NFL Draft 2017: Selection Order and Mock Draft Post-Divisional Round

The four teams eliminated from the postseason in the divisional round could write lengthy postmortems—but it is better to start looking ahead to a loaded draft class. 

Fans can handle the regrets and analysis. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys came in too confident and blitzed Aaron Rodgers too often. No, the Seattle Seahawks didn't handle a much-deserved loss very well.

But the upcoming class provides reassurances, even for fans. The past few offerings have been deep, and the 2017 class makes the trend look more like a norm than an exception. Even teams with finalized slots near the end of the first round can pick up a high-impact contributor.

Let's take a look at the updated draft order and mock the first round based on team need and prospect value.

2017 NFL Mock Draft

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, DL, Alabama
5	Tennessee Titans (from LA)	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan
7	San Diego Chargers	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
10	Buffalo Bills	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
11	New Orleans Saints	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
13	Arizona Cardinals	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
14	Indianapolis Colts	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
15	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	John Ross, WR, Washington
16	Baltimore Ravens	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
17	Washington Redskins	Tim Williams, LB/DE, Alabama
18	Tennessee Titans	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marlon Humphrey, CB , Alabama
20	Denver Broncos	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
21	Detroit Lions	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
22	Miami Dolphins	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
23	New York Giants	Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
24	Oakland Raiders	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
25	Houston Texans	Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
28	Dallas Cowboys	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
29	Pittsburgh Steelers	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
30	Atlanta Falcons	Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
31	Green Bay Packers	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
32	New England Patriots	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

Philadelphia and Indianapolis will flip a coin for No. 14 and No. 15 at the NFL combine.

Notable Picks

5. Tennessee Titans (from LA): Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

Look, the Tennessee Titans didn't finish the year like most would have hoped. But a 9-7 campaign that nearly won the AFC South was a huge step for the young team led by Marcus Mariota.

As a bonus, everyone knew the team would clutch a top-five pick thanks to a prior deal with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Titans need to use that pick to get Mariota some help. Narrowing down the "where" isn't hard—he only suffered 23 sacks on the year and DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry form a great one-two combo in the backfield. Plus, Tennesse's defense grabbed 40 sacks, allowed just 23.6 points per game and ranked second against the run, permitting 88.3 yards per game.

Now look at what Mariota's pass-catchers did:

NAME	REC	TAR	YDS	TD
Rishard Matthews	65	108	945	9
Delanie Walker	65	102	800	7
Tajae Sharpe	41	83	522	2

Tennessee can't keep dancing around that hole. Mariota is already one of the league's better passers, yet look at the catch-to-target ratio for those players.

Clemson's Mike Williams could fix many of these problems. Opposing defenses won't have a choice but to respect the 6'3", 225-pound receiver on the boundary. He just posted 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, and he encountered few who could line up with him. That culminated in 90-plus-yard performances in each of Clemson's College Football Playoff matchups (Ohio State and Alabama).

Williams could stretch defenses thin for Mariota in a way current members of the roster can't. This pick would be great value for the Titans.

12. Cleveland Browns (from PHI): Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami

One doesn't need to follow the Cleveland Browns closely to know there is a new culture and actual blueprint to success engulfing the organization.

Cleveland only won a single game this past year, yet new head coach Hue Jackson remains. The Browns seem committed to the current path and have a nice talent base to build around, provided guys like Terrelle Pryor Sr. stick.

In the infancy stages of a rebuild, a team like Cleveland needs to understand the balance between drafting for need versus targeting the best player available. Few rebuilding clubs get a pair of picks in the top 12, though, so the Browns sit in a unique position to check both boxes.

Myles Garrett is the best player in the draft at No. 1, and he would provide another foundation block for the defense. At No. 12, Miami's Brad Kaaya could be a potential franchise quarterback.

Kaaya will have a hard time standing out from prospects like DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes II, but that's more a nod to the QB depth of the class than a knock on the former Hurricanes star.

At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Kaaya looks like a prototypical pro quarterback and boasts three years of starting experience, including 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions as a junior.

Kaaya's allure (unless he tanks on the path to the draft) comes from his years of experience and moldable upside. Dating back to his tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals and Andy Dalton, Jackson likes guys with proven experience and realistic upside.

Kaaya wouldn't have to start as a rookie, increasing his shot at long-term success and perhaps making him the player who could break Cleaveland's quarterback curse.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

It's not hard to see where the Seahawks went wrong.

The defense played up to its reputation for most of 2016. But the offense sputtered and Russell Wilson was hobbled at times while suffering 41 sacks. Against the Atlanta Falcons, the season-ending 36-20 loss, Wilson was under constant fire and took three sacks while going 17-of-30 with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.

Sometimes it is best to follow the money in football. ESPN Stats & Info proved this theory well:

Drafting an offensive tackle in the first round doesn't wildly up the money value of the unit, but it's a step in the right direction.

It's hard to go wrong with Alabama product Cam Robinson, both because of where and how he played and the fact he comes in at 6'6" and 310 pounds.

As CBSSports.com's Rob Rang pointed out, issues surrounding Robinson might cause a drop on draft day: "Scouts will have to do their homework on Robinson's off-field issues, but on the field, he's shown toughness, strength and athleticism—attributes which will help him quickly earn a starting role early in his NFL career, though not necessarily on the blindside."

Seattle will happily scoop Robinson out of his fall if everything checks out and it means a notable improvement in the trenches.

Maybe some consider grabbing an offensive lineman boring, but it's better to be boring with smart roster building than make flashy picks and stutter for years while wasting a guy like Wilson.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.