2017 NFL Mock Draft: Most Polarizing Prospects and Full 1st-Round Predictions

If you've followed the NFL draft with any amount of regularity over the years, you likely learned long ago that opinions on draft prospects vary greatly. Where one team might see a future Pro Bowler, another might see a potential bust.

This year's draft isn't going to be any different. With the possible exception of presumed No. 1 pick Myles Garrett, every pick carries varying amounts of luster in the eyes of scouts and analysts. Take former LSU running back Leonard Fournette, for example. Some might view him as a generational running back in the mold of Adrian Peterson, while others might consider him too one dimensional for certain schemes.

Some prospects, though, don't just draw varying opinions, they're downright polarizing—whether due to skill sets, injury histories or character concerns. These are the prospects we're going to focus on here.

We'll examine some of the most polarizing potential first-round picks in this year's draft. We'll also take a look at our latest first-round mock, 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)	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
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	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)	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
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	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
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

Polarizing Prospects

John Ross, WR, Washington

Former Washington receiver John Ross raised a lot of eyebrows at the scouting combine by setting a new record in the 40-yard dash. He ran the 40 in just 4.22 seconds, showing teams and scouts just what kind of home run threat he could be.

For some, this likely makes Ross more appealing than his college production alone would. He had a good year in 2016—1,150 yards with 17 touchdowns—but his two prior seasons weren't exactly notable.

ESPN's Todd McShay named Ross the best playmaker in the draft.

"What stands out with Ross is that some guys are straight-line fast, others are quick and twitchy, and Ross is both," McShay wrote. "When you have someone who can make guys miss laterally and then leave them in the dust, that's special."

However, there are plenty of folks who don't believe that Ross' speedy combine outing matters much. He is still a 5'11", 188-pound wideout with an injury history,

NFL Media's Mike Mayock explained:

"

The issue is going to be medical. He has a small frame, he's had multiple knee operations, he's going to get his shoulder done. Today, he cramped up. Couldn't finish. That's going to be a theme for him going forward. There's no doubting the speed or the talent. It didn't help him ... because we all knew he was fast.

"

Ross is indeed a burner and his game tape is fabulous. The issue is that he isn't going to be able to help a team if he cannot stay on the field. This is what makes him a polarizing prospect. Some are going to love is potential, while some are going to fear his injury risk.

Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan

Former Michigan defender Jabrill Peppers is polarizing because he doesn't even have a primary position. In college, he played safety, linebacker, cornerback and even on offense. How is a team going to use him in the NFL? Opinions vary greatly.

"He's one of the tougher evaluations in this draft class, because he played out of position this year at linebacker, so you don't really see him do what he's going to be asked to do at the next level," NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah said of Peppers, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com.

Physically, Peppers isn't an NFL linebacker. Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel recently pointed out why:

At 5'11" and 218 pounds, Peppers is better built to play safety, but there are legitimate concerns about his ability to be a playmaker at the position. In college, he produced just one interception and one forced fumble.

For some, including Bleacher Report's Chris Simms, all of this makes Peppers an overrated prospect:

"

The Charles Woodson comparisons are ridiculous. The guy had one career interception and one career forced fumble. You can't compare him with perhaps the greatest player in the history of college football. I'm not saying Peppers doesn't deserve to be on an NFL defense, but when I hear people say he's a top-10 pick, I'm in disbelief. Peppers' film doesn't even warrant a first-round pick.

"

Others, though, believe that Peppers' ability makes him an elite prospect. Teams will just have to figure out a role for him.

"I love the kid. I think he's a top-10 pick," NFL Media's Mike Mayock said, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "I might be in the minority, but he's a football player and a dynamic returner."

Obviously, there are opinions of Peppers on both ends of the spectrum.

Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma

This is the obvious one, but it's still worth mentioning. Former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon punched a woman in the face back in 2014—an assault that forced her to require surgery. This incident has affected Mixon's stock for obvious reasons. 

According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, the New England Patriots have removed Mixon from their draft board entirely.

The issue isn't only what Mixon has done—which was very bad—it's also what Mixon could do in the future. Given the NFL's new harder stance on domestic violence and violent behavior, a future incident could be very damaging to the team that drafts Mixon.

While Mixon hasn't necessarily shown a pattern of violent behavior, he has shown that controlling his temper can be difficult for him.

According to Andrew Clark of OUDaily.com—citing an Oklahoma University Police Department report—Mixon allegedly tore up a parking citation and threw it in the face of a parking attendant last November.

Per Mike Coppinger of USA Today, the attendant also accused Mixon of driving his car toward him "in an attempt to intimidate."

Whichever team drafts Mixon is going to have to weigh the risk of future incidents and deal with the media and public backlash that is likely to come with the pick. Still, there are teams that will believe Mixon deserves a second chance, and he might even make it into the first round.

NFL Media's Bucky Brooks, for example, has Mixon going to the Green Bay Packers in Round 1 in a recent mock draft.

Mixon is going to remain a polarizing player long after he is drafted.