NFL Draft 2017: 1st-Round Order and Top Prospects Contending for No. 1 Pick

Remember when Laremy Tunsil, Joey Bosa and Jared Goff dominated draft boards with Paxton Lynch and Ronnie Stanley not far behind?

Flash forward a year, and the discussion centers around the top prospects in the 2017 NFL draft—a defensive-minded class with help at all levels.

Just in time, too, because the 2016 class helped churn out big offensive talents such as Jared Goff and Ezekiel Elliott, not to mention other players with high upside who will develop in time.

Mentioning Tunsil and others is a good way to illustrate how things change between January and the draft thanks to the prospect stock market. Below is a look at a mock-draft order and analysis of top players contending for the first pick.

2017 Draft Order and Projections

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
3	Chicago Bears	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
5	Tennessee Titans (from LA)	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	San Diego Chargers	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
10	Buffalo Bills	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
11	New Orleans Saints	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
13	Arizona Cardinals	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
14	Indianapolis Colts	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
15	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
17	Washington Redskins	Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
18	Tennessee Titans	Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marlon Humphrey, CB , Alabama
20	Denver Broncos	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
21	Detroit Lions	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
22	Miami Dolphins	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
23	New York Giants	Tim Williams, LB/DE, Alabama
24	Oakland Raiders	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
25	Houston Texans	Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
28	Dallas Cowboys	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
29	Green Bay Packers	Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	David Njoku, TE, Miami
31	Atlanta Falcons	Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
32	New England Patriots	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

Philadelphia and Indianapolis will flip a coin for No. 14 and No. 15 at the NFL combine.

Top Prospects Contending for No. 1 Pick

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

They don't make them like Myles Garrett often.

Unlike last year, thoughts about the No. 1 pick won't change during this year's buildup to the draft. Garrett likely would have come off the board before Bosa last year had he been in the same class.

Alas, Garrett is here, and his 10-sack upside is impossible to ignore. He comes in at 6'5" and 270 pounds with the versatility to rush standing up or with his hand in the dirt.

As a scout told CBS Sports' Dane Brugler, this isn't a hard thing to figure out:

In fact, perhaps the biggest knock with Garrett is that he's too fast. Sometimes on film, he'll blow by offensive linemen and get upfield too quickly, letting a delayed rush or quick pass take him out of the play.

What a problem to have.

Sarcasm aside, off the snap, Garrett is one of the most violent and forceful players ever to enter the NFL. Unless he tanks a workout or suffers an injury, there is zero reason to believe the No. 1 slot on big boards, pretty much everywhere, changes.

Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State

It's not easy for a defensive back to stand out in this class when competing with names such as Jamal Adams, Marshon Lattimore and even Jabrill Peppers.

This makes Ohio State's Malik Hooker leading the pack even more impressive.

Hooker will remind many of Earl Thomas as a prospect. He is a rangy defensive back with good size at 6'2" and 205 pounds who can line up almost anywhere in the back end of the defense and make plays.

Unlike Peppers, Hooker doesn't have problems in coverage and won't find himself stuck in one role, such as thumping against the run. This skill against the pass explains why Hooker is the No. 2 player on Daniel Jeremiah's big board at NFL.com:

"

Hooker is a tall, rangy safety prospect with incredible instincts. He usually lines up as the high safety and he has an uncanny ability to anticipate throws, drive on the ball, and finish. He is ultra-fluid in his change of direction and has the ability to match up with tight ends in man coverage. He has the best ball skills of any safety I've ever evaluated in college. He is also a threat to score every time he touches the ball.

"

Onlookers shouldn't take such lofty praise lightly. Defensive backs have one of the more difficult transitions to the pros, yet Hooker doesn't look like a player who will have much of an issue. Even if he gets off to a rocky start, Hooker has the upside unlike what the draft has offered in previous years.

As the above projections show, team need might push Hooker farther down the board than he should go. Whichever team lands him certainly won't complain.

Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

Here lies the divide between prospect value and team needs.

On a big board such as Jeremiah's, North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky often ranges from No. 15 to No. 30. Not a knock on Trubisky—he just happens to play the most important position of all.

So like it or not, Trubisky is very much in the conversation for the No. 1 pick. He threw for 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns against six interceptions as a junior and has good size at 6'3" and 220 pounds.

It's not hard to see why Trubisky holds the No. 1 quarterback slot for now. He has a solid arm, can read defenses and can make quality throws on the run, with perhaps the biggest negative being that he was only a one-year starter.

Mobility is one of the biggest features of Trubisky's game, as the ESPN.com scouting report pointed out:

"

Climbs pocket to avoid pressure off the edge. Spins to the left and right to avoid pressure up the middle. Doesn't appear to have great pocket awareness and infrequently lowers eyes to locate pass rush but exception not norm. Moves well enough to scramble for first downs when tucks and runs.

"

Possible red flags such as playing experience and decision making come up on any report about Trubisky, but the positives weigh much more heavily. Don't forget a rather shaky quarterback draft class as a whole.

Trubisky doesn't rule any big board, but he's a clear candidate to come off the board first given the position he plays. He's at the controls of his draft fate and those of many others from here on out.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.