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 12.
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, Baylor's K.J. Smith is rated the No. 6 defensive end 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. 6 defensive end was selected No. 51 overall, a second-rounder.
So let's take a look at the Big 12'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
MASON RUDOLPH, QB – OKLAHOMA STATE
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 2 QB by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 8,714 passing yards, 55 TDs, 17 INTs
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JAMES WASHINGTON, WR – OKLAHOMA STATE
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 1 WR by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 2,923 receiving yards, 26 TDs
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JORDAN THOMAS, CB – OKLAHOMA
EARLY 2018 PROJECTION: 1st round (rated No. 5 CB by NFLDraftScout.com)
CAREER STATS: 121 tackles, 7 INTs, 25 passes defensed
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So how about the rest of the 2018 Big 12 prospects, where would they fall in using this method?
| RD | PLAYER | SCHOOL | POS | HGT | WGT | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | K.J. Smith | Baylor | DE | 6/2 | 265 | 4.87 |
| 2 | Steven Parker | Oklahoma | SS | 6/1 | 204 | 4.58 |
| 3 | Ogbonnia Okoronkwo | Oklahoma | OLB | 6/1 | 245 | 4.78 |
| 3 | Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | QB | 6/1 | 210 | 4.65 |
| 3 | Allen Lazard | Iowa State | WR | 6/4 | 223 | 4.58 |
| 3 | Justin Crawford | West Virginia | RB | 5/10 | 198 | 4.53 |
| 4 | Kyzir White | West Virginia | SS | 6/3 | 215 | 4.56 |
| 4 | Travin Howard | TCU | OLB | 6/1 | 212 | 4.63 |
| 4 | Zachary Crabtree | Oklahoma State | OT | 6/6 | 310 | 5.26 |
| 5 | Nick Orr | TCU | CB | 5/10 | 187 | 4.46 |
| 5 | Ben Johnson | Kansas | TE | 6/5 | 245 | 4.83 |
| 5 | Michiah Quick | Oklahoma | WR | 5/11 | 190 | 4.48 |
| 5 | Kyle Hicks | TCU | RB | 5/10 | 210 | 4.57 |
| 6 | Dimitri Flowers | Oklahoma | FB | 6/1 | 239 | 4.83 |
| 6 | Dravon Askew-Henry | West Virginia | FS | 5/11 | 198 | 4.53 |
| 7 | Emmanuel Beal | Oklahoma | OLB | 6/1 | 215 | 4.64 |
| 7 | Jake Campos | Iowa State | OT | 6/7 | 305 | 5.21 |
| 7 | Johnny Jefferson | Baylor | RB | 5/10 | 205 | 4.5 |
| 7 | Marcell Ateman | Oklahoma State | WR | 6/3 | 215 | 4.57 |
