The 2018 NFL Draft is still a few months away, but with the Super Bowl behind us, the draft is now the talk of the NFL landscape.
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How does the board shake out as we head into the Super Bowl? Here's a new look at the first round following the Alex Smith trade and the Super determining the final draft order.
Here's a look:
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1. Cleveland: Sam Darnold, QB – USC
It wouldn't be surprising to see Cleveland try to trade this pick considering they have the No. 4 pick and would likely still be able to get one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft, but at this point it makes sense for Cleveland to stand firm and draft a quarterback with the top pick, like many have wanted them to do with their first pick in the past few seasons.
COMPARE: Sam Darnold to any player
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2. NY Giants: Bradley Chubb, DE — NC State
The Giants forgo the opportunity to draft a quarterback and instead take Bradley Chubb out of NC State, who's a wrecking ball off of the edge and can immediately step into a defense with veterans at the position.
COMPARE: Bradley Chubb to any player
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3. Indianapolis: Minkah FitzPatrick, DB — Alabama
Indianapolis continues its defensive rebuild by grabbing the best defensive back on the board with the No. 3 pick. Last year's first pick — Malik Hooker — was having a great year until a torn ACL. Hooker and FitzPatrick could lock down the back end of the Colts' defense for years to come.
COMPARE: Minkah FitzPatrick to any player
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4. Cleveland (via HOU): Saquon Barkley, RB — Penn State
Cleveland grabs another talented playmaker to the mix with the 4th pick, grabbing the versatile Saquon Barkley out of Penn State. That gives the Browns a talented running back and the best quarterback in the draft to work with as they try to right the ship.
COMPARE: Saquon Barkley to any player
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5. Denver: Josh Allen, QB — Wyoming
Did John Elway and the Broncos' coaching staff like what they saw from Allen and Baker Mayfield, who they coached in the senior bowl? Allen impressed in the game, and goes off the board to Denver here.
COMPARE: Josh Allen to any player
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6. NY Jets: Josh Rosen, QB — UCLA
New York has had a mess at QB for awhile, and can't keep hoping to get an above average season out of an aging veteran. They grab Josh Rosen, who the New York media will love.
COMPARE: Josh Rosen to any player
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7. Tampa Bay: Denzel Ward, CB — Ohio State
Tampa Bay needs help all over the place on defense, and they'll have plenty of options to choose from in this scenario. They go with the young corner out of Ohio State who's expected to turn into a monster pro.
COMPARE: Denzel Ward to any player
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8. Chicago: Calvin Ridley, WR — Alabama
Chicago has a glaring lack of talent at the wide receiver position. Ridley is the best wide receiver in a class that doesn't have a true star. They would like to get him a little bit later, so trading back is an option if wide receiver is the top priority with the first pick.
COMPARE: Calvin Ridley to any player
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9. San Francisco: Connor Williams, OT — Texas
The 49ers landed their QB of the future, Jimmy Garoppolo, last year in a trade with New England. Now it's time to protect him. There's a debate on which lineman is the best in the draft, but Williams has a strong case for the title.
COMPARE: Connor Williams to any player
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10. Oakland: Roquan Smith, LB — Georgia
Roquan Smith is exactly what the Raiders want to add to their defense to give it the attitude you'd expect from a Jon Gruden-coached team.
COMPARE: Roquan Smith to any player
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11. Miami: Quenton Nelson, OG — Notre Dame
Miami is a piece or two away from a really solid offensive line, and Quenton Nelson will help the team prepare for Ryan Tannehill's return.
COMPARE: Quenton Nelson to any player
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12. Cincinnati: Vita Vea, DL — Washington
Domata Peko was a stalwart on the Cincinnati defensive line for a decade since he was drafted in 2006, but his absence was noted last season. Vea can take his place and beef up the defensive line.
COMPARE: Vita Vea to any player
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13. Washington: Tremaine Edmunds, EDGE — Virginia Tech
Washington traded for Alex Smith, solidifying the QB spot for the time being. They go defense instead, and take Tremaine Edmunds, who's expected to measure and perform off of the charts at the combine.
COMPARE: Tremaine Edmunds to any player
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14. Green Bay: Marcus Davenport, DE — UTSA
Davenport is flying up draft boards after a strong showing in the Senior Bowl, and has established himself as the best defensive end in the draft not named Bradley Chubb. Green Bay has a new defensive coordinator who has already been lauded for his attitude by guys like Mike Daniels. Davenport will fit nicely.
COMPARE: Marcus Davenport to any player
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15. Arizona: Baker Mayfield, QB — Oklahoma
Arizona benefits from Washington's lack of need for a quarterback and grabs one of the top quarterbacks in the class in Baker Mayfield. They'll look to turn the page from the Carson Palmer era with Mayfield at the helm.
COMPARE: Baker Mayfield to any player
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16. Baltimore: Orlando Brown, OT — Oklahoma
Baltimore lost Rick Wagner after the 2016 season in free agency, and Austin Howard was average in his place. Brown wouldn't need to be an immediate starter, but could be a long term answer for the Ravens.
COMPARE: Orlando Brown to any player
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17. LA Chargers: Rashaan Evans, LB — Alabama
The Chargers don't have a ton of needs on defense, but linebacker is a clear hole that Rashann Evans will fill nicely.
COMPARE: Rashaan Evans to any player
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18. Seattle: Mike McGlinchey, OT — Notre Dame
The Seahawks were held back in 2017 in part by a bad offensive line. They begin to fix that by selecting Notre Dame's McGlinchey with the 18th pick.
COMPARE: Mike McGlinchey to any player
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19. Dallas: Da'Ron Payne, DL — Alabama
Dallas needs more beef on the interior of their defensive line, and Da'Ron Payne is not only a big body, but he's athletic and agile and was a freak for 'Bama in 2017.
COMPARE: Da'Ron Payne to any player
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20. Detroit: Harold Landry, EDGE — Boston College
Detroit adds a talented edge rusher in Boston College's Harold Landry to a defense who's edge defenders last season — Ziggy Ansah, Anthony Zettel and Cornelius Washington — were average.
COMPARE: Harold Landry to any player
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21. Buffalo: Maurice Hurst, DL — Michigan
The Bills could use an interior defender to help fill the void left behind by Marcell Dareus.
COMPARE: Maurice Hurst to any player
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22. Buffalo (via KC): Mason Rudolph, QB — Oklahoma State
With their second pick in the first round the Bills take their potential quarterback of the future, choosing Mason Rudolph over Lamar Jackson.
COMPARE: Mason Rudolph to any player
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23. LA Rams: Derwin James, DB — Florida State
The Rams have Derwin James, once thought of as a top-10 pick, fall into their lap at 23. The versatile defender could help in a number of ways on L.A.'s defense.
COMPARE: Derwin James to any player
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24. Carolina: Chukwuma Okorafor, OL — Western Michigan
The Panthers could go a few ways with this pick as they need wide receivers, but Carolina needs to invest in keeping Cam Newton upright for the remainder of his career.
COMPARE: Chukwuma Okorafor to any player
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25. Tennessee: Arden Key, EDGE — LSU
Tennessee adds a talented pass rusher to a defense that saw little production from its edge defenders outside of 31-year-old Brian Orakpo.
COMPARE: Arden Key to any player
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26. Atlanta: Harrison Phillips, DT — Stanford
The Falcons need to add some size on the interior of their defensive line, and could get that help from Stanford defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.
COMPARE: Harrison Phillips to any player
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27. New Orleans: Billy Price, C — Ohio State
Could New Orleans spend another first rounder on a lineman after drafting Ryan Ramczyk last year? The fans probably wouldn't love it, but with the tandem of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara as well as possibly one last year with Drew Brees, the offense is already special and could benefit from added depth on the line. Price played three years of guard and one at center in college, so he can move all over the line.
COMPARE: Billy Price to any player
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28. Pittsburgh: Malik Jefferson, LB — Texas
The Steelers defense is missing a big piece after Ryan Shazier's injury. Malik Jefferson is one of the best linebackers in the draft class.
COMPARE: Malik Jefferson to any player
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29. Jacksonville: Lamar Jackson, QB — Louisville
Does Jacksonville sign Blake Bortles to a long term contract after the Jags went to the AFC Championship? Or do they move on and look to the future? It's anyone's guess, but they could take a shot on the Louisville QB and ride out the last year of Bortles' contract.
COMPARE: Lamar Jackson to any player
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30. Minnesota: Jamarco Jones, OT — Ohio State
The Vikings' biggest need is on the offensive line, so they look to Ohio State and Jamarco Jones for a new tackle.
COMPARE: Jamarco Jones to any player
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31. New England: Mike Hughes, CB — UCF
New England definitely could use help in the secondary with an older group in the room and Malcolm Butler likely headed to a new home.
COMPARE: Mike Hughes to any player
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32. Philadelphia: Josh Jackson, CB — Iowa
Will Josh Jackson still be on the board at No. 32? Unlikely. But if he is, Philadelphia should jump all over as quickly as Zach Ertz dove into the endzone to score the go-ahead touchdown in the Super Bowl.
COMPARE: Josh Jackson to any player
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