2017 NFL Mock Draft: Projections for 1st-Round Prospects in Midst of Free Agency

We're now entering the second week of NFL free agency. This means that most of the big-name signings have already taken place. However, a lot can still happen in the month-and-a-half between now and the 2017 draft.

Will teams like the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns manage to address their quarterback positions before the draft? Will Adrian Peterson solidify someone's backfield? These are the questions we don't yet have answers for.

There is plenty we do know, though, like the fact the Seattle Seahawks recently got their running back in Eddie Lacy:

We're here to take what we've learned over the past week and apply it to our draft predictions. We'll run down the current draft order and make our picks based on factors like team needs, team fit and player potential. We'll also some of the latest draft-related storylines and rumors.

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	NFL Team	Proj. Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
3	Chicago Bears	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (from LAR)	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
11	New Orleans Saints	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
15	Indianapolis Colts	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lions	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
22	Miami Dolphins	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
25	Houston Texans	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
26	Seattle Seahawks	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
27	Kansas City Chiefs	John Ross, WR, Washington
28	Dallas Cowboys	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29	Green Bay Packers	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin
31	Atlanta Falcons	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Budda Baker, S, Washington

Latest Buzz

Is Jonathan Allen's Stock Sliding?

Former Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen has been regarded as one of the top defensive prospects in this draft class for some time. However, he may be losing steam after a disappointing appearance at the scouting combine.

Allen's numbers at the combine were less than impressive. He ran a 5.0-second 40-yard dash and produced just 21 reps on the bench press. Even more concerning was the fact that medical checks revealed arthritic issues in both of his shoulders.

Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller believes the shoulder concerns could drop Allen out of the top 10:

Allen had an opportunity to rebound at Alabama's pro day, but he decided not to run the 40 again. According to Duane Rankin of the Montgomery Advertiser, Allen participated in drills but "didn't jump off the board like a projected top-five pick should."

Medical checks are obviously going to be big for Allen heading into the draft, as each team will want to form its own opinion about the future of his health. However, teams may also want Allen in for private workouts to see if he really does lack the first-step quickness of a potentially elite pass-rusher.

Remember, while Allen was a force at Alabama, he was surrounded by a tremendous amount of talent. It's fair to wonder if he has the athletic potential to be as disruptive at the pro level without a superior supporting cast.

Saints to Acquire Butler?

The New England Patriots gave up their first-round pick (32nd overall) in order to acquire New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Yet there's a chance the Patriots still get a first-round pick in April—one that might come from the Saints.

The Patriots gave cornerback Malcolm Butler a first-round tender as a restricted free agent. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Saints are meeting with Butler this week.

Of course, if the Saints simply signed Butler to a contract that the Patriots didn't match, they'd have to surrender the 11th overall pick in the draft. Rapoport believes that it's more likely the Saints and Butler reach an agreement and then the Saints try to trade for Butler.

"It's not going to be No. 11," Rapoport explained. "It's not going to be signing an RFA tender and then the Patriots get the first-round pick. But there is a deal to be had here. I would not be surprised if it ended up being about a second-round pick for Malcolm Butler."

If the Patriots want to play hard ball here, they might try to demand their 32nd overall pick back in exchange for Butler. While this might seem like a high price, it wouldn't be shocking. Butler was widely rumored to be part of the trade that sent Cooks to New England.

However, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com recently pointed out, Butler couldn't be part of the trade because he has yet to sign his tender.

The Butler-for-Cooks swap might just be what New England was after all along.

Browns Interested in Cousins?

While I do have the team drafting a quarterback in this mock, it seems as if the Cleveland Browns are quite determined not to pick a quarterback in this year's draft. The team has already been linked to Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo, and now a new potential trade target has emerged.

According to Florio and ProFootballTalk.com, the Browns are interested in going after Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, though Cousins may not welcome the move:

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Per a league source, there's a growing belief in some circles that the Browns will try to acquire Cousins via trade. Another source said that, when Cousins chose to sign his franchise tender last week, the one concern he had is that, after the tender is signed, he can be traded. He specifically was concerned about being traded to Cleveland.

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It makes some sense for the Browns to go after Cousins because he is an established commodity. Cleveland wouldn't need time to develop him like it would need to with one of the rookie signal-callers.

This was likely the thought process behind the push for Garoppolo as well. Not only would it take time to develop a rookie quarterback, the Browns might only really like one of the quarterbacks in this class. If so, the team would be forced to consider using the first overall pick to get him.

If the Browns do trade for Cousins, they could likely use the 12th overall pick and still use the No. 1 on pass-rusher Myles Garrett.

The problem is that Cousins is signed under the franchise tag. If he doesn't want to play for the Browns, it could be very difficult for Cleveland to keep him for more than a year or two.

It's worth noting that Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole reported last month (see above video) that Cousins was open to going to Cleveland.

Still, talk of the move likely tells us that Cleveland isn't interested enough in this quarterback class to risk the first overall pick on a signal-caller.