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2017 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Picks, Projections for Most Impactful Prospects

Published by Bleacher Report on Wed, 22 Mar 2017


The NFLScouting Combine is firmly in the rear view, while free agency and pro-day season are both in full swing. While we now know a good deal about this year's crop of incoming prospects, we're also living in an ever-changing pre-draft world.We think we know what to expect from teams on draft weekend April 27-29, but one key signing or trade could impact everything.Speaking of impact, there are a number of highly rated draft prospects who have the potential to heavily impact a franchisefrom edge-rushers like Myles Garrett to potential franchise quarterbacks like Mitchell Trubisky.We're here to examine the latest buzz surrounding some of these possible impact rookies while dishing out another revised first-round mock. We'll run down the current selection order and make our projections based on factors like player potential, team needs and team fit.2017 NFL Mock DraftLatest BuzzGarrett is Still No. 1This is the time of year when draft analysts and NFL teams begin overanalyzing prospects, sometimes to the point of talking themselves out of a player they shouldn't. So far, though, this doesn't appear to be happening with former Texas A&M star Myles Garrett.We're roughly five weeks out from the draft, and Garrett is still the smart choice to go No. 1 overall. While he certainly isn't perfect, Garrett appears to be the clear top choice in the draft. Danny Kelly of The Ringer recently explained:Garrett is not as complete or polished a player as the hype might suggest, but we haven't seen a pass rusher with this blend of size, agility, and explosiveness since J.J. Watt blew up the combine in 2011. Combine that with his elite (though lopsided) college production and his potential to develop more robust technique, and you get something like this range of outcomes for Garrett's pro career: an absolute floor as a very good pro and a ceiling as a game-wrecker.Garrett does possess flaws, but he also possesses the type of upside that makes passing on him incredibly risky. As Kelly points out, if there were a better group of quarterbacks in this class, Garrett might not be such a clear choice. The fact is, though, that there are even more questions surrounding the quarterbacks this year than most.For some, the draft process has only intensified the belief that Garrett deserves to be drafted first overall.Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com used to believe the Cleveland Browns should target a quarterback with the first overall selection. However, he recently changed his tune based on further evaluation of Garrett."Sometimes, though, you've got to know when you were wrong," Labbe recently wrote. "Dead wrong. And I was dead wrong. I dug in on Myles Garrett, and he is simply too good to pass up."Garrett may not develop into a superstar, but right now it doesn't appear likely that he'll be a bust. A high ceiling and the potential to be a true impact defender are reasons why Garrett continues to be the top target in this draft.Trubisky Has Solid Pro DayWhile this year's quarterback class has plenty of questions, this doesn't mean there isn't a future franchise signal-caller in the bunch. The problem is that none of them may be ready to start from day one, and there isn't a clear-cut top choice.North Carolina product Mitchell Trubisky had his pro day on Tuesday, and while he didn't do enough to solidify himself as the draft's best quarterback, he certainly did seem to help himself. This, at least, was the opinion of NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock."As far as his arm strength: solid. As far as ball location and accuracy: outstanding," Mayock said, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "I thought he had a really good day and I think he helped himself."Events like North Carolina's pro day are important for Trubisky because he only made 13 starts at the collegiate level. Teams have only had limited looks at what Trubisky is capable of doing. One important aspect of the pro day, according to Mayock, was Trubisky's handling of five- and seven-step dropsthings the quarterback didn't do much of at North Carolina.Trubisky played almost exclusively from the shotgun.While a scripted pro-day workout is far from the same environment in which Trubisky will eventually have to perform, his showcase of footwork and movement skills can only help his draft stock.Surprisingly, though, several teams didn't send their coaches or general managers to the workout to get another look at Trubisky. As Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com explained, though, this is because private workouts are even more important:There are a few quarterback-needy teams picking early in this draft, and one of them could well fall in love with Trubisky if he is able to perform in the unfamiliar environment of a private workout.We can't be sure if Trubisky will actually develop into a franchise signal-caller, but if a team drafts him to be one, he's going to be impactful in one way or another.Mixon Drawing More InterestIf former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon was a squeaky-clean prospect, he'd probably be in consideration to be a first-round pick. Pro Football Focus rated him second overall among all running backs last season. As a player, Mixon can definitely be impactful.However, Mixon isn't a clean prospect. He once punched a woman in the face hard enough that she required surgery. This is why some teams have taken Mixon off their draft boards entirely, according to Tom Pelissero ofUSA Today.However, this doesn't mean Mixon isn't going to get drafted, and it appears he could be drafted earlier than previously thought. Pelissero believes Mixon will go before the end of the third round.Teams are certainly interested in getting to know Mixon a little better before the draft.According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Mixon has now visited with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos, with a visit with the San Diego Chargers upcoming.Several teams also met privately with Mixon at Oklahoma's pro day. According to Andrew Mason of the Broncos' official website, more than half the league will probably meet with Mixon before the draft:The reason teams want to get to know Mixon is clear. Not only must they decide if his talent is worth the public backlash of drafting him, they have to be confident that a future off-field incident won't occur.Some team out there is likely going to feel comfortable enough with Mixon to pull the trigger on Day 2 of the draft.
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