NFL Draft 2017: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Early Team Buzz from Scouting Combine

The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine is in full swing, which means we're starting to get a better read on how some teams view this year's crop of draft prospects.

The combine obviously isn't the biggest factor in the scouting process, but it does play an important role. Interviews and medical checks can be critical for some prospects. Measurements can heavily affect how a team views a player.

Individual drills, while fun for fans and a talking point for the media, don't typically impact teams' views quite as much. They can, however, confirm or raise suspicion about what a team already thinks.

Another note from the combine: The Philadelphia Eagles won a coin toss that gives them the 14th overall pick in the draft. The Indianapolis Colts will pick at No. 15.

We're going to take what we've learned at the combine so far and apply it to our mock draft for Round 1. We'll be running down the current draft order, making our projections for each pick and examining the latest draft-related buzz heading into the weekend.

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	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
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	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
15	Indianapolis Colts	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
16	Baltimore Ravens	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
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	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
31	Atlanta Falcons	Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
32	New England Patriots	Tim Williams, LB, Alabama

Latest Buzz

Forrest Lamp Impressing

We mentioned in the opening that measurements can be important for certain players. This is certainly the case with former Western Kentucky offensive tackle Forrest Lamp. Some teams came into the scouting combine with concerns about Lamp's arm length—a physical trait that does have some relevance to pass blocking.

Lamp, who some view as a guard at the NFL level, partially alleviated those concerns with arms that measured 32.25 inches.

As Josh Norris of Rotoworld and NBC Sports pointed out, his arms measured even longer than they did at the Senior Bowl:

Lamp checked the boxes in combine workouts, producing 34 reps on the bench press and running the 40 in just under five seconds. Lamp also logged an impressive 111-inch broad jump.

Lamp has even shown enough that teams looking for tackle help are likely to consider him early.

“There are teams that told me I could play tackle and teams that told me I could play guard," Lamp explained, per Jon Hale of the Courier-Journal. "Some teams told me I would play just center, just because of my arm (length). Some teams believe in ability more than just numbers. It all depends on the team.”

It's worth noting that Lamp was rated fourth overall among all collegiate offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus (PFF College) in 2016.

Browns Considering Trubisky At No. 1

Throughout the draft process to date, the general consensus has been that the Cleveland Browns will take Texas A&M pass-rusher Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick. Garrett is a physical freak and appears to be the safest bet in the entire draft. 

However, the Browns clearly need a quarterback, so their favorite signal-caller remains an option at the top of Round 1. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, that top pick could become North Carolina product Mitch Trubisky. 

The reason? Trubisky measured in at just over 6'2" at the combine, alleviating concerns that he might be shorter than advertised. Cabot explained:

"

One top NFL personnel executive told cleveland.com Thursday that he'd definitely take Trubisky No. 1 now that he measured over 6-1. "He's got size, he can move, he sees the field, has a big arm and more upside than Carson Wentz last year. They'd be set,'' he said.

Scouts had told NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock that Trubisky would be closer to 6-1 than the 6-3 he's listed at in his North Carolina bio.

"

Once again, measurements matter. In Cleveland's case, this one makes quite a bit of sense. The Browns play in the AFC North, a division defined by outdoor play in the winter elements. Size, height and arm strength all play a factor.

I have Trubisky mocked to the Browns at No. 12, though I think they realistically could move up a few spots to secure him. If the team absolutely falls in love with Trubisky between now and draft weekend, though, the Browns could decide just to pull the trigger at No. 1.

Fournette Weighs Heavy But Isn't Concerned

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette is in the running (no pun intended) to be the first running back off the board in this year's draft. However, teams looking to add the bruising ball-carrier might be a bit concerned that he weighed in at 240 pounds in Indianapolis. 

Fournette's playing weight was listed at 235 pounds, which is big for a running back but not alarming. What could be alarming is Fournette gaining an extra five pounds since he last played. Teams will likely look to avoid a weight situation like the ones the Green Bay Packers recently experienced with Eddie Lacy.

According to Fournette, though, there will be no such situation—as long as the running back can curtail his water habit.

"It was surprising," Fournette said, per Jim Kleinpeter of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I drank a lot [of] water before I weighed in. It's water weight. It went away completely."

If Fournette really did experience weight gain from overhydrating, then teams have little reason to be concerned. However, you can bet that teams are going to ask the running back to step back on to the scale between now and draft weekend in order to lay weight concerns to rest.