NFL Mock Draft 2017: 1st-Round Projections for Top Prospects Before Combine

The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine has arrived, folks. One of the more interesting events in the annual draft process, the combine can often prove to be one of the most important for teams and evaluators.

While not every combine event is going to translate directly to the field, teams want to know how fast guys can run, how accurately they can throw and what their actual sizes are. Occasionally workout numbers lead to the unwise drafting of a "workout warrior." However, they typically are there to help confirm or dismiss what teams already think they know about players.

We're likely to know a lot more about how teams view this year's prospects after the combine than we do right now.

We're here to take a look at what we do know and apply it to the first round of the 2017 draft. We'll run down the current draft order and make our picks for each draft slot based on factors like player potential, team needs and team fit. We'll also examine some of the latest draft-related storylines heading into the combine.

One note about the draft order: A coin flip at the combine will be used to determine whether the Indianapolis Colts or the Philadelphia Eagles select at the No. 14 spot.

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	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
10	Buffalo Bills	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
11	New Orleans Saints	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
14	Indianapolis Colts	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
15	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
16	Baltimore Ravens	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri
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	Tim Williams, LB, Alabama
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
31	Atlanta Falcons	Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
32	New England Patriots	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

Latest Buzz

Jabrill Peppers Has a Lot Riding on the Combine

Michigan's Jabrill Peppers has garnered a lot of attention heading into the draft because of his versatility. The linebacker-safety hybrid can do a lot of things defensively and can provide a boost as a return specialist.

This past season, Peppers produced 71 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 15.0 tackles for a loss and an interception. He also rushed 27 times for 167 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 14.76 yards per punt return. 

The problem with Peppers is the flip side of the versatility coin. He can do a lot of things, but he doesn't have a defined position. This could be an issue heading into the NFL.

"Michigan might move him around too much. He will really improve when he can lock in and learn a position," one AFC personnel man told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein about Peppers.

Peppers is likely to have more value if he can prove himself to be a box safety first. The NFL has seen a rise of "moneybacker" players—essentially strong safeties with the range to cover and the physicality to creep close to the line on running downs. Deone Bucannon of the Arizona Cardinals is a perfect example.

This type of player can be more valuable than all but the most elite of middle linebackers. If teams perceive Peppers as primarily a middle linebacker, he could well fall out of the first round entirely.

NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock believes this leaves a lot riding on the combine for Peppers.

"Show a defensive back's skill set," Mayock said, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "The more he can do to show people he can be a starting safety from Day 1 and also be a dime linebacker, the better."

A solid outing at the combine could ensure Peppers hears his name called on Day 1.

As Would Joe Mixon, If He Were Allowed to Attend

Jackson Laizure/Getty Images

If you don't already know the situation surrounding former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, it goes like this: Back in 2014, the running back got into an altercation with a woman, punched her in the face and caused her face to slam into a restaurant table. The woman suffered broken bones and was forced to undergo surgery.

What Mixon did was inexcusable. This isn't up for debate. However, plenty of people believe in second chances, especially in the NFL when a player has NFL talent. Mixon appears to have that—he rushed for 1,278 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

The Kansas City Chiefs saw NFL talent in Tyreek Hill and drafted him last year despite his own admitted domestic violence. Hill went on to appear in this year's Pro Bowl.

The difference between Hill and Mixon is that video exists of Mixon's violent act. While one shouldn't have to see the video to understand the severity of what happened, the existence of footage makes it much more difficult to forget it. This is likely a large part of the reason why former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Race never again saw the playing field after his domestic-violence suspension was over.

Realistically, though, Rice probably would have gotten his second chance had an NFL team believed he still could play at a Pro Bowl level. Some franchise will tolerate a degree of public backlash if the talent level is there—as the Chiefs did with Hill and the Seattle Seahawks did with 2015 second-round pick Frank Clark.

For a team to be willing to draft Mixon, it will have to believe in his on-field value and that he has truly changed as a person. If Mixon can prove that he has changed and that he feels genuine remorse, teams are going to be better able to sell him to a fanbase.

Mixon recently said the following during an interview with Pro Football Talk Live, per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

"

I made a bad decision. Ever since that night I have to live with it. I’ve got to re-live it every day. You can never forget something like that. It still haunts me to this day, but it’s what you do from that point on. You can’t take it back. I can replay it in my head a thousand times, and if I could take it back I would, but I can’t.

"

Mixon said the right things here, but teams are undoubtedly going to want to hear more. However, they won't be able to do so at the combine because of the combine's rules excluding players with certain types of off-field incidents.

Teams are going to have to rely on private visits and pro day workouts in order to further evaluate Mixon. In doing so, some franchises will run the risk of publicly appearing willing to overlook his transgressions.

Not Everyone Enjoys the Combine

While the combine can be an entertaining part of the draft process for fans and media types, it isn't necessarily fun for the players and teams involved. Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas recently made light of this fact via Twitter:

The reality is that the combine is a necessary step in the evaluation process, but it isn't exactly fun. Imagine going into the biggest interview of your life while also having to produce in an athletic exhibition. Now imagine having to do this after years of excelling at a job you've done since childhood.

Players have to experience frayed nerves over the prospect of having a stellar collegiate career diminished by a slow 40 time, small hands or the wrong answer to one of the ridiculous questions teams ask at the combine.

There is definitely quality information to be gleaned from the scouting combine, but don't expect the majority of folks attending to actually view the process as fun—though the NFL is certainly willing to sell the idea of fun in order to remain in the spotlight during the offseason.