2017 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Assessing Buzz on Top Prospects

Smokescreen season has the NFL and its fans wading through a thick film of darkness before the bright lights of draft night cut through and guide the way to shore. 

Those in charge of the buzz have laid it on thick over the past week or so before the start of the draft Thursday. All teams have draft boards set, meaning front offices have given the go-ahead nod to leak things here and there in an effort to get into position for their preferred targets.

The result is chaos. During this stretch, it's best if mocks and opinions on prospects remain firm after months and months of hefty research.

Make no mistake—trades and shockers will happen regardless. But this is silly season, where observers need many a grain of salt. Here's a look at an updated mock and a few notable bits of buzz to know.

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	Haason Reddick, EDGE, Temple
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	Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
18	Tennessee Titans	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
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	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
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	David Njoku, TE, Miami
29	Green Bay Packers	Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
31	Atlanta Falcons	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
32	New Orleans Saints (from Patriots)	Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut

Prospects Receiving the Most Buzz 

Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama

Reuben Foster continues to receive all sorts of less-than-ideal buzz.

First, it came out that Foster had tested positive at the NFL Scouting Combine for a diluted urine sample. Now it turns out he isn't invited to the draft at all, according to ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell, because of an incident at the combine in which he was sent home early.

Not a good look for Foster, who is otherwise one of the draft's best—and safest—prospects.

Projecting Foster at the pro level isn't hard to do. He's a 6'0", 229-pound linebacker with elite athleticism who can shut down the run in sideline-to-sideline fashion and gradually improved in coverage throughout his career to avoid getting pigeonholed as a static player.

But as The MMQB's Albert Breer noted, recent buzz has a way of taking priority over any on-field positives:

Foster is a player who should probably come off the board in the top 10, yet he doesn't in the mock above because he simply has too many negatives with terrible timing.

Alas, it takes one team to think the coaching staff can control a guy with questions about his character. It's the New York Giants at No. 23 above both because the locker room is strong and linebacker is one of the biggest needs on the roster.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Another year, another chance a running back goes in the top 10 despite the severe devaluation of the position.

Last year such a gamble worked out well for the Dallas Cowboys thanks to Ezekiel Elliott. The jury is still out on 2015, where the then-St. Louis Rams took Todd Gurley at No. 10.

From the sounds of it, LSU's Leonard Fournette will be the top-10 back this year. In fact, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune noted Fournette might come off the board as high as No. 2 to the San Francisco 49ers. 

"Scuttlebutt in league circles Monday night was the 49ers could make LSU's Leonard Fournette the highest-drafted running back since the Saints selected Reggie Bush No. 2 in 2006," Biggs wrote.

Call it interesting timing, as the 49ers hosted Fournette recently.

On paper, Fournette looks like a guy who should come off the board in the top 10. He's an NFL-ready back at 6'0" and 240 pounds who will remind some of a collegiate Adrian Peterson.

How he fits in San Francisco is harder to see, thanks to the presence of Carlos Hyde. The 49ers face one of the league's biggest rebuilds, so grabbing a running back at No. 2 doesn't make a ton of sense and gives this the feel of a serious smokescreen.

In the above mock, Fournette slots at No. 4 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team has some interesting passing weapons and might give quarterback Blake Bortles another year, so adding a potential franchise back who can take pressure off the passing game makes sense.

Haason Reddick, LB, Temple

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Here's a name NFL fans had better get comfortable with before draft night.

Temple's Haason Reddick has been a star on social media and league circles for a while now, which makes sense for an uber-athletic linebacker who comes in at 6'1" and 237 pounds and runs a 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds.

It seems like the media has started to jump on the hype train ahead of the big night, as noted by NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah:

It's not hard to see why. Reddick has the raw body type to play any linebacker spot in any scheme. Call it the same thing that happened in college—he walked on and wound up performing as one of the nation's most productive players thanks to his athleticism.

A scouting report by Pro Football Focus compared him to Jamie Collins and noted why he'll succeed wherever he's asked to go:

"

Reddick is an explosive athlete that can consistently win the edge when rushing the passer, and has the physicality to get off blockers at all three levels. While teams will certainly want to take advantage of his pass-rush ability first, he also shows the instincts, speed and change of direction to help on coverage drops as well.

"

The hype is real and explains why the New Orleans Saints pluck Reddick off the board at No. 11 above. 

There, Reddick can run free as a leader of the defense and act as a cornerstone to a unit's rebuild. He's not the lone piece needed to turn things around, but he'll be a star while terrorizing quarterbacks who have to drop back constantly in an effort to keep up with a Drew Brees-led offense.

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