NFL Draft 2017: Latest 1st-Round Mock Draft and Potential Surprises to Watch

It never fails. When draft weekend rolls around each year, there are surprises. Players are always going to go earlier than expected or slide unexpectedly. This is usually because teams like to hold their true opinions close to the proverbial vest.

Last year, for example, few probably saw Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott as the first non-quarterbacks off the board. Fewer still likely believed that Myles Jack's injury would cause him to slide completely out of the first round. Yet, this is exactly how the 2016 draft unfolded.

All the information we've gleaned during the predraft process won't be enough to prevent at least one shocking moment early in the draft. What kind of surprises might occur? Well, we're going to examine a few here.

We'll also take a look at our updated Round 1 mock. We'll run down the current draft order and make projections for each pick based on factors like player potential, prospect stock, team needs and team fits.

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	NFL Team	Proj. Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
3	Chicago Bears	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
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 Chargers	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
11	New Orleans Saints	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
15	Indianapolis Colts	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
17	Washington Redskins	Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
18	Tennessee Titans	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lions	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
22	Miami Dolphins	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
25	Houston Texans	Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
26	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
27	Kansas City Chiefs	John Ross, WR, Washington
28	Dallas Cowboys	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29	Green Bay Packers	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
31	Atlanta Falcons	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

Potential Surprises

Four Quarterbacks Go in Round 1

The general consensus since early in the predraft process has been that this isn't a particularly strong draft class for quarterbacks. There are some intriguing prospects, but not one of them appears to be a sure thing.

"I do top-five lists, and this was the toughest I ever remember at any position," NFL Media's Mike Mayock told Peter King of theMMQB.com back in February. "An intriguing class, for different reasons. All have holes in their games, all a little inexperienced."

Given the lack of true standout quarterbacks—and the depth of talent at other positions—it seems unlikely that four quarterbacks end up in the first 32 picks of the draft. At least, common sense says it should be unlikely. Yet, four quarterbacks going in Round 1 is entirely possible.

Quarterback-needy teams at the top of the draft like the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears probably won't pull the trigger on a quarterback early in Round 1. However, this doesn't mean they won't trade into the bottom of the round later in the night. The Cleveland Browns are a possibility at No. 12 and the Houston Texans are one at No. 25.

Should teams such as the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs decide to grab their quarterback heirs in the opening round, four quarterbacks could quickly be off the board.

As of now, it seems like North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes are first-round material. If a team decides to pull the trigger on a guy like Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer or Cal's Davis Webb, we have our four quarterbacks.

In a draft like this, this seems a bit strange—we only had three quarterbacks in Round 1 last year. However, teams tend to reach when it comes to quarterbacks, so this is one surprise that definitely could happen.

Reddick Goes Before Foster

Former Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster was widely considered a top-15 or even a top-10 pick early on in the evaluation process. He racked up 115 tackles just last season and was considered by many to be the top non-rush linebacker in the draft. 

ESPN.com's Mel Kiper had Foster going at No. 11 to the New Orleans Saints in his first mock draft of the season.

However, there's a very real chance that Foster isn't the first linebacker off the board. That honor could go to Temple's Haason Reddick. This isn't because of Foster's dismissal from the scouting combine—though Reddick's performance at the combine does factor in—it's about the ability of the players.

One NFC executive recently explained, per NFL Media's Lance Zierlein:

"

It won't surprise me if (Temple LB Haason) Reddick comes off the board before (Alabama LB Reuben) Foster. I like Foster a lot and I think he's the better player of the two, but Reddick is bigger than Foster and is a legit rusher on the edge, too. Any time you have someone who can rush the quarterback, they get pushed up the board.

"

I've gone back and forth between Reddick and Foster for the Cincinnati Bengals at ninth overall in recent mock drafts. I think the release of Rey Maualuga creates a situation where a linebacker makes sense for Cincinnati.

As the unnamed executive explained, Reddick has more pass-rush potential. He produced 10.5 sacks last season and 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons. In Cincinnati, he could take over the role vacated by Maualuga while still bringing some sack production.

I believe Foster is going to be a very good player in the NFL, but I'm not sure he can make the kind of impact plays that Reddick can. I don't think he slides out of the first round, but I do think he could slide.

Peppers Falls Out of First Round

Former Michigan defender Jabrill Peppers is talented and versatile. The hybrid linebacker-safety was often used as a returner and sometimes as an offensive weapon.

"I love the kid. I think he's a top-10 pick," NFL Media's Mike Mayock said, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "I might be in the minority, but he's a football player and a dynamic returner."

The problem for Peppers is that he doesn't have one natural position, and this could push him down draft boards. Could it push him completely out of the first round? I don't believe so, but it's entirely possible.

There is a lot of edge-rusher and cornerback talent at the top of this draft. Some teams are going to force a quarterback pick and others are likely to force an offensive line selection. This too could drive down Peppers' stock depending on how teams view him.

If teams view Peppers as a linebacker, they're likely to have guys like Reddick and Foster rated ahead of him. If teams view him as a safety, his one career interception could be a concern, as NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah has pointed out:

From a talent standpoint, Peppers deserves to be a first-rounder. However, there's a realistic chance some team steals him in the second. It would be surprising but it isn't impossible.