Monday Morning Draft is back! This is a column that delves into the past weekend’s action from an NFL Draft perspective. As the season goes on, the draft picture and slotting will become more clear, but every Sunday will provide a few hints for next April.
By Charlie Campbell.
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Race for the No. 1 Pick:
Cleveland Browns: The Browns made history by finishing 0-16 in the 2017 season with a loss to the Steelers backups. It was fitting for Sashi Brown, Hue Jackson, Andrew Berry, and Paul Depodesta that their first draft pick in Corey Coleman dropped an easy pass at the Pittsburgh 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter to clinch the winless season.
Cleveland had some bad coaching this season, plus was overmatched from a talent perspective on a weekly basis. The Browns were the last winless team in the NFL and did not significantly improve over last season despite lots of spending in free agency to go along with high draft picks. That lack of talent and passing on franchise quarterbacks ended up costing Sashi Brown his job after a stretch of 1-27 running the Browns.
As stated by owner Jimmy Haslam, finding a franchise quarterback is the No. 1 priority for new general manager John Dorsey. With the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Dorsey will have his choice among candidates of Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. At this point, Rosen would be the favorite to be that pick.
To add insult to injury this year, the Browns lost to the three quarterbacks they’ve passed on recently and who look like three future franchise signal-callers. Carson Wentz won over them earlier in the year, and then the Texans’ Deshaun Watson killed Cleveland’s defense, teasing the organization with what could have been if it hadn’t passed on him twice in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mitch Trubisky put the final insult to the season with the Week 16 win over Cleveland.
Let’s Play Matchmaker:
This section will look at some of the top talent in college football and match those prospects up with teams that have a dire need at the position.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU 
The Jaguars enjoyed one of the best games of Blake Bortles’ career to almost upset the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Bortles played well despite the Jacksonville wide receivers lacking a true No. 1. Allen Hurns (6-80) and Marqise Lee (4-41) are better fits as No. 2 and 3 receivers in the NFL. If Allen Robinson isn’t re-signed, the Jaguars should look to land a No. 1 receiver in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In 2017, Sutton notched 68 catches for 1,085 yards with 12 touchdowns. The giant receiver is a size mismatch who is very adept at getting downfield and making receptions over defensive backs. He was an impressive wideout over the past three seasons. Sutton recorded 31 career touchdown catches since the beginning of his breakout 2015 season. A big receiver like Sutton would give Bortles a mismatch weapon to attack defenses with for many years to come.
Minnesota Vikings: Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn 
The Vikings’ secondary was ripped apart by Nick Foles and the Eagles’ passing attack. Philadelphia moved the ball at ease, with huge games coming from Zach Ertz (8-93), Alshon Jefery (5-85-2) and Torrey Smith (5-69-1). Minnesota could use more cornerback talent and a replacement for ancient veteran Terrance Newman. Mike Zimmer has always been inclined to draft cornerback talent early, so the Vikings could look to strengthen their secondary in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Davis (6-1, 203) is a good corner who has size, length, and press-man ability. He has nice quickness in the short part of the field and can battle big wideouts. Davis is a physical defender who really competes, but he does struggle with deep speed. The junior notched 36 tackles with 11 passes broken up, one forced fumble and an interception in 2017. As a sophomore, he totaled 46 tackles, 10 passes broken up, one forced fumble and zero interceptions. Davis recorded three interceptions with 56 tackles and eight passes broken up as a freshman. Late in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft, Davis could be a fit for Minnesota.
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