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2018 SB Nation NFL Writers’ Mock Draft: Top three quarterbacks gone in first five picks

Five picks in, the first three quarterbacks are off the board.

In SB Nation’s 2018 Writers’ NFL Mock draft, three of the first five picks were quarterbacks, leaving the Buffalo Bills with a dwindling opportunity to get the quarterback of their choice.

With the first pick in the mock, the Cleveland Browns took Sam Darnold. The Browns have passed on a quarterback too many times for them to make the same mistake again. That’s one down for the Bills.

The New York Giants can still win now and they can take the best player available with the number two pick in Bradley Chubb. After the departure of Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants can immediately find his replacement in Chubb and try to turn things around for the last few years of Eli Manning’s career.

When the New York Jets traded up to the number three pick, it wasn't for anything but a quarterback and they'll use it on Josh Rosen, the most polished passer in the draft. The Jets have been just as desperate for a quarterbacks as the Bills have in recent years and they think they'll have found their’s in Rosen.

Now that Cleveland has taken their quarterback for the future, they'll take the best player available and pair Darnold with Saquon Barkley in the backfield. The Browns will have a group of young and explosive offensive playmakers and a better than average offensive line and will have set themselves up for success a couple of years down the road.

Case Keenum signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos this offseason but that won't stop John Elway from taking their quarterback of the future in Baker Mayfield. After missing on Paxton Lynch, the Broncos set themselves back a couple of years, still leaving them needy of a quarterback. Taking Mayfield makes sense for them here.

That leaves Josh Allen as the only consensus top quarterback on the board with another six picks to go before the Bills are on the clock. In this scenario with no trades available, the Bills may not take any of the top quarterback prospects at all.

2018 SB Nation NFL Writers’ Mock Draft

  1. Cleveland Browns: Sam Darnold, QB, USC
  2. New York Giants: Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
  3. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts): Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
  4. Cleveland Browns (via Houston Texans): Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
  5. Denver Broncos: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
  6. Indianapolis Colts (via New York Jets): April 9
  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: April 9
  8. Chicago Bears: April 9
  9. San Francisco 49ers: April 10
  10. Oakland Raiders: April 10
  11. Miami Dolphins: April 10
  12. Buffalo Bills (via CIncinnati Bengals): April 11
  13. Washington Redskins: April 11
  14. Green Bay Packers: April 11
  15. Arizona Cardinals: April 12
  16. Baltimore Ravens: April 12
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: April 12
  18. Seattle Seahawks: April 13
  19. Dallas Cowboys: April 13
  20. Detroit Lions: April 13
  21. Cincinnati Bengals (via Buffalo Bills): April 16
  22. Buffalo Bills (via Kansas City Chiefs): April 16
  23. New England Patriots (via Los Angeles Rams): April 16
  24. Carolina Panthers: April 17
  25. Tennessee Titans: April 17
  26. Atlanta Falcons: April 17
  27. New Orleans Saints: April 18
  28. Pittsburgh Steelers: April 18
  29. Jacksonville Jaguars: April 18
  30. Minnesota Vikings: April 19
  31. New England Patriots: April 19
  32. Philadelphia Eagles: April 19