The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- With the 2018 NFL draft fewer than three weeks away, Sam Robinson asked PFR readers what the Browns should do with the No. 1 overall pick. USC quarterback Sam Darnold seems to the the player most linked to Cleveland’s top choice, and he was indeed the favorite of the poll’s respondents. But the Browns could also consider another quarterback such as Wyoming’s Josh Allen or Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, or a running back like Penn State’s Saquon Barkley.
- In a similar vein, Micah Powell queried PFR readers as to how the Giants should deploy the second overall selection. Big Blue has seemingly even more options that the Browns, as the club could set itself up for the future by drafting a quarterback, or enter win-now mode by coming away with Barkley, defensive end Bradley Chubb, or offensive lineman Quenton Nelson. 30% of the poll’s participants — a plurality — went with Barkley.
- Mayfield will almost certainly be a top-10 selection, but where exactly he’ll come off the board is unclear. Ryan Posner posed that question to PFR readers, and the majority responded by linking Mayfield to the Jets. New York, of course, recently sent a king’s ransom to Indianapolis in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick, and general manager Mike Maccagnan seems incredibly likely to use that selection on a passer after whiffing on Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg over the past several years.
- 2019 fifth-year option decisions are due by May 3, so Zach Links posted a refresher of the mechanism for first-round pick contracts, noting the timeline, structure, and value of the options.