NFL Draft 2017 Results: The Biggest Steals, Reaches and Surprises from Day 1
Even after the Cleveland Browns held the entire NFL hostage by keeping their plans a secret, the 2017 NFL draft only got more exciting and unpredictable as the night went on.
Coming into the night, no one expected the Bears to take a quarterback in the top five, Corey Davis to emerge as a top-10 pick, Jonathan Allen to fall out of the top 15 or Evan Engram to be the second tight end drafted.
After a first round that lived up to the hype as one of the least predictable drafts in recent history, it will be fascinating to see whose bold moves and risky decisions pay off in a few years. Here were the surprises, the reaches and the steals of the 2017 NFL draft’s Round 1.
Surprise: QB Mitch Trubisky, Chicago Bears
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Leading up to the 2017 NFL draft, the Browns and Buffalo Bills were often discussed as potential suitors for Mitch Trubisky. But after Cleveland passed on the UNC quarterback with the first overall pick, the Chicago Bears made the bold move to trade up just one spot, give up their 2017 third- and fourth-round picks and their 2018 third-rounder to secure their top-rated quarterback.
Giving up so much to move up one spot certainly was surprising. But even more shocking is that the Bears had barely paid him any attention during the draft process. While they brought DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes in for private workouts, they never showed special interest in Trubisky. Regardless of their evaluation process, he's their quarterback now. Trubisky can slowly develop in Chicago behind Mike Glennon in 2017 before taking over the job in 2018.
Reach: WR Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
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After rumors suggested they were looking to move down, the Titans stayed put after Mitch Trubisky coming off the board likely dried up any trade interest in the No. 5 pick. Tennessee opted for Corey Davis, the Western Michigan product who hadn’t participated in any postseason events or the NFL Scouting Combine after having surgery to repair torn ankle ligaments.
Davis, who has long been fan and media favorite, was projected to be go later in the first round, or possibly on Day 2. While NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah had Davis to the Titans in his final mock draft, it wasn’t until their 18th overall pick.
Regardless of whether it was a reach or not, the Titans needed to add a receiver early to finally give Marcus Mariota the offensive weapons he needs. We’ll see if Davis can fulfill that role for his new team.
Steal: S Jamal Adams, New York Jets
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When the LSU safety went to the Jets facility, they asked him why he was even there, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine. The Jets implied they believed there would be little to no chance Adams would be available when they picked at sixth overall. In hindsight, New York is certainly glad he came to his private workout.
Adams, who was considered to be one of the top prospects in the 2017 NFL draft, gives the Jets some much-needed defensive back help. They have plenty of needs to address, but Adams is the type of culture-setting defender who can hopefully bring the physicality and consistency that head coach Todd Bowles hoped to instill in his team's defense.
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Steal: CB Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
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With a desperate need to upgrade their cornerback spot, the Saints were expected to target the position early in the 2017 draft. While Gareon Conley and Marlon Humphrey have been the names most frequently linked to New Orleans, it’s likely the Saints didn’t expect to see the draft’s best cornerback available after the top 10.
Lattimore, who was the first cornerback taken in the 2017 class, has remarkable upside and the body control to grow into one of the best at his position. In New Orleans, he’ll immediately enter the rotation as the most talented cornerback and will likely be counted on early in his career to match up with divisional foes like Tampa Bay's Mike Evans, Atlanta's Julio Jones and Carolina's Kelvin Benjamin.
Surprise: QB Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
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After two quarterbacks went in the first 10 picks, Bill O’Brien and the Texans couldn’t risk leaving Round 1 without a new passer. The Texans traded their 2018 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in order to land Watson. In a strange twist of fate, the Browns already own the Texans' 2018 second-round pick in exchange for taking on Brock Osweiler’s contract.
Watson will immediately compete for a starting job in Houston, where Tom Savage is anything but a reliable quarterback. While Watson’s upside may not be as special as Mitchell Trubisky or Patrick Mahomes', he’s an upgrade for an offense that is ready to compete for a Super Bowl.
Steal: DE Jonathan Allen, Washington Redskins
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Entering the 2017 draft process, Jonathan Allen was considered one of the five best players in the class. The Alabama product has been tremendous the last two years, and his versatility as an interior and outside pass-rusher coupled with a plus motor and tremendously strong hands made him one of college football’s most feared players and an easy projection to the NFL.
But after reports came out regarding shoulder injuries and the potential long-term concerns, he was expected to fall out of the top five. Still, Allen going from a potential top-five pick to No. 17 is a tremendous value for the Washington Redskins, who were looking to add pass-rush value to their defense. If Allen can stay healthy, he could make plenty of teams regret passing on him.
Reach: CB Adoree Jackson, Tennessee Titans
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Adoree Jackson did everything for the USC Trojans this past season. His playmaking ability as a receiver, returner and cornerback was special to watch, and if his team had had a better season, he may have earned more Heisman consideration. But his NFL projection is less clear.
As an undersized cornerback who struggled with bigger receivers, Jackson’s best fit in the NFL may be as a high-level nickelback. His ball skills in the short area and on the perimeter are impressive, but he still has areas of improvement before he can be a feature cornerback and match up with receivers like DeAndre Hopkins or Allen Robinson.
His versatility will be an asset for a Titans team still looking to add playmakers on both sides of the ball, but Tennessee passed on a lot of talented prospects (like Alabama’s O.J. Howard and Missouri’s Charles Harris) to take Jackson.
Reach: TE Evan Engram, New York Giants
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A player with awesome talent similar to Anquan Boldin and Jordan Reed, Evan Engram is a weapon who possesses impressive ball skills, plus movement, open-field elusiveness and the versatility offensive coordinators dream of having. But his value is as a pass-catcher only, not as a reliable midfield blocker.
For some teams, Engram is a valuable pick who can provide a needed boost to an offense that has gone stagnant. For the Giants, who have Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted Sterling Shepard a year ago, the needs were much greater on defense and the offensive line.
Engram could be their own version of Reed, who has dominated the NFC East in recent years. But selecting a luxury weapon as a team not far from returning to Super Bowl contention is a bold move for the Giants.
Reach: OLB T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Despite taking a linebacker in the first round three of the last four years, the Steelers went back to the well once again to add Wisconsin's T.J. Watt. Regardless of addressing a need, Pittsburgh likely values Watt’s motor, explosiveness and ability to rush from multiple alignments. Watt was projected as a first-round pick for some, but he was likely to be considered a reach no matter where he landed in Round 1.
Watt burst onto the scene this year in surprising fashion and emerged as the Badgers' most talented defender. The little brother of JJ Watt, T.J. carved his own path as one of the Big Ten’s better defenders. But Watt isn’t a special athlete, and his projection may be better suited in a rotational role rather than a first-round talent. Tyus Bowser of Houston and Jordan Willis of Kansas State would have been better picks, and better fits, for the Steelers.
Steal: TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
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The Browns were having too much fun in the first round of the draft, and they decided to trade up once more to get back in on the action. After drafting the best prospect in Myles Garrett and the most intriguing defensive talent in Jabrill Peppers, the Browns stole Miami Hurricanes tight end David Njoku at No. 29 after trading with the Green Bay Packers in the first round.
Njoku is a phenomenal athlete whose length, fluidity and ball skills are rare for a tight end. His upside may be the highest of any of the three tight ends drafted in Round 1, and he should quickly emerge as Cleveland’s most talented offensive weapon in Hue Jackson’s offense.
Njoku was originally projected to go much earlier than 29th overall. By moving up from Round 2 and giving up just a fourth-round pick, the Browns may have found their next Tyler Eifert option to accelerate the offensive rebuilding process.
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