2017 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Prospects Who Would Best Help Each Team

The NFL draft is the unofficial start of the new season, bringing with it the hope and optimism that top college talent will turn into stars at the professional level who will lead their teams to multiple championships. 

Things don't always work out because scouting and drafting isn't an exact science, but at this point in the process all 32 teams are building a portfolio on which players will lead them into the future. 

Finding the right player who fits a scheme is also of critical importance. Leonard Fournette might have more raw talent than Ezekiel Elliott, who was drafted No. 4 overall last year, but what are the chances he will end up playing behind the NFL's best offensive line to fully maximize his talent?

Looking way ahead to April's draft right now, here is a look at the first-round order with players who can best help each team based on specific needs. 

Pick	Team	Player
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
3	Chicago Bears	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (via Los Angeles Rams)	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
6	New York Jets	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
7	San Diego Chargers	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
8	Carolina Panthers	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Tim Williams, LB, Alabama
10	Buffalo Bills	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
11	New Orleans Saints	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
12	Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia Eagles)	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
13	Arizona Cardinals	Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
14	Indianapolis Colts	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
15	Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota Vikings)	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
16	Baltimore Ravens	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
17	Washington	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
18	Tennessee Titans	JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
20	Denver Broncos	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
21	Detroit Lions	Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn
22	Miami Dolphins	Harold Landry, DE, Boston College
23	New York Giants	Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
24	Oakland Raiders	Charles Walker, DT, Oklahoma
25	Houston Texans	Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
26	Green Bay Packers	Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
27	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
28	Pittsburgh Steelers	Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
29	Atlanta Falcons	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
30	Kansas City Chiefs	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
31	Dallas Cowboys	Ryan Anderson, DE, Alabama
32	New England Patriots	DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State

The Cleveland Show

Draft day is the only time of year anymore in which the Cleveland Browns are relevant, though they have a golden opportunity to turn the tide thanks to owning two of the top 12 picks. 

While no quarterback is worth taking at No. 1 overall, the Browns are hardly in a bad position with that top pick. 

Texas A&M star Myles Garrett appears to be the odds-on favorite for Cleveland with the first selection. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller offered high praise for the defensive end in his latest mock draft:

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Garrett struggled through an ankle injury this season—and constant double-teams when he was on the field—and still generated the impact on the field to match his insane athleticism. At 6'5" and up to 275 pounds, scouts I've spoken to expect Garrett to run in the 4.5-second range at the NFL Scouting Combine.

On a historical scale, Garrett has a higher grade for me than Joey Bosa or Jadeveon Clowney did. 

"

If the Browns were only a quarterback away from being competitive, maybe they could afford to reach on North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky.

Their roster is so devoid of talent, particularly on defense where they finished 30th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed, that drafting the best defensive player who also happens to be the best pure talent is the only logical choice. 

Fournette Marches on Broadway

Fournette is a worthy selection for the New York Jets at No. 6, but doesn't he also fit the bill of a perfect fit for a franchise that needs to generate big headlines?

Fournette is the biggest star in the draft, which immediately ensures the Jets will grab all of those back-page stories in the New York Post leading into training camp and before the season starts. 

None of this is to suggest that Fournette doesn't deserve to be selected that high in the draft or that he won't fit the Jets roster. The team needs to get younger at the position because 31-year-old Matt Forte looks done as a lead runner, and Bilal Powell, who recently turned 28, has only been a feature back once in his career (2013). 

The NFL scouting reports for Fournette are glowing; ESPN's Todd McShay offered this summation in his most recent ranking of the top 32 prospects where he listed LSU's star at No. 1:

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He'll finish the season with only 144 touches, far below the 319 he had a season ago, which works to his benefit from a wear-and-tear standpoint. When fully healthy, Fournette is a big-play machine with a rare combination of size, power, agility and speed for the position. His angry running style is something at which to marvel and will translate well to the next level.

"

The Jets fell apart in 2016 for a lot of reasons. They still need to find a quarterback, and Darrelle Revis went from elite cornerback to old in a hurry. Finding playmakers on both sides of the ball is essential for this team to at least return to relevance next season. 

Fournette won't be enough to turn things around in New York on his own, but he makes the franchise more interesting. 

Peppers' Unstable Stock

Michigan's Jabrill Peppers turned into a household name in 2016, even finishing fifth in the Heisman voting as a defensive player. 

His college career came to a premature end when he was unable to play in the Orange Bowl due to a hamstring injury, but the 21-year-old will have a big future in the NFL wherever he ends up. 

Looking at Peppers' scouting reports, though, there seems to be a divide about how good he actually is and how well his talent translates to the pros. 

In the same article praising Fournette, McShay noted why Peppers is such a divisive figure in NFL circles:

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Peppers is a polarizing player because it's a little tricky to find him a true position, but I see him as a great fit for the modern NFL. He has the speed and athleticism to thrive in space and the toughness to play bigger than his 205-pound frame. Think of Peppers as a hybrid player at the next level—a Deone Bucannon-type—who can help your team in a lot of ways (he finished the regular season with 15.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, seven QB hurries, three rushing TDs and one punt-return TD).

"

If teams see Peppers as a great hybrid who can serve the role that Deone Bucannon has for the Arizona Cardinals, he could be a top-10 choice.

Bucannon wasn't seen as a great choice at No. 27 for the Cardinals in 2014, but he found a home moving from safety to linebacker where his ability to make tackles in space came in handy. 

The problem for NFL teams is finding out if Peppers (6'1", 205 lbs) can play in coverage because he's not as big as Bucannon, who is listed at 220 pounds on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Peppers also has to be more effective when dropping back into coverage, as Miller pointed out:

Peppers is capable of doing many things on a football field, but his main job as a defensive back requires him to make plays on the ball. He had just one interception in three seasons at Michigan. 

It's too early to determine where Peppers' floor could end up being. The New Orleans Saints are in desperate need of secondary help, so the 2016 Heisman finalist is projected to them at No. 11 right now, though that could change in the next three months.