It's never too early (or too late) to talk about the NFL Draft, so as we enter June — why not talk about 2018?
In this instance, we're focusing on the talent-rich Big Ten.
Top 2018 NFL Draft Prospects by Conference
SEC East | SEC West | ACC | Big Ten | Pac-12 | Big 12 | AAC | MAC | FCS
The site NFLDraftScout.com ranks 2018 prospects by position, even this early — though the site has not assigned an overall ranking just yet. So we take each player's position ranking and compared it to what happened late last month to give a ballpark of where a guy might land next year. It's not scientific, but it gives you an idea.
For example, Ohio State's Dante Booker is rated the No. 3 outside linebacker in the 2018 NFL Draft class (please note we're not including underclassmen yet, as nobody will officially declare until after the season). In the April 2017 NFL Draft, the No. 3 outside linebacker was selected No. 30 overall, an early first-rounder.
So let's take a look at the Big Ten's 2018 prospects and where they might end up in the draft (again, all projections are using NFLDraftScout.com). Rankings used were as of May 28.
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POTENTIAL FIRST ROUNDERS
DAMON WEBB, SS – OHIO STATE
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 1 SS by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 70 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT for TD
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TYQUAN LEWIS, DE – OHIO STATE
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 3 DE by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 92 tackles, 27.5 TFLs, 16.5 sacks
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TROY FUMAGALLI, TE – WISCONSIN
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 1 TE by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 89 receptions, 1,080 yards, 3 TDs
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MIKE GESICKI, TE – PENN STATE
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 2 TE by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 72 receptions, 918 yards, 6 TDs
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DANTE BOOKER, OLB – OHIO STATE
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 3 OLB by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 31 tackles – has missed a lot of time (only 1 game last year)
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So how about the rest of the 2018 Big Ten prospects, where would they fall in?
| RD | PLAYER | SCHOOL | POS | HGT | WGT | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Maurice Hurst | Michigan | DT | 6/2 | 282 | 4.93 |
| 2 | Simmie Cobbs Jr. | Indiana | WR | 6/3 | 224 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Billy Price | Ohio State | OG | 6/3 | 315 | 5.19 |
| 2 | Godwin Igwebuike | Northwestern | FS | 6/1 | 200 | 4.57 |
| 2 | Justin Jackson | Northwestern | RB | 5/11 | 190 | 4.52 |
| 2 | Marcus Allen | Penn State | FS | 6/1 | 205 | 4.57 |
| 2 | Marcus Baugh | Ohio State | TE | 6/5 | 255 | 4.87 |
| 2 | Michael Hill | Ohio State | DT | 6/2 | 295 | – |
| 2 | Mason Cole | Michigan | C | 6/5 | 305 | 5.06 |
| 2 | Chikwe Obasih | Wisconsin | DE | 6/2 | 267 | 4.82 |
| 3 | Akrum Wadley | Iowa | RB | 5/10 | 191 | 4.54 |
| 3 | Mike McCray | Michigan | OLB | 6/3 | 248 | 4.78 |
| 3 | Chris Jones | Nebraska | CB | 6/1 | 185 | 4.52 |
| 3 | Jamarco Jones | Ohio State | OT | 6/5 | 310 | 5.27 |
| 3* | J.T. Barrett | Ohio State | QB | 6/1 | 225 | 4.52 |
| 3* | Jack Cichy | Wisconsin | ILB | 6/1 | 233 | 4.79 |
| 4 | Chris Worley | Ohio State | OLB | 6/2 | 225 | 4.67 |
| 4 | Jesse Aniebonam | Maryland | DE | 6/3 | 260 | 4.87 |
| 4 | Josey Jewell | Iowa | ILB | 6/1 | 235 | 4.74 |
| 4 | Ty Isaac | Michigan | RB | 6/2 | 230 | 4.72 |
| 4 | D'Cota Dixon | Wisconsin | SS | 5/10 | 198 | 4.56 |
| 4 | Janarion Grant | Rutgers | WR | 5/9 | 176 | 4.48 |
| 4 | Demetrius Cooper | Michigan State | DE | 6/4 | 253 | 4.84 |
| 4* | DaeSean Hamilton | Penn State | WR | 6/1 | 211 | 4.58 |
| 5 | Brian Allen | Michigan State | OG | 6/2 | 304 | 5.14 |
| 5 | Rashard Fant | Indiana | CB | 5/10 | 175 | 4.49 |
| 5 | Ike Boettger | Iowa | OT | 6/5 | 307 | 5.02 |
| 5 | Derrick Tindal | Wisconsin | CB | 5/11 | 176 | 4.52 |
| 6 | Kieron Williams | Nebraska | SS | 6/1 | 195 | 4.57 |
| 6 | Tegray Scales | Indiana | OLB | 6/1 | 230 | 4.79 |
| 6 | Nathan Bazata | Iowa | DT | 6/2 | 285 | 4.93 |
| 6 | Jason Cabinda | Penn State | ILB | 6/1 | 232 | 4.87 |
| 6 | Jalyn Holmes | Ohio State | DE | 6/5 | 265 | 4.76 |
| 6 | Gaelin Elmore | Minnesota | DE | 6/5 | 275 | 4.89 |
| 6 | Khalid Hill | Michigan | FB | 6/1 | 263 | 4.88 |
| 6 | Andrew Nelson | Penn State | OT | 6/5 | 301 | 5.08 |
| 7 | Ben Niemann | Iowa | OLB | 6/2 | 230 | 4.74 |
| 7 | Sean Welsh | Iowa | C | 6/3 | 290 | 5.1 |
| 7 | Gelen Robinson | Purdue | DE | 6/1 | 275 | 4.82 |
