2017 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Top Prospects Entering Championship Week

There are four teams remaining with Super Bowl dreams this season, and the road to the AFC and NFC Championship Games started on various draft days.

In the AFC, the New England Patriots set up a dynasty with the decision to select Tom Brady, and the Pittsburgh Steelers built an explosive offense by selecting Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. 

As for the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons built a dynamic group by drafting Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, while the Green Bay Packers secured their future in 2005 by picking Aaron Rodgers.

The next NFL superstars are awaiting their destinations in the upcoming draft. With that in mind, here is a look at a mock first round for the 2017 draft. The order for the first 28 picks is per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.

Pick	Team	Selection
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)	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
6	New York Jets	DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
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)	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
13	Arizona Cardinals	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings)	John Ross, WR, Washington
15	Indianapolis Colts	Derek Barnett, DE/OLB, Tennessee
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	Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
26	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
28	Dallas Cowboys	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
29	Green Bay Packers	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
31	Atlanta Falcons	Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
32	New England Patriots	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

2017 Predictions for Rookie Class

Deshaun Watson Starts All 16 Games for the Chicago Bears 

Deshaun Watson will probably draw more attention than any other prospect in this class simply because he is the current king of the college football world after his legendary performance against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The quarterback led Clemson to a 35-31 win with 420 passing yards, 43 rushing yards and four total touchdowns after torching the Crimson Tide for 405 passing yards, 73 rushing yards and four total touchdowns in last year's dramatic 45-40 loss.

Putting up ridiculous numbers is nothing new for Watson considering the Heisman Trophy finalist finished the 2016 campaign with 4,593 passing yards, 629 rushing yards and 50 total touchdowns. He tallied 4,104 passing yards, 1,105 rushing yards and 47 total touchdowns in the 2015 season.

Watson's ability to make plays with his legs and arm stands out, but so does his tendency to stay healthy. He played 15 games in the 2015 season and 15 games in the 2016 season. He also took hard hit after hard hit during the most recent contest against the Crimson Tide but remained on the field and eventually led the Tigers to a game-winning touchdown with one second left.

The Chicago Bears' rebuild needs a featured building block, and that is exactly what Watson will be in 2017 and beyond.

The coaching staff will let him compete for the starting job in the preseason and ultimately give it to him with the hope he immediately delivers on his ultra-high ceiling (not unlike Dak Prescott did for the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, even if he needed a Tony Romo injury to see the field). That ability to stay healthy will then translate into a 16-game campaign.

The Bears still have a way to go before they catch Rodgers and the rival Packers in the division, but they will hand Watson the keys to the offense with visions of him developing into a franchise-altering quarterback.

Malik Hooker Draws More Rookie of the Year Votes Than Any Other Defender

The Los Angeles Chargers' pass defense felt the void left by Eric Weddle in 2016 when he played for the Baltimore Ravens after nine seasons with the team that drafted him.

Los Angeles (then San Diego) finished the campaign 20th in the league in passing yards allowed per game and 29th in points allowed per game, and the abysmal defense was one of the primary reasons it was 5-11.

Enter safety Malik Hooker, who will have the chance to challenge for a starting spot and help revamp the Chargers defense alongside former Ohio State teammate Joey Bosa.

Hooker tallied seven interceptions in 2016, three of which he ran back for touchdowns. The Buckeyes could have very well lost their double-overtime rivalry game against Michigan without his pick-six, and he also intercepted Watson in the Fiesta Bowl.

He stood out more than others in that rivalry contest, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller indicated:

As the interceptions indicate, Hooker's ball-hawking stands out in the defensive backfield. CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler said Hooker's playmaking "separates him from most college safety prospects" and provided a detailed breakdown of his game:

"

When evaluating the safety position, scouts are looking for three main traits: range, instincts and tackling skills. And Hooker has the ability to be above average in all three areas. His change of direction skills, play speed and overall range jump off the film, both as a centerfielder in the deep half of the field and downhill in run support.

"

Between his game-changing talent, ability to rack up interception totals that even the most casual fans recognize and opportunity to play early for the Chargers, Hooker will earn more Rookie of the Year votes than any other defender in the 2017 draft class.

Dalvin Cook—Not Leonard Fournette—Has the Best Running Back Season

A direct statistical comparison between Florida State's Dalvin Cook and LSU's Leonard Fournette shows they are both game-changing talents who can rack up head-turning yardage totals:

Dalvin Cook
Leonard Fournette
Season	Rushing Yards	Yards Per Carry	Rushing TDs	Catches	Receiving Yards	TD Catches
2014	1,008	5.9	8	22	203	0
2015	1,691	7.4	19	24	244	1
2016	1,765	6.1	19	33	488	1
Season	Rushing Yards	Yards Per Carry	Rushing TDs	Catches	Receiving Yards	TD Catches
2014	1,034	5.5	10	7	127	0
2015	1,953	6.5	22	19	253	1
2016	843	6.5	8	15	146	0

However, Cook's receiving skills stand out, and they will help him stay on the field for three downs at the next level.

He is also a game-changing runner, as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said before Cook beat his Wolverines in the Orange Bowl, per ESPN's Jared Shanker and the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "Dalvin is a slasher at the highest level, at the best level. [He's] tough, breaks tackles, runs through tackles, low, athletic—does it all."

Fournette is also a game-changing runner, but the presence of Jonathan Stewart on the Carolina Panthers will block him from seeing the bulk of the workload as a rookie. Stewart will be 30 years old next season and is not the running back of the future in Carolina, but he is also not an unrestricted free agent until 2018, per Spotrac. 

Fournette will earn plenty of carries, but the Panthers are not going to ignore a former 1,000-yard back in the offense.

Cook will go to a Ravens team that was 28th in the league in rushing yards per game last season and had Terrance West (774 rushing yards) as the primary running back. West is a restricted free agent in 2017, per Spotrac, and doesn't have the resume that Stewart does to block Cook from seeing more time.

This prediction is more about the circumstances the two running backs will find themselves in than a discernible talent difference, although Cook's receiving skills will help him stay on the field all three downs and challenge for 1,000 rushing yards as soon as his rookie campaign.