Storylines to Follow

The Three Quarterbacks

Photo courtesy of The Buffalo News

Quarterbacks are always a point of intrigue during the draft as they are considered the most important position in football, so teams lacking one often do poorly and look to find their signal caller of the future early in the draft. This year there are three quarterbacks many consider to be the best in the draft class, and will likely be taken very early, potentially the first three picks. Sam Darnold, a redshirt sophomore from the University of Southern California, Josh Allen, a junior from the University of Wyoming, and Josh Rosen, a junior from the University of California Los Angeles, are these three. Each has their own individual strengths and weaknesses.

Many consider Darnold to be the most accurate passer in the draft, but he had problems turning the ball over too often in his final season at USC. Josh Allen brings the strongest arm of the three to the table, but the trade-off is that he seems to be the most inaccurate. Finally, Josh Rosen seems to be the most balanced of the three skill-wise, but he has expressed his disinterest in playing for the Cleveland Browns, who have the first pick. After Cleveland, the New York Giants and New York Jets pick. All three of these teams are looking for a quarterback for the future of their franchise.

New Management in Cleveland

Photo courtesy of the Weirton Daily News

The Cleveland Browns’ new general manager, John Dorsey, formerly with the Kansas City Chiefs, has already shaken things up in Cleveland early on in his tenure with the Browns. He has traded for Pro Bowl quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry, and former first-round NFL draft pick Damarious Randall, all in the same day. This seems to have invigorated the fans of the franchise and given the Browns a future to be optimistic about after a winless season in 2017.

Clearly John Dorsey is not afraid to make moves to shape the team the way he wants, and trades happening on NFL draft day are as unavoidable as death and taxes. With the first and fourth overall pick, as well as many picks in the early rounds of the draft, the Browns seem to have all the cards, and John Dorsey may want to play them to make a deal.

Names to Know

Lamar Jackson

Photo courtesy of SB Nation

Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman trophy winning quarterback has been a scoring machine throughout his three-year career at the University of Louisville. Jackson is the only player of the FBS era to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 in back-to-back seasons and has 119 total touchdowns in his career.

Jackson has faced criticism and controversy for some of his pre-draft decisions. He chose to stay and play exclusively as a quarterback in the NFL when some teams would have preferred to switch him to wide receiver to better use his speed and explosiveness. He has also faced criticism for hiring his mother as his agent. Regardless of the legitimate or illegitimate knocks on Jackson, he is expected to be drafted mid-to-late first round or early second round as a quarterback. His level of success at quarterback at the professional level will be something many are eager to see.

Shaquem Griffin

Photo courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel

Shaquem Griffin has been one of the more popular and inspiring of stories of the 2018 draft. The senior linebacker from the University of Central Florida was named American Athletic Conference (AAC) defensive player of the year in 2016 and was a second-team All-American in 2017 but was not invited to the NFL Combine, an event in which athletes are tested in drills in front of prospective pro teams prior to the draft. This was likely due to Griffin’s amputated hand.

Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome and had his left hand amputated at age four. He eventually did get invited to the Combine and made the most of his opportunity by running the fastest 40-yard dash of any linebacker in the draft and getting 20 225 lb. bench press reps with only one hand. This impressive showing has skyrocketed the linebacker up draft boards, and many think he will be drafted in the middle-to-late rounds of the draft.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Photo courtesy of USA Today

Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the most talented players in the NFL. The 25-year-old wide receiver for the New York Giants has put up historic numbers in the dawn of his career but has consistently been criticized for his behavior and attitude. Beckham most recently faced a wave of criticism for a video released by a French model of a shirtless Beckham smoking an unknown substance out of a cigarillo wrapper and holding a straw while there is a white powdery substance on the bed next to him.

Because of this incident the Giants seem to have put Beckham on the trade block, with an asking price of two first-round picks for him. Currently, the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are the only ones with multiple picks. It is unclear whether a trade for the All-Pro player will happen on draft day, but most expect the New York Giants to be making calls.

Sleepers

Nick Chubb

Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Coming into the 2015 college football season, two names were at the top of the list of top running backs in the country: South Eastern Conference (SEC) freshman of the year and first-team All-SEC back sophomore Nick Chubb, and College Football National Champion Ezekiel Elliott. Some even thought that Chubb, being younger would be better than Elliott. Elliott would go on that year to win the Big 10 Conference offensive player of the year, be a second-team All-American and be drafted number four overall by the Dallas Cowboys while a knee injury in October 2015 sidelined Chubb for the season. Chubb would never return with the same gusto as his freshman season. This could be because he doesn’t have the same speed or strength since the injury, or it could be due to the different, more balanced offense that Georgia has run under head coach Kirby Smart. If Chubb has the same ability as his spectacular first season and a team finds him in the mid-to-late rounds, it could be the steal of the 2018 draft.

Malik Jefferson

Photo courtesy of Phillyinfluencer.com

Malik Jefferson was another freshman standout from the University of Texas. While the junior linebacker’s production hasn’t dropped in his three years at Texas, the team’s disappointing lack of success and multiple coaching changes have caused Jefferson to fly under the radar since his freshman year. Jefferson has a very high potential as he may be the most athletic linebacker in the draft and could be a Pro Bowl player that may fall late in the first or even somewhere in the second round.

Cover photo courtesy of Blitz Weekly

Familiar Faces

Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Lamar Jackson is still rolling after his sophomore Heisman-winning season. So far Jackson has racked up over 1,400 total yards and 11 total touchdowns through the first three games of his junior season. Unfortunately for his case, the Louisville Cardinals were beaten handily by Clemson’s bullying defensive line with a final score of 47-21, putting the Cardinals’ record at 2-1 to start the season. This loss doesn’t derail Jackson much, but it doesn’t help his push to become the second player ever to win two Heisman trophies either.

Oklahoma senior quarterback Baker Mayfield finished third in Heisman voting last season and has only seemed to improve this season. Through his first three games, he has led the Oklahoma Sooners to a 3-0 record, averaging over 47 points a game. One of these wins included a huge win over then number two ranked Ohio State in which Mayfield seemed to separate himself as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. The numbers don’t lie for Mayfield either. Through these three games he has over 1,000 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. Most have him leading in the Heisman race so far.

New Faces Becoming Household Names

Photo courtesy of 6abc Philidelphia

One of the best football games played in the 2016 CFB season was the Rose Bowl. On Jan. 2, 2017, the University of Southern California (USC) edged out Penn State University 52-49 in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Two key players from that game have stayed in the spotlight and become not only household names in CFB this season, but have also made their claims in the Heisman discussion this season.

Sophomore Sam Darnold became the leader of USC’s offense when he took over quarterback week four of 2016, a loss to Utah and USC’s final loss of the season. He led the Trojans to a record of 9-1, with one win and two losses coming at the hands of another quarterback for an overall record of 10-3, including the Rose Bowl win over Penn State. Darnold’s exceptional pocket-passing quarterback play has not only gotten the attention of CFB fans and players, but after such a big bowl game win over Penn State, he is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2018 National Football League (NFL) Draft. While Darnold has gotten off to a relatively slow start for his sophomore season, throwing just over 1,000 yards and having only seven touchdowns to six interceptions, the USC Trojans are as hot as ever and have started the season 3-0, which has kept his name in the discussion for the honor thus far.

Penn State had a balanced attack in the Rose Bowl matchup with USC with over 250 yards passing and over 200 yards rushing. This season, the balanced attack of the Nittany Lions is still intact, but it is very clear who the focus of their offense’s attack has become. Junior running back Saquon Barkley has been the focal point of the Penn State offense and has established himself as one of the best running backs in CFB this season. Barkley has over 500 yards of total offense, five total touchdowns and has led the Lions to a 3-0 record in which their offense has averaged 47 points per game. Barkley himself has averaged over 100 yards per game with an over eight yards-per-carry average. Having only played one conference game has hurt Barkley’s case thus far, and he will need to perform exceptionally well against opponents like Michigan and Ohio State later in the season to have a real chance to take home the Heisman hardware at the end of the season.

Dark Horses

Photo courtesy of Bruins Nation

UCLA junior quarterback Josh Rosen was the number one ranked CFB quarterback recruit in 2015 and is finally starting to live up to that reputation this season. After leading the Bruins to the greatest comeback in CFB history, a 34-point deficit to Texas A&M Sept. 3, Rosen has put his name on the Heisman shortlist. His over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns are evidence as well. His team’s recent close loss to unranked Memphis, however, hinders his case and drops UCLA to 2-1 this season. The team will need to have a good finish to the year to legitimize his bid for the trophy.

Oklahoma State senior quarterback Mason Rudolph has led the Cowboys to its first AP Top-10 ranking since 2011. The Cowboys have had a hot 3-0 start, and their offense has scored an average of 54 points per game due in large part to Rudolph’s play. The quarterback has over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns in these first three games.

The entirety of LSU’s offense revolves around getting the football down the field in the arms of human locomotive Derrius Guice. The junior running back entered the CFB scene last season as his colleague and then-LSU work horse running back Leonard Fournette went down with multiple injuries. Guice has exactly 300 yards rushing and four touchdowns through three games, but after an embarrassing loss to Mississippi State on Saturday, dropping the Tigers to 2-1 so far this season, Guice has a steep uphill battle to climb to be a Heisman finalist.