South Dakota State Jackrabbits

If only FCS players were picked in the NFL Draft

Published Apr. 10, 2018 11:26 a.m. ET

(STATS) - What if the Cleveland Browns picked Kyle Lauletta first instead of Sam Darnold? Or if the New York Jets' trade up wasn't for a quarterback.

That might be the case if NFL teams could only draft FCS players.

If an FCS-only draft took place this year, here's how the first round could go on April 26:

1. Cleveland Browns: Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond - It's tough to leave Dallas Goedert on the board, but ghosts of Weeden/Hoyer/Manziel/McCown/Kessler/RG3/Kizer demand the Browns fix their quarterback woes. Lauletta won the MVP award at the Senior Bowl.

2. New York Giants: Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State - Big Blue is happy to scoop up the draft's highest-rated FCS player.

3. New York Jets: Darius Leonard, OLB, South Carolina State - Those 14 tackles in the Senior Bowl look pretty good in Gang Green.

4. Cleveland Browns: Brandon Parker, OT, North Carolina A&T - To keep Lauletta safe, here's a replacement for Joe Thomas.

5. Denver Broncos: Davontae Harris, CB, Illinois State - Big-time performances against his best collegiate opposition bode well for Harris.

6. Indianapolis Colts: Daurice Fountain, WR, Northern Iowa - He was an omission at the NFL combine in Indy, but Fountain will do quite well on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Siran Neal, SS, Jacksonville State - Safety, cornerback, linebacker, Neal basically did it all at Jacksonville State. The Bucs' defense needs that kind of versatility.

8. Chicago Bears: Skyler Phillips, OG, Idaho State - Speaking of versatility, Phillips played all of the guard and tackle positions at Idaho State, and was being groomed for center at one point.

9. San Francisco 49ers: Jake Wieneke, WR, South Dakota State - A reach? Hardly when Jimmy G can be paired with one of the more productive wide receivers in FCS history. Wieneke's 6-foot-4, 221-pound size doesn't hurt, either.

10. Arizona Cardinals (trade from Oakland Raiders): Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State - It wouldn't be an FCS-only draft without a Raiders' trade. The Silver and Black drop five spots, nabbing nose tackle Rodney Gunter - the former Delaware State standout - in a deal with the Cardinals, who go for help in the secondary.

11. Miami Dolphins: P.J. Hall, DT, Sam Houston State - Hall's 42 sacks and FCS-record 86 1/2 tackles for loss are hard to ignore. So, too, are the great pro day numbers.

12. Buffalo Bills: Timon Parris, OT, Stony Brook - Parris suffered a season-ending injury last October, but he made 41 straight starts prior to it.

13. Washington Redskins: Bilal Nichols, DT, Delaware - In need of a run-stopper along the defensive line, the Redskins are pleased to find Nichols still available.

14. Detroit Lions (trade from Green Bay Packers): John Franklin, DE, Stephen F. Austin - An intradivision trade is costly for the Lions, who move up six spots to get a much-needed pass rusher in Franklin, but give their No. 20 pick, former South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner and former Penn quarterback Alex Torgersen to the Packers.

15. Oakland Raiders (trade from Arizona Cardinals): Nick DeLuca, ILB, North Dakota State - The Raiders get a heady defender who started for three of NDSU's national championship squads.

16. Baltimore Ravens: Jamil Demby, OG, Maine - The Ravens are well-versed with CAA Football talent and Demby fits in.

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Roc Thomas, RB, Jacksonville State - Needing a more productive run game, the Chargers like Thomas' tough, explosive style.

18. Seattle Seahawks: Greg Senat, OT, Wagner - This pick is a slam dunk. The former Wagner basketball player will help the Seahawks get younger and more athletic up front.

19. Dallas Cowboys: Justin Watson, WR, Penn - Sorry, Philly fans, but Watson looks pretty good in a Cowboys uniform.

20. Green Bay Packers (trade from Detroit Lions): D'Montre Wade, CB, Murray State - The Pack are still trying to get it right in the secondary.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Danny Johnson, CB, Southern: Not afraid to challenge bigger receivers, Johnson is a perfect fit at nickel back.

22. Tennessee Titans (trade from Buffalo Bills): Darius Jackson, OLB, Jacksonville State - It's time to go get the best available talent. The Titans surrender former Southern Utah cornerback LeShaun Sims to the Bills to move up three spots and nab the 2017 STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award winner.

23. New England Patriots: Chase Edmonds, RB, Fordham - Running back has become a position of need with the Pats this offseason and Bill Belichick feels Edmonds is too talented to pass on.

24. Carolina Panthers: Cole Reyes, SS, North Dakota - Staying healthy is the one box Reyes can't seem to check off.

25. Buffalo Bills (trade from Tennessee Titans): Joe Zema, P, Incarnate Word - In their trade with Tennessee, the Bills improve in two areas, including with an Australian import who led the FCS in punting average last season.

26. Atlanta Falcons: Dalton Keene, DE, Illinois State - Keene is a bit of a tweener, but the chance to move him around is attractive as well.

27. New Orleans Saints: Andrew Vollert, TE, Weber State - The national attention on Dallas Goedert can't hide Vollert's talent.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Foye Oluokun, OLB/SS, Yale - Saying FOY-eh o-LOU-a-con is as cool as Mike Tomlin.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars: Andrew Ankrah, DE/OLB, James Madison - The Jags had the second-most sacks in the league last season, and adding the athletic Ankrah only adds more bite to an already formidable D.

30. Minnesota Vikings: Maea Teuhema, OG, Southeastern Louisiana - The early-entry prospect was considered the nation's No. 1 offensive guard by Rivals as a high school senior.

31. New England Patriots: Peter Pujals, QB, Holy Cross - The Pats like what they see in their backyard, and with Tom Brady set to play, oh, 10 more years, they have time to develop Pujals.

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Brett Taylor, ILB, Western Illinois - Taylor averaged 147 tackles in his final three seasons. Carson Wentz fills the champs in on the details.

Cleveland, you're back on the clock to start Round 2 ...