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 MAC.
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, Northern Illinois' Shawun Lurry is rated the No. 18 cornerback for 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. 18 cornerback was selected No. 101 overall, a third-rounder.
So let's take a look at the MACs 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.
[divider]
POTENTIAL FIRST ROUNDERS
CHUKWUMA OKARAFOR, OT – WESTERN MICHIGAN
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 2 OT by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: Has 27 straight starts at RT and LT, 39 career games, but stands 6-foot-5, 335 pounds
[divider]
HEATH HARDING, CB – MIAMI, OHIO
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 2nd round (rated No. 9 CB by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 222 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 9 INTs, 20 passes defensed
[divider]
CODY THOMPSON, WR – TOLEDO
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 3rd round (rated No. 9 WR by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 2,128 receiving yards, 105 receptions, 16 TDs
[divider]
DARIUS PHILLIPS, CB/KR/PR – WESTERN MICHIGAN
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 3rd round (rated No. 13 CB by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 88 tackles, 9 INTs (4 for TDs); 24.1 per KR; 11.7 per PR; four career kick/punt ret. TDs
[divider]
So how about the rest of the 2018 MAC prospects, where would they fall in?
| RD | PLAYER | SCHOOL | POS | HGT | WGT | 40 |
| 3 | Shawun Lurry | Northern Illinois | CB | 5/8 | 180 | 4.45 |
| 3 | Joe Ostman | Central Michigan | DE | 6/3 | 250 | 4.89 |
| 4 | Jarvion Franklin | Western Michigan | RB | 5/11 | 228 | 4.64 |
| 6 | Demetrius Monday | Kent State | CB | 5/10 | 197 | 4.59 |
| 7 | Asantay Brown | Western Michigan | SS | 5/11 | 203 | 4.59 |
| 7 | Amari Coleman | Central Michigan | CB | 5/10 | 180 | 4.53 |
| 7 | Logan Woodside | Toledo | QB | 6/1 | 201 | 4.94 |
