2017 NFL Mock Draft: Bold Predictions for 1st Round's Most Volatile Prospects

The NFL draft is always filled with significant question marks and uncertainties. Even though this year's draft is expected to be deep with talent, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the first-round prospects.

Part of this is because there are so many uncertainties surrounding the quarterbacks. Teams in need of signal-callers are likely to overdraft them, even though there doesn't seem to be a sure thing in the bunch.

There are also questions surrounding who the best players at each position might be, where they should be drafted and whether certain skill sets will translate to today's NFL. This should all make for an interesting first round on April 27, even if we already know which players are likely to go near the top of the draft.

Here, we're going to make some predictions bout the draft's most volatile prospects—those whose stocks and/or fortunes could quickly change. We'll also run down the latest draft order and mock selections based on factors like player potential, prospect stock and team needs.

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)	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	Los Angeles Chargeres	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
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	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
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 Lions	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
22	Miami Dolphins	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut
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	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
31	Atlanta Falcons	Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

Predictions

Jamal Adams is First Safety off the Board

Former LSU safety Jamal Adams is a volatile prospect because his stock depends largely on how you view him. Many see him as a strong safety, and strong safeties rarely wind up being drafted in the top 10.

However, Adams has shown that he can be a lot more than simply a box defender. He has shown the ability, athleticism and speed—he ran a 4.33-second 40 at LSU's pro day—to also excel in coverage.

Realistically, Adams should be able to develop into a Troy Polamalu or Tyrann Mathieu-type player—one who can disrupt the passing game on one play then run up and smack the ball-carrier on the next.

NFL Media's Bucky Brooks even believes Adams could wind up being the best player to come out of this draft class:

"

When looking at the top prospects in the 2017 class, there are plenty of players with the skills to be dominant players, but few can rival Adams' combination of skills, intangibles, and production. That's why I believe he is the best player in the draft and is poised to make an impact that rivals Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins as a stat stuffer at the position.

"

Plenty of folks are also high on Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, who is drawing Ed Reed comparisons from some. While Hooker plays the more coveted free safety role and may ultimately be the more impactful pro, he also has just one year of starting experience. Adams appears poised to bring more immediate impact to the table.

This is why Adams will be the first safety—and the first defensive back—off the board.

No Quarterbacks Go Inside the Top 10

We mentioned in the opening why the quarterbacks in this year's draft are all volatile prospects. While guys like Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes II very well may develop into competent pros, none of them appear ready to start right away.

Given the amount of depth and top-end talent at other positions, a signal-caller won't be selected within the first 10 picks. This is a rarity in the NFL draft—there wasn't a can't-miss quarterback last year, but signal-callers still went first and second overall. It's just too hard for a team to justify the use of a top-10 pick on a quarterback who can't contribute right away.

Teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears picked up stopgap options in free agency. The New York Jets signed Josh McCown and have two young quarterbacks already on the roster. If the Cleveland Browns use the first overall pick on a quarterback, it will be a shocker.

It's even less likely that a team trades up into the top 10 in order to nab a quarterback. The teams that might do so in a normal year—ones who appear a quarterback away from a possible title run—aren't going to get much help in this draft.

The Houston Texans, who made it to the divisional round of the playoffs last year, are one such team. However, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't believe the Texans can find their man in this draft, per Football Gameplan's Emory Hunt:

A few quarterbacks will end up going in the first round, but the top 10 is entirely too high for any of them.

Jabrill Peppers Nearly Falls out of Round 1

Former Michigan defender Jabrill Peppers is the definition of a risky prospect. While he has a ton of intriguing physical traits, the guy couldn't even establish a defined position at Michigan. He isn't a consistent playmaker—he had just one interception and one forced fumble in college—and his biggest strength may be as a return specialist.

The problem going forward is that NFL teams are going to like his athleticism but won't be sure where exactly to play him. This confusion—along with the lack of forced turnovers—could easily push Peppers down draft boards. The rise of guys like Obi Melifonwu of Connecticut and Washington's Budda Baker could further hurt Peppers' stock.

In fact, it wouldn't be entirely surprising if Peppers fell out of the first round entirely. Peppers is mocked to the Pittsburgh Steelers here because it seems the Steelers are high on him.

“I can tell you at that 30th pick, GM Kevin Colbert loves Jabrill Peppers,” Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network recently reported.

However, Peppers could even sliding past Pittsburgh should Melifonwu still be sitting there. This would probably be a major surprise for those who viewed Peppers as a potential top-10 pick early in the draft process.