NFL Mock Draft 2017: 1st-Round Projections for Coveted Prospects' Landing Spots

The 2017 NFL Draft, mercifully, is just one day away. We are nearly 24 hours away from all the smoke screens from the last few months washing away and being replaced with actual news.

I'll allow you the requisite time to hold your breath.

Funny thing about draft day is that we still don't know 100 percent of anything. The Cleveland Browns will probably take Myles Garrett with the first pick. But who knows? They could roll the dice on Mitchell Trubisky or shock everyone with Leonard Fournette.

Trubisky might wind up off the board at No. 1 or No. 2—or he could slip all the way outside the top 10 entirely. This is the level of intrigue that the NFL wants heading into the Thursday night, which will see 10-plus million people watch a bunch of dudes in suits read names from a podium.

It'll be the weirdest and surprisingly most captivating night of the NFL offseason, so let's take one last look at the first round before things get underway.

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

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

*yelling man emoji*: TAKE MYLES GARRETT, CLEVELAND.

Do not overthink this. You did so well a year ago. You weren't 100 percent sold on a quarterback, traded back and got a war chest of draft picks to begin developing a young roster. The result was a terrible 2016 season, but you're in the early stages of a process—trust it.

Garrett is a foundational defensive talent who can transform a defense. He's a big, strong, elite athlete who had consistent productions for three seasons at the college level. There may have been times Garrett took plays off last season, but he had millions of dollars riding on not getting hurt. The money's there now, and Garrett is far and away the can't-miss prospect of this class.

Trubisky is anything but a sure thing. The only reason to draft him is because he plays quarterback, which is the most important position on the field. If Trubisky is even a league-average NFL starter, he's probably worth three or four wins per season more than what the Browns were getting before.

But he's not a game changer, and the Browns are still going to be pretty dreadful next season. Their roster is still barren in a number of spots, and next year's quarterback class is among the best in recent memory. 

Stay the course. 

2. San Francisco 49ers: Jamal Adams, S, LSU

We could essentially write the same handful of paragraphs about the 49ers. This is a team two or three years away from competing for the NFC West championship. San Francisco and Cleveland were the two least-talented teams in football a year ago, and it was not even remotely close.

That Colin Kaepernick produced at a semi-cogent level with his supporting cast should be reason enough for him to have a job. (But he doesn't, which is a topic for another day.)

The 49ers can use help nearly everywhere on the field. Putting a quarterback behind their offensive line is asking him to get battered before he can have a chance to develop. They did that whole thing with Alex Smith more than a decade ago, and it took him years to become a half-decent quarterback—right about the point they gave up on him.

Jamal Adams is a placeholder pick here, but they could really go any non-quarterback direction.

8. Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

The Panthers need to find some form of dynamic help for Cam Newton. Their offense struggled mightily last season a year after Newton won the MVP, with his passing numbers taking a steep decline and even setting a career-low in rushing.

Carolina seemingly made a concerted effort for Newton to take less risks out of the pocket in 2016. Whether that was due to Newton dealing with near-constant injuries or as part of a vision for the future is unclear. But adding Fournette to the mix would do a ton to protect Cam going forward and probably be the best fit for the former LSU star.

Fournette thrives in straight-ahead power football. The Panthers need decisive runners for their offense to work because of the misdirection that comes with Newton's occasional use of the read-option tactics. Fournette would be an instant upgrade over Jonathan Stewart, who has been fine but is always battling an ailment and just turned 30. 

12. Cleveland Browns: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

Permission to take QB, granted. Thanks.