2017 NFL Draft: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Teams Most in Need of Impact Prospect

The winding down of NFL free agency means that the balance of power has been redistributed somewhat around the league, but there's no question that some teams need the draft more than others.

Beginning on April 27, 30 teams will have the chance to really up the ante with the chance to select a player in the first round who will hopefully become an impact player for years to come.

The Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, however, do not have first-round selections this year thanks to previous trades, which makes the stakes for their second-round choices that much higher. 

The Cleveland Browns, on the other hand, own four of the first 52 selections in the draft, and it's a good thing they do; they are one of the teams most in need of an impact prospect this year. 

Let's take a look at an updated first-round mock draft and break down the teams on the bubble that really need to choose wisely this year in order to be competitive. 

Selection	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett	DE	Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Solomon Thomas	DE	Stanford
3	Chicago Bears	Jamal Adams	SS	LSU
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jonathan Allen	DE	Alabama
5	Tennessee Titans (via LAR)	Marshon Lattimore	CB	Ohio State
6	New York Jets	Deshaun Watson	QB	Clemson
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Malik Hooker	FS	Ohio State
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette	RB	LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Reuben Foster	ILB	Alabama
10	Buffalo Bills	Mike Williams	WR	Clemson
11	New Orleans Saints	Derek Barnett	DE	Tennessee
12	Cleveland Browns (via PHI)	Mitchell Trubisky	QB	UNC
13	Arizona Cardinals	DeShone Kizer	QB	Notre Dame
14	Philadelphia Eagles (via MIN)	Corey Davis	WR	Western Michigan
15	Indianapolis Colts	Dalvin Cook	RB	FSU
16	Baltimore Ravens	Cam Robinson	OT	Alabama
17	Washington	Malik McDowell	DT	Michigan State
18	Tennessee Titans	John Ross	WR	Washington
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jabrill Peppers	S	Michigan
20	Denver Broncos	O.J. Howard	TE	Alabama
21	Detroit Lions	Haason Reddick	DE	Temple
22	Miami Dolphins	Forrest Lamp	G	Western Kentucky
23	New York Giants	Ryan Ramczyk	OT	Wisconsin
24	Oakland Raiders	Zach Cunningham	ILB	Vanderbilt
25	Houston Texans	Taco Charlton	DE	Michigan
26	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles	OT	Utah
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Christian McCaffrey	RB	Stanford
28	Dallas Cowboys	Marlon Humphrey	CB	Alabama
29	Green Bay Packers	T.J. Watt	OLB	Wisconsin
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Takkarist McKinley	OLB	UCLA
31	Atlanta Falcons	Charles Harris	DE	Missouri
32	Saints (via NE)	David Njoku	TE	Miami

Teams Most in Need of Impact Prospect

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have been in need of impact prospects through the draft for a while now, but the team rarely seems to land them.

Things were supposed to change this season. First, the Browns own the most valuable draft commodity in the No. 1 pick, which in no uncertain terms should they trade.

Second, under the new guidance of former baseball executive Paul DePodesta, Cleveland has experienced a change in philosophy that is supposed to be reflected in its draft strategy.

But if the Browns favor hoarding draft capital and playing Moneyball over targeting impact prospects, this could be another poor class for Cleveland. 

For example, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that the Browns are not set on targeting consensus No. 1 prospect, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, with the first pick, leading to much amusement around NFL Twitter:

The Browns have a chance to remake their defense with a franchise cornerstone in Garrett. They just have to be wise enough to seize that opportunity. 

Carolina Panthers

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

In 2016, the Panthers went from Super Bowl runners-up the previous season to finishing with a 6-10 record and last place in their division, missing the playoffs.

For a team that has so many pieces in place to be competitive in the NFC, that has to sound some alarm bells. 

Carolina struggled on both sides of the ball last season, giving general manager Dave Gettleman many options with the No. 8 overall selection later this month.

Many of the problems on offense stemmed from the offensive line's combination of poor play and injuries.

However, adding the top running back in the draft in LSU's Leonard Fournette could help mitigate both the line's troubles as well as take some pressure off quarterback Cam Newton in 2017. 

Fournette "has experience running from two-back, single-back and off-set looks," wrote NFL.com's draft analyst Lance Zierlein. Additionally, his "hands are adequate in passing game" and he "can create for himself with power and speed."

An addition like that could certainly help some of the Panthers' biggest problems and could instantly make the offensive line and Newton look better by association. 

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers' rebuild has been, at times, painful to watch. The team had to hit rock bottom, it seems, before it was able to begin to ascend once again in the NFC.

While San Francisco is nobody's favorite in the NFC West this season, it has managed to address some of its bigger needs and could really benefit from an impact player in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Luckily for the 49ers, they own the No. 2 overall pick, so as long as they don't get involved with some crazy trades down, they have a pretty good chance of hitting on someone special.

Defensive end Solomon Thomas is widely considered the second-best defensive prospect in this year's class after Garrett, and he could do wonders for a San Francisco front seven that has had to completely reshape itself. 

Thomas would instantly upgrade San Francisco's pass rush, which is arguably the team's biggest need.

Additionally, the 49ers could choose to play Thomas either standing up or with his hand in the dirt, which is critical for a defense in the midst of a rebuild.