2017 NFL Draft: Round One Recap
By Daniel Lago
Wow! That had to have been one of the most unpredictable first rounds of the NFL Draft in history.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Contributor Jacob DeFee.
It was a great first round to watch, with several trades and a few teams really standing out above the rest it seems. With that, here’s a quick recap of the first round as well as my thoughts on each pick.
- Cleveland Browns-Myles Garrett DE/Texas A&M
This pick has been talked about for months, and in the end the Browns picked who most consider to be the best player in the draft, I believe this will benefit them in the long run but the Browns will need to find a quarterback at some point.
2. Chicago Bears-Mitchell Trubisky QB/North Carolina
This was the first shock of the draft, not necessarily that the Bears picked their quarterback of the future, but that they traded away two third round picks and a fourth round pick to move up only one spot. I’m not saying this is a bad pick but the trade on the other hand…
3. San Francisco 49ers-Solomon Thomas DE/Stanford
The 49ers grabbed who they say was the second highest player on their board. Thomas is a great pick for the 49ers and gives them another piece to add to their defensive line next to DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars-Leonard Fournette RB/LSU
I’ve been against the Jaguars taking Leonard Fournette for months. Not necessarily because I believe Fournette is a bad player, I just think it is bad value for a position that is deep in talent in this draft class. Not to mention, Jacksonville has done little to improve the offensive line during the offseason. I expect them to upgrade the line on day two of the draft and time will tell if Fournette was the right pick for the team.
5. Tennessee Titans-Corey Davis WR/Western Michigan
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I originally thought this was a little too high for any of the receivers in this draft class, but three receivers ended up going in the top ten. The Titans may have set up a chain reaction with this pick. Whether they reached for him a little or not, they added a true number one receiver, something Marcus Mariota has never had.
6. New York Jets-Jamal Adams/LSU
In my opinion, the Jets got the second best player in the draft. Adams has everything you want in a player, elite athleticism, leadership skills, ball skills, you name it Adams can do it. He can also play any position in the secondary and will give Todd Bowles a fun tool to use on defense.
7. Los Angeles Chargers-Mike Williams WR/Clemson
The Chargers add another big bodied receiver, and potentially the best receiver in the draft. Williams gives Phillip Rivers another excellent receiving threat, and should form a great trio with Keenan Allen and Travis Benjamin.
8. Carolina Panthers-Christian McCaffrey RB/Stanford
McCaffrey may be the most electrifying prospect in the draft, he gives the Panthers another great offensive weapon. Watching McCaffrey and Cam Newton in the same backfield is going to be fun.
9. Cincinnati Bengals-John Ross WR/Washington
This was the biggest reach of the draft. Yes, Ross is really, really fast, but that’s all he is as a receiver. He has an extensive injury history and is a below average route runner. The Bengals had more pressing needs than finding a wide receiver, and I believe they reached badly on this pick.
10. Kansas City Chiefs-Patrick Mahomes QB/Texas Tech
This was a match made in heaven for both sides. Mahomes has all the tools you want in a franchise quarterback, but his skillset is very raw. I’m not sure if there is a better situation for him in the league than Kansas City. As a Chief, Mahomes can sit behind one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL in Alex Smith, and receive top notch coaching from one of the best in the league in Andy Reid. I expect Mahomes to be a star in the league down the road.
11. New Orleans Saints-Marshon Lattimore CB/Ohio State
This was a widely mocked pick for the Saints for months. Lattimore is regarded as the best corner in the draft, and he fills a huge need for the Saints.
12. Houston Texans-Deshaun Watson QB/Clemson
The Texans finally have a franchise quarterback, and Watson is the most pro ready quarterback in this class. The rest of the league should beware of the Houston Texans. The only thing I didn’t like about this pick for them is that they traded next year’s first round pick to get him which leaves them with no first or second round selection in 2018 after the Brock Osweiler trade.
13. Arizona Cardinals-Hasson Reddick DE/Temple
This was a very solid pick for the Cardinals, Reddick can step in and start immediately and help ease the blow of losing Calais Campbell to free agency.
14. Philadelphia Eagles-Derek Barnett DE/Tennessee
One of my favorite picks of the night, Barnett is an underrated player coming out of Tennessee, he had better production at the position than Myles Garrett, and is a force coming off the edge. He may not be the freakish athlete Garrett is, but I expect him to be a very good player for the Eagles.
15. Indianapolis Colts-Malik Hooker S/Ohio State
The Colts got a top five talent at pick 15. This was a great value pick for them and gives them a tremendous athlete to roam at the safety position.
16. Baltimore Ravens-Marlon Humphrey CB/Alabama
A good pick for the Ravens here. Most people expected them to bolster their offensive line with this pick, but Humphrey is a great cover corner and help improve the Ravens defense.
17. Washington Redskins-Jonathan Allen DT/Alabama
Allen could have gone as high as pick number two if not for concerns about arthritis in his shoulder. Allen is an elite level talent and the Redskins may have gotten a steal here if Allen can stay healthy.
18. Tennessee Titans-Adoree Jackson CB/USC
This one was a bit of a head scratcher, I fully expected the Titans to grab O.J. Howard here and have weapons all over their offense. Instead, they add Jackson is a small corner, he is good play maker but might be too small in size to cover bigger NFL receivers.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-O.J. Howard TE/Alabama
A great value pick here for the Bucs, their offense looks scary good on paper. We’ll see if Jameis Winston is able to take advantage of all these weapons and get his team into the playoffs.
20. Denver Broncos-Garrett Bolles T/Utah
Everyone knew the Broncos would add an offensive lineman, however, I am pretty surprised that Bolles went ahead of Cam Robinson and Forrest Lamp. Either way, this is still a good pickup for Denver.
21. Detroit Lions-Jaraad Davis LB/Florida
Another slight surprise, Davis is an excellent player but I’m not sure he’s as good as Reuben Foster. Foster did have injury concerns and some off the field issues, but I’m not sure he deserved to fall as far as he did.
22. Miami Dolphins-Charles Harris DE/Missouri
Another great pick up here, Harris is an excellent rusher coming off the edge, and the Dolphins needed help disrupting opponents’ quarterbacks.
23. New York Giants-Evan Engram TE/Mississippi
Ladies and gentlemen, watch out for the Giants in 2017, they added Brandon Marshall and Evan Engram to an already good offense, and not to mention they have a top five defense. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the Giants deep in the playoffs this year.
24. Oakland Raiders-Gareon Conley CB/Ohio State
As we all know, Conley was accused of rape two days before the draft. However, all signs point to him being innocent. If Conley is innocent the Raiders got a great value pick at 24. If he’s guilty, well…they’re going to have to face some consequences.
25. Cleveland Browns-Jabrill Peppers S/Michigan
I absolutely loved the moves the Browns made in the first round, picking up excellent prospects and picking up the Texans top two picks in 2018. Peppers is a terrific athlete and will most likely play strong safety for the Browns. He will also give them a spark in the return game if they elect to use him there.
26. Atlanta Falcons-Takkarist Mckinley DE/UCLA
The Falcons have one of the best rosters in the NFL and didn’t have any huge holes to fill. I believe they just loved Mckinley as a prospect and couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to move up and grab him.
27. Buffalo Bills-Tre’davious White CB/LSU
The Bills made a good move to pick up a future first round pick from the chiefs, as well as grabbing a corner to replace Stephon Gillmore. White is one of the better all-around cornerbacks in this draft and should be able to start immediately for the Bills.
28. Dallas Cowboys-Taco Charlton DE/Michigan
The Cowboys likely would have taken Peppers if he was available here, but he was not so they bolster their pass rush. Taco Charlton slipped farther than I thought he would in this draft so it is a great value pick for the Cowboys.
29. Cleveland Browns-David Njoku TE/Miami
The third pick in the first round for the Browns was another great one. Njoku is only 20 years old and is an amazing athlete. He’ll form a great tight end pair with Gary Barnidge for Cleveland.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers-T.J. Watt OLB/Wisconsin
The Steelers need help putting pressure on the quarterback and Watt can do exactly that. If he’s half of what his brother is the Steelers got a steal, no pun intended.
31. San Francisco 49ers-Reuben Foster LB/Alabama
San Francisco got two of the top three players on their draft board, and added two third round pick and a fourth round pick. Give John Lynch a round of applause for his first round of drafting as a general manager.
32. New Orleans Saints-Ryan Ramczyk T/Wisconsin
Another solid addition for the Saints, Ramczyk can help keep Drew Brees upright as his career winds down. Ramczyk is also a great run blocker and can help pave the way for Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson.
Overall, I would say the biggest winners from the draft were the Cleveland Browns, they added three first round picks to their roster and will also have two first round picks to use next year. I also really liked what the Colts did selecting Hooker at 15, and what the 49ers did getting two defensive studs in the first round.
For you Jags fans, I think the AFC South as a whole got better, and Houston may finally have a franchise quarterback. Hopefully, Leonard Fournette is everything most analysts think he is and can carry the load for Jacksonville for the next decade.