2017 NFL Draft Round 1

After a few months of playing with fake drafts it was great to finally see the real thing. Here's the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

1.   Cleveland Browns-Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
Was there ever really any doubt?

2.   Chicago Bears-Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
It took only two picks for the 2017 Draft to surprise. The Bears traded a 3rd and 4th in 2017 and a 3rd in 2018 to the 49ers to move up a single spot.

3.   San Francisco 49ers-Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
A solid pick. Thomas can play several spots on the line. He has the sort of versatility that reminds me of Michael Bennett of the Seahawks.

4.   Jacksonville Jaguars-Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
The Jaguars have been collecting Top-5 picks at a rapid rate. Now they have to win some games. Fournette gives them a ground game and that has to help quarterback Blake Bortles.

5.   Tennessee Titans-Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Marcus Mariota now has an explosive receiver.

6.   New York Jets-Jamal Adams, S, LSU
The Jets have to re-make their roster. Adams is an excellent start.

7.   Los Angeles Chargers-Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
If Keenan Allen can stay on the field, Philip Rivers now has a pair of dynamite receivers.

8.   Carolina Panthers-Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
I'm just glad that McCaffrey is no longer playing for Stanford.

9.   Cincinnati Bengals-John Ross, WR, Washington
Three receivers in the top-9. That's a surprise. If Ross can avoid the injuries that might've worried some teams the Bengals have a game-breaker opposite A.J. Green.

10. Kansas City Chiefs-Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Texas Tech
The Chiefs paid big to jump up seven spots. They traded a 2017 3rd and 2018 1st to switch spots with the Bills to get their quarterback of the future. Perhaps near future.

11. New Orleans Saints-Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
A fairly surprising top-10 allowed the Saints to land the top corner in the draft.

12. Houston Texans-DeShaun Watson, WR, Clemson
Watson was the third quarterback taken in the first twelve picks. It took three trades to get those three quarterbacks. The Texans traded a first in 2018 to switch spots with the Browns. An improvement of 13 spots. A move that got them the quarterback that I considered the best in the draft.

13. Arizona Cardinals-Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
Reddick soared up the draft boards during the evaluation process. The Cardinals added an excellent, versatile linebacker.

14. Philadelphia Eagles-Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
The Eagles got themselves a pass rusher.

15. Indianapolis Colts-Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
The Colts benefited from a surprising. There was no real reason for Hooker to be available at 15.

16. Baltimore Ravens-Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
The only thing surprising about Humphrey being selected at #16 was that he was the first Alabama player selected. And it started a bit of a run.

17. Washington Redskins-Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
Allen should've been selected long before this.

18. Tennessee Titans-Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
Jackson gives the Titans a terrific returner as he gets used to the NFL.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
Howard's wait might've been the most surprising of the draft. I saw him as one of the safest picks in the draft.

20. Denver Broncos-Garrett Bolles, T, Utah
In my book, Bolles to Denver was written in ink about two months ago.

21. Detroit Lions-Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
Solid pick for the middle of the Lions defense.

22. Miami Dolphins-Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
The Dolphins get a pass rusher to play opposite the ageless Cameron Wake.

23. New York Giants-Evan Engram, TE, Mississippi
Manning has some explosive targets. Now he just has to get the ball to them.

24. Oakland Raiders-Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
Then Raiders are another team that lucked into a top player falling. This time for off-the-field allegations. If Conley is cleared of any wrongdoing, and a first round selection is a strong indication that they know he will be, the Raiders got a terrific corner.

25. Cleveland Browns-Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
The Browns improved their defense with their first round selections of Myles Garrett and Jabrill Peppers. Nice.

26. Atlanta Falcons-Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
The Falcons didn't have a lot of needs but adding another pass rusher was one. It was enough for them to flip spots with the Seahawks to get McKinley.

27. Buffalo Bills-Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
White's a terrific corner (slot and outside) and returner.

28. Dallas Cowboys-Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
The Cowboys found a pass rusher.

29. Cleveland Browns-David Njoku, TE, Miami
The Browns bounced back into the first round on a trade with the Packers. Many thought it was for a quarterback. It was for a tight end. The Browns came away with an impressive first round haul of Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, and David Njoku.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers-T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin
It wouldn't be a surprise if Watt ends up being the best pass rusher to come out of this draft.

31. San Francisco 49ers-Rueben Foster, LB, Alabama
Foster is another player that could've been a top-10 pick. The 49ers improved their front seven with Solomon Thomas and Rueben Foster.

32. New Orleans Saints-Ryan Ramczyk, T, Wisconsin
The Saints grabbed one of the top tackles in the draft. It wasn't a strong offensive line class but only two going in the first round was a surprise.

The biggest surprises of the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft was the three quarterbacks that were taken in the first twelve picks and the trades that it took to get them, the three receivers taken in the first nine picks, and the scarcity of offensive linemen. The quarterbacks and receivers at the top of the draft probably played in a role in the fall of some players (the Alabama guys and Malik Hooker, in particular).

This draft was/is considered a strong one. That quality can be seen in the players still available.