NFL Draft 2017: Latest Expert Mocks and Predictions for Round 1

Mock drafts continue to pour in ahead of Thursday's NFL draft, which happens to be one of the year's biggest sporting events. 

The 2017 event is all but set. Teams have boards scrawled in permanent marker. Scouts can ease off after another rigorous cycle. Prospects can relax, at least as much as humanly possible given the situation, as everything is now out of their hands.

This quick sprint to the beginning of the draft, where commissioner Roger Goodell surely receives a boo or two upon arrival at the podium just outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will be defined by the wild smokescreens thrown out by teams looking to manipulate how the order plays out.

Otherwise, it's a time for fans to sit back and enjoy the endless mock drafts flowing in like homework assignments. Now a critical part of the process as a guide to the stock market and team needs, mock season's final throes have something for everyone.

Here's a look at a few notable details from the latest expert mocks.

Expert: Sports Illustrated's Emily Kaplan

Notable Pick: No. 6 Washington Redskins: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

Here's a fun swerve fans should enjoy. 

As Sports Illustrated's Emily Kaplan wisely points out, the Washington Redskins love to make a big splash for the sake of a big splash.

And what a big splash this would be.

No doubt North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky is one of four quarterbacks with a shot of coming off the board in the top 15. He's 6'2" and 222 pounds with a strong arm and all the upside a team could want in a potential franchise quarterback, provided he cleans up a habit of panicking under pressure.

For Kaplan, these traits entice the Redskins to pull off a trade with the New York Jets:

"

The Redskins can't afford the franchise tag carousel with Kirk Cousins forever. Trubisky is the most consistent and accurate passer of this crop, but he still might need some grooming after only 13 starts at UNC. Let Trubisky sit one year behind Cousins, then reap the (less expensive) rewards.

"

Cousins completed 67 percent of his passes last year for 4,917 yards and 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, yet the Redskins have been oddly non-committal toward him. Drafting an eventual replacement for the sake of saving cap and applying it elsewhere is something Washington might do. 

The only problem with this scenario is the Jets themselves, a team still searching for a franchise signal-caller. Still, the idea of Washington moving around and making a big splash is certainly something to keep in the back of the mind.

Expert: ESPN.com's NFL Nation Reporters

Notable Pick: No. 32 New Orleans Saints: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

The New Orleans Saints are one of the draft's most interesting teams this year for a few reasons. 

For one, the team clutches a pair of first-round picks while needing a serious rebuild on the defensive side of the ball. Two, said rebuild has to happen fast and quite well if the team wants to contend as Drew Brees' career winds down.

What doesn't often come up in the thought process around the Saints is the idea the team might use one of the two picks to find Brees' eventual successor.

A mock by ESPN.com's NFL Nation reporters, this pick made by Mike Triplett, did just that: "It will probably take a perfect storm like this for the Saints to draft a QB in Round 1 since Drew Brees is still thriving at age 38. But the possibility is definitely in play, as they have taken a hard look at the top prospects in this year's class."

It's a hard pick to argue against. Clemson's Deshaun Watson enters the league after winning a title and boasts good size (6'2", 221 pounds), arm strength and an ability to make plays with his feet. If he can cut down the turnovers, he could start right away for a team in need.

Luckily for all involved, the Saints won't need Watson as a rookie. He'll learn from one of the league's best before taking over, perhaps giving the Saints a smooth transition and helping avoid a complete rebuild.

Expert: CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco

Notable Pick: No. 6 Cleveland Browns: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Everybody seems to want a piece of the No. 6 pick in the mock realm.

If the Jets don't want to grab a quarterback, a mock from CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco has the Cleveland Browns moving up from No. 12 to get their guy after taking Myles Garrett with the first pick:

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The Browns should jump up to this spot to take a quarterback, and I would take Mahomes. I think he has the highest ceiling. I wouldn't move up until I made a push to get Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots. If that doesn't happen, give up No. 12 this year, a second this year and a third next year to get this pick and take Mahomes.

"

This falls perfect in line with the report from NFL Network's Michael Silver suggesting the Browns keep working the phones while trying to trade up into the top eight picks.

Prisco tabbing Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes as the guy speaks to the unpredictability of the top four quarterbacks in the class.

That isn't to suggest Mahomes isn't worth the pick—he is. Mahomes looks the part at 6'2" and 225 pounds, has the strongest arm in the class and can bully defenders as a runner in a way that might remind some of Cam Newton. He might have a tough transition from his collegiate offense, but he'd have plenty of time to grow alongside a young core in Cleveland.

This is a case of the Browns living up to an old stereotype by having the cake and eating it too. Really, it'd be a genius job by the front office to acquire future-looking assets, then grab the best overall player in a class and their preferred signal-caller of the future.

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