NFL Draft 2017: Predictions for Mitchell Trubisky and Most Buzzworthy Prospects

It's almost time to put away the mock drafts, to stop scouring Twitter for any buzz surrounding your team and to stop obsessing over every little possibility.

It's almost time for the NFL draft.

Below, we'll break down my latest mock draft and some of the most buzzworthy prospects heading into Thursday's first round.

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

Let's talk about Mitchell Trubisky, perhaps the most interesting prospect in this draft simply because he has the opportunity to completely turn the draft on its head. 

For starters, Trubisky could potentially be the first pick in this year's draft. The Cleveland Browns reportedly are considering that scenario, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com:

"

Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown gave strong vibes during his pre-draft press conference Wednesday that the Browns have zeroed in on Myles Garrett, they're still strongly considering taking Trubisky there, sources say.

The feeling on the part of the front office, sources say, is that the Browns are ready to draft their quarterback of the future and might not want to risk losing him if they try to trade up or hope he falls to them at No. 12.

"

Peter King of the MMQB reported that he also heard the Browns were internally debating between Trubisky and Garrett. The latter would seem to be the obvious pick given his ridiculous athleticism and generational upside. And the Trubisky buzz could simply be a smoke screen to drive up the price for the No. 1 pick if a team desperately wanted to move up to take the quarterback. 

But if the Browns do select Trubisky, it would push a slew of talented defensive players at least one pick further down the board than expected. Which means quite a few teams seeking defensive help may be rooting for the Browns to select a quarterback.

If they don't, the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars will each be a potential destination for the quarterback. But like the Browns, expect those teams to go with superior talents at other positions.

That leaves the New York Jets as the next potential landing spot for Trubisky, and in turn means the Tennessee Titans at No. 5 will be in prime position to trade back and stockpile more picks. If teams believe the Jets are likely to nab Trubisky, trading ahead of them and securing Tennessee's pick would be the logical way to secure him. 

In other words, no other player has the potential to shake up the first 10 picks more than Trubisky.

But he won't be the only buzzworthy player at this year's draft, which could be full of surprises. Don't be shocked if both he and DeShaun Watson are off the board in the first 10 picks. And if that happens, don't be surprised if the Browns fill a different need than quarterback. 

Ultimately, the team could decide to either wait until the second round to fill the position or for next year's draft, which appears likely to be far stronger at the position. The Browns don't need to rush into picking a quarterback, and there will be enough talented players available at No. 12 that they shouldn't simply take a quarterback for the sake of taking one.

That said, when four quarterbacks come off the board in the first round, well, don't pretend like it was some sort of ambush on expectation. Teams always overvalue quarterback prospects because it's the most important position in sports. And later in the draft, teams like the Houston Texans (no obvious starter on the roster) and New Orleans Saints (a need to find Drew Brees' eventual successor) would be making that gamble for logical reasons.

As for players who will be buzzworthy for the wrong reasons, expect Reuben Foster and Jabrill Peppers to fall out of the first round. The former was kicked out of the NFL Scouting Combine and tested positive for a dilute sample; the latter tested positive for a dilute sample as well. While Foster may have been a top-10 pick were it not for those issues, Peppers was always a player likely to be selected near the end of the first round or top of the second.

Meanwhile, four running backs are projected to go in the first round in the above mock draft, but Joe Mixon won't be one of them. For all of his talent, it would be shocking if a team took him in the first round and dealt with the potential fallout given his troubling past. Teams willing to give him a shot will likely be more inclined to do so during Friday's second or third round.

Buzzworthy for the right reason? Haason Reddick, whose continual ascent of draft boards is going to make him a top-15 pick. As B/R's Matt Miller noted, "His domination of the draft process and strong film background has pushed Reddick's name to a point where he may be the first linebacker drafted."

Certainly, his versatility and ability to play multiple positions in a defense's front seven make him highly appealing as well. Reddick isn't going to be around long come Thursday.

For more news, rumors and related stories about Mitchell Trubisky, the NFL draft and the NFL, check out the NFL and NFL draft streams on Bleacher Report's app.