Mel Kiper Jr's 2018 NFL Mock Draft 3.0: Arizona Cardinals get their quarterback

As we crawl towards the 2018 NFL Draft, mock drafts will become more and more frequent.

Hell, we’re working on one with our users here at Revenge of the Birds.

One mock draft we will always bring up and keep track or is that of the Godfather, Mel Kiper Jr.

With Kiper, you get some insight into what he is hearing for your team more than what he would do.

For Kiper’s Mock 3.0, he has the Cardinals getting, in my opinion, the best quarterback in the class.

15. Arizona Cardinals*Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

Surprised? Don’t be. Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon are short-term solutions for a team that has seen a talent drain since it went to the NFC title game in the 2015 season. There are holes all across the Cardinals’ roster, particularly at wide receiver, as Larry Fitzgerald will be 35 when the season begins. Jackson is one of the most dynamic quarterback talents I’ve ever scouted, but he’s raw. As I wrote in my updated Big Board, if a smart offensive coordinator builds his offense around Jackson’s strengths, the former Heisman Trophy winner could be a star.

I’ve talked about why Jackson makes sense for the Arizona Cardinals.

He’s a dynamic playmaker, a guy who played in an NFL system in Bobby Petrino’s spread West coast offense and someone who can make plays with his arm and legs.

With Mike McCoy’s penchant for making his offense fit his quarterbacks over his quarterbacks fitting his offense, you have to feel like this would be a nice fit.

Here are Kiper’s top 14 picks:

1. Browns - Josh Allen
2. Giants - Sam Darnold
3. Jets - Josh Rosen
4. Browns - Saquon Barkley
5. Broncos - Baker Mayfield
6. Colts - Bradley Chubb
7. Buccaneers - Denzel Ward
8. Bears - Quenton Nelson
9. 49ers - Minkah Fitzpatrick
10. Raiders - Roquan Smith
11. Dolphins - Derwin James
12. Bills - Tremaine Edmunds
13. Redskins - Vita Vea
14. Packers - Marcus Davenport