2017 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Order and Predictions After Super Bowl 51

The NFL season is officially over, which means all 32 teams will now have to focus on improving their rosters for the future.

While the New England Patriots will likely spend a little time celebrating after their Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons, the team achieved its success by always looking forward. The rest of the league has to figure out how to keep up going into 2017.

The draft represents the great equalizer around the league with a class full of players who can make an early impact. Although a lot can change in the coming months, here are predictions for the first round of the NFL draft:

Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett	DE	Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Deshaun Watson	QB	Clemson
3	Chicago Bears	Jonathan Allen	DE	Alabama
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Fournette	RB	LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (via Rams)	Mike Williams	WR	Clemson
6	New York Jets	Jamal Adams	S	LSU
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Malik Hooker	S	Ohio State
8	Carolina Panthers	Solomon Thomas	DE	Stanford
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Derek Barnett	DE	Tennessee
10	Buffalo Bills	Corey Davis	WR	Western Michigan
11	New Orleans Saints	Reuben Foster	ILB	Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (via Eagles)	DeShone Kizer	QB	Notre Dame
13	Arizona Cardinals	Mitch Trubisky	QB	North Carolina
14 (tie)	Philadelphia Eagles (via Vikings)	Marshon Lattimore	CB	Ohio State
15 (tie)	Indianapolis Colts	Tim Williams	OLB	Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	Teez Tabor	CB	Florida
17	Washington Redskins	Takkarist McKinley	OLB	UCLA
18	Tennessee Titans	Jabrill Peppers	S	Michigan
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	John Ross	WR	Washington
20	Denver Broncos	Ryan Ramczyk	OT	Wisconsin
21	Detroit Lions	Dalvin Cook	RB	Florida State
22	Miami Dolphins	Taco Charlton	DE	Michigan
23	New York Giants	O.J. Howard	TE	Alabama
24	Oakland Raiders	Zach Cunningham	LB	Vanderbilt
25	Houston Texans	Marlon Humphrey	CB	Alabama
26	Seattle Seahawks	Cam Robinson	OT	Alabama
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Christian McCaffrey	RB	Stanford
28	Dallas Cowboys	Charles Harris	DE	Missouri
29	Green Bay Packers	Desmond King	CB	Iowa
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ryan Anderson	OLB	Alabama
31	Atlanta Falcons	Malik McDowell	DT	Michigan State
32	New England Patriots	Jarrad Davis	LB	Florida

Notable Picks

Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Running backs have been devalued across the NFL, with many realizing an offensive line is as important to the run game if not more. However, a few running backs stand above the rest with their abilities to create offense regardless of who is around them.

Ezekiel Elliott took the league by storm in his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, leading the NFL with 1,631 rushing yards. Despite his outstanding first year, three out of five NFL executives told Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com they would prefer Leonard Fournette.

"You don't see guys with Fournette's size/speed combination very often," one executive explained. "He's a rare, rare talent. He's the most talented runner to come out since Adrian Peterson."

At 6'1", 230 pounds with great athleticism, the LSU star can take over a backfield that didn't even have a 500-yard rusher in 2016.

Whether Blake Bortles stays at quarterback or not, adding a running back like Fournette would take some of the pressure off the passing game by helping bring balance to the offense. With a defense that continues to improve, Jacksonville can start to control possession offensively and finally turn talent into wins.

Buffalo Bills: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The first thing the Bills have to do is decide what they are doing at quarterback. But no matter who is under center, they will struggle if they don't have anywhere to throw the ball.

Sammy Watkins has been a solid target when healthy, although he has struggled to stay on the field with just eight games played this season. Buffalo needs another game-changer on offense who can help the quarterback.

This is where Corey Davis can make a serious impact thanks to his strength and wide catch radius. The 6'3" receiver is excellent on 50-50 balls, which allows even bad throws to turn in to long completions and touchdowns.

His score in the Cotton Bowl against Wisconsin showed this ability to make plays even with a poor pass, via MAC Sports:

Even with an ankle injury, as reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, there shouldn't be much concern about the player's upside.

Putting Davis across from Watkins would put a lot of pressure on the opposing secondary, something that hasn't happened for Buffalo in a long time. Add in the already solid rushing attack, and this could become a quality offense for any quarterback to take advantage of next season.

Although the team could look to add a quarterback in the first round, this will set the team up better for the immediate future.

New York Giants: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

O.J. Howard didn't always get a chance to showcase his talent in a run-heavy Alabama offense. He had just 1,726 receiving yards in his four-year career with seven total touchdowns.

On the other hand, he did have a habit of coming through in big moments. The tight end finished with 106 yards and a touchdown in the national title game against Clemson this season, one year after torching the Tigers for 208 yards and two scores in the championship.

His speed was on display in this touchdown pass, via College GameDay:

This athleticism will allow him to make big plays after the catch throughout his NFL career, which could be useful for a Giants offense that at times was too reliant on Odell Beckham Jr. Howard could give Eli Manning a threat in the middle of the field with Beckham and Sterling Shepard on the outside.

It was the defense that carried New York to the playoffs this past season with an offense that ranked just 26th in scoring. Adding a playmaker like Howard could go a long way toward providing more balance on the roster.

Green Bay Packers: Desmond King, CB, Iowa

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Packers have spent numerous high picks on their secondary, including Damarious Randall, Quinten Rollins and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Unfortunately, that hasn't helped the team, as it ranked second-worst in the NFL in passing yards allowed.

Green Bay clearly needs more help, which could come from underrated cornerback Desmond King.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller described the player's style:

King also has the versatility to play inside at the nickel or at safety if needed, which gives the defense a lot of options in the secondary. Considering there are few sure things among that unit, the coaching staff can move players around to figure out what works.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers can overcome deficiencies on offense, but the Packers need to add any talent they can find defensively.