NFL Draft Review
May 2, 2017
The 2017 NFL Draft is the pinnacle of the offseason for most teams. After signing some key players for rebuilding or fortifying their teams, most NFL teams looked towards the draft to either get starting level talent or prospects to prepare for future years. Other teams have looked to use their picks as an asset, trading them away for future possibilities. Good drafts can make a good team great, while bad picks can severely hurt a team’s future.
The first round was a very active and surprising round. The attention was all on the Cleveland Browns. They held the first and twelfth picks in this year’s draft, and the possibility of trading down was very much in play. The quarterback class was also relatively unknown, and many were arguing whether or not teams should try to find a quarterback through the draft or free agency. However, Cleveland did not trade down, instead of selecting the consensus best player in the draft, defensive end Myles Garrett from Texas A&M. The Bears also aggressively got into the picture, stunning everyone by trading their third overall pick along with their third and fourth rounders from this draft and a third round pick from next year’s draft to acquire the second overall pick from the 49ers. From there they picked quarterback Mitch Trubisky from North Carolina despite having just signed Mike Glennon under contract. The Browns did trade down from 12, however, giving it to the Texans in return for the Texans’ first-round picks from this year and next year. Notable picks in the first round were: Solomon Thomas (defensive end, Stanford, 3rd overall, drafted to the 49ers), Leonard Fournette (running back, LSU, 4, Jaguars), Corey Davis (wide receiver, Western Michigan, 5, Titans), Jamal Adams (safety, LSU, 6, Jets), Christian McCaffrey (RB, Stanford, 8, Panthers), Patrick Mahomes (QB, Texas Tech, 10, Chiefs), Marshon Lattimore (cornerback, Ohio State, 11, Saints), DeShaun Watson (QB, Clemson, 12, Texans), Malik Hooker (safety, Ohio State, 15, Colts), Jonathan Allen (DE, Alabama, 17, Redskins), Evan Engram (tight end, Mississippi, 23, Giants), Jabrill Peppers (S, Michigan, 25, Browns), TJ Watt (outside linebacker, Wisconsin, 30, Steelers), and Reuben Foster (linebacker, Alabama, 31, 49ers).
The second and third rounds were where most teams sought to seek value from prospects that dropped out of the first round. The Jaguars were able to take a top lineman in Cam Robinson from Alabama. The Vikings drafted Dalvin Cook, a running back from Florida State after he had been rated as one of the best running backs in the draft class. The Bengals drafted Joe Mixon from Oklahoma, even as he is currently dealing with a domestic abuse issue. The Browns were able to snag quarterback DeShone Kizer from Notre Dame after he had been given first round hype.
The draft was an intriguing event. Now NFL teams look to build towards the preseason with the hopes of competing for the Super Bowl lingering in their mind. Meanwhile, those who went undrafted look to get opportunities to prove themselves in camp. By the way, this year’s Mr. Irrelevant award goes to Chad Kelly (quarterback, Mississippi), who was drafted by the Broncos with the 253rd pick of the NFL Draft.
