The draft is a day away, here’s one last first round mock draft.
Everybody throws their hat into the mock draft ring so we here at Bear Goggles On throw our hat into the ring as well. It’s always an educated guess, whether your name is Mel Kiper or Bill Zimmerman (that’s me by the way), but regardless, it’s always fun.
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The last week has had some news arise that is going to have an impact on the first round. Ohio State CB Gareon Conley was locked in as a first-round pick, but now, being surrounded by sexual assault allegations, he will most likely go undrafted. Alabama LB Reuben Foster was a guaranteed first round pick, but now, surrounded by questions about his character and a diluted sample, he may tumble. Jabril Peppers, the Michigan safety, also had a diluted sample and had already tumbled to the late first round, now may fall all the way to the second round.
How will those latest pieces of information affect the first round? Here’s a look at our 2017 NFL first round mock draft.
- Cleveland Browns- Myles Garrett, Texas A&M Edge
The Browns have plenty of needs with quarterback at the top of the list, but drafting Mitchell Trubisky here is a mistake. Garrett is the cream of this class, and they’ll draft the impact pass rusher. - San Francisco 49ers- Solomon Thomas, Stanford DE
Thomas is a versatile defender that can help in pass rush and stopping the run. GMs love that they can line him up all over the field. He’s been playing in San Fran’s back yard at Stanford and John Lynch will pull the trigger on him. - Chicago Bears- Jamal Adams, LSU S
The Bears need help everywhere, but their help in the secondary might be most pressing. Adams is a polished defender that can step in and start. Adams could have an impact as a rookie and if the Bears defense stays healthy, it could become a top ten unit. - Jacksonville Jaguars- Leonard Fournette, LSU RB
Trubisky has been rumored here, but I don’t see the Jaguars passing on Fournette. Fournette can help stabilize the offense and take some pressure off Blake Bortles. He has the potential to have a Zeke Elliott- type of impact on an offense. - Cleveland Browns (via Tennessee)- Mitchell Trubisky, UNC QB
The Browns want to trade up and Tennessee will be their suitor. The Bears and 49ers will ask for too much but after the Jaguars go with Fournette, the Browns will swoop in and take their QB of the future.
The Jets have been rumored to go quarterback here, but how many QBs can you take? Fournette would be an option if he slides, but the Jets could use some help in the secondary and Hooker is simply too good to pass up. He’ll be a starter on day one.
Allen could have gone as high as second, but his shoulder issues will cause a slight tumble. If Allen stays healthy, his impact on the field will be significant, the Chargers can’t go wrong with a healthy Allen on their defense.
There hasn’t been a player that has been more of a last second mover than McCaffrey. The Panthers definitely want a running back and will beg for Fournette to fall to them here, but when that doesn’t happen, they’ll take McCaffrey and his versatility to impact their offense.
Barnett attacks the passer with relentless aggression. The Bengals only netted 33 sacks as a team last year which put them in the bottom third of the league. Barnett is a great fit here and really good value at nine.
The Bills won’t believe their luck if Lattimore is sitting here at 10. Lattimore by most is a top 5/6 pick and has the type of ability to be an elite corner. After the loss of Stephon Gilmore, Lattimore is a no brainer here.
Foster has some issues, but some scouts believe he’s the best prospect in the draft. The Saints need impact defenders and despite some character issues, they’ll take a stab at Foster and hope he can become the star many believe he will become.
The Titans traded down with Cleveland and picked up some other assets along the way and get an impact wide receiver to give Marcus Mariota a weapon. They’ll be thrilled with what they accomplished here.
The Eagles can’t stop any wide receivers, mostly because they don’t have any cornerbacks. They’ll hope King is the answer to their problems and can develop into a shutdown corner. Not the best tackler, but the Eagles will just ask him to cover.
The Colts could go offensive line here, but the team has ignored the defensive side of the ball for too long and Reddick is considered a top ten talent. The Colts will see him sitting there at fifteen and decide they have to take the impact pass rusher.
The Ravens need weapons on offense. They have been depleted quickly with Justin Forsett losing a step and being sent packing and Steve Smith retiring. Plus, Breshard Perriman is still a question mark. They’ll hope Williams is the playmaker they need on offense.
The Redskins have put plenty of focus on getting Kirk Cousins some weapons and creating a big-time offense, so it’s time to go defense. The Redskins currently are starting Ziggy Hood at NT, that won’t cut it. McDowell will step in and start.
The Titans will continue to find offensive weapons for Mariota. While they have Delanie Walker, he is 32 and his production has started to slip. Walker may only have a season or two left and Njoku will be ready to step in and make an impact.
The Bucs need to start putting some more talent around Jameis Winston other than Mike Evans. Cook is a versatile back and a local favorite. There are some red flags around him but they’ll reunite the Seminoles and hope Winston steers him in the right direction.
It seems highly probably that the Broncos go offensive line here and Ramczyk is probably the best of this class. If he falls to this point, John Elway will almost certainly pull the trigger and bring in the offensive tackle.
The Lions had a solid season last year, especially considering that Calvin Johnson unexpectedly retired in the offseason. They’ll look to replace him with Ross. Ross has durability concerns but when he’s on the field, he and Stafford could make a great duo.
The Dolphins have been rumored to love Lamp for weeks, but recent reports now say they aren’t as locked on him as they claim. It could just be a smokescreen. The Dolphins know they need to continue to revamp their line and Lamp makes a lot of sense.
The Giants need a tackle. They’ll hope Ramczyk is here but the odds of that are slim. Bolles is a nice consolation prize. He has incredible athleticism but needs to bulk up. The Giants will feed him plenty of ribeyes and get him on the field as soon as possible.
Davis is a physical freak that has the chance to develop into something special for the Raiders and wreak havok along with Kahlil Mack. The Giants have also been rumored on Davis, but when they go with Bolles, the Raiders won’t hesitate.
How can this pick be anything other than a QB? The Texans won’t trade up so if the QBs go early, they’ll love the fact that only Trubisky is off the board here. Bill O’Brien loves Mahomes and will grab the QB and coach him into a pro-style system.
Once Watson and Mahomes fall, Ryan Pace will have no choice but to trade up here. The Chiefs would also take a QB, so Pace will make a deal with Seattle and grab the player he considered with the third pick. After the selection, Pace does backflips in the war room.
The Chiefs will hope Watson or Mahomes is here, they’ll consider DeShone Kizer or Davis Webb, but in the end, that’s too much of a stretch for Reid. They’ll stick with Alex Smith and grab Cunningham who can line up outside and just run after the ball.
Once Marlon Humphrey falls this far, it’s a no-brainer for Jerry Jones. Jones needs a CB, but when does he ever do the expected? Tankersley made some big plays in big moments for Clemson and Jones will eat that up and make a surprising first round pick.
The Packers hope a healthy offensive unit and Martellus Bennett will be enough for Aaron Rodgers and focus on defense. Harris has a first round grade and the Packers will be pleased he’s available at this point. They’ll hope he can make an immediate impact on defense.
Peppers was once a top ten pick in December mock drafts but now may tumble out of the first round after his diluted sample. The Steelers will see his playmaking ability and decide it’s too much to pass on and add him to their defense.
If teams drafted players based on names, Taco would be the first overall selection. Instead, the Falcons will find themselves with a talented player who is used to the spotlight and has a great combination of size and athleticism.
The Saints will consider taking Humprey at 11, but when they decide on Foster they won’t believe their luck that he’s still available at 32. The Saints won’t be able to write his name down fast enough and get it to the commissioner. A fabulous value to end round one.