Well, here we are. You know it’s peak draft season when the comedy guys start getting in on the mock draft craze. Nonetheless, what kind of fans would we be if we didn’t talk about the draft and its endless possibilities? The 2017 NFL Draft takes place April 27-29. Your boy Big Natural here is throwing his mock draft into the ring. We’re not doing crazy trade scenarios because this isn’t FanSided. We’re going to keep it simple and mock it straight up. That’s how we do.
1. Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M – Rumblings out of the organization indicate that Hue Jackson wants Garrett, but the front office wants Mitchell Trubisky. That has disaster written all over it. I still think Garrett is the obvious choice here.
2. San Francisco 49ers – Jamal Adams, S, LSU – The Niners need help all over the board, but they need playmaking foundational players to build around. Adams fills that role.
3. Chicago Bears – Jonathan Allen, DE/DT, Alabama – I think he’s the best and safest player in this draft. For a franchise like Chicago, with needs all over the board, you grab the difference-maker. No quarterback in this class is worth this high of a drafting.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars – Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford – A lot of rumors swirling about Leonard Fournette in this slot, but I just don’t see it. Not when the stock of the position is at an all-time low. With Thomas still on the board, the Jags fill a huge need with the best DE in the draft.
5. Tennessee Titans (from the Los Angeles Rams) – O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama – I expect Jon Robinson to be in full-on wheelin’ and dealin’ mode come draft day, so I’m not counting on the Titans even making this pick. If they do, why not take a player that fits the biggest need on offense? A weapon.
6. New York Jets – Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State – The Jets have a gaping hole at cornerback, and it just so happens the most talented one in the draft falls to them at six. The Titans pass on Lattimore because of his “one-year wonder” tag.
7. Los Angeles Chargers – Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State – Los Angeles is ecstatic that Hooker is still on the board at seven – the new face of their defense, and finally, a replacement for Eric Weddle.
8. Carolina Panthers – Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – Fournette is still the best back in this draft. He doesn’t survive the top 10, and ends up on a team that is starved for a new, young running back to build around.
9. Cincinnati Bengals – Mike Williams, WR, Clemson – Might not be a popular opinion here, but remember the Bengals were rumored to be in on Corey Coleman and Will Fuller last year. They want to stockpile talent around Andy Dalton and A.J. Green.
10. Buffalo Bills – Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama – Bills fans will probably be disappointed to lose out on Williams, but Humphrey is a nice consolation prize and makes up for the butchering of the Stephon Gilmore situation.
11. New Orleans Saints – Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan – Rumor has it that the Saints are extremely high on Charlton. The entire New Orleans defense needs a total rebuild.
12. Cleveland Browns (from the Philadelphia Eagles) – Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina – The Browns front office wins out and they draft the next great quarterback bust.
13. Arizona Cardinals – Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State – Conley is soaring up draft boards right now. The Cardinals needs an elite corner to start opposite of Patrick Peterson.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from the Minnesota Vikings) – Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan – The Eagles are absolutely void of talent. Their offense is in desperate need of playmakers. I could see John Ross here, but ultimately, Davis is the more established guy.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple – The Colts need pass rush help. It’s a toss-up between Reddick and Derek Barnett, but ultimately, they go with the guy whose stock is soaring.
16. Baltimore Ravens – Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama – This is a terrible draft to need a franchise left tackle. That’s why Robinson lasts all the way to the middle of the first round. Even as the consensus number one, he has his detractors, but the Ravens need help.
17. Washington Redskins – Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State – Is this team really going to move forward with Matt Jones and Chris Thompson in the backfield? It’s time for an upgrade. Cook can be a dynamic weapon on an already potent Redskins offense.
18. Tennessee Titans – Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee – Barnett is a pure pass rusher and could come in and give the Titans defense a boost from day one. If the Colts go with Reddick, the Titans will happily grab Barnett….or vice-versa.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Christian McCaffrey, RB/WR, Stanford – I love, love, love, LOVE the idea of McCaffrey going to the Bucs. Some scouts are starting to project him going in the top 10, but I’m not ready to buy in on that. There’s something special going on down in Tampa.
20. Denver Broncos – Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky – The Broncos need to really bolster that offensive line. What was once a strength of the team is now weak. But, it’s too early for Garett Bolles, and John Elway doesn’t strike me as the type to select such a risky player.
21. Detroit Lions – Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan – Detroit needs a playmaker on defense – plain and simple. They need help all over the board, but here’s a guy who can inject some energy into that defense from week one.
22. Miami Dolphins – Garett Bolles, OT, Utah – Miami needs tackle help in a bad way. I don’t think anyone feels good about this class of tackles, but the Fins need someone.
23. New York Giants – Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson – The Giants are pretty set at a lot of positions on the field. So, this year, it’s about planning for the future. Watson makes sense, and is the best quarterback in this year’s draft.
24. Oakland Raiders – Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama – Inside linebackers have had a tendency to slide in recent years. In keeping up with that trend, I think that’s the case again, but Oakland will be getting a steal here.
25. Houston Texans – Pat Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech – I love the talk of Mahomes going to the Texans. He’s a project, but it could pay off with Bill O’Brien at the helm. But, didn’t we also say that about Brock Osweiler?
26. Seattle Seahawks – Charles Harris, DE/OLB, Missouri – The Seahawks need to rev up that pass rush to get back to the defense that was going to Super Bowls.
27. Kansas City Chiefs – Kevin King, CB, Washington – Some corner help for a team that needs an upgrade. Don’t be surprised to see them look at a quarterback here, though.
28. Dallas Cowboys – Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU – Jerry Jones loves him a good LSU corner, am I right? With the run defense taken care of, they need a shutdown guy in the secondary.
29. Green Bay Packers – Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma – It pains me to do this, because I hate seeing people who sucker punch women succeed (I’m honest, I’ll admit that), but a lot of scouts are saying Mixon will be a first round pick. The Packers are in desperate need of a running back, and have the stable type of organization it takes to bring in these sorts of “troubled” players.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers – Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA – I think it’s a given rule that the Steelers draft a pass rusher early every year, right?
31. Atlanta Falcons – David Njoku, TE, Miami (FL) – Don’t lose your identity, Atlanta. The young defense is promising, so why not draft the missing piece on offense? That would make the Falcons offense even deadlier.
32. New Orleans Saints (from the New England Patriots) – Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC – Again, the Saints defense is atrocious. In need of rebuilding all across the board, they get a guy who can play corner and can return punts/kicks, too.
We’ll catch you next time.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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