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You know we’re getting close when we’re ready to finalize our 2018 NFL Draft big board. We’ve updated our rankings from back in the preseason, and now, it’s time to tie a bow on them before draft day is upon us.
As is tradition at BSN, our final big board is in tiers, which is what the NFL does. So when John Elway talks about having a certain player as the last one remaining in a certain group, this is what he’s talking about.
You’ll see the strength of this draft is in day two, where our second and third-round grades are very deep.
After writing about this class for almost 12 months now, here’s our final top 200, with an explanation and round grade for each group.
TIER 1: ELITE PROSPECTS (TOP FIVE IN MOST DRAFTS — FRANCHISE CORNERSTONES)
This is the first year I’ve done this that there isn’t a single elite player in the class. To receive an elite grade, you essentially have to be perfect, and everyone has some sort of black mark that brings them down.
In the two previous seasons that I’ve ranked prospects for our site, I’ve given out four elite grades to Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Garrett and Malik Hooker. No one this year is at that level.
No one.
TIER 2: TOP-10 TALENTS
This is where the draft starts, and tier two is unique in that they’re not elite grades but slightly higher than just first-round grades. Darnold, Rosen, and Barkley all have the potential to be top-10 players at their respective positions, meaning they could all be in the running for some pro bowl appearances in the future.
The two QBs have some important question marks, but they also get a bump due to their positional value.
1. Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
3. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
TIER 3: FIRST ROUNDERS (HIGH-LEVEL STARTERS)
16 total first-round grades isn’t great, but it’s about what you’ll hear around the league in a draft that’s a bit shallow at the top.
If the Denver Broncos do trade down, this is the tier you’d like to see them try and snatch up multiple players from, to add a couple potential high-level starters.
4. Derwin James, DB, Florida State
5a. Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
5b. Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
7. Minkah Fitzpatrick, FS/CB, Alabama
8. Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
9. Vita Vea, DT, Washington
10. Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
11. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
12. Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
13. Connor Williams, OT/G, Texas
14. Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
15. Ronald Jones II, RB, USC
16. James Daniels, OC, Iowa
TIER 4: LATE FIST AND EARLY SECOND-ROUND TALENTS (PROJECTED STARTERS WITH THE UPSIDE FOR MORE)
This is where things start to get interesting, as this is the most volatile tier of them all. Everyone on this list could be in the running for a first-round selection, or at least have the talent to warrant such a pick. This is exactly the tier that both Paxton Lynch and Garett Bolles ranked in the past two years, and several of the guys on this year’s list are said to be targets for the Broncos in 2018.
While the question marks with this group are much greater than the top tiers, their ceilings are as high, if not higher in some cases. There’s a lot of boom-or-bust here, which means you’re taking some gambles, but the rewards could be monumental.
Mind you, a few of the players in this tier are on the safer side, like the guards or running backs. They’re just weighed down by their positional value and a few on-field question marks that prevented them from receiving first-round grades.
Regardless, if you’re picking in the top 50 twice, you must come away with at least two players in these top four tiers to have done a good job.
17. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
18. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
19. Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
20. Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
21. Taven Bryan, DL, Florida
22. Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
23. Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
24. Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
25. Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA
26. Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
27. Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
28. Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida
29. Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa
30. Sony Michel, RB, Georgia
31. Arden Key, EDGE, LSU
32. Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State
33. Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
34. Isaiah Wynn, OG, Georgia
35. Matthew Thomas, LB, Florida State
36. D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
37. Sam Hubbard, EDGE, Ohio State
38. Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP
39. Ronnie Harrison, SS, Alabama
40. Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
41. Uchenna Nwosu, OLB/EDGE, USC
42. Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
43. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, OLB/EDGE, Oklahoma
44. Lorenzo Carter, EDGE, Georgia
TIER 5: SECOND ROUNDERS (IMMEDIATE CONTRIBUTORS, EXPECTED STARTERS WITHIN THE FIRST TWO SEASONS)
This is where the depth of this draft starts to show. While the upside isn’t as high as the previous tiers, there are some safe bets who promise to be starters sooner rather than later. Plenty of players in this group will ultimately surpass the more volatile tier-four prospects.
Interestingly enough, this tier is loaded at positions that the Broncos need, like receivers, running backs, and offensive linemen. If Denver can come away with one of these prospects in the early third, that would be a real steal.
45. James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
46. Hercules Mata’afa, EDGE, Washington State
47. Billy Price, OC/G, Ohio State
48. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
49. Frank Ragnow, OC/G, Arkansas
50. Donte Jackson, CB, LSU
51. Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
52. Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
53. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
54. Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn
55. Genard Avery, ILB, Memphis
56. Jeff Holland, EDGE, Auburn
57. Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
58. Tim Settle, NT, Virginia Tech
59. Harrison Phillips, DL, Stanford
60. Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
61. D.J. Chark, WR, LSU
62. Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
63. Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
64. Jessie Bates, FS, Wake Forest
TIER 6: THIRD-ROUND TALENTS (SHOULD BE STARTERS WITHIN THE FIRST THREE SEASONS)
Now we’ve got some depth! Some of these players are in this tier because they don’t have high ceilings, but have really high floors, while others are projects who will need some grooming but should project as starters within their first three seasons.
This is why making the best of your top-100 picks is so essential, as it presumes that you’ll be able to get future starters with those selections. That’s reflected in these top-six tiers with 108 prospects in them.
65. Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
66. Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin
67. Justin Reid, S, Stanford
68. Fred Warner, LB, Brigham Young
69. Mark Walton, RB, Miami
70. Tyrell Crosby, OT, Oregon
71. Braden Smith, OG, Auburn
72. Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina
73. Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State
74. Rasheem Green, DL, USC
75. Josh Sweat, EDGE, Florida State
76. Austin Corbett, OT/C, Nevada
77. Mike McCray, LB, Michigan
78. Jerome Baker, WLB, Ohio State
79. Jaylen Samuels, H-back, North Carolina State
80. Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame
81. Mark Andrews, WR/TE, Oklahoma
82. Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State
83. Justin Jones, DT, North Carolina State
84. Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State
85. Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State
86. Desmond Harrison, OT, West Georgia
87. Akrum Wadley, RB, Iowa
88. Derrick Nnadi, DT, Florida State
89. Andrew Brown, DL, Virginia
90. Marcus Allen, S, Penn State
91. Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
92. Dorian O’Daniel, LB, Clemson
93. Nathan Shepherd, DT, Fort Hays State
94. Dorance Armstrong Jr., EDGE, Kansas
95. Trevon Young, EDGE, Louisville
96. Martinas Rankin, OT/G/C, Mississippi State
97. Levi Wallace, CB, Alabama
98. Simmie Cobbs Jr., WR, Indiana
99. Anthony Averett, CB, Alabama
100. Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan
101. Brian O’Neil, OT, Pittsburgh
102. Holton Hill, CB, Texas
103. Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame
104. Wyatt Teller, OG, Virginia Tech
105. Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama
106. Breeland Speaks, DE, Ole Miss
107. Kyzir White, S, West Virginia
108. Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
TIER 7: DAY-THREE GEMS
Now, this is where you’ll find depth pieces for your roster. While no one in here guarantees to be a starter down the road, some will certainly become that. These are the prospects we’d target in the early part of day three of the draft—round four and five—where the Broncos have four picks.
109. Will Richardson, RT, NC State
110. Colby Gossett, OG, Appalachian State
111. Nyheim Hines, RB/KR, North Carolina State
112. Trenton Thompson, DT, Georgia
113. Lowell Lotulelei, DT, Utah
114. John Kelly, RB, Tennessee
115. Jordan Lasley, WR, UCLA
116. Kentavius Street, DL, North Carolina State
117. Mason Cole, OT/C, Michigan
118. Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State
119. Bradley Bozeman, OC, Alabama
120. DeShon Elliott, S,Texas
121. Dane Cruikshank, S, Arizona
122. Deatrick Nichols Jr., CB, South Florida
123. Allen Lazard, WR, Iowa State
124. Tre’Quan Smith, WR, UCF
125. Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin
126. Jalyn Holmes, DE, Ohio State
127. Chad Thomas, DE, Miami
128. Kevin Tolliver II, CB, LSU
129. Quin Blanding, FS, Virginia
130. M.J. Stewart, CB, North Carolina
131. Deon Cain, WR, Clemson
132. Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
133. Isaac Yiadom, CB, Boston College
134. Daurice Fountain, WR, Northern Iowa
135. Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, EDGE, Toledo
136. Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest
137. Quenton Meeks, CB, Stanford
138. Shaquem Griffin, WLB, Central Florida
139. Deontay Burnett, WR, USC
140. Marcell Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State
141. Geron Christian, OT, Louisville
142. James Hearns, EDGE, Louisville
143. Kemoko Turay, EDGE, Rutgers
144. Ito Smith, RB, Southern Mississippi
145. Joseph Noteboom, OT, TCU
146. Ian Thomas, TE, Indiana
147. Josey Jewell, ILB, Iowa
148. Coleman Shelton, OC, Washington
149. Brandon Facyson, CB, Virginia Tech
150. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
151. Phillip Lindsay, RB, Colorado
152. Ade Aruna, DE, Tulane
153. Justin Lawler, DE, SMU
154. Marcell Frazier, DE, Missouri
155. Skai Moore, WLB, South Carolina
156. Shaun Dion Hamilton, WLB, Alabama
157. Oren Burks, LB, Vanderbilt
158. Jack Cichy, ILB, Wisconsin
159. Davin Bellamy, EDGE, Georgia
160. Auden Tate, WR, Florida State
161. Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida
162. Marquis Haynes, OLB, Ole Miss
163. Duke Dawson, CB, Florida
164. B.J. Hill, DT, NC State
165. Jordan Thomas, CB, Oklahoma
166. Keke Coutee, WR/KR, Texas Tech
TIER 8: SIXTH AND SEVENTH-ROUND TALENTS (PURE DEPTH PIECES)
This is where you’ll find your career backups and special teamers. All warrant getting drafted, but some undoubtedly won’t and will be fighting for roster spots as undrafted free agents.
There are some intriguing prospects here, particularly at wide receiver and quarterback, who will make some noise in the preseason.
167. Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana
168. Jordan Akins, TE, Central Florida
169. Cedrick Wilson, WR, Boise State
170. Darius Phillips, CB/KR, Western Michigan
171. Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo
172. Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond
173. R.J. McIntosh, DT, Miami
174. Tyler Conklin, TE, Central Michigan
175. DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Penn State
176. Folorunso Fatukasi, NT, Uconn
177. K.C. McDermott, OT/G, Miami
178. Kylie Fitts, EDGE, Utah
179. Chase Litton, QB, Marshall
180. Mike White, QB, Western Kentucky
181. Ka’Raun White, WR, West Virginia
182. Armani Watts, FS, Texas A&M
183. Van Smith, S, Clemson
184. Godwin Igwebuike, FS, Northwestern
185. Jaleel Scott, WR, New Mexico State
186. Luke Falk, QB, Washington State
187. Deadrin Senat, DT, South Florida
188. Da’Shawn Hand, DL, Alabama
189. Rico Gafford, CB, Wyoming
190. Dalton Schultz, TE, Stanford
191. Martez Carter, RB/PR, Grambling State
192. Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia
193. Arrion Springs, CB, Oregon
194. Greg Senat, RT, Wagner
195. Sean Welsh, OG, Iowa
196. Lavon Coleman, RB, Washington
197. Kurt Benkert, QB, Virginia
198. Peter Kalambayi, EDGE, Stanford
199. Cam Phillips, WR, Virginia Tech
200. Kamryn Pettway, RB, Auburn