As we approach crunch time in the college football season, there's a lot still left to be determined before bowl season. However, the draft picture is slowly becoming clearer as more prospects stand out.
Here are my top prospects for the 2018 NFL draft right now:
Note: Players not in their senior year are marked with an asterisk.
1. Sam Darnold, QB, USC*
Grade: 95 | Previous rank: 1
No question, Darnold has made some questionable decisions throwing the football this season (11 interceptions is more than his total from 2016) -- but it hasn't changed my overall evaluation of him. He simply makes plays when it matters, which he showed again against Utah in the second half. Darnold's delivery still needs to be cleaned up, but his accuracy is phenomenal. He is the most complete quarterback in college football and a potential franchise signal-caller, if he decides to enter the draft.
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State*
Grade: 94 | Previous rank: 2
Barkley is the best running back in the nation this season. With good balance and terrific lateral agility, he can run away from the defense when he gets to the second level. He has been bottled up as good defenses have started to focus on him, but that doesn't change what I think of him. Barkley is a special talent.
3. Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama*
Grade: 93 | Previous rank: 4
Fitzpatrick played 14 of 15 games as a true freshman in 2015, started all 15 in 2016 (collecting a team-high six interceptions) and has started every game in 2017. He has an intriguing skill set and has been all over the field, picking up 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and six passes broken up. He is a true shutdown corner.
4. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA*
Grade: 93 | Previous rank: 5
Rosen had a terrific 2015 season, becoming the first player to start at UCLA as a true freshman and throwing for 3,668 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A shoulder injury cut his season short in 2016. Rosen still needs to improve his decision-making under pressure, but he has shown tremendous poise with so much of the offense reliant on him. He has had some forgettable games recently, but I've been impressed with his overall body of work in a tough situation at UCLA.
5. Derwin James, S, Florida State*
Grade: 93 | Previous rank: 3
James is one of the most versatile players we've ever evaluated. A third-year sophomore, James tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee in the second game of 2016 and received a medical redshirt. He has played well despite a disappointing season for Florida State.
6. Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
Grade: 93 | Previous rank: 12
A two-year starter and 2016 team captain, Chubb ended the '16 season ranked fourth in the nation with 22 tackles for loss. He isn't an elite pass-rusher, but he has a good first step and bends well for his size. Chubb is another player who has been very productive, with 21.5 TFL and 10.0 sacks already. He was terrific against Boston College on Saturday.
7. Arden Key, DE, LSU*
Grade: 92 | Previous rank: 7
The more I watch Key play, the more he reminds me of Miami Dolphins great Jason Taylor. Key missed spring practice for personal reasons and has only 4.0 sacks so far, but that included a game-winning sack against Auburn. His production should continue to increase.
8. Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming*
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 6
Outside of scouting circles, Allen was a relative unknown coming into the season. He didn't have a Division I scholarship out of high school. His three appearances in the national spotlight (at Iowa, vs. Oregon, at Boise State) didn't go well, but it's not all on his shoulders. He has an elite arm and frame (listed at 6 feet 5, 233 pounds) and can make every throw. The postseason process will be key for him.
9. Harold Landry, OLB, Boston College
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 8
Landry led the nation with 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles last season. I still have concerns about his size (listed at 6 feet 3, 250 pounds), but he should be an every-down player in the NFL, and teams will value his versatility. He has 5.0 sacks through eight games in 2017 but also has broken up two passes along with 8.5 TFL. He has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.
10. Christian Wilkins, DE, Clemson*
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 10
A disruptive run defender with the foot speed and quick hands to slip blocks rapidly, Wilkins is a high-motor guy who does a great job of getting his hands up in passing windows. He had 140 tackles (17.5 for loss) and 5.5 sacks the past two seasons, and he already has 4.0 sacks in 2017. His stock has risen considerably from our preseason evaluation.
11. Mo Hurst, DT, Michigan
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 11
Hurst is a quick and powerful one-gap penetrator who is highly disruptive against the run. He has a powerful upper body and disengages quickly. His production has increased (10.5 TFL in the past four games), and he has been a real difference-maker for Michigan's stout defense.
12. Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 14
Ward wasn't high enough on my radar, but I went back and watched some tape from this season -- and, boy, was I impressed. Spending last season behind Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker and Gareon Conley (all 2017 first-round picks), he didn't get much playing time, but he has elite fluidity, quickness and recovery speed. Already has 11 passes broken up.
13. Connor Williams, OT, Texas*
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 9
A true junior who started all 23 games in which he appeared coming into this season, Williams is a scheme-versatile blocker. Unfortunately he suffered a sprained MCL and PCL in his left knee, along with a meniscus tear, against USC. From multiple reports, it sounds as if he might be close to returning, as he's back at practice this week.
14. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU*
Grade: 91 | Previous rank: 13
Guice isn't Leonard Fournette, but he has great quickness and the ability to stick his foot in the ground and get upfield. He has had two breakout games the past three weeks, racking up four TDs and more than 400 rushing yards. Guice is starting to come on late in the season after a slow start.
15. Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
Grade: 90 | Previous rank: 15
Ridley doesn't get a chance to showcase his full potential in Alabama's run-heavy offense, but he has averaged 15.4 yards per catch this season. He also has scored two touchdowns. A player with outstanding foot quickness and a nightmare in the open field, Ridley has good acceleration. He couldn't be stopped against Mississippi State on Saturday, piling up 151 yards receiving.
16. Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Grade: 90 | Previous rank: 16
In 2016, McGlinchey moved from right tackle to the left side vacated by Ravens first-round pick Ronnie Stanley. An above-average zone blocker, McGlinchey plays angles well and gives good effort. He has first-round potential, but I need to see it on a more consistent basis this season.
17. Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M*
Grade: 89 | Previous rank: 18
Kirk hasn't been running an NFL route tree at Texas A&M, but he's a solid all-around player and dangerous punt returner. He already has six touchdowns this season and was sensational in a 50-43 win over Arkansas. Kirk had his first 100-yard receiving game since that Arkansas matchup on Saturday against New Mexico.
18. Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame*
Grade: 88 | Previous rank: 22
Nelson is a road-grader with the size (listed at 6 feet 5, 325 pounds), strength, polish and toughness to start immediately in the NFL.
19. Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson*
Grade: 88 | Previous rank: 24
This is Ferrell's second appearance on my Top 32 list this season, and it's mostly due to his phenomenal performance at Syracuse, where he collected 3.5 sacks and 5.5 TFL. He has good size (6 feet 5, 260 pounds) and is explosive coming off the edge. He's continuing to rise.
20. Roquan Smith, OLB, Georgia*
Grade: 87 | Previous rank: 25
An athletic sideline-to-sideline weakside linebacker, Smith has impressed recently. Even with all of the speed on Georgia's defense, he stands out. He has only one sack and 4.5 TFL on the season, but his potential far outweighs those numbers.
21. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU*
Grade: 87 | Previous rank: 20
My fifth-ranked wide receiver coming into the season, Sutton is a smooth route runner who has the ability to make the first defender miss. He is 21st in the nation with 875 receiving yards and has at least five catches in each of his past six games. He's averaging nearly 16 yards per catch.
22. Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa*
Grade: 87 | Previous rank: NR
When you make a highlight-reel interception in a big-time game as Jackson did against Ohio State, you tend to make these lists. And when you record three INTs in that game? You definitely do. Jackson is long with natural cover skills and attacks the ball like a wide receiver. He's still developing consistency with his footwork and eyes, but he looks like, at worst, an early Day 2 pick if he comes out. He leads the nation with seven INTs this season.
23. Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama*
Grade: 87 | Previous rank: 23
Harrison is a player who really grew on me during film study. He has some tightness when playing man-to-man, and his ball skills need to improve, but he has the potential to be a starting free safety in the NFL. Harrison already has been productive this season, with 3.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks and three interceptions.
24. Bryce Love, RB, Stanford*
Grade: 86 | Previous rank: 27
The nation's leading rusher, Love is having a fantastic season and, with 15 TDs, has put himself squarely in the middle of the Heisman race. He'll be compared to Christian McCaffrey, but at 5 feet 10, 195 pounds, he doesn't have the same frame. Love is averaging a ridiculous 9.0 yards per carry on the season.
25. Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma*
Grade: 86 | Previous rank: 19
The son of the late Orlando "Zeus" Brown, the younger Brown is a better fit at right tackle in the pros, though he has played exclusively at left tackle in a run-heavy Oklahoma scheme. He is part of an offensive line that was extremely impressive in Week 2 against Ohio State's stout defensive front.
26. Billy Price, OG, Ohio State
Grade: 86 | Previous rank: 28
An experienced three-year starter at guard heading into his senior year, Price is a plug-and-play NFL starter who should be steady in the league. He's playing center for the Buckeyes in 2017.
27. Derrick Nnadi, DT, Florida State
Grade: 86 | Previous rank: 29
A two-year starter, Nnadi is coming off his most productive season (49 tackles, 10.5 TFL, six sacks). He is an outstanding run defender and consistently displays a low center of gravity to occupy multiple blockers.
28. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Grade: 86 | Previous rank: NR
My ninth-ranked QB entering the season, Mayfield has done a ton to improve his draft stock. A former walk-on and Texas Tech transfer, he has finished third and fourth in Heisman voting the past two seasons, respectively. I don't think he'll finish third this year. I wrote before the season that Mayfield was a Day 3 prospect. That certainly isn't the case anymore.
29. Vita Vea, DT, Washington*
Grade: 85 | Previous rank: 30
Listed at 6 feet 4, 346 pounds, the former high school running back is a space-eater in the middle of Washington's defense. I'll be curious to see how many snaps the Huskies give him as the season progresses.
30. Malik Jefferson, OLB, Texas
Grade: 85 | Previous rank: 31
Jefferson is an athletically gifted player with a high ceiling who had 8.0 sacks and 15.5 TFL in his first two seasons. Listed at 6 feet 3, 240 pounds, he isn't a true edge rusher, which makes his sack numbers more impressive.
31. Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State
Grade: 85 | Previous rank: 32
There's a lot of buzz surrounding Rankin, who is a juco transfer and has only one year of SEC experience. He has the length to handle speed off the edge and the athletic ability to mirror inside pass rushing moves. I want to see how he continues to perform against the SEC's best pass-rushers as the season winds down.
32. Tremaine Edmunds, OLB, Virginia Tech*
Grade: 85 | Previous rank: NR
I've been impressed with Edmunds this season. He is a versatile linebacker with a great frame and speed for his size (6 feet 5, 236 pounds). He has been flying around the field, with 86 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Edmunds had 18.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2016.