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The 2018 NFL Draft is fast approaching.
While the Los Angeles Rams have their eyes firmly fixed on Week 14 and the incoming Philadelphia Eagles, the college football regular season is over and as such bowl season is now scheduled on the horizon.
So as we enter the college football postseason while the Rams are preparing for a postseason of their own, a new mock today from Mocking the Draft’s Dan Kadar helps clarify the landscape for those teams firmly locked into the draft already.
For the Rams, we’re currently 27th in the draft order Kadar is using. A short note on order, since we talked about it yesterday. In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs held the 27th overall pick. Their third-round pick was #91 overall, a pick that ultimately landed in the laps of the Rams to take S John Johnson III. So that gives you an idea of the lack of capital at the top of this upcoming draft for the Rams. Should we ultimately pick 27th, we’ll own 0 picks in the top 25 and just one in the top 90 with a 64-pick gap between our first-round pick and the next one as we lack a second-round selection due to the trade with the Buffalo Bills for Sammy Watkins.
As for the mock, it’s the same name to start with:
27. Los Angeles Rams - Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
Like the Jaguars, the Rams are a team that has made a push to the playoffs this season. So if they go for an easy fix with a good player, it would be hard to overlook a cornerback. If the Rams have been the breakout team in the NFL this season, Jackson has been the breakout player in college football.
I’m not really into deep-round mockery yet so I’m holding off going heavy on player analysis just yet, though I do like Jackson’s skill set. The first thing I honestly thought of going through the mock is bowl season.
Things really begin to turn on Christmas Eve in the Hawaii Bowl with Fresno St. taking on Houston. From there on out, it’s all big on NFL impacts. That Wednesday, Iowa takes on Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, one of four bowl games that day that will definitely feature a ton of NFL prospects.
Worth pointing out that ESPN’s Mel Kiper published his top 10 by position last week (insider sub required) and Jackson comes in as his #2 CB behind only Ohio State Buckeyes CB Denzel Ward.
So while we’re gearing up for Sunday’s premier matchup, bowl season kicks off just six days later and propels directly on the path to the 2018 NFL Draft.