2017 NFL Mock Draft: Projections for Top Prospects as Free Agency Continues

The 2017 edition of NFL free agency is in full swing, which means teams already look quite a bit different than they did just a few days ago.

Some teams have been busy strengthening their rosters; others have been hard at work filling the holes left by the departures of their free agents. There are also those simply focused on maintaining the rosters they have. As the pool of available free agents begins to thin, we're starting to get a better idea of what teams' needs might be heading into the draft.

We're going to use what we've seen and learned through free agency so far and apply it to our updated mock draft. We'll run down the first-round draft order—which no longer includes the New England Patriots—and make our projections for each pick.

Our projections are based on factors like player potential, team needs and team fit. We'll also examine the latest storylines that could directly or indirectly affect the 2017 draft.

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	NFL Team	Proj. Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
3	Chicago Bears	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (from LAR)	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	Los Angeles Rams	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
11	New Orleans Saints	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
12	Cleveland Browns	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
15	Indianapolis Colts	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lions	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
22	Miami Dolphins	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
25	Houston Texans	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
26	Seattle Seahawks	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
27	Kansas City Chiefs	John Ross, WR, Washington
28	Dallas Cowboys	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29	Green Bay Packers	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin
31	Atlanta Falcons	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Budda Baker, S, Washington

Latest Buzz

Patriots Acquire Cooks

We mentioned that the Patriots are no longer part of the first round. This is because the team sent the 32nd overall pick and the 103rd overall selection to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a fourth-round pick and wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

The Saints now have two first-round picks, while the Patriots pick up a dangerous deep threat for quarterback Tom Brady. Given New England's recent history of acquiring veteran receivers, the move isn't entirely surprising.

The Patriots brought in Danny Amendola a couple of years ago to complement Julian Edelman. Last year, the team snagged Chris Hogan away from the Buffalo Bills as a restricted free agent. With Malcolm Mitchell's emergence as a rookie this past season (32 receptions, 401 yards), the Patriots may be saying goodbye to Amendola and rolling with Mitchell, Edelman, Hogan and Cooks as the top four.

Given the variety of skill sets involved, New England could have a dangerous receiving corps in 2017. The Saints get another first-round opportunity to bolster their 27th-ranked defense (375.4 yards per game allowed).

One interesting side note here is that the fourth-rounder sent from New Orleans in the trade will be taken by the NFL. This is because the Patriots owe a fourth-round pick as punishment for the Deflategate scandal, and the league is set to take the highest fourth-round pick New England owns.

According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, the Patriots did the deal "fully knowing" that the pick would be forfeited while the Patriots would get their own 132nd pick back.

Jaguars Thinking Offense in Draft?

Up until now, I've had the Jacksonville Jaguars taking one of the top defensive prospects in almost every mock draft. However, I'm beginning to believe the Jaguars are thinking of addressing the offensive side of the football.

The team has made some pretty significant free-agent moves this offseason, primarily focused on the defense.

So far this offseason, Jacksonville has added defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye and safety Barry Church. These players join a large group of defenders that the team added last offseason, as pointed out by ProFootballTalk:

This doesn't necessarily mean Jacksonville won't simply add another potential elite defender to the mix at the top of Round 1, but it makes it seem more likely that the team will not. The team can now justify trading down in order to acquire more picks without feeling too bad about missing out on a top defender.

With the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers signing quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer respectively, the top four spots could be open to trade for teams looking to draft a quarterback.

Is Criticism of Fournette Warranted?

Since trades aren't being mocked here, I have the Jaguars pulling the trigger on former LSU running back Leonard Fournette. This move would give Jacksonville a true grinder who could help take pressure off quarterback Blake Bortles' shoulders.

The question the Jaguars might have to ask is whether Fournette is good enough overall to warrant the No. 4 selection. The former LSU star drew some criticism at the scouting combine by refusing to participate in the broad jump and then by producing a disappointing 28.5-inch vertical jump.

While jumping has little real-world application in football, these drills can be a good indicator of a players' athletic explosion. So does this mean Fournette isn't explosive enough to excel at the NFL level? According to one scout, no.

Here's what that talent spotter had to say, per NFL Media's Lance Zierlein:

"

It's interesting to talk to other scouts and find out where their priorities are. I was talking to a guy from another team who kept talking about Fournette's vertical jump. Here is a guy who ran a 4.51 [40-yard dash] at 240 pounds and this guy was worried about his vertical. I guess he won't win the team slam dunk championship, but he will run over you.

"

If we're being honest, injuries are probably a bigger concern with Fournette than his lack of vertical prowess. When healthy, he rushed for a whopping 1,953 yards in 2015. However, an ankle injury limited him to just 843 yards last season.

The good news is that Fournette maintained his 6.5 yards-per-carry average in both 2015 and 2016. If healthy, he could completely change the identity of the Jaguars (or any other team's) offense.