NFL Draft 2017: 1st-Round Order and Predictions Ahead of Scouting Combine

With the 2016 NFL season complete, the next big event is the scouting combine, which kicks off Feb. 28. Many of the events at the combine—like the 40-yard dash or quarterback drills—can help define how teams view a prospect.

For now, we'll be running down the current draft order and making our picks for the first round. We'll also examine some of the top draft-related storylines of the week.

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	NFL Team	Proj. Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
3	Chicago Bears	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (from LAR)	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
10	Buffalo Billls	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
11	New Orleans Saints	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
13	Arizona Cardinals	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
14*	Indianapolis Colts	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
15*	Philadelphia Eagles	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
16	Baltimore Ravens	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lions	Dawuane Smoot, DE, Illinois
22	Miami Dolphins	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
23	New York Giants	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
24	Oakland Raiders	David Njoku, TE, Miami
25	Houston Texans	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
26	Seattle Seahawks	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
27	Kansas City Chiefs	John Ross, WR, Washington
28	Dallas Cowboys	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29	Green Bay Packers	Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
31	Atlanta Falcons	Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
32	New England Patriots	Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida

Latest Buzz

Is Size an Issue for Solomon Thomas?

Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas is expected to be one of the first defenders off the board. He was productive for a down lineman in 2016, amassing 62 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss and eight sacks.

Pro Football Focus rated him first overall among defensive tackles for the season.

NFL Media's Lance Zierlein, though, questioned whether Thomas' size could cause him to fall. As one AFC executive pointed out, he doesn't seem to fit naturally into any one spot.

"Now, I don't [have him ranked as high] as you do because he's not big enough for inside, and he's not as long as you like on the outside," the executive told Zierlein. "You have to figure out where you will play him."

Stanford lists Thomas at 6'3" and 273 pounds. While this would put him on the lighter side of interior linemen, it doesn't suggest he's too small to play inside up front.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is listed at 6'1" and 285 pounds, and he's pretty darn good.

All of this suggests teams will be interested in how Thomas measures up at the scouting combine. Arm length could be another factor. If he has the length to keep defenders away, the lighter frame won't be as much of an issue.

Many Teams Viewing Mixon as Undraftable

If he didn't come with any off-field issues, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon would be one of the most coveted offensive players in the draft. Last season, he rushed for 1,274 yards, produced 538 yards receiving and scored 16 offensive touchdowns (10 rushing, five receiving and one passing).

The problem with Mixon is a big one.

In 2014, he punched a woman in the face, and the incident was caught on video. With the league recently taking a more serious stance on domestic violence, it's easy to see how this is a major issue.

Albert Breer of The MMQB, however, believes Mixon will still be drafted. He pointed to the opinion of one area scout and the story of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

"It needs to be the right market, a team that can handle the onslaught, the right PR staff, because you'll have to weather the storm," the scout told Breer. "But the guy the Chiefs drafted [Hill], Mixon isn't half the d-----bag that guy was."

Hill admitted to choking his then-pregnant girlfriend and punching her in the face. He was still drafted by the Chiefs (fifth round), and he was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl.

The big difference between Hill and Mixon is there is video evidence of what Mixon did. No one should have to see the video footage of a violent incident to understand what happened. However, it does make it harder for an NFL team to sell a player with that in his past to a fanbase.

Just go back and examine the punishment handed to former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice before and then after video of his incident came to light.

This is likely why many teams view Mixon as undraftable, as NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported:

Myles Garrett OK With Playing for the Browns

There was some speculation before the Senior Bowl that Deshaun Watson's decision to skip the game was somehow part of a ploy to avoid playing for the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, whose team will pick first overall in April, coached the South team in the game.

Watson since denied having anything against the Browns, and Garrett recently had to do the same.

His story surrounds a video from ESPN.com, in which Garrett pleaded with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to trade up with Cleveland in order to select him.

Garrett later made it clear he had nothing against playing for the Browns.

"Definitely," he said, when Mark Berman of KRIV-TV asked him if he would play for the Browns. "I'll play wherever they put me. It's about your mindset. If you go in there with a mindset that you can turn things around and you make that contagious, people start to believe in it. You can turn it into a winning program wherever you go."

Garrett's original video likely means nothing. He grew up in Arlington, played for Texas A&M and probably just likes the idea of suiting up for his hometown Cowboys.

This story is like suggesting that North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky would only play for Cleveland because he lists his hometown Browns as his team of choice on his UNC bio page.