Notable Picks from Mel Kiper Jr.,Todd McShay's Head-to-Head 2017 NFL Mock Draft

With the 2017 NFL draft only a few days away, mock season is in full force. Every outlet is attempting to finalize how they believe the picks will play out starting Thursday night—and finding a multitude of ways to express their thoughts.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay have their own personal picks on how things will play out. But in the spirit of competition, the pair put on their general managers' hats and split the draft down the middle 50-50. The experts alternated picks with who they would take at each spot—not necessarily who they believe will be selected over the first two days.

Here is a look at how their first round played out, along with some highlight picks that were particularly noteworthy.

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
3	Chicago Bears	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
5	Tennessee Titans (via Los Angeles Rams)	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
6	New York Jets	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
11	New Orleans Saints	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
12	Cleveland Browns (via Philadelphia Eagles)	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
14	Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota Vikings)	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
15	Indianapolis Colts	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
16	Baltimore Ravens	Cam Robinson, OL, Alabama
17	Washington	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
18	Tennessee Titans	David Njoku, TE, Miami (Fla.)
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
20	Denver Broncos	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
21	Detroit Lions	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
22	Miami Dolphins	Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
23	New York Giants	Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
24	Oakland Raiders	Kevin King, CB, Washington
25	Houston Texans	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
26	Seattle Seahawks	Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
27	Kansas City Chiefs	Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
28	Dallas Cowboys	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
29	Green Bay Packers	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	John Ross, WR, Washington
31	Atlanta Falcons	DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
32	New Orleans Saints (via New England Patriots)	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

No Deshaun Watson or Dalvin Cook in Round 1

File this one under the "probably not going to work out this way" column. McShay and Kiper would likely both acknowledge that Watson, to some the best quarterback in this class, is likelier as a top-15 pick than someone who could fall out of the first round entirely.

Quarterbacks are the most important position on the field. Upgrading from a bottom-five starter to someone who is even in the 15-20 range can be the difference in three or four wins per season. Neither Watson nor Mitchell Trubisky are sure things. There are just enough teams in bad situations that both will be coming off the board in Round 1.

Cook is a more interesting case, in part because he's become a little overshadowed by Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey in the draft process. Fournette has been the constant atop boards and is probably a top-10 lock. But it's McCaffrey who has seemingly defeated Cook in the battle for the RB2 slot, thanks in part to blistering workout performances.

With Joe Mixon also lingering as a potential pick on Day 1, it's possible Cook winds up being the fourth running back off the board. That's not something anyone would have thought at the end of the college football season.

Jabrill Peppers Goes No. 15 to the Colts

File this one under the "Kiper and McShay vehemently disagree here" column. Kiper handled the Colts' selection and took Peppers, the do-everything Michigan star who doesn't quite have a positional label. He'll likely play safety in the NFL but did most of his damage at linebacker in college and has a Deone Bucannon-type skill set.

McShay said the pick was a "massive reach"—the emphasis his, not mine. Kiper says Peppers would help the Colts immediately.

Perhaps more than any other player, Peppers' destination matters. He's a unique fit for any team; he's probably not going to fit into a traditional safety mold but has the potential to be an all-around defensive talent.

If a team like Indy sees Peppers and can use him like Bucannon—or even in a more hybrid role, going back and forth between safety and linebacker, depending on alignment—then he could be a difference-maker.

The problem, as is often the case with unique talents, is coaches tend to prefer players who fit in boxes. Peppers doesn't necessarily fit any box. He's a luxury pick, rather than someone you can count on to fit a need.

The Colts have many needs across their roster, particularly on the offensive line and defense. Peppers is likely a better fit for a team like the Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys toward the end of Round 1, rather than in Indy.

Trubisky Goes to the Browns...at No. 12

Draft time is nearly upon us, so every rumor comes with its own particular grain of salt. Or, rather, a dump truck of salt. But the smoke regarding Trubisky and the Browns is still on the horizon.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported the Browns are seriously considering Trubisky with the top overall pick. Many had seen it as a foregone conclusion that Myles Garrett would go No. 1; he's been pegged for the spot for months and has perennial All-Pro written all over him.

Trubisky, meanwhile, is at best a polarizing prospect. He has only one season of film as a full-time starter and played for a North Carolina team that went 8-5 and lost in the Sun Bowl. While his performance was stellar for most of the season, there's no one who has called him a "can't-miss" type prospect on the level of Andrew Luck—or even Jameis Winston a couple years ago.

"The Browns would be getting their face of the franchise," Mentor High football coach Steve Trivisonno told Cabot. "He's that kid who you can put out there and is going to be a great community man. He always comes back home and gives back and helps whenever he's in town.

"He's going to be active in the community, and he's a deeply religious kid who's just as good a kid as you ever wanted to meet. That's what you're looking for in this day and age—a guy who can do things the right way."

In this mock scenario, however, the Browns get the best of both worlds. They take Garrett No. 1 and still have Trubisky available to them at No. 12. If Cleveland truly likes Trubisky enough to make him a franchise face, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sashi Brown use his war chest of draft picks and move back up in the draft to try to take Trubisky higher.