Monday Draft Week Rumors
Updated April 23, 2018
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter
@draftcampbell.
The 2018 NFL Draft is just three days away! Here are some rumors that I have heard from sources with the draft just hours away.
Let’s start out the draft-week rumors at the very top of the first round in the 2018 NFL Draft. From what I’m hearing, the Cleveland Browns are going to take Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the No. 1-overall pick. Right now, that is the pick I’m hearing will lead off Thursday night at this time. If I hear that changes to USC’s Sam Darnold, we will have it in the rumors and our mock drafts, so stay tuned. But entering draft week, I’m hearing Allen will be the No. 1 pick come Thursday night. There are a number of teams picking in the top 20 of the second round that are looking to add talent at running back. Fortunately for those teams there are some excellent running back prospects who should be available in the opening frame of the draft’s second night. Two players who may or may not be available are Georgia’s Sony Michel and LSU’s Derrius Guice. Both of them have a shot at being late first-round picks. Sources say it is 50-50 that Michel goes in Round 1, and the odds are slightly lower for Guice.
Michel and Guice could be off the board in the first five picks of the second round, but in speaking to some of the teams that are hoping to land a running back, they feel that there are other prospects who could be worthy of going in that range. Georgia’s Nick Chubb and San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny are both said to be worthy of high second-rounders according to sources at multiple teams. USC’s Ronald Jones is as well, depending on the team. Between Michel, Guice, Jones, Chubb and Penny, there is likely to be a run on halfbacks in picks No. 30-50. Two of those teams that are in the running back market are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. In speaking to sources at both of those teams, they like Chubb and Penny. If they miss out on Michel and Guice they still have good options available in those two. Chubb and Penny are options for each team’s second-rounder. Jones is also in play for Washington. In speaking with sources, they say to expect the Titans to take a safe pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson has preferred to go the safe route rather than going for a high-upside player who might carry more risk. Titans sources say the team had Jalen Ramsey as the top player in the 2016 NFL Draft and the scouting staff wanted him badly. Robinson went the safe route with Jack Conklin being the target while trading down with the Los Angeles Rams. Last year, Robinson followed the same pattern of taking of what the team thought was a safe player in wide receiver Corey Davis even though there were staffers who wanted cornerback Marshon Lattimore and safety Jamal Adams more than Davis. They say one can expect more of the same this year from Robinson.
Of the first-round candidates, they say some of the top candidates for Tennessee include Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard, Boston College defensive end Harold Landry and Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans. Of that trio, Hubbard might be the safest pick. Landry has size and run-defense issues that caused some teams to give him a second-round grade. Hubbard is big, strong, athletic and quick, plus would give new head coach Mike Vrabel a young pass-rusher to build around. Over the final few weeks, teams have their draft meetings in which the scouting staffs and coaching staffs discuss the prospects while setting their draft boards. The off-the-field background checks and medical evaluations are also completed. Here is a list of players provided by teams who could slide because of either character concerns or medical redflags that have come up in the team meetings. Character ConcernsFlorida wide receiver Antonio CallawayWest Georgia offensive tackle Desmond HarrisonTexas cornerback Holton HillMaryland cornerback J.C. JacksonSouth Carolina linebacker Skai MooreN.C. State offensive tackle Will RichardsonLSU cornerback Kevin ToliverPittsburgh safety Jordan WhiteheadMedical ConcernsMichigan defensive tackle Maurice HurstFlorida State defensive end Josh SweatN.C. State defensive end Kentavius StreetBoise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (see below)
