MOONMAN Round 1 NFL Mock Draft 3.0
(Cleveland Trade Nets 3 1st Round Picks, 3 Running Backs Go and the Raiders Draft a Surprising Pick at 10)

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Offense explodes in Moon Man’s “Round 1 Mock Draft 3.0″! The Cleveland Browns trade down and secure three first round draft picks. Five quarterbacks go off the board, three running backs, six defensive backs, three defensive tackles. Pittsburgh Steelers nab their quarterback of the future and the New England Patriots draft two starters for their 2018 Superbowl push.

Round 1 Mock Draft 3.0

1. Cleveland Browns draft USC quarterback Sam Darnold.

Quarterback Depth Chart: Tyrod Taylor, Drew Stanton, Sam Darnold.

2. New York Giants draft Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Running Back Depth Chart: Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Stewart, Paul Perkins, Wayne Gallman.

3. New York Jets draft UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen.

Quarterback Depth Chart: Josh Mccown, Teddy Bridgewater, Josh Rosen, Christian Hackenberg.

4. Cleveland Browns trade down with the Buffalo Bills who select quarterback Josh Allen of Wyoming. Browns acquire pick #12, #22 and #53 in this year’s draft. Giving them 3 first round draft picks! The Bills acquire pick #4, #35 and #219 in this year’s draft.

Quarterback Depth Chart: AJ. McCarron, Nathan Peterman, Josh Allen.

5. Denver Broncos draft NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb.

Defensive Edge Rotation: Derek Wolfe, Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Adam Gotsis, Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett.

6. Indianapolis Colts draft the best offensive lineman in the draft. Notre Dame offensive guard Quenton Nelson.

Nelson will start at right guard besides center Ryan Kelly.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft New Jersey’s own, defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Moon Man’s top defensive back prospect out of Alabama.

Minkah is a huge upgrade for the Bucs. He will start day one along side Chris Conte (tentatively).

8. Chicago Bears draft Virginia Tech hybrid outside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Edmunds is an immediate impact player for a Bears team that needs help on the front line. Akiem Hicks was a bright spot the past two season. The addition of Edmunds give the bears a pass rusher in the line which they need. It also give them a starting outside linebacker. Along side Leonard Floyd, Sam Acho, Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski and Aaron Lynch.

9. San Francisco 49ers draft Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward.

Ward will start opposite free agent acquisition Richard Sherman.

10. Oakland Raiders drafting at ten is a wildcard. They could trade down to a team seeking Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson. Linebacker Roquan Smith could help a weak lb group. The Raiders just signed Tahir Whitehead though. Meanwhile, Derwin James is a versatile safety and could partner up with young stud Karl Joseph on the backend. Yet they have Reggie Nelson and Marcus Gilchrist.

They could draft a hybrid pass rusher early at 10 to rush from the other side of superstar Khalil Mack. Their weak at defensive tackle? Vita Vea, Da’Ron Payne and Maurice Hurst are all on the board.

With the tenth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Oakland Raiders select wide receiver from Alabama “Calvin Ridley“. Adding this polished receiver to their offense makes sense. Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, Johnny Holton and Seth Roberts is a respectable core. Adding Calvin Ridley to this core makes them something to be reckoned with. John Gruden was an offensive guru in Tampa Bay and supporting his star Quarterback with weapons is a safe bet here. It will shock many Raiders fan but it certainly will not disappoint. Fantasy Friends hop back on the Derek Carr wagon!

11. Miami Dolphins draft Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith.

Linebacker rotation: Kiko Alonso, Roquan Smith, Raekwon McMillan and Stephone Anthony, Chase Allen and Mike Hull.

12. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo) draft Florida State safety Derwin James.

With multiple off season acquisitions on the backend. The Browns add James to the mix. Starting safeties are now 2017 first round pick Jabril Peppers and Derwin James. The future is bright in Cleveland!

13. Washington Redskins draft Washington defensive tackle/nose tackle Vita Vea.

Vea will start at nose tackle and rotate with Ziggy Hood.

14. Green Bay Packers draft Iowa cornerback Joshua Jackson.

Injuries crushed the Packer’s defensive backfield in 2017. Regardless of the injuries, their secondary was slacking big time. Jackson gives them a talented starter and much needed depth. Corners Tramon Williams, Kevin King and Jackson is a good start to the 2018 NFL season.

15. Arizona Cardinals draft Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Quarterback Depth Chart: Sam “always injured” Bradford, Mike Glennon and Baker Mayfield.

16. Baltimore Ravens draft UTSA edge rusher Marcus Davenport.

Davenport couldn’t ask for a better situation to be drafted into. Terrell Suggs will show him the ropes. By midseason Davenport will be making a name for himself. The Ravens defense adds another weapon as they push for a defensive driven playoff run in 2018.

17. Los Angeles Chargers draft Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne.

The Chargers struggled against the run in 2017. Payne is athletic and one of the top three run stopping tackles in the draft.

18. Seattle Seahawks draft cornerback Mike Hughes from UCF.

Mike Hughes will start opposite stud cornerback Shaquill Griffin.

19. Dallas Cowboys select defensive tackle Taven Bryan from Florida.

If the Cowboys don’t sign free agent defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Bryan is a great fit that addresses a need.

20. Detroit Lions draft LSU running back Derrius Guice.

Running Back Rotation: Ameer Abdullah, LeGarrette Blount, Theo Riddick, Derrius Guice, Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington.

The Detroit Lions need to trade Ameer Abdullah and get a 4th/5th round pick in return Drafting Guice allows Blount to be the short yardage and change of pace back. With Theo Riddick returning to passing duties.

21. Cincinnati Bengals draft Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry.

Perhaps one of the top steals of the draft. If not for his ankle injury. Landry would surely be a top 15 draft pick. He will allow the Bengals defensive front to return to prominence. During their playoff runs. Players like Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap spearheaded a top ranked pass rush just a couple years ago.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo) draft Notre Dame offensive tackleMike McGlinchey.

Hall of Famer Joe Thomas retired and McGlinchey’s ability to play left/right tackle is a no brainer. The Browns now have secured their franchise quarterback and franchise tackle.

23. New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Rams) draft UCLA offensive tackle Kolton Miller.

Patriots losing Nate Solder is huge and Miller may fill the void. One things for sure, the Patriots draft lineman! The recipe to beat Tom Brady used to be just pressure him. The Philadelphia Eagles showed you can beat him by outscoring him as well.

24. Carolina Panthers draft Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Charlotte, North Carolina’s own comes home as the Panther’s starting cornerback. Alexander will be lining up against #1 wide receivers Michael Thomas, Mike Evans and Julio Jones in his upcoming rookie season.

25. Tennessee Titans draft Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans.

Starting linebackers: Derrick Morgan, Wesley Woodyard, Rashaan Evans, Brian Orakpo.

26. Atlanta Falcons draft LSU edge rusher Arden Key.

The Falcons need to improve their pass rush. It is the only glaring weak spot within this young defense. Atlanta’s defense is one of the fastest in the league and it showed in the playoffs the last two seasons. Colorado’s cornerback Isaiah Oliver or Alabama’s safety Ronnie Harrison would also help solidify the backend.

ATL could easily draft a wide receiver in Courtland Sutton, D.J. Moore or Christian Kirk to add another weapon to their already dynamic offense. Falcons fans should be estatic and expect the team to make a Superbowl push once again in 2018. Fantasy Friends will once again find value with this team in league play and Daily Fantasy Sports!

27. New Orleans Saints draft Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst.

The Saints opt to sure up their defensive front versus nabbing their quarterback of the future at this stage in the draft. If the draft plays out this way, the probability of the Saints trading down increases ten fold! 

Saints defensive front rotation: Cameron Jordan, Sheldon, Maurice Hurst, Alex Okafor, Dave Onyemata, Tyeler Davison, Trey Hendrickson and Woodrow Hamilton (pre-season competition will surely effect the outcome of this rotation). Cam, Sheldon, Maurice and Dave Onyemata should be your starting front.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers draft Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Steelers nab their quarterback of the future.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars draft Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn.

Wynn will most likely lineup at guard. His ability to play all five positions on the line are valuable. The Jags now sure up their interior with this pick.

30. Minnesota Vikings draft Texas offensive tackle Connor Williams.

With no glaring holes anywhere for the Vikings. It is no surprise they are one of the favorites to reach the Superbowl out of the NFC. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Vikings trade down. Maybe select another running back with loss of the pass catching back Jerick McKinnon or Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore. Furthermore surrounding their Franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins with weapons/protection. The Fantasy outlook for Cousins is promising in 2018 but will he be efficient with his pass attempts?

The Vikings are a balanced offense. Cousins will have the opportunity to throw 25+ touchdowns with a sub 10 interception statline. However his yardage total may not exceed 4,000 in 2018. His running production should decrease in Minnesota as well.

31. New England Patriots draft Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.

The Patriots linebacking core has been average at best the past two seasons. With their only star Dont’a Hightower being injury prone. The Patriots hold eight draft picks (#23,#31,#43,#63,#95,#198,#210 and #219 overall). Expect them to draft a minimum of two linebackers in this year’s draft.

Patriots linebacker rotation: Kyle Van Noy, Dont’a Hightower, Leighton Vander Esch, Marquis Flowers and Elandon Roberts.

32. Philadelphia Eagles draft Georgia running back Nick Chubb.

With injury prone Jay Ajayi on the roster, Wendall Smallwood and Pumphrey. It makes sense for the Eagles to draft a running back with the loss of LeGarrette Blount. Ajayi was a good acquisition to give depth last season but showed he is not a bell cow. Ten to Fifteen touches per game is his max with a couple heavier workloads depending on his knee. Smallwood hasn’t been able to stay on the field in his young career. While Pumphrey had a poor pres season in 2017. Yet made the roster due to being a 4th round pick, his pass catching ability and the Birds lack of proven running backs on the roster.

Corey Clement proved his worth in the pre season and forced his way onto the roster. In the limited snaps he had during the majority of the regular season. He made the most of each touch/play, especially in the red zone. Ultimately showing his grit, dependability and clutch playmaking ability in the playoffs. Clement is underrated and should see a larger workload this season.

Look for Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement and Nick Chubb to lead a running back by committee once again in Philadelphia. It is quite the combination with Ajayi being the short yardage back and Clement the 3rd down/redzone back. Nick Chubb learning the offense early on and becoming involved towards mid season. Fantasy Friends may get frustrated with the Bird’s run game in 2018. As many games will see the “Hot Hand” running back receiving the 15-20 touches. Leaving the other two with 5-10 touches, random long runs and of course poached touchdowns.

As Always,

(Teams Going Off + Thoughts Flexed In) = Combination Lineups

May the Fantasy Force Be With You.

Follow Moon Man on Twitter @FFPmoonman