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With the 2017 NFL draft taking place in a month, this week’s mock draft goes two rounds deep.
A second round was added because many of the picks are similar to last week’s.
One of the exceptions in this week’s mock draft comes at No. 6 and the New York Jets. Instead of going with a defender or Alabama tight end O.J. Howard, the choice is North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The Jets sent a small army of six people to Trubisky’s pro day for a reason. They’ve brought in a veteran quarterback in Josh McCown, but could still go after a quarterback high in the draft.
The other new quarterback placement in the first round this week is Patrick Mahomes landing in Houston. Mahomes needs good coaching, and Texans coach Bill O’Brien can provide it.
FIRST ROUND:
1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2. San Francisco 49ers: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
3. Chicago Bears: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
5. Tennessee Titans: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
6. New York Jets: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
7. Los Angeles Chargers: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
8. Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
10. Buffalo Bills: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
11. New Orleans Saints: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
12. Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
13. Arizona Cardinals: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
14. Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
15. Indianapolis Colts: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
16. Baltimore Ravens: Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
17. Washington: Reuben Foster, MLB, Alabama
18. Tennessee Titans: John Ross, WR, Washington
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Njoku, TE, Miami
20. Denver Broncos: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
21. Detroit Lions: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
22. Miami Dolphins: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
23. New York Giants: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
24. Oakland Raiders: Jarrad Davis, MLB, Florida
25. Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
26. Seattle Seahawks: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
27. Kansas City Chiefs: Zach Cunningham, MLB, Vanderbilt
28. Dallas Cowboys: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
29. Green Bay Packers: Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
31. Atlanta Falcons: Dan Feeney, G, Indiana
32. New Orleans Saints: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
After the first round there were plenty of good players available. The top player remaining is Jabrill Peppers of Michigan. If Tampa Bay doesn’t pick him at No. 19, it’s difficult to find a spot for him late in the first round.
Feeney going to the Falcons at No. 31 is a bit of a reach, but the Falcons need a guard and with Lamp gone, Feeney is the best player at the position.
After Peppers, there is a lot of good defensive players left, including Missouri pass rusher Charles Harris, Washington safety Budda Baker, and cornerbacks Teez Tabor, Sidney Jones, and Fabian Moreau. Where Jones and Moreau go in the draft will be fascinating. They were both injured during their pro day workouts, and that could cause a bit of a fall on draft weekend.
Offensive tackles Garrett Bolles and Cam Robinson also slipped into the second round of this week’s mock. With more teams in the back of the first round needing interior linemen, they slipped into the top of the second round.
The final big slider is Michigan State defensive lineman Malik McDowell. He’s an exceptional talent but with questionable effort some teams might shy away. He could go in the top 10 or he could slide. His status is all over the place.
SECOND ROUND:
33. Cleveland Browns: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
34. San Francisco 49ers: Charles Harris, DE/OLB, Missouri
35. Jacksonville Jaguars: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
36. Chicago Bears: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
37. Los Angeles Rams: Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
38. Los Angeles Chargers: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
39. New York Jets: Carl Lawson, DE/OLB, Auburn
40. Carolina Panthers: Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State
41. Cincinnati Bengals: Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
42. New Orleans Saints: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
43. Philadelphia Eagles: Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
44. Buffalo Bills: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
45. Arizona Cardinals: Raekwon McMillan, MLB, Ohio State
46. Indianapolis Colts: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, Southern California
47. Baltimore Ravens: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
48. Minnesota Vikings: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
49. Washington: Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut
50. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Budda Baker, S, Washington
51. Denver Broncos: Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
52. Cleveland Browns: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado
53. Detroit Lions: Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
54. Miami Dolphins: Pat Elflein, G/C, Ohio State
55. New York Giants: DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
56. Oakland Raiders: Kevin King, CB, Washington
57 Houston Texans: T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin
58. Seattle Seahawks: Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
59. Kansas City Chiefs: Davis Webb, QB, California
60. Dallas Cowboys: Tarrell Basham, DE, Ohio
61. Green Bay Packers: D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
62. Pittsburgh Steelers: Curtis Samuel, RB/WR, Ohio State
63. Atlanta Falcons: Dawuane Smoot, DE/OLB, Illinois
64. Carolina Panthers: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
The second round of the draft this year could be defined by cornerbacks. In the mock draft, seven are taken in the second round. The easiest match was LSU’s Tre’Davious White going to Buffalo. With Stephon Gilmore signing with the Patriots, Buffalo has a hole in the secondary.
Giving the Saints a second cornerback was intentional. Jones is a first-round talent who could fall to the second round after suffering a knee injury during his pro day. But getting him to go along with Quincy Wilson and current Saint Delvin Breaux should fix the coverage woes in New Orleans.
After getting a cornerback in the first round, the Seahawks got a potential left tackle of the future in Garcia. He’s a really good athlete for a tackle and has nice developmental potential.