NFL Draft 2017: Top Prospects and 1st-Round Mock Predictions

The 2016 NFL draft isn't even over yet, but NFL fans are already beginning to cast their gaze to next season's crop of potential draftees.

Between now and the 2017 draft, a number of players considered to be top picks will see their stock slide, while others will surge up draft boards. At the very least, though, a handful of stars will head into next year as viable first-rounders.

Below is an early mock for next year's draft, followed by three of the best draft-eligible talents available.

2017 Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player
1	Cleveland Browns	Deshaun Watson, QB, San Francisco 49ers
2	Tennessee Titans	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Da'Shawn Hand, DE, Alabama
4	Oakland Raiders	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5	San Diego Chargers	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
6	San Francisco 49ers	Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
7	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
8	Miami Dolphins	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
9	Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia Eagles)	Roderick Johnson, OT, Florida State
10	Houston Texans	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
11	Chicago Bears	Jalen Tabor, CB, Florida
12	Tennessee Titans (via Los Angeles Rams)	Adoree Jackson, CB, USC
13	Detroit Lions	Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU
14	New York Giants	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
15	Atlanta Falcons	Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
16	Buffalo Bills	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
17	Washington Redskins	Travin Dural, WR, LSU
18	New Orleans Saints	Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri
19	New York Jets	Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State
20	Baltimore Ravens	Desmond King, CB, Iowa
21	Kansas City Chiefs	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
22	Minnesota Vikings	David Sharpe, OT, Florida
23	Denver Broncos	Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
24	Indianapolis Colts	Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
25	Arizona Cardinals	KD Cannon, WR, Baylor
26	Cincinnati Bengals	Greg Pyke, G, Georgia
27	Dallas Cowboys	Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
28	Green Bay Packers	Conor McDermott, OT, UCLA
29	Pittsburgh Steelers	Nate Andrews, S, Florida State
30	Seattle Seahawks	Darren Carrington, WR, Oregon
31	New England Patriots	Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
32	Carolina Panthers	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU

Note: Draft Order is courtesy of Odds Shark's 2017 Super Bowl odds. Teams with the same odds are listed in alphabetical order.

Prospects to Watch

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

The fact people even broached the idea of Leonard Fournette sitting out the 2016 season is a testament to his ability. The LSU Tigers running back doesn't have to take a single snap, and he'd still be a near-lock to be the first running back taken in the 2017 NFL draft.

Fournette took a major jump in his sophomore season, rushing for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns. Until his lackluster showing—19 carries, 31 yards, one touchdown—in a 30-16 defeat to Alabama on Nov. 7, he seemingly had the inside track on the Heisman Trophy.

At times, Fournette looked like a man among boys, no more so than on his 29-yard touchdown run against Auburn on Sept. 19, via SEC on CBS:

At the very least, Fournette is the equal of Ezekiel Elliott, who recently went fourth overall to the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 draft. As long as he stays healthy, he will almost certainly be a top-five pick next year. 

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Deshaun Watson's 405 passing yards and four touchdowns weren't enough to propel the Clemson Tigers to a victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship, but he may have secured his NFL future in defeat.

Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman spoke to an NFL quarterbacks coach on Jan. 14 who was sold on Watson's ability in the national title game:

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The coach also said he traded a few texts with some of his peers around the NFL and heard back from guys who were similarly impressed by what Watson did Monday night. The coach said he liked Watson before the game but was wowed by what he saw against the Crimson Tide: "Those are NFL players he was going against. He threw with anticipation. He was very accurate. He responded well to adversity. He's a smooth athlete, and he showed he’s tough."

"

Watson is athletic enough to elude on-rushing defenders—1,105 rushing yards in 2015—and his passing ability isn't in question—67.8 percent completion rate, 4,104 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. Some mobile QBs can struggle on throws farther down the field, but NFL.com's Bucky Brooks is confident that won't be a problem for the Tigers star:

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As a deep-ball thrower, Watson shows outstanding arm strength and range on vertical routes. He easily drops the ball "down the chute" on throws down the boundary, but also displays the zip and velocity to fire the ball between defenders on seam routes along the hashes. Although he misfired on a few deep balls early in the game, Watson's deep-ball anticipation and touch is something scouts will rave about when reviewing the tape in the coming weeks.

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Since he'll only be a junior in 2016, Watson could stay at Clemson for another season to firm up his NFL draft stock and chase a national championship. Should he declare for the 2017 draft, he'll be one of the most coveted passers available.

Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Jabrill Peppers had his hand in a little bit of everything for the Michigan Wolverines last year:

Games	Carries	Rush Yds.	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Tackles	TFL	Punt Return Yds.	Kick Return Yds.
12	18	87	8	79	45	5.5	194	223

Peppers is such a versatile athlete the Wolverines are moving him to linebacker for the 2016 season.

"He’s a smart football player that can take on a lot and we’re going to ask him to take on a lot," said Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge, per ESPN.com's Dan Murphy. "I think the sky’s the limit on what positions he can play. We might even line him up at nose tackle this year if we can."

Playing linebacker might only strengthen Peppers' draft stock, since it's one more way in which he could be used at the next level. Realistically, he could be a cornerback, safety or linebacker in the NFL, boasting the kind of versatility rarely seen from a college defender.

Peppers would be an asset in pass coverage since he could line up against the kind of hybrid tight end that is causing so much trouble for defensive coordinators in the NFL.