NFL Draft 2017: Latest 1st-Round Mock Draft, Best Fits for Top Prospects

Fit is a fickle subject when it comes to the NFL draft. 

For some players, drafting them to the best possible situation is a good way to ensure both parties win out, meaning the team improves and the rookie succeeds. For example, look at the No. 3 pick in the mock below, where Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson will get to sit for a year and learn before being tasked with turning around the Chicago Bears.

But it's not always about fit. Sometimes teams have to make the fit work—and if they don't, jobs get lost. For instance, there isn't a right fit for Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. The San Francisco 49ers either adapt to him and get a player of his elite talents on the field or risk continuing the steady swim in the purgatory pool and hurting his pro outlook.

Below, let's look at an updated mock and identify some of the best fits in the draft where neither side will need to do much in the way of adjusting and both will win big because of the marriages. 

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
3	Chicago Bears	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (from Rams)	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
6	New York Jets	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
8	Carolina Panthers	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
10	Buffalo Bills	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
11	New Orleans Saints	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from Eagles)	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
13	Arizona Cardinals	DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from Vikings)	Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
15	Indianapolis Colts	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
17	Washington Redskins	John Ross, WR, Washington
18	Tennessee Titans	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
20	Denver Broncos	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
21	Detroit Lions	Takkarist McKinley, OLB/DE, UCLA
22	Miami Dolphins	Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
23	New York Giants	Haason Reddick, EDGE, Temple
24	Oakland Raiders	Kevin King, CB, Washington
25	Houston Texans	Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
26	Seattle Seahawks	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
28	Dallas Cowboys	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
29	Green Bay Packers	Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	David Njoku, TE, Miami
31	Atlanta Falcons	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
32	New Orleans Saints (from Patriots)	Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut

Best Fits for Top Prospects

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

The Cincinnati Bengals run too much zone to have ends who can't apply pressure. 

That's why the team struggled to get to six wins last year, as the defense failed to strike fear in opponents as it had in years past, with end Michael Johnson being the obvious weak point.

Tennessee's Derek Barnett is a great remedy to the situation. The 6'3", 259-pound end boasts great strength and hand usage that he put on full display while dominating the SEC. It's not something onlookers should weigh too heavily given plenty of variables, but as Pro Football Focus pointed out, Barnett was close in production next to Myles Garrett:

Barnett would slot perfectly on the same line as Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, with his strength helping him hold strong against the run when necessary. More importantly, though, he adds the athleticism a veteran like Johnson doesn't have at this stage of his career and creates the necessary pressure to make the lives of the secondary easier.

There are few better places for Barnett to land. Rather than being asked to stand up and rush, he can put his hand in the dirt and learn from one of the league's better defensive coaching staffs. He would have an easier job than he would most anywhere else, thanks to the talent already in place along the defensive line.

20. Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles, OT, Utah

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Close observers will notice drafting offensive tackles isn't the easiest thing around anymore—thank the collegiate game alongside the ever-adapting NFL defenses. 

Alas, a prospect like Garett Bolles doesn't come around often, at least from an athleticism standpoint. He's 6'5" and 297 pounds and, as one scout put it to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, the "most athletic offensive lineman I've done since I took over this area of the country."

The problems are twofold. One, Bolles is a bit lighter than some teams might prefer. Two, he'll be 25 years old during his rookie season. The age isn't a big deal for a team in need, but his weight and usage require a certain system.

Pro Football Focus' scouting report summed it up well: "Bolles can probably play in any run scheme but will probably be best in a blocking scheme where he is asked to use his quickness and ability to block on the move. Bolles is solid as a puller and reach blocking on outside zone plays. Bolles biggest challenge right now is pass protecting against NFL defensive ends."

Luckily for both Bolles and the Denver Broncos, he's likely to make it to No. 20. 

There, Bolles can slot in as a starter right away if necessary and play in the described system, which will use his athleticism to its strengths. Denver didn't have the best quarterback play last year with the duo of Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, but iffy play on the edges of the offensive line didn't help.

Bolles helps fix the problem right away. And while he's not as young as some teams might prefer, he can still grow alongside Lynch and a young core.

25. Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Four different people will give four different answers as to how the top four quarterbacks will slot on draft day. 

That's a lot of fours. The fourth quarterback in the mock above is Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes, a guy with perhaps the most upside of any at his position in the class, though scouts have pointed out transitional issues he might have after coming from the Air Raid offense.

Truthfully, as Bleacher Report's Doug Farrar pointed out, rumblings of the simplicity of the Red Raiders offense are probably exaggerated. And even if they're not, the Houston Texans at No. 25 would be the perfect landing spot thanks to head coach Bill O'Brien, who is something of a quarterback guru.

Hence why this connection has come up as of late, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported O'Brien "absolutely loves" Mahomes.

It's not hard to see why—he's 6'2" and 225 pounds of strong-armed passes with great accuracy and the ability to take off and punish would-be tacklers as a runner. A common comparison seems to be Jay Cutler, which is an A-plus pick at No. 25 seeing as Cutler was one of the best quarterbacks in the league when guided by a quarterbacking genius such as Adam Gase.

In Houston, Mahomes gets O'Brien and weapons like Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins. Call it the perfect fit.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.