NFL Mock Draft: Josh Allen goes first overall as SIX quarterbacks are off the board by pick 15

QBs go 1-2-3-4 in this latest look at what madness might unfold at the draft in Dallas next week

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, stands at the start of the 2016 draft (Getty)

The 2018 NFL Draft is now just a week or so away and still nobody knows who will be taken with the first overall pick.

Sam Darnold is the safe option and who Cleveland likely should go for but the drumbeat for big-bodied passer Josh Allen is getting louder and louder, and would fit the draft profile of GM John Dorsey.

What happens with the first pick will then, obviously, completely change the path of the rest of the draft and, in particular, the first round.

Will the Giants take a quarterback? Who gets premier runner Saquon Barkley? How far will some of the elite defensive players fall? Are the Ravens, Patriots, Saints or Cardinals going to find heirs for their ageing quarterbacks?

We don't know. But we had a bloody good go at trying to piece it together....

1. Cleveland Browns - Josh Allen QB (Wyoming)

Josh Allen is a polarising prospect whose inaccuracy may cause him problems (Getty)

The Browns absolutely should not take Josh Allen first overall but the Browns have done lots of things over time that they definitely should not have done, and this looks set to be the latest.

Allen is a boom-or-bust project, rather than prospect, who pleases old-school evaluators with his size, arm talent and highlight-reel throws but he could all too easily turn out to be a fatally inaccurate passer.

While the Browns may consider the need for a large, strong-armed QB in the AFC North, they would be smarter taking the Josh Rosen here if that was their fear. Sam Darnold, the most polished prospect, would be the obvious pick but this is the franchise who last drafted a first-round quarterback against the advice of their coaching staff when a homeless man told the team’s owner to do so. Common sense is a stranger to these folk.

This is the pick on which the whole draft pivots. If the Browns went Darnold then Allen sounds like he might end up in Buffalo but in a historically-talented QB class, Allen is the most likely bust. So where would be a better, more fitting home for him than Cleveland?

2. New York Giants - Sam Darnold QB (USC)

I have long felt the Giants should go quarterback here because Eli Manning is nowhere near as good as they think he is. With reports getting stronger on Allen to Cleveland, the Giants may now be willing to consider picking the best prospect in the class and giving themselves a guy who could be their signalcaller for the next 10 years or so.

Old-school GM Dave Gettleman could also consider trading down but if Darnold is there then the raft of picks would have to be huge. Should Darnold go first overall then the G-Men have got to be favourites to take the best defensive player on the board in Bradley Chubb.

Chubb would replace Jason Pierre-Paul as a disruptive edge defender and slot in nicely to a defensive line that was scary two season ago and needs to rediscover its fire.

3. New York Jets - Baker Mayfield QB (Oklahoma)

Baker Mayfield will go in the first round, but how high? (Getty)

The Jets traded up to third overall because they were keen on a raft of top-tier QB prospects and I think they will settle on Baker Mayfield here, though Josh Rosen would represent a marginally safer pick.

Mayfield’s attitude has put some teams off and there have to be some fears about how he might cope under the spotlight of New York’s tabloid press but, at the same time, he’s a big enough personality to take that on and he’s a brilliant quarterback.

Both sides of New York get franchise QBs that they can build around.

4. Denver Broncos - Josh Rosen QB (UCLA, trade with Cleveland Browns)

The Browns should trade back out of this spot and with three quarterbacks off the board there will be offers from teams in love with Josh Rosen. It won’t be the biggest, but the most tempting offer may come from Denver who are happy to part with picks in order to move up one spot - but, most crucially - hold off Buffalo to get their quarterback of the future.

Case Keenum’s arrival can be seen in one of two ways. Either Gary Kubiak, who has a long history with Keenum, has convinced the team that his season in Minnesota wasn’t a one-off or it was simply the same sort of bridging contract as Mike Glennon got last year.

The latter is probably closer to the mark and John Elway’s thirst for a franchise passer brings Rosen to Denver, which seems like a nice fit for his personality.

5. Cleveland Browns - Saquon Barkley RB (Penn St, trade with Denver Broncos)

Saquon Barkley is an immensely-talented runner but how early is too early for an RB? (Getty)

The Browns move back one spot, pick up a couple of mid-round picks and still get to pick the best player in the whole draft at five.

Barkley’s introduction will give Hue Jackson’s offense a centrepiece and take the weight off a rookie QB. Give him the ball 20-25 times per game and Cleveland will immediately become a much better team.

6. Indianapolis Colts - Bradley Chubb DE (NC State)

There are so many spots that the Colts need to get better at that you’d like them to trade down again, but a run on quarterbacks would devalue their pick and they may be unable to turn down the chance to draft an elite defensive prospect anyway.

Chris Ballard still has a ton of holes to fill, but making this team better on defense is going to be an absolute must if they want to have a chance in the AFC South.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Derwin James S (Florida St.)

The Bucs simply have to get better on defense. Fortunately for them, they’ll have the pick of every defensive player coming out of college barring Bradley Chubb so it will come down to who they like the most.

Derwin James would improve their back end from day one as an impact starter and is an in-state product. Denzel Ward and Minkah Fitzpatrick also represent intriguing options here.

8. Chicago Bears - Quenton Nelson OG (Notre Dame)

Chicago would have gone into this draft split between wanting to trade down and dearly hoping Nelson would drop to them, especially with his former coach Harry Heistand newly-installed at Halas Hall.

Depending on what the Bills would offer to move up and take a QB, there’s a chance Ryan Pace would vacate this slot but instead they draft a generationally-talented guard who replaces Josh Sitton and former a key part of this offense for the next decade.

9. San Francisco 49ers - Tremaine Edmunds LB (Va. Tech)

The 49ers could do with adding some more talent on defense and given Reuben Foster’s current situation they may be about to lose the heart of their linebacking corps.

With that in mind they bring in Tremaine Edmunds, hoping that in the not-too-distant future there will be a chance to have Foster and Edmunds patrolling the centre of the field together.

10. Oakland Raiders - Roquan Smith LB (Georgia)

Roquan Smith is one of the best defensive players available (Getty)

Where the Gruden-McKenzie axis go with this pick is unclear, but it should probably a defensive pick and Smith is likely the best man available.

Denzel Ward is still out there.

11. Miami Dolphins - Minkah Fitzpatrick S (Alabama)

Miami pick up one of the best players in this draft but are still no closer to an answer at quarterback.

They may take a late-round passer, likely after drafting one of this class of tight ends, but their first-round pick is an immediate starter, a handy chess piece for the defense and a player who might give some identity to a team lacking any.

12. Buffalo Bills - Mason Rudolph QB (Oklahoma St.)

The Bills will try to trade up but the order of quarterbacks and who goes where will dictate whether they get the chance.

In this scenario, they get the fifth QB off the board but one who has shown impressive arm talent and may surprise some people.

Rudolph would, they hope, be the new face of a slightly directionless franchise but he would also be the rookie quarterback going into the worst situation - a barren roster on both sides of the ball but a team with a few draft picks to inject some much-needed quality.

13. Washington Redskins - Vita Vea DT (Washington)

Vita Vea is an unstoppable force on the interior (Getty)

Vea is a man mountain and will help that Redskins defense start to win games in the trenches.

A clear upgrade on incumbent Ziggy Hood, Vea could slot in at nose tackle from week 1 and make this Redskins run D much better.

14. Green Bay Packers - Denzel Ward CB (Ohio St.)

The Packers need to improve their secondary urgently, especially after trading away former first-rounder Damarious Randall, and act sharply to pick up the best corner in the draft at 15 - an absolute steal.

Ohio State have produced a number of top defensive backs in recent draft classes and hopes will be high that Ward can become an important piece in their new-look defense.

15. Arizona Cardinals - Lamar Jackson QB (Louisville)

The sixth quarterback is off the board by 15.

Baltimore, New England and Jacksonville will all have half an eye on Jackson but it is Arizona who get the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner.

Sam Bradford is barely even a one-year sticking plaster at this point so Jackson would likely see games in his rookie year.

It’s a new era in Arizona.

16. Baltimore Ravens - Calvin Ridley WR (Alabama)

Calvin Ridley is in the picture to be the first pass-catcher taken (Getty)

Ozzie Newsome’s final draft as GM sees him take yet another Alabama prospect.

The Ravens didn’t necessarily have as much of a need at receiver given the arrival of John Brown and, later on, Michael Crabtree in free agency.

But Ridley is the consensus number 1 WR in the draft and makes Baltimore more interesting - even though they had hoped for a quarterback at this spot.

17. Los Angeles Chargers - Leighton Vander Esch LB (Boise St.)

A linebacker with range who will mop up what Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram don’t eat.

The Chargers could go any number of directions with this though.

18. Seattle Seahawks - Mike McGlinchey OT (Notre Dame)

The Seahawks so desperately need to improve their offensive line, and while Isaiah Wynn, Billy Price and Frank Ragnow may be better players on the inside, it is tackle where you get the most value and the Seahawks could go with McGlinchey here - the best tackle in the draft.

19. Dallas Cowboys - D.J. Moore WR (Maryland)

D.J. Moore has been given a first-round grade by some teams (Getty)

Dak Prescott needs some more weapons and with Calvin Ridley gone it makes things easy for them. Moore has steadily risen up draft boards throughout this process and will excite the sport’s largest fanbase.

Da’Ron Payne is the other way they could go, shoring up their defensive line.

20. Detroit Lions - Marcus Davenport DE (UTSA)

Matt Patricia adds a defensive piece to a roster that has plenty of holes.

Expect them to take a running back and tight end later in the draft.

21. Cincinnati Bengals - Frank Ragnow C (Arkansas)

This team desperately needs to get better on the O-line and so Ragnow represents a great pick.

Isaiah Wynn and Will Hernandez are alternatives.

22. Buffalo Bills - Isaiah Wynn OG (Georgia)

The Bills’ offensive line has been severely damaged by the retirements of Nick Wood and now Richie Incognito.

But in a draft rich in interior talent, they can reload with Isaiah Wynn and start to rebuild the line ahead of LeSean McCoy, AJ McCarron and a new rookie quarterback.

23. New England Patriots - Harold Landry DE/LB (Boston)

The Patriots had hoped Rudolph or Jackson would last this long but instead make do with an edge rusher of the calibre they’ve not seen since trading Chandler Jones away to the Cardinals.

A premier athlete rushing the passer, Landry will enter into a much spicier looking edge rotation with Trey Flowers, Adrian Clayborn and Derek Rivers.

24. Carolina Panthers - Maurice Hurst DT (Michigan)

Wide receiver is a possibility but should Hurst slide then the Panthers would have to be tempted to bolster their defensive line.

Da’Ron Payne is another defensive tackle to consider, while a tight end should also be a possibility for Carolina at this spot with Greg Olsen getting no younger.

25. Tennessee Titans - Billy Price C (Ohio St.)

Billy Price is one of the best offensive linemen in the draft (Getty)

Tennessee have one of the best offensive tackle pairings in the NFL but the interior of that line could do with some work and Price is an upgrade on the carousel of guys anchoring this O-line in the past few seasons.

As well as more protection for Marcus Mariota, Price will also provide some run blocking for new alpha dog Derrick Henry.

26. Atlanta Falcons - Taven Bryan DT (Florida)

The fit is too good. The need is obvious. Bryan would help Grady Jarrett, Vic Beasley and friends get after the opposing quarterback.

27. New Orleans Saints - Da’Ron Payne DT (Alabama)

Not a big need for the Saints but one of the best defensive players in the draft and a further boost to an already impressive defense.

New Orleans keep getting better this off-season.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers - Derrius Guice RB (LSU)

Guice’s pre-injury tape from 2016 is every bit as impressive as Saquon Barkley’s and so, should Guide return to those levels, this is a very exciting pick for a team likely to move on from Le’Veon Bell after 2018.

A space-eating linebacker to replace Ryan Shazier would go down well too, but that may be a position addressed later in the draft.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars - Hayden Hurst (SCU)

Hayden Hurst is a big-bodied tight end who is likely to go at the tail of round one (Getty) (Hayden Hurst is a big-bodied tight end who is likely to go at the tail of round one)

In this scenario the Jags’ hopes of snagging a Mason Rudolph or Lamar Jackson are long dead and, instead, they’re pushed into trying to help out Blake Bortles.

They pick Hayden Hurst and give Bortles’ sometimes wavering accuracy a big target to hit between the hashes but in a position where he doesn't need to hit the ground running with Austin Seferian-Jenkins already on the roster.

30. Minnesota Vikings - Kolton Miller OT (UCLA)

The UCLA tackle has slipped but the Vikings are delighted to strengthen their O-line with a player who could just as easily have gone in the top 15.

Connor Williams of Texas is another name to watch here.

31. New England Patriots - Josh Jackson CB (Iowa)

After benching Malcolm Butler for the Super Bowl and letting him walk, the Patriots reload with someone younger at the cornerback position in Jackson, an athletic corner who can learn behind bargain arrival Jason McCourty before eventually winning a starting job by the end of the season.

Should they prefer Louisville’s Jaire Alexander or UCF’s Mike Hughes at the same position it would be no surprise. After all, Jackson was a polarising prospect.

Some teams had him as a top-10 guy and others as a second-day pick. The Patriots take the plunge and get better in the back end.

32. Philadelphia Eagles - Sony Michel RB (Georgia)

Georgia has produced some special running backs and the Eagles will strengthen their Super Bowl-winning roster with a premium pass-catching back who excels in space.

Doug Pederson had great success with a committee backfield last year and marries the differing strengths of his runners very well. Michel is a dangerous piece to hand to as sharp an offensive mind as Pederson’s.