THERE are still roughly 80 days until the NFL draft takes place, but the pick order for teams is finally locked in. Every team will be looking at their draft placement in the first round with huge intent, so in two sentences I’ll summarise what they should do with each pick.
Pick #1 Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
THE Browns need help at virtually every position. They take the best player available.
Pick #2 San Francisco – Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
NEW head coach Kyle Shanahan needs a quarterback to run his high octane offense. Trubisky is the best option.
Pick #3 Chicago Bears – Jonathan Allen, DE/DT, Alabama
ALLEN was perhaps the best player in the country last year. The Bears will happily add his talents to their improving defensive line.
Image from dawgpounddaily.com
Pick #4 Jacksonville Jaguars – Jamal Adams, S, LSU
THE Jags could be tempted to go for a running back here. Instead they opt for Adams to pair with Jalen Ramsey in their secondary.
Pick #5 Tennessee Titans – Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
TENNESSEE to address their cornerbacks and wide reciever needs early. They opt for defense over offense initially, picking the talented Buckeye.
Pick #6 New York Jets – DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
CHRISTIAN Hackenburg may be their QB of the future, but drafting Kizer to compete for the role is the smart thing to do.
Pick #7 Los Angeles Chargers – Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
AT this stage of the draft, teams start to look for best player available rather than team fit. Hooker adds more polish to the up and coming Chargers defense.
Pick #8 Carolina Panthers – Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
LEONARD Fournette has been drawing comparisons to Adrian Peterson. If he’s still on the board at eight, Carolina won’t let him slide any further.
Image from nfl.com
Pick #9 Cincinnati Bengals – Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
ADDING an athletic linebacker is a great get for the Bengals. Pairing him with Vontaze Burfict is a scary prospect.
Pick #10 Buffalo Bills – Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
THE Bills are probably likely to move on from Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. Drafting Deshaun Watson is better than any of the veteran options in free agency.
Pick #11 New Orleans Saints – Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
WHITE immediately steps in and becomes the Saints #1 corner. In a division with plenty of talented quarterbacks, it’s a massive boost for New Orleans.
Pick #12 Cleveland Browns – Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
CLEVELAND would love for one of Kizer, Trubisky or Watson to be available for QB help. If not then they opt to some offensive line help.
Pick #13 Arizona Cardinals – Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
THERE is debate over who the best receiver in this draft is, but the Cardinals could use a vertical threat like Mike Williams. With the loss of Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald not getting any younger, Williams can develop as their future #1 receiver option.
Image from cdn.fansided.com
Pick #14 Indianapolis Colts – Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
AN ageing crop of running backs aren’t helping the Colts one bit. Adding FSU’s all-time rushing leader is a good start.
Pick #15 Philadelphia Eagles – Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
UPGRADING the cornerback position is a good plan for the Eagles at 15. Former Husky Sidney Jones has Pro Bowl potential and should contribute right away.
Pick #16 Baltimore Ravens – Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
BALTIMORE needs to find edge rushers to help their defense. The speedy McKinley fits the bill.
Pick #17 Washington Redskins – Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
DYNAMIC defensive end Solomon Thomas will help to take some of the pressure off Kirk Cousins and the offense. He instantly helps to beef up their interior pass rush.
Image from texashsfootball.com
Pick #18 Tennessee Titans – Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
WHILE Davis might not be the #1 option in a perfect situation, the Titans need help in the receiving game. Giving Mariota a complete receiver in the form of Davis is too good to pass up.
Pick #19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
WITH the Bucs on the fringe of playoff contention, drafting another edge rusher takes their defense to another level.
Pick #20 Denver Broncos – Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
DENVER’S biggest concern is their offensive line. They could go with a guard or tackle option here with Bolles a great choice.
Image from draftwire.usatoday.com
Pick #21 Detroit Lions – Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
DEFENSE will be the focus of the draft for Detroit. Outside linebacker Tim Williams will be tempting here, but Taco Charlton is a better option.
Pick #22 Miami Dolphins – Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
IF Detroit doesn’t pounce on Williams from Bama, Miami will be happy too. The explosive addition to their depth chart will benefit the Dolphins greatly.
Pick #23 New York Giants – O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
ONE pick after his Alabama teammate, O.J. Howard finds himself a member of the Giants. He is a great weapon in the passing game next to Beckham and Shepard.
Pick #24 Oakland Raiders – Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
ON the offensive side of the ball the Raiders are set. Defensively though they need to address some spots, with Tabor filling a need at corner.
Image from alligatorarmy.com
Pick #25 Houston Texans – Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
AFTER struggling at right tackle all year, Robinson give the Texans the help they need in the run game.
Pick #26 Seattle Seahawks – Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
WITH Robinson, Ramczyk and Bolles all taken already, they take for the best offensive line option available in Dan Feeny.
Pick #27 Kansas City Chiefs – Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
UNFORTUNATELY for Kansas City, Derrick Johnson is near the end of his stellar career. Davis shapes a perfect replacement with size to take on guards in the run game, and speed to provide coverage in the passing game.
Pick #28 Dallas Cowboys – Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
DALLAS would love one of the edge rushers to slip to them with their first pick. If none are available, thy may be forced to opt for help at CB instead.
Pick #29 Green Bay Packers – Jabrill Peppers, SS, Michigan
PICKING a running back would be an option for Mike McCarthy and his team, but the defensive versatility of Jabrill Peppers is too good to avoid.
Image from collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com
Pick # 30 Pittsburgh Steelers – David Njoku, TE, Miami
A tight end that could stay on the field would be handy for the Steelers. Njoku may be a bit of a reach, but unless a higher rated prospect slides to them, he fills a definite need.
Pick #31 Atlanta Falcons – Gaeron Conley, CB, Ohio State
LUCKILY Atlanta has a pretty well balanced roster and their offense is set. Much like the Steelers they could change their plans is someone falls to them, but they can take the ‘best player available’ approach.
Pick #32 New England Patriots – Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
WITH Gronk’s injury issues a tight end could be their plan, but if not Christian McCaffrey is their best bet. Some players are meant to be drafted by certain teams, and McCaffrey’s IQ and versatility suits Bill Belichick perfectly.
Banner from sbnation.com
3 thoughts on “2017 NFL Mock Draft – Version 1”