NFL Draft Diamonds FINAL MOCK DRAFT – By Owner Damond Talbot
- Cleveland Browns – Sam Darnold – QB – USC – While there have been many rumors swirling around about Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen, I cannot see it happening. The Browns scouts are pretty bright and Sam Darnold is a safe pick. I have the Browns taking the signal caller from USC.
- New York Giants – Saquon Barkley – RB – Penn State – Many around Twitter want the G-Men to draft Bradley Chubb or even a quarterback, but I have a feeling the Giants are happy with Eli Manning at Davis Webb. I feel the Giants need to add to Eli’s arsenal and that is what they do with Saquon.
- New York Jets – Baker Mayfield – QB – Oklahoma – Many around the NFL feel the Jets are going quarterback as they should. The Jets traded up with one thing on their mind. I could see Josh Rosen going here but I think the Jets go with Baker here.
- Cleveland Browns – Bradley Chubb – DE – NC State – The Browns drafted Myles Garrett and now they land another amazing young pass rusher. While they would have loved to land Saquon Barkley, they have to be pleased with Carlos Hyde.
- Buffalo Bills – Josh Rosen – QB – UCLA – Bills give up 2-1sts a 2ndand a 3rdto get up to number 5. That leaves them with one pick in each of the first three rounds. Bills had to give up a lot because the Cardinals were trying to get up and get a QB.
- Indianapolis Colts – Roquan Smith – LB – Georgia – Colts try to move back but Arizona does not offer them much. They stay put and get a star linebacker for years to come for years.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Minkah Fitzpatrick – S – Alabama – Bucs front office is pumped that quarterbacks went fast. It dropped a top-rated defender to them. Buccaneers secondary becomes dangerous with the addition of Fitzpatrick.
- Chicago Bears – Quenton Nelson – G – Notre Dame – Bears run to the podium. You have to give Mitchell Trubisky time and Nelson fills an immediate void. This is one of the best value picks in the entire draft.
- San Francisco 49ers – Tremaine Edmunds – LB – Virginia Tech – 49ers would have loved to have Roquan Smith here, but they land a 19-year-old linebacker to learn from former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith. Edmunds is a great addition here.
- Oakland Raiders – Denzel Ward – DB – Ohio State – Denzel Ward lands on the Raiders and is teamed up with his former teammate at Ohio State Gareon Conley. Conley and Ward could become one of the best young corner duos in the NFL quickly with the amazing young safeties on the roster.
- Miami Dolphins – Vita Vea – DT – Washington – Dolphins lose Ndamukung Suh due to his ridiculous cap number but they land a guy who can come in and immediately start. Vea is a guy who will cause havoc on the AFC East for years to come.
- Denver Broncos – Josh Allen – QB – Wyoming – Broncos trade back with the Bills and still land a top quarterback in the draft. Elway was not really looking to go QB here, but Allen just fell to them.
- Washington Redskins – Daron Payne – DT – Alabama – The Redskins were hoping Vita Vea fell to them but they get the next best thing. Payne is a beast and the Redskins could use a big man in the middle of the field.
- Green Bay Packers – Derwin James – S – Florida State – Packers had James in for a pre-draft visit. This guy is the best player available at this point. It makes way too much sense and I feel they are happy landing a stud like James.
- Arizona Cardinals – Christian Kirk – WR – Texas A&M – He is a hometown kid and let’s face it the Cardinals need some help at wide receiver. Many have them going QB early, but I have them going QB later and Kyle Lauletta is a guy that pops in my mind for them.
- Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson – QB – Louisville – Ravens brought Lamar Jackson in for a pre-draft visit and while this is not the way Ozzie usually works, the team lands a safety shield for Joe Flacco. This move makes sense, because with him on the field teams have to account for him, even if he doesn’t have the ball.
- Los Angeles Chargers – Rashaan Evans – LB – Alabama – Chargers find a middle linebacker and they were torn on this pick. They really need a Middle Linebacker and this pick makes too much sense.
- Seattle Seahawks – Billy Price – OL – Ohio State – Many will think this is a bad pick, but Price is one of the best offensive linemen in this draft, and if he did not get injured he would have been a top 15 pick. Price can play multiple positions on the O-Line and this is a great pick for the Hawks.
- Dallas Cowboys – Harold Landry – DE – Boston College – The Cowboys wanted to go in a different direction with this pick but the recent scare of David Irving and the inconsistency of off-the-field problems of Demarcus Lawrence the Cowboys select to add a pass rusher here.
- Detroit Lions – Frank Ragnow – OC – Arkansas – This is a surprise pick but the Lions GM is not afraid to take a player he feels is the best at his position.
- Cincinnati Bengals – James Daniels – OC – Iowa – The Bengals lost their center to the Bills in free agency, and Daniels can play multiple positions. While I feel the Bengals had Ragnow rated higher they still land a guy who was in for a private visit.
- Denver Broncos – Calvin Ridley – WR – Alabama – Are you kidding me? The Broncos land another steal in the draft. Elway has his first pick ready to turn in quickly and drools over the fact he will have Demaryius Thomas, and Ridley on the outside with Sanders in the slot. WOW!
- New England Patriots – Mike McGlinchey – OT – Notre Dame – Some had McGlinchey in the top 10, he falls to the Patriots. The team who lost their OT to the Giants in the off-season. Another top 10 player falls to the Patriots at 23.
- Carolina Panthers – Jaire Alexander – CB – Louisville – The Panthers could go Mike Hughes here but I feel Alexander is a better corner. He could have been taken in the top 20 for sure, so this is a steal for the Panthers D.
- Tennessee Titans – Joshua Jackson – CB – Iowa – This is my favorite pick in the first round. He is the best corner in the draft and he falls to 25. I cannot believe that he makes it this far.
- Atlanta Falcons – Leighton Vander Esch – LB – Boise State – The Falcons could use another linebacker and this pick makes tons of sense. While I would love to give them a DT, Vander Esch is special.
- New Orleans Saints – Mike Gesicki – TE – Penn State – The Saints are trying to set Brees up with some weapons. The Saints wanted to get Jimmy Graham back but he chose the Packers. Brees gets a tight end target in Gesicki and it is a home run.
- Pittsburgh Steelers – Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas – Steelers love this guy and he is a perfect fit for them. While many will want another player here I love this kid and feel he will be a great fit in Pittsburgh.
- Jacksonville Jaguars – Hayden Hurst – TE – South Carolina – J-Ville drafts a hometown kid. They keep the former J-Ville native Hurst right at home. This is a great move to add an additional target for Blake Bortles.
- Minnesota Vikings – Connor Williams – OT – Texas – The Vikings could go so many different directions here, but this is a smart move. They get a man who is a stud and can play either side. Vikings want to protect Kirk Cousins and this move helps him quite a bit.
- New England Patriots – Sony Michel – RB – Georgia – Patriots always use running back by committee, but this year they land a guy who can take tons of pressure off Tom Brady.
- Philadelphia Eagles – Courtland Sutton – WR – SMU – Are you kidding me? How is this kid still there. The Eagles are happy to have him at 32 and they give Carson Wentz another weapon.
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com