2017 NFL Draft: Franchise-Changing Defenders in This Year's Class
Last year's NFL draft was lauded for being a class loaded with top-tier defensive talent. Seven of the first 12 picks were defensive players, including defensive end Joey Bosa and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, both of whom are in a heated race for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Of the seven defensive players selected in the top 12, all of them either had value as a pass-rusher or played cornerback. The NFL is a pass-heavy league, and that leaves all of the teams near the top of the draft looking for one of three things: a quarterback, someone to hit the quarterback or someone to negate the quarterback. That is not to say that running backs, inside linebackers, tight ends, etc., aren't valuable, but in such a quarterback-centric league, getting defensive players who frustrate the quarterback is a must.
The 2016 NFL draft provided those types of players in abundance. The handful of players near the top of the draft have panned out thus far. Even some of the players from the middle of the first round have as well, like Atlanta safety Keanu Neal. Both in terms of premium players and value picks, it was a great draft for playmaking defenders.
The 2017 NFL draft class is ready to contend with last year's crop, though. There is a strong group of difference-makers to be found in this class, but only a handful of teams will be so lucky to choose them. Whether it be pushing the interior of the pocket, pass-rushing around the edge or swatting away perfect passes, these players are ready to be difference-makers in the NFL.
Myles Garrett, EDGE, Texas A&M
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Myles Garrett is about as far from an unknown commodity as there is at the college football level. Coming out of Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, Garrett was Scout.com's top defensive end in the 2014 high school class, good for a 5-star ranking.
As a true freshman, someone who was just 18 years old during his first regular season, Garrett was a second-team All-SEC defensive end. Last year, he was a first-team member, and this year, he's on his way to All-American status.
At the end of this third regular season, when he'll be a 20-year-old, he will go down as the best pass-rushing prospect to come out of the college ranks since Jadeveon Clowney, a South Carolina product who was drafted first overall in the 2014 draft.
At the moment, he has 41.5 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks under his belt. Per Sports-Reference.com, only two defenders in college football have more active career sacks in the FBS than Garrett: Tennessee's Derek Barnett and Florida Atlantic's Trey Hendrickson, who has played one more year of FBS ball than Garrett.
According to NFL Draft Scout, Garrett is projected to measure in at a little over 6'4" with a 268-pound frame. In short, from a body type, production and pedigree standpoint, it's hard to come up with a better example of a prospect who checks the boxes like Garrett.
He's also incredibly athletic, one reason for his early production and his high grades coming out of high school. One worry heading into the 2016 season was that he relied on his speed moves too much, but since he's learned to counter offensive tackles on the perimeter, he's developed even more during his junior season.
Garrett is going to make a case to be the first overall pick in April. He's someone every team in the league should have ranked as a top-five player, no matter the scheme.
Jonathan Allen, DL/EDGE, Alabama
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Jonathan Allen is the face of the Alabama Crimson Tide defense. That's an honor in and of itself.
Had Allen declared for the draft last season, there's a chance he would have been a first-round pick considering how thin the defensive line class was. Instead, he returned in an attempt to both lead Alabama to another title run and improve his draft stock.
As it stands in mid-November, he's on pace to set those goals. Of the nine SEC defenders with seven or more sacks, Allen is the only player who weighs more than 265 pounds.
Per NFL Draft Scout, Allen is a hair over 6'2" and 291 pounds. He's also the site's top senior in the draft class.
Allen has played defensive tackle, 3-4 defensive end and 4-3 defensive end roles for the Crimson Tide, depending on which unit they have on the field at the time. The comparisons you're going to hear with him are Seattle's Michael Bennett, Detroit's Kerry Hyder and Atlanta's Adrian Clayborn, 4-3 defensive ends who contribute just as much on the edge as they do as nickel defensive tackles.
Some may see him as a three-down under tackle, but he will likely move around at the next level, just as he did in college. As Joey Bosa has shown over the last draft cycle, roles in modern NFL defenses don't matter. If a player can play, a coach will figure out how to flex him around in any scheme, be it 4-3 or 3-4.
In his career, he's posted 36 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks. In any one-gap scheme, Allen should be an instant impact player, even if he's not a 10-sack player at the next level, based on his body type.
He's not Aaron Donald, but he's still an explosive player who should be able to beat interior offensive linemen on passing downs. On draft weekend, you'll see his sack against Texas A&M over and over, possibly the most impressive play by a college defensive lineman since Jadeveon Clowney's hit against Michigan.
Desmond King, CB, Iowa
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Desmond King of Iowa returned to school last year despite the fact he was considered one of the better cornerbacks in college football during the 2015 regular season. It's not often an All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner comes back for another year.
In fact, King is the first Thorpe winner to come back to try to win the trophy in back-to-back years. King is going to measure in closer to 5'10" than 5'11" based on NFL Draft Scouts' numbers, which is a problem in today's NFL, but that shouldn't keep him from being a first-round pick.
A majority of NFL defenses play heavy man coverage or Cover 3 schemes, which puts a premium on fast, long cornerbacks, a prototype King doesn't fit. However, he can prove to be a huge value for an innovative defensive coordinator in a cookie-cutter league.
What King lacks in length, he makes up for in physicality. There may not be a more influential cornerback as a run defender in the last half-decade of college football.
In a two-high safety defense, King could dominate as a Cover 2 cornerback, and he has a shot to be an elite player as a flat player in Cover 3 Cloud looks. The big knock on two-high defenses in today's NFL is it takes four players out of the box, but if King plays low on running downs, it's like adding another defender on the line of scrimmage.
King has 256 career tackles as a cornerback to go along with 12 interceptions, 8.5 tackles for loss and 33 pass deflections. To say he's a special talent is an understatement.
Malik McDowell, DL/EDGE, Michigan State
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Malik McDowell is one of the better defensive linemen in college football, but where he plays on the next level is a bit of a question. In Michigan State's 4-3 defense, McDowell is a base nose tackle, which is fine at the college level, but that isn't going to fly in the NFL.
According to NFL Draft Scout, he's just 282 pounds, too small to even play defensive tackle in most 4-3 defenses in the NFL, let alone nose tackle. In all likelihood, he's going to play defensive end in any NFL scheme, with his best fit being in a true 3-4 scheme.
At 6'5", McDowell has the length to stack and shed offensive tackles. Think of McDowell like a more athletic DeForest Buckner, a 2016 first-round pick who now starts with the San Francisco 49ers, but playing in a miscast defense.
There isn't a 3-4 defensive lineman prospect better than McDowell this season—even if he's never played in a 3-4 defense. In the last two years, he's posted 20 tackles for loss, an incredible rate for a nose tackle, even despite some injuries.
McDowell will likely see some All-American honors for the second straight season. With all of that on his resume, including the fact he will be drafted as a 20-year-old, the sky is the limit for how high he's going to come off the board.
Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan
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Jabrill Peppers has a good chance to be the first true off-the-ball linebacker drafted in the top 10 since Luke Kuechly went ninth overall to Carolina in 2012. Peppers also has a chance to make the trip to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
On the defensive side of the ball, Peppers is a hybrid linebacker and defensive back. On the offensive side of the ball, Michigan tries to give him the rock as a running back. On special teams, he's a key return man.
There's nothing he can't do, which is why so many are in love with him as a prospect, but asking what role he will specifically fill at the next level is what brings in doubt. Peppers isn't a talented cover man, but the fact he is pulled out of the tackle box at times in nickel and dime looks means he's getting fewer reps at a role he's going to play in the NFL.
He's young, just a true junior, but Peppers has the instincts and athleticism to make for a talented outside linebacker at the NFL level. He may take a year to find his legs as a box linebacker, but his future is bright.
Peppers has set personal highs for tackles, solo tackles, tackles for loss and sacks this season. He has yet to record a pass deflection in 2016 or a turnover in his college career, but he's peaking in all other statistics in his last year before he's eligible for the NFL draft.
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