NFL Mock Draft 2017: Predictions for Teams That Need Impact 1st-Round Prospects

The difference between good teams and bad teams isn't necessarily the presence of multiple impact players. The New England Patriots, for example, have seen sustained success despite being mostly comprised of an ever-changing cast of role players.

However, even the Patriots have a handful of players who can single-handedly alter the course of a contest. Guys like Tom Brady and Dont'a Hightower help elevate that cast of role players to a new level.

A lack of impact players isn't the only reason teams like the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers are picking at the top of this year's draft—but these teams would do well to start adding them to their rosters.

The right offensive star, ball-hawking pass-defender or superior sack-artist could help one of these woebegone franchises get back on track in a hurry. Today, we'll take a look at the top teams in the first-round and which impact players they should target and why.

We'll also run down the latest draft order and make projections based on factors like player potential, prospect stock, team needs and team fits.

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	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
11	New Orleans Saints	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
15	Indianapolis Colts	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
17	Washington Redskins	Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
18	Tennessee Titans	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lons	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
22	Miami Dolphins	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
25	Houston Texans	Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
26	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
27	Kansas City Chiefs	John Ross, WR, Washington
28	Dallas Cowboys	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29	Green Bay Packers	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut
31	Atlanta Falcons	Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

1. Cleveland Browns

With a few rare exceptions, the Cleveland Browns haven't really featured many impact players over the past few years. The roster was made even barer last offseason as the team stripped it down to begin a baseball-style rebuild.

With plenty of picks and cap space to play with over the next couple offseasons, Cleveland's main priority should be adding as many impact players as possible, regardless of position. While the team desperately needs a franchise signal-caller, it doesn't seem there is one in this draft that is surely destined to be an impact quarterback.

Therefore, the Browns should pass on a quarterback with the first overall pick and grab the prospect with the most impact potential—former Texas A&M pass-rusher Myles Garrett.

Garrett appears to be a generational talent with the ability to alter a game at a moment's notice. He's widely regarded as the one can't-miss prospect in the draft.

"He's definitely not former Aggie Von Miller, but that's the type of impact he could have as a pass-rusher in a scheme that allows him to go after the quarterback consistently," Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller wrote of Garrett.

Should the Browns jump at the chance to add a player with Miller-type impact? Yes. Yes, they should. And if they don't, Garrett is determined to make sure the team never forgets their mistake.

“And because if you don't draft me No. 1, I will punish your team for the next 10 to 12 years," Garrett said, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. "I'll knock your QB out of the game every time we play you, and I'll have to kick the hell out of No. 1, whoever it is.”

2. San Francisco 49ers

While the San Francisco 49ers haven't quite experienced the drought of success that the Browns have, they're still in the early stages of a similar rebuild. This is why adding a player who can anchor one side of the football should be a primary goal.

While many view him as a hybrid defensive tackle-end, former Stanford standout Solomon Thomas definitely appears to have the size, skills and motor to anchor San Francisco's defensive front for the next decade.

Last season, Thomas produced 62 tackles, 8.0 sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Pro Football Focus (PFF College) rated him first overall among all defensive tackles for the 2016 season.

"He was as impressive on a snap-to-snap basis as any prospect in the country, demonstrating the initial burst, power and advanced hand usage to earn comparisons to [Los Angeles] Rams star Aaron Donald," Rob Rang of CBSSports.com wrote of Thomas.

While many fans may not want to see San Francisco take another defensive lineman in the first round, the reality is that doing so could quickly give the 49ers one of the top defensive fronts in the entire NFL.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper recently explained.

"The reality is that San Francisco has many needs on both sides of the ball," Kiper wrote. "Thomas (6'3", 275) is a different kind of player than the D-linemen the 49ers have taken in the first round the past two years (DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead); he'll get after the quarterback from day one."

Remember, the Rams already had first-round defensive linemen like Robert Quinn and Chris Long on their roster when they drafted Donald, but it was Donald who transformed their defensive front into a terror.

3. Chicago Bears

Like the Browns and 49ers, the Chicago Bears desperately need to add talent to their roster. With the draft's top two defensive linemen off the board, adding a quality defensive back looks like an attractive option.

If you can't get to the quarterback with the pass rush, frustrating him in the secondary is a great tactic. This is what the Bears could do with former LSU safety Jamal Adams.

While some may not favor taking a strong safety this high in the draft, Adams isn't your typical strong safety. He can aggressively play the run, but he also has the speed and instincts to excel in pass coverage. He showed off his speed at LSU's pro day:

"The people who have been at that program the longest think he might be the best leader LSU has had in years," one AFC scout said of Adams, per NFL Media's Lance Zierlein. "He's a no-doubt first-rounder. He can play all over the field and he could have an immediate impact on defense just like Landon Collins did coming out. I love him. I think he's a winner."

I believe Adams can have even more of an immediate impact than Landon Collins did for the New York Giants. If the Chicago Bears are willing to use the versatile defender in a manner similar to the way the Pittsburgh Steelers once used Troy Polamalu, I think he could have similar impact.

Against both the run and the pass, Adams could be an instant difference-maker.