In anticipation of the the 2018 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday, several members of the editorial staff – Brian Hagberg , Brian Ferry, Andrew Morrison, Ben Oviatt, Josh Cotton and myself, decided to embark on a WTO mock draft.

The rules were simple. Each participant was awarded picks based on draft order, and we selected based on what we would do as general manager of each team.

So, without further ado, here it is.

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FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2017, file photo, Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold throws during the half of an NCAA football game against Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind. Darnold is expected top be a first round pick in the NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

1. Browns: Josh Rosen, QB (UCLA) The Browns should pretty much keep drafting quarterbacks until one works out. The Rosen One is “far superior (than Sam Darnold) going through his progressions and has a pretty deep ball,” according to Todd McShay, who gets paid to know things about football players. — Ben

2. Giants: Josh Allen, QB (Wyoming) The Giants need to replace Eli Manning with their quarterback of the future. Allen’s upside, combined with the opportunity to learn for a year or two, puts him ahead of Sam Darnold in this “expert’s” book. — Brian F.

3. Jets: Sam Darnold, QB (USC) This was an easy one. The Jets didn’t trade up to 3 to do anything but pick a franchise QB, which Darnold is. I would have picked him first overall so picking him at 3 is a no-brainer. Darnold turns the ball over a little too often, but he has all the physical tools to be a stud. I almost picked Barkley just to make Hagberg mad. – Andrew

4. Browns: Saquon Barkley, RB (Penn State) The Browns have a tough decision here. Give their young quarterback a stud running back to grow with, or bookend last year’s No. 1 pick with this year’s top pass rusher? After exploring trade options and being turned down by Buffalo (aka Close), Cleveland ultimately decides to take the top prospect in the draft and give their fans some excitement, if not wins. – Brian H.

5. Broncos: Quenton Nelson, G (Notre Dame) Throwing a ton of money to Case Keenum for the next couple years – and with Rosen, Allen and Darnold off the board – the need for the Broncos to pick a franchise quarterback isn’t as great as it looked a few weeks ago. Sure, it’s possible that John Elway falls in love with Baker Mayfield but filling a need with the consensus top lineman on the board, while not a sexy pick, would surely make the Broncos better in 2018. – Josh

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2017, file photo, North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb (9) follows the play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind. Chubb is expected to be a first round pick in the NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

6. Colts: Bradley Chubb, DE (N.C. State) – The Colts get a king’s ransom from the Jets to move down three spots and still get the guy they want in Chubb, who most scouts feel is the best defensive prospect in this draft. With the great young quarterbacks in this division (Luck, Watson), the Colts need a premier pass rusher and they get one here. Easy pick. – Andy

7. Bucs: Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB (Alabama) — Tampa Bay needs help on the defensive side of the ball. With Bradley Chubb off the board, the do-it-all defensive back from Alabama is the Bucs’ best option to improve the unit right away. — Ben

8. Bears: Denzel Ward, CB (Ohio State) The Bears were hoping to get Quenton Nelson here. The Broncos fouled that up and Chicago addresses a need by taking the best available cornerback. — Brian F.

9. 49ers: Roquan Smith, LB (Georgia) It has to be tempting for the 49ers to take a WR here, but it’s a weak receiver class and it’s almost impossible to pass up a dominant run-stopper like Smith. The 49ers are slowly but surely building a young, strong defense to compliment Jimmy Garoppolo. Smith is an absolute bullet and will be a star. – Andrew

10. Raiders: Tremaine Edmunds, LB (Virginia Tech) – The 49ers threw a monkey wrench in the Raiders plans here, as Smith was their first choice. John Gruden certainly wouldn’t complain about getting Edmunds here though. The versatile LB can go sideline to sideline . . . and he’s a football player, which Gruden seems to really like. – Brian H.

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2017, file photo, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass in the first half of the Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game against TCU in Arlington, Texas. Every quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL draft has a major flaw or drawback that keeps them from being the consensus best one of the bunch. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

11. Dolphins: Baker Mayfield, QB (Oklahoma) – When Smith and Edmunds came off the board, it came down to Baker Mayfield and DT Vita Vea. The NFL is a league driven by the question of “What have you done for me lately?” If I’m Adam Gase – and I answer the question honestly – I respond with “Not much.” Even with more baggage than the other quarterbacks in this class, Mayfield will buy Gase time that Vea simply could not. – Josh

12. Bills: Mason Rudolph, QB, (Oklahoma State) – By comparison, Rudolph is getting very little press compared to the other top quarterbacks in this draft, but, I feel like he is the second best option at the position behind Darnold. He is big (6-5, 230), mobile (think Ben Roethlisberger) and has a very high football IQ. I firmly believe that the Bills finally get their first franchise QB since Jim Kelly here and this pick will make them look very smart and some of the teams picking in front of them very foolish in the coming years. – Andy

13. Redskins: Derwin James, DB (Florida St.) — I pretty much flipped a coin between James and Minkah Fitzpatrick for Tampa Bay’s pick at No. 7, so getting him at No. 13 is a win. Washington needs a running back in a bad way, but taking anyone not named Saquon Barkley this high in the draft feels like a reach. — Ben

14. Packers: Marcus Davenport, DE, (Texas-San Antonio) As long as Aaron Rodgers is around, teams are going to have to put points on the board against the Packers. Davenport’s athleticism is top-notch and he has room to learn and get bigger. He will be disrupting opposing passers for years. — Brian F.

15. Cardinals trade pick to Cowboys for pick No. 19 and 3rd-round pick. Cowboys: Calvin Ridley, WR (Alabama) — Dez Bryant’s future is up in the air and Dallas needs to get a reliable target for Dak Prescott. Ridley is the best receiver in this draft class, so parting with a 3rd-round pick is an easy decision (made easier because we’re only drafting one round). — Ben

16. Ravens: Mike McGlinchey, OT (Notre Dame) – With the Cowboys moving up to grab Ridley at 15, Ozzie Newsome adds a plug-and-play starter along his offensive line with this pick. The Ravens still need a slot WR, but McGlinchey provides much better value with this pick than reaching for a need. – Brian H.

17. Chargers: Vita Vea, DT (Washington) – I defy you to find a more athletic man at his size short of Casey Hampton. Put him in between Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa and you’re looking at an elite defensive line in Los Angeles. — Josh

18. Seahawks: Harold Landry, DE (Boston College) – The Seahawks defense needs a major re-boot and they could go a couple different directions here, but I don’t think they pass on Landry if he gets to them. A super quick edge rusher (he clocked a 4.6 in the 40) that Pete Carroll loves, Landry lacks premium size, but his burst, stride length and ability to rip around the edge give him special potential as an edge rusher. – Andy

19. Cardinals: Da’Ron Payne, DT, (Alabama) – The Cardinals are in a weird spot. They aren’t good and they also aren’t really bad. Trading down four spots to pick up a third round pick is probably a smart move for a team in limbo. New head coach Steve Wilks is a defensive guy, so I’m thinking his first pick with the organization is going to be a defender. Payne is ranked as a top 10 prospect in the draft by multiple analysts and is a freak athlete (he ran a 4.95 40 at 6’2 311 lbs). I seriously considered Lamar Jackson here, but I think the Cardinals ride out 2018 with Sam Bradford to try to get Larry Fitzgerald one more shot at a ring.- Andrew

20. Lions: Will Hernandez, G, (UTEP) The Lions running game is abysmal and some are looking at a running back here. There is running back talent to be had later. For the benefit of the run game and the pass game, this guy is an immediate starter in the trenches. — Brian F.

21. Bengals: Lamar Jackson, QB, (Louisville) – Jackson is easily the most polarizing QB prospect in the draft. He’s the best running QB since Michael Vick and has a better arm than he gets credit for. He does need work on his throwing touch and mechanics. The Bengals spent their first two picks on offensive skill players in last year’s draft (John Ross and Joe Mixon). They also have AJ Green, Giovanni Bernard, and Tyler Eifert, but their offense still isn’t good. There’s a pretty good chance that’s because Andy Dalton stinks. Dalton is still under contract for a couple more years, giving Jackson the time he needs to work on his mechanics and learn an NFL system. – Andrew

22. Bills: Courtland Sutton, WR (SMU) – The Bills grabbed their future QB at 12, and now give him another weapon to stretch the field by taking Sutton here. The 6’4″, 216lb wideout says he models his game after Terrell Owens. The Bills had Owens for a brief period at the end of his career, they’re hoping they get a younger version of him here. – Brian H.

23. Patriots: Kolton Miller, T (UCLA) – Sure, it’s not flashy for a team to trade up in the draft to pick a tackle but with Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph off the board, the Patriots have to look elsewhere for the next Jimmy G. Long-time left tackle Nate Solder just left in free agency and the Pats have to keep Brady upright if he’s going to play until he’s 50. Miller is by no means a finished project but he is athletically gifted… which sounds a lot like Solder when the Patriots picked him in 2011. — Josh

24. Panthers: Christian Kirk, WR (Texas A&M) – The Panthers have a glaring need at receiver, and Kirk is arguably the most polished in this class. He is well-built, especially for a receiver, and extremely physical. He couples that with above average speed, as evidenced by his prowess in the return game at A&M and is a precise route-runner. He is a guy you can plug and play right away, and the bust potential is very small. – Andy

25. Titans: Arden Key, LB/DE (LSU) — According to the internet, which I fired up a minute before I made this pick, the Titans need an edge rusher. Key is the best available after Chubb and Davenport were taken earlier in the draft. — Ben

26. Falcons: Taven Bryan, DT (Florida) — While he may not live up to the “next J.J. Watt” billing, and is not especially comparable to run stuffer Dontari Poe, Bryan fills a need created by the loss of Poe. If he is the next J.J. Watt, so much the better. — Brian F.

27. Saints: Joshua Jackson, CB (Iowa) — The NFL has quickly become a passing league. To win, you need to be able to defend the pass. Look at the Jaguars, they made it to the AFC Championship game with Blake Bortles as their QB because they are loaded at corner. The Saints spent their first round pick on another corner, Marshon Lattimore, who instantly became on of the best corners in the league. Jackson will give the Saints one of the best corner units in the league. He’s a steal here. – Andrew

28. Steelers: Rashaan Evans, LB (Alabama) — This was arguably the easiest pick of the first round. As much progress as Ryan Shazier has made following his horrific injury, there’s still no guarantee he plays again. The Steelers need a LB who can immediately step into Shazier’s spot and Evans fills that need perfectly. – Brian H.

29. Jaguars: D.J. Moore, WR (Maryland) — Marquise Lee is atop the Jags depth chart at wide receiver. If you’re going to throw a truckload of money at Blake ‘The Snake’ Bortles, it would be advisable to give him someone to throw the ball to. – Josh

30. Vikings: Maurice Hurst, DT (Michigan) — This one is tricky, because it was discovered that Hurst has a heart condition that could slide him down some teams draft boards, but he has been medically cleared by doctors. That being said, the Vikings have very few needs, but an athletic three-technique who frequently spends his time in opponents back field is someone who doesn’t grow on trees. – Andy

31. Patriots: Isaiah Oliver, CB (Colorado) — I don’t even want to attempt getting into the mindset of Bill Belichick, but if there’s one thing to take away from this year’s Super Bowl for New England, it’s the need for a corner. — Ben

32. Eagles: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, (Boise State) — The first round tight ends are pass catchers and decidedly not blockers. The Eagles are looking for more of a blocker who catches passes. I was willing to trade down to fill that need. There is no one left to trade with. So, Vander Esch is the guy that fills the next need. — Brian F.