2017 NFL Mock Draft: Latest 1st-Round Predictions for Marquee Prospects

The 2017 NFL Draft is now a week away. While the past several months have been spent gathering information and judging draft prospects, we still don't know what decisions NFL teams are actually going to make over draft weekend in Philadelphia.

Will there be blockbuster draft-day trades? Will there be a run on quarterbacks in the opening round? Will anyone risk an early draft choice on Joe Mixon? The reality is that we don't know, and anything we predict before next Thursday is pure speculation.

Of course, this isn't going to stop anyone from making bold draft predictions. Mock drafts and draft prognostication are a sub-genre of their own in the NFL world. As a matter of fact, we're here to make some draft predictions of our own.

We'll examine the latest draft order and mock picks based on factors like prospect stock, player potential, team needs and team fits. We'll also make some bold predictions concerning some of the marquee prospects in the 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)	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
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	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
11	New Orleans Saints	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	John Ross, WR, Washington
15	Indianapolis Colts	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
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	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut
25	Houston Texans	Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
26	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
28	Dallas Cowboys	T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin
29	Green Bay Packers	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
31	Atlanta Falcons	Dan Feeney, G, Indiana
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

Predictions

Leonard Fournette is a Top-10 Pick

In each of the past two years, a running back has been selected in the first round of the NFL draft. I think LSU product Leonard Fournette makes it three years in a row next week.

This might not seem like the most "bold" of predictions, considering many view Fournette as a can't-miss prospect. However, this is a draft heavy in defensive talent, and I expect at least one quarterback to wind up in the top-10. Plus, there are some who question if Fournette is even the best back in this class.

SI.com, for example, ranks Fournette behind Florida State's Dalvin Cook.

Heck, there are some who aren't even sure that Fournette is a first-round prospect. In a recent mock draft by Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com, Cook and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey both go in the first round—but not Fournette.

I have Fournette mocked to the Jacksonville Jaguars at fourth overall here. If he makes it past the Jaguars, I think the Carolina Panthers or Cincinnati Bengals would grab him at No. 8 or 9, respectively.

Browns Trade Up for Mitchell Trubisky

I don't do trades in my mock draft—mainly because they are even more unpredictable than the draft itself—but if I did, I'd have the Cleveland Browns trading up for North Carolina product Mitchell Trubisky.

The growing consensus seems to be that Trubisky is the top quarterback in this draft. While the Browns could take him No. 1 overall, I think they're too set on Texas A&M edge-rusher Myles Garrett. However, I don't think Trubisky lasts until pick No. 6, either.

It seems the Browns might have to trade in front of the New York Jets at pick No. 6 in order to secure Trubisky, and I think they do.

This is a move Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com recently pitched, though his idea involves the Browns trading with the San Francisco 49ers for a ridiculous haul:

"

When San Francisco goes on the clock for the second overall selection, I’d offer the Browns’ 12th overall pick (courtesy of the Carson Wentz trade a year ago), this year’s 33rd overall pick, this year’s 65th overall pick, next year’s three second-round picks (Cleveland’s, Houston’s, and Tennessee’s) — the latter two which were accumulated over the last 12 months — and the Browns’ 2019 first-round selection.

"

That's two first-round picks, four second-round picks and a high (the highest possible, actually) third-rounder for a quarterback with plenty of questions marks. I don't think the Browns analytics-driven front office would pull the trigger.

A move into the top five, however, wouldn't be out of the question if Cleveland could deal a smaller package. I don't think they'd want to deal a future No. 1, and I don't think they'd want to move all three second-rounders next year. I could see them offering No. 12, No. 33 and No. 65 this year, plus two second-rounders next year to move up seven or eight spots.

Interestingly, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has heard chatter about the Jets being a team Cleveland might trade with in order to move ahead of Buffalo:

Either way, I don't think the Browns stay put at No. 12 and still land Trubisky.

Corey Davis Falls Out of Round 1

Early in the draft process, Western Michigan's Corey Davis was considered one of the top two or three wideouts in this draft class. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if he falls out of the draft entirely.

Davis has been recovering from surgery, so he didn't participate in the scouting combine. This allowed him to be overshadowed by Washington's John Ross, who set a new record with a 4.22-second 40-yard dash.

"I like Corey Davis as a player, but he's been out of sight, out of my mind in the spring," one NFL executive told NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah.

Bleacher Report's Chris Simms believes that Davis was a risky prospect to begin with, particularly because he doesn't view him as a No. 1 wideout:

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I can't see him as that big, physical freak who consistently wins one-on-one matchups with Pro Bowl corners on the outside. In my eyes, that isn't his game.

If I'm spending a first-round pick on a wideout, I want a guy who can be my No. 1. Teams like the Tennessee Titans or Buffalo Bills would be better off with a Mike Williams, John Ross, JuJu Smith-Schuster or Curtis Samuel. Davis should be a side dish, not the entree.

"

If Davis can only be a top-end No. 2 receiver in the NFL, and his stock is sliding, then I don't think it's a stretch to say he falls out of Round 1 entirely. In a different draft? Perhaps not. However, there is so much talent at the top of this draft, I think a lot of teams will wait until Round 2 for a wideout.