2018 NFL mock draft: SB Nation’s writers make their picks

Here we are, down to the final pick in the 12th Annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft.

Of course, the pick is owned by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia is in a strong position to trade back. There will be a lot of good players still on the board, and the Eagles are without a pick on the second day of the draft.

Will the New England Patriots take a quarterback high in the 2018 NFL Draft, or won’t they? That’s going to be one of the major storylines Thursday night as the Patriots have two first-round selections in the draft.

With pick Nos. 23 and 31, New England could conceivably jump into the back half of the top 10 to get a quarterback. Or they could stay on their picks and see who is left. If the Patriots don’t take a quarterback, they can load up and re-stock a roster that took the team to the Super Bowl.

After finishing last season 13-3 and going to the NFC Championship game, the Minnesota Vikings haven’t been quiet this offseason.

Minnesota made arguably the biggest move in free agency by signing starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed $84 million contract. Starting defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson was also signed a one-year prove-it deal, eliminating what many considered the team’s biggest draft need.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the darlings of the NFL last season, surging into the playoffs with a 10-6 record. With a young and exciting team, and a fervent fan base, the Jaguars are a team that could consistently find themselves in the playoffs and making a push for the Super Bowl.

Of course to do that the team has to get a consistent effort out of quarterback Blake Bortles. If the team is concerned he’s regressing, there is potential for the Jaguars to find his replacement early in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the hardest teams to project in the 2018 NFL Draft.

You can realistically argue several different directions they should take. Ryan Shazier will miss the season, so linebacker might make sense. The Steelers have seemingly needed a good safety since Troy Polamalu retired. Even a quarterback could be under consideration because Ben Roethlisberger is 36 and has just two years left on his contract.

The Atlanta Falcons need defensive tackles. The Atlanta Falcons need defensive tackles. The Atlanta Falcons need defensive tackles. The Atlanta Falcons need defensive tackles. The Atlanta Falcons need defensive tackles.

What direction do you think Dave Choate of The Falcoholic takes for the Atlanta Falcons in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft?

The Tennessee Titans are a team that should be on the brink of getting over the hump.

Marcus Mariota is entering his fourth season in the NFL, and the team landed a playoff spot after finishing last season at 9-7. They even knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round.

Since 2012, the Carolina Panthers have been a yo-yo franchise. They’ll have a losing season then a winning season, then back to a losing season.

After going 6-10 in 2016, the Panthers bounced back in 2017 and finished 11-5 before losing in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs to New Orleans. After the season, highly regarded defensive coordinator Steve Wilks left to become the head coach in Arizona.

In a bold move earlier this month, the New England Patriots shipped Brandin Cooks off to the Los Angeles Rams instead of giving the young wide receiver a new contract. The return of the injured Julian Edelman made the move low risk while the Patriots got a first-round pick back in return.

Two first-round choices gives New England a lot of options in the draft. After losing starting offensive tackles Nate Solder and Cameron Fleming in free agency, the offensive line needs some work. Cornerback Malcolm Butler is gone to Tennessee, so a cornerback makes a lot of sense too. Then, in addition to shipping off Cooks, receiver Danny Amendola signed with the Miami Dolphins. At the least, a depth piece could be added to the receiver group.

Earlier in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft, the Buffalo Bills were able to score a starting quarterback with Josh Allen at No. 12. Whether or not you like Allen, it was a good play.

Now here with the 22nd pick, Matt Warren of Buffalo Rumblings has some options. There are a few linebackers available that make sense, and several different offensive linemen could be taken.

In the 2015 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals used their first two picks on offensive tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher. The pair should have been the bookends Cincinnati needed to consistently push for an AFC North title. Instead, they’ve been disasters.

In an effort to fix their line this offseason, the Bengals traded the 12th pick in the draft to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the 21st selection and offensive tackle Cordy Glenn. It was a positive step, but then center Russell Bodine bolted in free agency. Now Cincinnati needs to find a starter at the pivot position.

There are numerous directions the Detroit Lions could take in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Detroit could use a starter at pass rusher, running back, interior offensive lineman, and defensive tackle.

New head coach Matt Patricia comes from New England with the philosophy of building from the middle out. In the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft, there are plenty of options up the middle, including Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan, UTEP guard Will Hernandez, and even LSU running back Derrius Guice.

A year after taking the NFL by storm with a 13-3 record, the Dallas Cowboys fell back to Earth last season with a 9-7 record. While most of the blame is due to running back Ezekiel Elliott missing five games, the defense often struggled. The Cowboys gave up 27 or more points in six of their losses last season, and the unit needs some re-tooling.

After only signing pass rusher Kony Ealy and linebacker Joe Thomas, those changes will need to come in the draft. The trouble is, after releasing Dez Bryant, Dallas also needs a wide receiver. They could use a guard as well.

The Seattle Seahawks are at a bit of a crossroads as a franchise. The coaching staff has been overhauled under Pete Carroll and several popular veterans are gone. That includes defensive stalwarts Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett, as the team still waits to hear about the future of Kam Chancellor.

Because of the uncertainty now in Seattle, this is a critical draft. Unfortunately, Seattle is without picks in the second and third rounds. In the actual draft, the expectation is that the Seahawks will trade back from the 18th pick. But in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft, there are no trades.

We’re now past the halfway point of the 12th Annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft. Even though four quarterbacks have been picked thus far, nine of the 16 picks came on defense.

We’re now up to the Los Angeles Chargers, with the pick coming from Richard Wade of Bolts from the Blue. The Chargers are a team where it’s truly a toss-up of whether they go offense or defense in the first round.

There are numerous teams in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft that could surprisingly take a quarterback. We know the obvious teams that should target a signal caller, but a team like Baltimore is in a group that includes the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers that could theoretically take a quarterback.

However, with Joe Flacco still under contract for the next three seasons, the Ravens could look in another direction early in the draft. That could include offensive line, linebacker, wide receiver, and tight end.

The Arizona Cardinals are a team on the brink. If they hit their draft picks and Sam Bradford can somehow manage to stay healthy, they could again be a playoff team. If they miss and Bradford again struggles with injuries, this is a team that could plummet in the standings.

Part of the problem has been the team’s past three first-round picks. The Cardinals have gotten very little from, offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (2015), defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche (2016), and edge rusher Hasson Reddick (2017). While it’s too late to call the latter a bust, some of the luster is off respected general manager Steve Keim.

The Green Bay Packers have only signed four free agents this offseason, but each is a player who should take up a roster spot. The biggest splash was tight end Jimmy Graham, who signed a three-year contract. That acquisition eliminated arguably the Packers’ biggest need.

The team rolled the dice on Muhammad Wilkerson, in what could be a great one-year rental, Tramon Williams was brought back to help at cornerback, and the team even traded for developmental quarterback DeShone Kizer.

Other than Jonathan Allen, last year’s first-round pick, Washington has few impact players along the defensive line. That’s why it is somewhat puzzling that the team only signed veteran Phil Taylor this offseason. That has made it clear the team will go into the 2018 NFL Draft in search of at least one talented player up front.

The question is who fits best. Allen’s teammate, Da’Ron Payne, would give Washington a pair of gap pluggers up front. Someone like Taven Bryan of Florida could play at end and help create pressure.

The Miami Dolphins are in a weird spot as a franchise. They’ve only had one winning season since 2009, but they’re not necessarily a bad team. They’re also not a good team. They’re in some type of NFL purgatory.

In an effort to get back to the playoffs, the Dolphins have made some interesting moves. Defensive end Robert Quinn was acquired in a trade, and starting guard Josh Sitton and wide receivers Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson were signed.

The Oakland Raiders were one of the most disappointing teams of 2017. After making the players in 2016, the Raiders were looked at as a team on the rise featuring quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Amari Cooper and pass rusher Khalil Mack.

But after a 6-10 season, the Raiders fired head coach Jack Del Rio and brought back Jon Gruden. This offseason, the Raiders have signed a bunch of players, but other than wide receiver Jordy Nelson few of them are stars. To find those players the Raiders will turn to the draft.

Three of the first five picks in the 12th annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft have been quarterback. That means for a team like the Indianapolis Colts will have the pick of one of the draft’s top players.

The way this mock draft has played out, North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb is gone. But the Colts could still consider a pass rusher like Harold Landry, a player who might go much higher in the draft than you think.

The final choice of the day in the 12th annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft is the Denver Broncos at No. 5 overall. Making the choice for Denver is Scotty Payne of Mile High Report.

The Broncos are in an interesting position at fifth overall. At least two quarterbacks will be gone by the time the Broncos are on the clock. The last quarterback Denver took in the first round, Paxton Lynch in 2016, was also the third signal caller picked. On the flip side, last year’s third quarterback taken was Deshaun Watson. Is Denver locked into a true 50/50 proposition?

If the plan goes as hoped for the Cleveland Browns, the quarterback they take first overall will sit for the entire 2018 season. That means, if the Browns finally want to win a game, they’ll have to hit on the No. 4 pick in the draft.

That could lead Cleveland in a few different directions. Chris Pokorny from Dawgs by Nature knows which direction he wants to take in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft. He’s back up to make his second pick in the first round for the Cleveland Browns.

In mid-March, the New York Jets decided to be aggressive. In search of a franchise quarterback, New York gave the No. 6 pick in the draft and three second-round picks to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 3 pick. It was a rare instance of teams making high first-round trades long before the draft started.

For New York, it came out of necessity. The Jets have been a mess for years at quarterback, featuring players like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, and last season, Josh McCown. The 38-year-old McCown is back, but he’s obviously not the future in New York. That’s what this draft is about for the Jets.