NFL Draft 2017: Known Order and Top Prospects Before Week 17

The 2017 NFL draft, which is slated to begin April 27, seems like a lifetime away. The NFL playoffs have yet to begin, and we haven't even finished the college bowl season. If there's one thing that never seems too far off to scrutinize, though, it's the NFL draft.

This year's draft should be an interesting one. While the crop of quarterbacks appears relatively lackluster right now, there seem to be several defenders, running backs and pass-catchers in the group. The ability to snag elite prospects, of course, depends very much on draft positioning.

As of this week, either the Cleveland Browns or the San Francisco 49ers are going to end up with the first overall pick—though a trade out of the spot could certainly occur over the next few months. The one-win Browns currently hold the "honor" of selecting first overall, but a win Sunday coupled with a 49ers loss would give San Francisco the top pick.

Today, we're going to run down the entire draft order as it stands today. We'll also take a look at some of the latest buzz surrounding some of the top prospects in the class. Draft order is based on records, strength of schedule and projected playoff seeding.

Current Draft Order

Pick	Team	Record
1	Cleveland Browns	1-14
2	San Francisco 49ers	2-13
3	Chicago Bears	3-12
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	3-12
5	Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles)	4-11 (LA)
6	New York Jets	4-11
7	San Diego Chargers	5-10
8	Cincinnati Bengals	5-9-1
9	Carolina Panthers	6-9
10	Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia)	6-9 (PHI)
11	Arizona Cardinals	6-8-1
12	Buffalo Bills	7-8
13	Indianapolis Colts	7-8
14	New Orleans Saints	7-8
15	Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota)	7-8 (MIN)
16	Tennessee Titans	8-7
17	Baltimore Ravens	8-7
18	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8-7
19	Denver Broncos	8-7
20	Washington Redskins	8-6-1
21	Detroit Lions	9-6
22	Miami Dolphins	10-5
23	New York Giants	10-5
24	Kansas City Chiefs	11-4
25	Houston Texans	9-6
26	Green Bay Packers	9-6
27	Seattle Seahawks	9-5-1
28	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-5
29	Atlanta Falcons	10-5
30	Oakland Raiders	12-3
31	New England Patriots	13-2
32	Dallas Cowboys	13-2

Prospects to Watch

Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina Tar Heels

We mentioned this year's draft doesn't appear to be particularly strong at the quarterback position. However, there is one intriguing prospect who could be worth first-round consideration if he decides to declare.

That prospect is North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky. Though he has just one year of starting experience, Trubisky seems to have the size, arm strength and leadership skills NFL teams look for.

The 6'3", 220-pound signal-caller racked up 3,748 yards passing with 30 touchdowns and only six interceptions in his lone year as a starter. The question NFL teams will have to ask is whether that one year provides enough to make a judgment.

Trubisky is coming off a fairly unimpressive appearance (280 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) in the Sun Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal, however, so his last on-field impression of the season wasn't a stellar one. Whether teams really hold that against him is a matter for NFL decision-makers.

One NFL executive recently told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that the Browns should snag Trubisky with that first overall pick:

Of course, Cleveland won't have the opportunity if Trubisky decides to stay in school and further hone his skills. His decision is likely to be the most anticipated one of the next several days. If he decides it's time to join the NFL, he can be almost certain of an early selection.

Trubisky was given a first-round grade by the NFL’s college advisory committee.

"It's just a first-round grade, and I'm trying to see if I can get more in-depth information around it. I'm sure some of the scouts have me at second round, or first round, but what I got back said first [round]. And that's just an average," Trubisky explained, per Greg Barnes of Scout.

Trubisky will have to make his decision by January 16.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford Cardinal

One top prospect who has already declared for the draft is Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. The 6'0", 200-pound offensive weapon should be a hot commodity on draft day too. He racked up 3,622 yards rushing, 955 yards receiving and 29 total touchdowns over the past two seasons.

"He's one of the best players in the history of college football," Stanford head coach David Shaw said, per David Lombardi of ESPN.com. "Just mark it down. It's the truth. ... The numbers say the same thing the film says."

Unlike Trubisky, McCaffrey didn't have the chance for a disappointing Sun Bowl appearance because he decided to skip the game. While plenty of folks ripped McCaffrey for not finishing things out with his team, McCaffrey's decision to protect his health (and draft stock) shouldn't be seen as that big of a negative.

Significant injuries do happen in bowl games, and one only need to look at the Sun Bowl for proof. While McCaffrey stayed safe by staying away, Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst was carted off with a knee injury.

Chryst's injury may change the narrative on McCaffrey and on the participation of draft-bound players in bowl games moving forward.

Whether you think McCaffrey—and LSU running back Leonard Fournette, for that matter—made the right decision by skipping a postseason exhibition game, the fact remains he should be healthy and a coveted prospect come draft day.

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M pass-rusher Myles Garrett has also declared for the 2017 draft, and he might just be the most talented prospect in the entire class. Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller even believes Garrett is good enough to go No. 1 overall for the quarterback-needy Browns:

Of course, there are going to be plenty of folks who believe a team like the Browns, 49ers or even the Chicago Bears should target a quarterback before a pass-rusher because of the importance of the position.

This could, however, lead the Browns (or 49ers) to trade out of the top pick for a team that views Garrett as a true can't-miss prospect.

There will be people who also question Garrett's lack of jaw-dropping numbers this season. He has 15.0 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks, which is good but not great. However, his size (6'5", 270 pounds) and technique are really what scouts will be looking at over raw statistics.

As NFL Media's Lance Zierlein recently explained, Garrett may have been protecting his health for much of the season, a partial reason for his numbers.

Zierlein wrote the following:

"

I was speaking with an NFL evaluator about projections vs. production and he brought up Garrett. His asked this question: "Do you let Garrett's lack of production (this season) keep you from drafting the traits?" Of course, I knew the answer to the question was no. Pass rushers with elite traits are usually drafted early. This evaluator believes that Garrett has been playing cautiously ever since he suffered an ankle injury against Arkansas in September. He also said he wouldn't hold the cautious play against Garrett and said that players respond to injuries that way more often than people realize.

"

Scouts are going to look at Garrett's entire body of work, along with his physical traits, and likely past any lack of production or motor from this season. In the end, Garrett should grade out as one of the best prospects in the entire draft, if not the very best.