2017 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Where Top 1st-Round Prospects Will Be Taken

The group of players lumped into the "best in class" category for this year's NFL draft will change in dramatic fashion in the coming weeks. 

The combine in Indianapolis is the next major landmark on the journey, and one capable of rewriting the stock market in a hurry as players go through a gauntlet of workouts, interviews and medical checks.

For now, the top of the 2017 class is like a ball of clay. It can turn into most shapes and sizes, accept even more if necessary and absolutely cut some out.

With such an unpredictable class this year, the risers and fallers columns should be some of the most important in modern history. For now, this is how the draft shapes up around some of the biggest names.

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	DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
5	Tennessee Titans (from LA)	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
10	Buffalo Bills	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
11	New Orleans Saints	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
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	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
18	Tennessee Titans	Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
20	Denver Broncos	Garett Bolles , OT, Utah
21	Detroit Lions	Takkarist McKinley, OLB/DE, UCLA
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 Nos. 14 and 15 at the NFL Scouting Combine.

2. San Francisco 49ers: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

The above makes the combine sound like a dramatic event, and it is, even if the most important aspect is medical evaluations. But often the combine helps media and fans catch up to where teams stand on many players. 

It's time to find out about Mitch Trubisky.

Trubisky reads the field well and can make all the NFL throws, stationary or on the run. This helped him complete 68.2 percent of his passes for 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns against just six interceptions as a junior.

Maybe the biggest question mark about to find an answer at the combine is Trubisky's height. According to Mike Mayock of NFL Network (h/t SB Nation's Dan Kadar and Luke Easterling of USA Today), he could come in at 6'1", which is rather short by NFL standards.

This doesn't make Trubisky a bad pick, but he struggles at times to see blitzes, and it is something pro defensive coordinators can take advantage of. An inability to see blitzes coming might help explain some of these issues.

For now, Trubisky looks like the top quarterback in the class because he has a blend of start-now ability and huge upside. The San Francisco 49ers should get first crack at all of the quarterbacks, and riding with Trubisky for a year seems pretty great coming off a season starting Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert.

San Francisco has arguably more needs than any team. But spinning the wheels in the mud at quarterback by grabbing veterans or trying to pull off big-money trades is silly when a potential franchise player is available at No. 2.

12. Cleveland Browns (from PHI): Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Questions linger around Clemson's Deshaun Watson as well despite two quality years as a starter.

Watson went to back-to-back national title games and completed 67 percent of his passes for 4,593 yards and 41 touchdowns against 17 interceptions as a junior. Feel free to chalk on another 629 yards and nine scores as a rusher.

Where the NFL might take issue with the 6'3", 215-pound prospect is his turnover woes. Decision-making and progressions are some things NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has already touched on:

"

Teams will have to weigh the inconsistent field vision and decision-making against his size, athleticism, leadership and production. While not perfect, teams can add checks to both arm and accuracy boxes for Watson. However, discussions about whether or not his areas of improvement can be corrected will likely determine whether a team will view him as a high-upside prospect or a franchise quarterback.

"

Ceiling is a major part of the equation when taking a quarterback in the first round. With Watson, teams have every right to wonder if he has already neared his. This wouldn't necessarily make him a bad pro, but guys like Trubisky and DeShone Kizer could eventually fly past him.

It might take a team like the Cleveland Browns to pull the trigger on Watson no matter what happens at the combine. That's not as bad as it sounds—a team like the Browns, meaning one with two first-round picks, a quarterback-friendly coach (Hue Jackson) and the patience to help Watson transition to a pro-style offense, even if it happens on the field during his rookie year.

Barring a complete implosion, the combine won't knock Watson out of the first round. Where he lands within it remains up in the air.

18. Tennessee Titans: Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan

Jabrill Peppers is the prospect who boasted astronomical stock after the collegiate season ended but has since leveled out as more folks get a look at his film.

Peppers is a fun prospect, no doubt. He is a big-play threat with the ball in his hands and lined up anywhere from safety to corner to linebacker on defense.

The constant movement is a problem, though. Finding Peppers' actual pro position and keeping him there isn't easy. He's not strictly an offensive weapon, too small (6'1", 205 pounds) to line up at linebacker every down and not rangy enough to consistently defend against the pass.

A team's best bet is grabbing Peppers and deploying him as a returner first while grooming the rest, hence this note by Pro Football Focus:

The Tennessee Titans also have a pair of picks in the first round and can roll the dice on a player like Peppers. At Pro Football Focus, the team was graded 18th in special teams and 14th against the rush, so Peppers could provide boosts in both areas, though the former much more than the latter.

Tennessee's coaching staff is smart enough to avoid deploying Peppers as a deep-zone safety tasked with stopping the pass, but they can put him in the box and man-up against tight ends in subpackages while he learns.

In other words, Tennessee is one of the best fits available for the versatile star.

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