NFL Draft 2017: Latest Order, Mock Draft Predictions Entering Wild Card Weekend
All it takes is one quick glance at the playmakers who are set to take the field in the playoffs to understand how important the NFL draft is in the team-building process.
The Dallas Cowboys are the No. 1 seed in the NFC thanks largely to rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, while the New England Patriots occupy that spot in the AFC with their sixth-round pick from the 2000 draft in Tom Brady.
Those 20 teams that did not make the playoffs this season have already turned their attention toward the draft with the hopes of adding enough talent to be part of the field next year.
.png?w=256)
With that in mind, here is a look at a first-round mock draft before the playoffs start. Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated said the top 20 selections of the draft are set, and the rest will be determined in the playoffs. Like Burke's, the 21-32 picks in this draft are set by playoff seeding (with record as a tiebreaker when needed).
| 1 | Cleveland Browns | Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama |
| 5 | Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams) | Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State |
| 6 | New York Jets | DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame |
| 7 | San Diego Chargers | Jamal Adams, S, LSU |
| 8 | Carolina Panthers | Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU |
| 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama |
| 10 | Buffalo Bills | Mike Williams, WR, Clemson |
| 11 | New Orleans Saints | Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles) | Derek Barnett, DE/OLB, Tennessee |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida |
| 14 | Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings) | John Ross, WR, Washington |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State |
| 16 | Baltimore Ravens | Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State |
| 17 | Washington | Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA |
| 18 | Tennessee Titans | Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Teez Tabor, CB, Florida |
| 20 | Denver Broncos | Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin |
| 21 | Detroit Lions | Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan |
| 22 | Miami Dolphins | Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State |
| 23 | New York Giants | Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama |
| 24 | Oakland Raiders | O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama |
| 25 | Houston Texans | Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford: |
| 26 | Green Bay Packers | Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan |
| 27 | Seattle Seahawks | Garett Bolles, OT, Utah |
| 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama |
| 29 | Atlanta Falcons | Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan |
| 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt |
| 31 | Dallas Cowboys | Sidney Jones, CB, Washington |
| 32 | New England Patriots | Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford |
Much of the focus going into a draft centers on the players who are expected to go in the top 10 picks, but there is enough talent in the 2017 edition that players taken in the 20s and 30s will make an immediate impact at the next level.
Here are a few of them.
Kansas City Chiefs: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
The Kansas City Chiefs were largely built on defense this season and reached the playoffs behind a unit that finished seventh in the league in points allowed per game (19.4).
However, the Chiefs could use reinforcements at linebacker moving forward, especially since veteran Derrick Johnson is 34 years old and suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Enter Vanderbilt's Zach Cunningham, who has the production and talent necessary to merit a first-round pick.
According to Sports-Reference, the Commodores star posted a head-turning 125 tackles this season, 16.5 for a loss. He anchored the team's defensive unit on a weekly basis and is strong enough to plug holes against the run and athletic enough to develop into a pass defender at the next level.
Chris Low of ESPN.com pointed to his game-winning stop on a fourth down and 19 tackles in all during Vanderbilt's victory over Georgia as an example of his talent. Low also cited an NFL scout who said Cunningham could play in the 3-4 or 4-3.
"Go back and watch that last play against Georgia, and you don't even see Zach in the picture," Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said, per Low. "All of a sudden, you see a blur and a snatch. You look up and you're like, 'Where did he come from?' You don't coach that."
If Cunningham makes plays like that for the Chiefs, they will effectively replace Johnson in the coming seasons.
Detroit Lions: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
Rob Rang of CBSSports.com slotted Michigan's Taco Charlton to the nearby Detroit Lions in the upcoming draft:
"Stellar play from quarterback Matthew Stafford has diverted attention away from a Detroit pass rush that has struggled with star Ziggy Ansah limited by an ankle injury. The Lions need not look far for help. Only emerging as a full-time starter for Michigan this season, Charlton has developed into the country's better edge rushing prospects, boasting exciting initial quickness and bend given his 6-5, 272-pound frame.
"
The Lions ranked just 19th in the league in passing yards allowed per game (248.4) and could use far more pressure up front to help the secondary. They were an abysmal 30th in the league with 26 sacks, and Charlton would immediately help that total after tallying 10 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss this season for the Wolverines, per Sports-Reference.
Charlton turned heads when he served as a destructive force against archrival Ohio State with nine tackles and 2.5 sacks. He consistently blew past the Buckeyes offensive line with a combination of burst off the edge and power and demonstrated why he will be one of the first defensive ends taken in the 2017 draft.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com wrote, "At 6'6", 270 pounds, Charlton has the size and athleticism to start on the strong side in a 4-3 scheme."
If he is starting with the Lions next season, they can improve a pass-rushing group that needs to be far more effective if they hope to eclipse Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.
Seattle Seahawks: Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
Rang predicted the Seattle Seahawks would take Utah's Garett Bolles in the upcoming draft and noted the offensive lineman "is raw but he plays with the combination of physicality and competitiveness that Seattle prioritizes."
Few teams could use help along the offensive front as much as Seattle does, so Bolles would fill an immediate need.
The Seahawks were 25th in the league in rushing yards per game (99.4) and just 18th in points per game (22.1) largely because of those offensive line struggles.
Football Outsiders ranks the Seahawks offensive line at a dismal 26th in the league in run blocking and 25th in pass protection. The group has been a consistent problem all season, and the draft represents an opportunity for the front office to add talent and potential up front to protect the 28-year-old Russell Wilson for the foreseeable future.
Cami Griffin of USA Today listed Bolles as one of the draft prospects to watch at the Foster Farms Bowl and pointed to the potential first-rounder's "raw talent...necessary arm length, light feet and balance to remain outside at tackle" as enticing characteristics.
All of those traits would help an offensive line that is in dire need of depth and potential.
.png?w=480)
