2017 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Projections and Latest Buzz on Top Prospects

We're now only days away from the 2017 NFL draft. After months of preparation, we're finally hitting the home stretch. While you might think this means we have a grasp on what teams are going to do at the top of Round 1, the reality is that the entire draft landscape is still changing.

Even with less than a week to go, news and rumors are still emerging that could heavily impact the top of the draft.

We're going to examine some of the latest news and rumors surrounding the draft's first-round prospects here. We'll also run down the current draft order and mock picks based on factors such as player potential, prospect stock, team fits 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 Chargers	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
11	New Orleans Saints	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
13	Arizona Cardinals	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	John Ross, WR, Washington
15	Indianapolis Colts	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lions	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
22	Miami Dolphins	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
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	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
28	Dallas Cowboys	T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin
29	Green Bay Packers	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
31	Atlanta Falcons	Dan Feeney, G, Indiana
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Kevin King, CB, Washington

Latest Buzz on First-Round Prospects

Reuben Foster Had Diluted Sample

To say that former Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster has not had an ideal predraft process would be an understatement. He was sent home from the combine, there are differing opinions on his recovery from shoulder surgery and other linebackers like Temple's Haason Reddick have been climbing up draft boards.

The latest blow to Foster's draft stock is the news that Foster was flagged at the combine—apparently before he was sent home—for a diluted urine sample.

While a diluted sample is not the same thing as a positive drug test, it will be treated the same by the NFL, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. However, Foster himself broke the news and claimed he has nothing to hide.

"This is something that's going to get out. I don't make excuses. I'm a real dude," Foster said, per Rapoport. "I try to be a good person. ... I just hope the coaches understand and that's all I can hope and pray for."

According to Foster, the diluted test was simply a product of over-hydration.

It's unclear exactly how much this latest issue will affect Foster's draft stock, but I believe that for some teams, it is a big deal. A diluted sample in and of itself isn't a major red flag, but when teams already have concerns about what a player is doing in his off time, it becomes one.

As Dan Brugler of CBS Sports recently pointed out, scouts have had concerns about Foster's off-field activities:

Teams that were on the fence about Foster due to maturity and character concerns may now view him negatively. Of course, those teams that are in love with the player and are willing to overlook such concerns will probably still pull the trigger on Foster if he is available.

John Ross Off Some Draft Boards

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 even in just 4.22 seconds. This, along with some quality game film from this past season, had Ross trending upward heading into the draft.

Or, at least, this is what many of us thought. The reality, though, is that there are legitimate injury concerns with the 5'11", 188-pound receiver. According to NFL Media's Mike Mayock, this has caused some teams to take Ross off their draft boards entirely.

"There are some teams that have pushed him either down their boards or off their boards because of injuries," Mayock said, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "He's had surgery on his shoulder, he's had surgery on both knees, and he's got a small frame. So the durability is a big issue with him right now."

It certainly doesn't help that Ross is a bit of an undersized receiver. While this doesn't plague every undersized receiver in the NFL, it is a real concern. The 175-pound wideout DeSean Jackson, for example, has missed 16 games—the equivalent of a full season—in his nine-year career.

Jackson didn't come into the league with the kind of injury concerns Ross possesses.

Harris on the Rise?

When it comes to pure edge-rushers in this draft, the two big names have been Texas A&M's Myles Garrett and Tennessee's Derek Barnett. However, these certainly aren't the only edge-rushers likely to go in the first round. Another likely first-rounder is Missouri's Charles Harris.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Harris' stock is higher than some think, and he might even go ahead of Barnett:

I'm not so sure that Harris will go ahead of Barnett, but I am high on the former Tiger. He put up 16.0 sacks, 30.5 tackles for a loss and a lot of high-motor work on game film over the last two years. As a pass-rusher, I think he can be a valuable commodity for a team.

I have trouble putting Harris above Barnett, though, because of Barnett's technique and excellent hand usage. Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller believes Barnett's use of hands in the trenches is even better than Garrett, the draft's presumed No. 1 pick:

Barnett, I think, is closer to a finished product than Harris. However, I do believe both will hear their names called relatively early on the draft's opening night.