NFL Draft 2017: Updated Selection Order After AFC, NFC Championships

AFC and NFC teams have their targets for the 2017 season now that the Super Bowl is set between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.

The pursuit of the respective conference champions will begin in the offseason, and no single event offers a better opportunity to rebuild or reload than the NFL draft. The next Tom Brady, Matt Ryan or Julio Jones could be waiting in this deep field of prospects.

With that in mind, here is a look at the updated draft order following the conference title games. The order is courtesy of Luke Easterling of USA Today:

Pick	Team
1	Cleveland Browns
2	San Francisco 49ers
3	Chicago Bears
4	Jacksonville Jaguars
5	Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams)
6	New York Jets
7	Los Angeles Chargers
8	Carolina Panthers
9	Cincinnati Bengals
10	Buffalo Bills
11	New Orleans Saints
12	Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles)
13	Arizona Cardinals
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings)*
15	Indianapolis Colts*
16	Baltimore Ravens
17	Washington
18	Tennessee Titans
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20	Denver Broncos
21	Detroit Lions
22	Miami Dolphins
23	New York Giants
24	Oakland Raiders
25	Houston Texans
26	Seattle Seahawks
27	Kansas City Chiefs
28	Dallas Cowboys
29	Green Bay Packers
30	Pittsburgh Steelers
31	Atlanta Falcons **
32	New England Patriots **

While players such as Myles Garrett, Deshaun Watson and Mitch Trubisky will draw plenty of coverage as top-ranked prospects leading up to the draft, they are also likely to go to some of the league's worst teams given the draft order.

The players who slip toward the end of the first round have a better chance of making a direct impact on next season's Super Bowl race based on which teams are making those selections. Here is a look at a few of them.

Takkarist McKinley, OLB/DE, UCLA

Young Kwak/Associated Press

Every team but four (the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills) attempted more than 500 passes this season, and seven threw more than 600 times.

The NFL has become a pass-happy league with talented quarterbacks and playmaking receivers stretching opposing defenses across the field. As a result, there is a pressing need for game-changing pass-rushers who can disrupt those aerial attacks, and UCLA's Takkarist McKinley fits that bill.

According to Sports-Reference.com, he exploded onto the scene in 2016. He posted a solid 2015 campaign with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, but he tallied 61 total tackles—18 of them for loss—10 sacks, six passes defended, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in his final collegiate year.

An NFL evaluator told Emily Kaplan of The MMQB that McKinley is "perfect for a 3-4 linebacker" and "could be the next DeMarcus Ware" because of his "freak" athleticism.

Even the chance at landing the next Ware should be enough to intrigue every team in the draft. McKinley's versatility will help him find a place in the NFL as an outside linebacker, but he can also line up as a defensive end and attack the edge up front with a quick first step.

Adding him to a playoff-caliber defense will be a nightmare for opposing offenses next season.

Garett Bolles, OT, Utah

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Playoff teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Dolphins all need more effective depth along the offensive line and will likely look toward the draft for answers.

Football Outsiders ranked the Seahawks as the 26th-best run-blocking unit and 25th-best pass-blocking unit. The Lions were 31st in the run and 18th in passing situations, while the Giants were 24th in run blocking. The Dolphins were 22nd in each.

One answer could be Utah's Garett Bolles. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller listed Bolles as the "biggest riser" and the third-best offensive tackle behind only Wisconsin's Ryan Ramczyk and Alabama's Cam Robinson.

Robinson and Ramczyk may be off the board before these playoff teams get an opportunity to pick, but Bolles could still be around.

Bolles has just one season of major FBS experience at Utah under his belt, but Dirk Facer of the Deseret News noted he earned second-team All-American honors from USA Today and first-team all-conference honors from the Pac-12 in that year.

An AFC personnel executive told Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that "the Utah offensive tackle is the best in the country, and it's not really close." Jeremiah said that "Bolles annihilates defenders in the run game."

That physicality would be an asset for any number of struggling offensive lines, even if Bolles is relatively raw in terms of experience.

Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State

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Miller said Michigan State's Malik McDowell has the "best potential" among defensive linemen in this year's draft. Teams can do much worse than picking based on potential late in the first round when the players who are seen as sure things are typically off the board.

McDowell has notable production to go along with that potential. According to Sports-Reference.com, he played nine games this season and had seven tackles for loss, but he was much more effective in a full season in 2015 with 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com said, "At 6'5" and 282 pounds, McDowell has the size and athleticism to play virtually anywhere along the defensive line."

That type of versatility will serve McDowell well at the next level because he won't be boxed into the middle of a line or on the edge. As mentioned in the McKinley section, NFL defenses have an ever-growing need for pass-rushers, and McDowell can help there on the edge or stuff the run up front and open up holes for his teammates to attack the quarterback.

Between his strength, versatility and athleticism, McDowell has the potential to be an impact defender in his rookie season and beyond. That he could still be available when some of the best teams in the league make their picks is worrisome for those trying to close the gap in the standings.