fitzpatrick is arguably the top overall player. Fitzpatrick can be used in coverage in the slot, and he’s good at coming up making tackles and blitzing.

This pick continues to be made with the opinion that the Broncos will sign Kirk Cousins this offseason. Though you do have to wonder what Denver will do if they think Rosen will be available with the fifth overall pick.

The Jets would love to see Rosen slip to them with the sixth pick. In fact, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Jets to leapfrog Denver to make sure they can get him if needed.

Å pass rusher is usually shoehorned in for the Buccaneers, but if Barkley is still available he makes some sense. Doug Martin has started only half of Tampa’s games the last two seasons and is too inconsistent to be considered a featured back.

Remember in last year’s draft how three wide receivers were picked in the top 10 and no one expected it? Ridley could go unexpectedly high this year because there’s such a disparity between him and the second-best wideout this year.

The Raiders finished 24th in the NFL in run defense last season and need to add a couple of pieces to the middle of the defense this offseason. Vea is the biggest and best run stopper in this year’s draft, so the fit seems obvious.

If Nelson and Ridley are both gone, the 49ers could turn to the secondary. What Ward lacks in size, he makes up for in speed and instincts.

The Dolphins are another team that finished poorly in run defense last season, but unlike the Raiders they don’t need help along the defensive line. Instead, Miami needs a talented linebacker, and no linebacker in this year’s draft chases down the ball better than Smith. He’s a three-down player, and his only major flaw is that he’s not a threatening pass rusher.

If the Bengals want to return to being a playoff team, fixing the offensive line once and for all has to happen. Brown is a mauler of an offensive tackle who makes up for athleticism with his sheer size.

The Alex Smith trade obviously changes things in a big way for Washington. No longer is there a need here to stretch on picking someone like Josh Allen of Wyoming. In fact, the move could allow Washington to move back to accumulate more draft capital. But if they stick here, there’s no shame in taking Payne to help bolster the run defense.

Edmunds is one of the youngest players in this year’s draft class, and he’s an athletic linebacker with projectable traits. He’ll need to continue working his pass rush moves, but it in the draft it can be hard to pass up this type of raw potential.

It’s hard to peg the Cardinals until some of the quarterback dominoes start to fall this offseason. But if they want to start building for the future with new head coach Steve Wilks, that might mean taking a quarterback high in the draft. Allen shouldn’t be put in a position to start straight away, but his potential is high.

With Terrell Suggs in the twilight of his career, the Ravens should desperately be after his replacement. That could be Davenport, who could remind Baltimore fans of Adalius Thomas.

With the futures of Corey Liuget and Brandon Mebane potentially up in the air, the Chargers could look to add a run stopper this offseason. Phillips was incredibly productive at Stanford and should be able to line up at a couple of different spots on the interior of the defensive line.

Seattle is another team that is hard to project because of the amount of question marks about the future of its current players. One of those players is safety Kam Chancellor. If he’s not back next season, a player like James is stylistically similar.

This is about as bad of a draw as there could be for Dallas on draft night. Hurst is easily the best defensive lineman available here and would give the Cowboys another lineman who can get after both the run and the pass.

This may seem early for a running back, but the Lions have an obvious need at the position. Ideally there would be a trade back here to accumulate another pick. But getting Guice, or even Ronald Jones II of USC, would give Detroit a lead back who would add a new wrinkle to the offense.

Welcome back to this week’s edition of draft picks that will enrage Buffalo Bills fans. Jackson is by far the top quarterback available this deep into the first round. He got much better last season sitting in the pocket and working through progressions. He still takes off and runs too much, but his development isn’t over. Besides, when the other options are backups and Nathan Peterman, Jackson is a better choice. That is, unless this pick gets moved for Super Bowl darling Nick Foles.

After Nelson, Price is the draft’s top interior offensive lineman. He’s a powerful blocker capable of playing center or guard. With Eric Wood’s retirement imminent, the Bills need to find a starter in the middle. There is no better option in this draft than Price.

Trumaine Johnson is poised to sign perhaps the largest contract for a cornerback in NFL history. With Aaron Donald likely getting a new deal, that means Johnson may have priced himself out of Los Angeles. If so, a player like Jackson is a near-identical replacement.

The Panthers can’t go another season with Matt Kalil playing left tackle. Williams isn’t a perfect left tackle prospect, but some consider him the top tackle in this year’s class. He’s a good athlete for the position, and has power. He just needs to work on his technique. If he can do that he has a long future in the NFL.

Landry would get top-15 consideration had he not been slowed down last season due to an ankle injury. He fits nicely on Dean Pees’ defense as an outside edge rusher.

This choice was down to Wynn or Florida defensive lineman Taven Bryan. In an either-or situation, best player available should win out. That is Wynn, an impressive guard prospect who held his own when Georgia moved him to left tackle last season.

It’s going to be impossible to top last year’s stellar rookie class for the Saints, but a top-flight tight end is a good start. Goedert is a good pass catcher for a tight end and is comfortable in space and working up the field. He would thrive in New Orleans’ offense.

Evans is a fringe first-round pick who could be brought in Ryan Shazier’s replacement. Although Evans played more on the outside in college, his NFL position may be on the inside to take advantage of his instincts and speed.

If Jacksonville’s offense is going to be built around Leonard Fournette (which it obviously should be), Hernandez would be a smart addition to the offensive line. He’s an excellent run blocker and has the power to open up massive holes for the second-year star running back.

At 39, Terence Newman’s long NFL career may be coming to a close. If he retires, the Vikings will need another cornerback to go along with Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. Hughes is an aggressive press cornerback, and head coach Mike Zimmer would love his play style.

It’s pretty safe to say Malcolm Butler won’t be back. Fortunately for New England there’s a surplus of first-round cornerbacks in this year’s draft. Hughes would be the preference, but Davis isn’t a bad consolation prize by any stretch.

At 36, Jason Peters may not be long for the NFL, especially after tearing his ACL and MCL in October. McGlinchey would be a smart choice if he drops in the first round. He’s not the most athletic left tackle, but he’s a technically sound blocker with tons of experience at Notre Dame.