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.
The stakes have been raised. Poppa Bear is working on his mock draft, and we have a handshake agreement that whoever’s mock draft is the LEAST accurate has to buy the other Chick-Fil-A. Now, I’m taking this thing much more seriously.
So, with about a week to sit and chew on this on version 1.0, I’ve decided it’s time for an update. We’re only a little over a week away from the NFL draft, new information has come to light, and new rumors are swirling.
1. Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M – The debate over Garrett and North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is ongoing, but I still think Cleveland is hoping to find a trade partner. Garrett is still the pick.
2. San Francisco 49ers – Jonathan Allen, DE/DT, Alabama – Best player in the draft, San Francisco is rumored to be one of two teams that have done exhaustive research on the guy. Though, now it’s come out that Leonard Fournette could be in play here. Seems like they’re looking everywhere but Jamal Adams (my previous pick).
3. Chicago Bears – Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson – Yeah, I know. The Bears are reportedly smitten with Watson. I think he’s the best quarterback in this class.The Bears are wanting to move out of this pick, so this could just be one big smokescreen to drum up interest. #3 overall seems entirely way too high, but I’m going to take the bait for now.
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) – Jamal Adams, S, LSU – The Titans benefit from the shakeup in the top five and land an immediate impact player on defense.
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 – O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama – I said earlier this week on SoBros Sports Night that Howard is the most dynamic offensive weapon in this draft. Though the Bills have some genuine interest in Trubisky, they can’t pass up on Howard.
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 – Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama – The Cardinals staff likes Patrick Mahomes quite a bit. I think the guy is the most interesting quarterback in this class, but #13 is way too high. The Cards still need some help in the secondary.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from the Minnesota Vikings) – Christian McCaffrey, RB/WR, Stanford – Draft scouts are now saying the McCaffrey won’t last past Tampa Bay (where I initially mocked him), but there are at least three teams in the teens looking to grab him. The Eagles are the first of those teams to pick. McCaffrey is rumored to go top-10, but I don’t think Fournette will go as high as others. Carolina sticks with Fournette and McCaffrey falls to #14.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee – I go back and forth with this Barnett/Haason Reddick debate, but ultimately, Barnett may be the best pure pass rusher in the draft.
16. Baltimore Ravens – Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan – Davis could be the best receiver to come out of this class, and he’s a steal for the Ravens at #16.
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 – Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State – The release of Jason McCourty does prioritize cornerback more than I thought during my first mock. Conley’s stock is rising, and the Titans are one of two teams (along with New Orleans) rumored to be extremely high on Conley. Though I’ve seen rumors of Chidobe Awuzie climbing the Titans draft board, Conley is the safer pick.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – John Ross, WR, Washington – With McCaffrey off the board, the Bucs land Ross as a nice consolation prize. The speedster will provide that emerging offense with a lethal weapon to complement Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson.
20. Denver Broncos – Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah – I get the sense that Denver really is in love with this guy. It’s a risky pick, but John Elway knows what he’s doing, I guess.
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 – Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple – The Fins need offensive line help in the worst way, but every damn report that surfaces has them looking at a defensive player, whether it’s CB, LB, DE – it doesn’t matter. I want to give them Forrest Lamp, but man – we have Chick-Fil-A on the line. I’m following the bread crumbs.
23. New York Giants – Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama – Personally, I think this is the year to take the heir apparent to Eli Manning, but no one close to organization has given any inclination that the Giants will do so. They need offensive line help in the worst way. Legitimate concerns over Robinson’s transition to the NFL have caused his stock to fall, but I think you still take him over Ryan Ramczyk.
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 – T.J. Watt, DE/OLB, Wisconsin – Watt’s stock is soaring and the Seahawks need to beef up their pass rush. Simple choice.
27. Kansas City Chiefs – Zach Cunningham, ILB, Vanderbilt – Doesn’t Cunningham just seem like an Andy Reid Kansas City Chief? Not a lot of flash, but dependable, and fills one of the biggest needs on the team.
28. Dallas Cowboys – Charles Harris, DE/OLB, Missouri – Rumors are swirling about the Cowboys’ affinity for Harris. Again, just following the breadcrumbs here.
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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