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No more talking about fingertip speed and hand size. The NFL draft is here.
The first night of the draft is expected to be filled with plenty of twists and turns ahead. What happens with the No. 1 overall pick or any of the quarterbacks, I have no idea.
As for what happens with some B1G prospects, I might have a better idea.
Here are my five predictions for what we’ll see from the B1G in Round 1:
1. Saquon Barkley goes No. 2 overall to the Giants
No, I don’t think the Giants pick a quarterback. Yes, I think they’re absolutely in love with Saquon Barkley.
That would be an ideal scenario for Barkley — the Giants fan — for a variety of reasons. Unlike what he’d face with the Browns or the Jets, he wouldn’t be relied on to be the savior. The guy wouldn’t even be the most high-profile skill player on his own team.
If you’re the Giants, picking Barkley makes a whole lot of sense in the event that Odell Beckham Jr.’s days in New York won’t last beyond 2018. Put Barkley on a team with a capable quarterback, an All-Pro receiver and some solid skill players, and the Year 1 returns would be tremendous.
The best player in the draft fulfills his childhood dream and goes No. 2.
2. Denzel Ward is the second defensive player drafted
There are a variety of places that the speedy Buckeye cornerback could end up. My guess is that it’s somewhere in the first eight picks, and that Bradley Chubb is the only defensive player who gets picked before him.
I have a feeling that teams don’t want to miss out on the next Marshon Lattimore, and Ward could check a lot of the “best player available” boxes after a slew of quarterbacks are picked early.
Where will Ward wind up? Indianapolis at No. 6 feels like the highest possible landing spot, though the Broncos could certainly go cornerback if John Elway’s quarterbacks are gone. The Colts would be likely to go with Ward if they don’t trade out of the pick, which is still a possibility if both Barkley and Chubb are off the board. Pairing Ward up with former Buckeye and Colts first-round pick Malik Hooker, who looked like a star before a season-ending injury, would be a nice fit.
If not, the Bears at No. 8 or the 49ers at No. 9 would make a lot of sense. In that scenario, Ward could actually wind up being the third defensive player off the board with Minkah Fitzpatrick likely slotted to Tampa Bay at No. 7.
But hey, a prediction is a prediction.
3. D.J. Moore goes in the first round
I predicted early in draft season that once scouts and analysts got a chance to look at Moore’s tape, he’d be a big-time riser. It looks like that’s exactly what happened. The question now is where Moore winds up.
Some, like Mike Mayock, believe he’s the best receiver in the draft. How fitting it would be if the former Maryland star stayed local and got picked by the Ravens at No. 16.
Moore could also be possible selection for the Cowboys at No. 19. Could Moore be a Dez Bryant replacement? Absolutely. He has the versatility without the off-field baggage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowboys got a breath of fresh air when they met Moore and saw his extremely quiet, humble personality.
So yes, Dallas is a legitimate landing spot. After that? That’s a good question. Maybe the Falcons at No. 26 could be an option with rumors swirling about Julio Jones’ future in Atlanta. If not there, the Eagles at No. 32 would be a perfect landing spot for Moore to pair up with Carson Wentz and have Alshon Jeffery to learn from.
If and when that happens, Moore will become the first Maryland first-rounder since Darrius Heyward-Bey went No. 7 overall to the Raiders back in 2009.
4. Maurice Hurst, Billy Price slip out of first round after pre-draft health issues
You hate to see injuries hurt anyone’s draft stock, especially a couple of guys who looked like first-round picks before their respective physical ailments surfaced. Unfortunately, that scenario could unfold with Hurst and Price.
Even though Hurst was medically cleared by doctors after a heart condition ended his combine before it began, it seems extremely unlikely that he gets picked on Thursday. Todd McShay reported a couple days ago that some teams even took Hurst off their boards completely because of Hurst’s heart condition. McShay forecasted that Hurst could slip all the way to Day 3. That’d be brutal for someone who looked like a first-round lock after a huge senior season.
As for Price, his pec injury is more of a short-term concern, but it doesn’t take much to push down a guy who was a borderline first-round pick. Teams draft offensive linemen in the first round to start them immediately. I think Price ultimately waits until Round 2 and finds a home with a team like Cleveland, Indianapolis or Chicago in the first few picks on Friday night.
5. Iowa is the lone B1G team with multiple first-round picks
It won’t be Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State. It won’t even be Wisconsin. Yes, it’ll be Iowa that ends up being the lone B1G team to produce multiple first-round picks in 2018.
Josh Jackson looks like a lock to come off the board somewhere in the first round. Maybe a team in the middle of the first round like Green Bay or Seattle would go after the ball-hawking Iowa cornerback. They’re different players in different situations, but I can’t help but think the inexplicable slip and then rookie dominance of fifth-round pick Desmond King could help out a guy like Jackson. A day-1 starter, he is.
And in a draft that isn’t loaded with a bunch of elite dominant offensive linemen, James Daniels figures to be one of the first off the board. Daniels answered all of the pre-draft questions about his mobility and looks like a good bet to become the fourth Iowa offensive linemen drafted in the first round since 2010.
He could have to wait a little longer than Jackson, but Daniels’ selection should clinch a feat that even the B1G powers cannot achieve on Thursday night.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.