One of the big debates about how to project a draft class with so many great running backs has to do with a phrase that's often thrown around when we interview general managers after the draft: best player available. It's the old BPA. How much does positional value affect what a team considers "best"? I'm in the camp that says you can get a great running back well into Day 3 of the draft, but I'm not blind and can admit Leonard Fournette is quite clearly one of the top 10 football players in this draft. And Dalvin Cook isn't far behind.
So what will a team do when everybody else is gone and it's one of those two names still available? Do they stick to the board and say, "We're simply going to take the best player, period," or do they set a different rule for running backs? All I know is this: Some of the best pure football players in this draft are running backs.
A player with an asterisk next to his name has a year of eligibility remaining. Two asterisks denotes two years.
1. Cleveland Browns, 1-15
Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M*
I've made a bunch of changes in this mock from the 1.0 version. This isn't one of them. It's not out of the question that this pick could factor into the future at quarterback for the Browns, whether that's a drafted QB or one they acquire via trade. But Garrett is, right now, clearly the No. 1 player in this draft class and would be an immediate help at a position where having an elite player on a rookie contract is like stealing.
