This section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2018 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2018 NFL Draft Stock Up
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming Of the top-five quarterback prospects for the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen was the highest scoring among them in the wonderlic test, turning in a 37. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen also reported that the Browns’ decision at No. 1 overall appears to be between Allen and USC quarterback Sam Darnold. Allen has the best skill set of any of the quarterback prospects to go along with excellent character, intelligence, and work ethic. A general manager of a team picking in the top 10 told me they think that Allen could be the quarterback who the New York Giants are targeting with the second-overall pick. It sounds like Allen is on track to go with the first or second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Brian O’Neill, OT, Pittsburgh Last week, team sources gave me some feedback on my mock draft, and one of the changes they recommended was putting O’Neill into the second round. They felt that O’Neill stands a good shot of going in the opening round of Friday night. The former tight end is a good athlete, and he illustrated that at the combine. Team sources feel O’Neill needs to get stronger, but has the quickness and athleticism to be developed into a starting left tackle in the NFL. With his physical talent, it makes sense that O’Neill could end up going among the top-64 selections.
B.J. Hill, DT, N.C. State Hill is an underrated prospect who has some fans in the scouting community. All of the attention on N.C. State has been focused on Bradley Chubb, but Hill is a prospect who has a nice buzz about him. Hill possesses quickness and athleticism at the point of attack along with the ability to contribute in the pass rush as well as the ground game. Hill also had a good showing at the Senior Bowl. He is a prospect on the rise who could go on the second day of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia There has been a lot of buzz about Carter being an early-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Carter is big, long, athletic, and shockingly fast. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder showed his great speed at the combine with an eye-opening time in the 40-yard dash of 4.5 seconds. Some in the media have projected Carter as having late first-round potential and think he could easily go in the second round. In speaking to team sources, they say that Carter is an ultimate boom-or-bust prospect, but his excellent skill set is undeniable. Carter is a player who is rising in the leadup to the 2018 NFL Draft.
R.J. McIntosh, DT, Miami As we reported in the NFL Hot Press, some team sources feel that McIntosh could end up being a top-16 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Others teams have him much lower and don’t like him, but there are big believers in McIntosh in the scouting community who think he could be a starting three-technique defensive tackle in the NFL. While McIntosh hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, there are numerous teams considering him on Day 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has a shot at going in the second round.
2018 NFL Draft Stock Down
Ronald Jones, RB, USC There have been some reports that Jones attitude has turned off a few teams in recent weeks. Having met Jones in February, I’m surprised to hear that and wonder if it is truly accurate. We are into the “blowing smoke” time of year, and perhaps that message is being put out there to try to help Jones fall to a team that likes him. Also, there have been players in the past who did better in followup interviews and were still drafted by teams after a rough start. The 2018 NFL Draft is very deep at the running back position, so Jones doesn’t have a lot of room for error. If the reports are true that his attitude has hurt him with some teams, his stock could be declining.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville It made headlines when NFL Network’s Mike Mayock reported that NFL teams were having a hard time getting private visits and workouts set up with Jackson. Jackson’s mother is said to be handling those requests as they did not hire an agent. According to team sources, that was a big mistake. Team sources say there are list of self-inflicted problems from not having an agent that Jackson has had. One, he wasn’t prepared for the wonderlic test and turned in a low score in part from not practicing the test. An agent wold have had Allen prepared with practice tests before the combine. Two, Jackson didn’t run the 40 or jump at his pro day or at the combine, so teams don’t have those numbers to evaluate. An agent would have recommended he do those at one of the events, if not both. Three, his pro day was underwhelming according to scouts who were there. While he threw the ball okay, they said the workout was not organized in the passing script and there were not find quality receivers for him to throw to. Evaluators said it hurt Jackson that he did not prepare for the pro day with a pre-draft quarterback tutor like Jordan Palmer. Teams that have met with Jackson and worked him out also said that it was an odyssey of changes and very disorganized. For teams that are on the bubble about Jackson, these issues are hurting him, which has caused a dampening in the buzz about him.
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA Until recently, Rosen was the presumed second-ranked quarterback for the 2018 NFL Draft, but as of late, it appears that Josh Allen has passed him. One team source said it really didn’t sit well with them that Rosen’s college head coach Jim Mora said he thought Sam Darnold was a better fit for the Browns. Mora also expanded upon the concerns by saying Rosen is a millennial who needs to understand “why” and has a variety of interests other than football that can take his mind off his craft. While these comments aren’t the end of the world, it does serve to validate some of the worries that Rosen’s personal makeup is not a great fit for the NFL and its locker-room culture. Entering the final weeks before the 2018 NFL Draft, Rosen appears more likely to be the third quarterback off the board.
Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida Scouting sources who were at the Gators’ pro day said that Callaway was disappointing. After being suspended all of last year, they were disappointed that Callaway did not look to be in top shape and was huffing and puffing throughout a less than sharp workout. Callaway has a ton of off-the-field issues with problems with marijuana, positive drug tests, a rape allegation, and an issue with credit-card fraud. His less-than-stellar pro day was enough for a few sources to say that their teams will be dropping him off their draft board. Even though Callaway is very naturally talented and is said to love football, he has a real shot at going undrafted.
Jerome Baker, DE, Ohio State Over last weekend while working on my upcoming Outside Linebacker Position Review, I surveyed some team sources for opinions on players with bust potential. In that group, three different team sources independently picked out Baker as a prospect who has a real potential of going bust. Over the past two seasons, Baker totaled 72 and 83 tackles, which isn’t bad, but he didn’t produce up to his skill set. Baker could have a role as an outside linebacker and special teamer, but some team sources are skeptical he will develop into a quality starter. Baker has doubters around the league, and that could cause him to slide in the 2018 NFL Draft.
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