2017 NFL Draft: Round 1 Draft Grades (Picks 1–10)
The First Round is in the books. How did your team do? There were some shock and awe moments. Did Draft Day live up to the hype and your expectations?
I am going to go through each pick and break them down. This will be a three-part series. Although we will not know how good the draft turned out for a couple years, I will also assign each pick a draft grade.
- Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
This was the obvious pick. Glad to see Cleveland did not screw it up. Garrett was the clear-cut option at No. 1 and it seems the Browns paid attention to Kevin Costner in Draft Day. As corny as it sounds, that movie somewhat laid out the road map the Browns needed to follow. Draft the guy who has day-one impact and ignore the QB hype. The Browns did just that and it was the right call.
Strengths: Athletic, speed off the line, instincts and awareness. Teams game planned against him because of his descriptiveness.
Weaknesses: Relies on his athleticism too much sometimes
Draft Grade: A
2. Chicago Bears (from SF): Mitchell Trubisky, QB, UNC
This was the first shock of the draft. The Bears traded away their No. 3 pick, their Third Round pick, one of their Fourth Round picks and a Third Rounder in 2018 to move up one spot to No. 2.
My first reaction (I am a Bears fan) was how can Ryan Pace make this mistake? Why give up so much to move one spot? Maybe teams were trying to move up to No. 3? Maybe they decided to go all-in on QB? Their off-season activity pointed to Deshaun Watson, but was that all smoke?
Trubisky’s draft profile states big arm, underrated mobility, good accuracy while outside the pocket and able to make the big throws. At first glance it sounds like Jay Cutler. Oh boy! I know what myself and other Bears fans are thinking. However, he also usually gets the ball out on time, he rarely makes throws off his back foot and let’s face it, has a better on-field attitude.
Pace obviously liked Trubisky and if he pans out, Chicago will have won the First Round rather than have lost it. Time will tell with this one as Mike Glennon is the 2017 starter.
Strengths: Arm, accuracy, size, pocket mobility, and competitive attitude.
Weaknesses: Inexperienced, played 98 percent of his snaps out of the shotgun and struggles at times with pocket awareness.
Draft Grade: C- (Initial reaction was F, but I have calmed down)
3. San Francisco 49ers (From CHI): Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
Early indications say John Lynch and the 49ers won this draft. I tend to agree. They gained three picks and still got the guy they wanted. Thomas is easily the second-best end in the draft. Some think Thomas could end up better than Myles Garrett. Thomas will look great lining up next to DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. He has a constant motor and loves getting after the quarterback. Can play both the inside and outside. Will be the leader by example of this new 49ers team.
Strengths: Versatile, high-motor, great spin move, strength and size.
Weaknesses: Considered a “tweener”, needs to be more consistent with his hands and cut back on his offsides penalties.
Draft Grade: A
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
I think seeing the success of Ezekiel Elliott last year has warped the minds of some NFL GMs. Fournette looks to be a clear upgrade for the Jaguars and should start on Day One, but do not expect him to see the same production as Elliott.
Fournette is a downfield runner who is going into a system that runs a lot of plays out of the shotgun. He is built like a linebacker, but still has good speed. He can hit his second gear quickly and punishes defenders by plowing through them rather than eluding around them. He is an average pass-catcher.
Strengths: Powerful back with great size and strength, stiff arm and ability to switch gears.
Weaknesses: Struggles with making cutbacks and eluding defenders in the open field. His bruising running style could shorten his career.
Draft Grade: B
5. Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
I am on the fence with this one. Many debated between Corey Davis and Mike Williams as the best wide receiver in this draft class. I am on the side of Williams, but that does not mean I do not like Davis. Davis has great size and decent route-running ability. He has great focus, but did have 16 drops in 2016. Taking a wide receiver was a solid move by the Titans. Only Rishard Matthews produced for them last season and they lost Kendall Wright to free agency. Davis will make a great red zone target for Marcus Mariota.
The other issue I have is that he is coming from the MAC conference. The competition he faced was not as elite as guys playing in the bigger conferences.
Strengths: Size, deep ball tracking, vertical routes, jump balls and solid hands.
Weaknesses: Needs to improve quickness in and out of breaks, blocking, may struggle to separate against NFL talent.
Draft Grade: B-
6. New York Jets: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
This is the guy I was predicting to go to Chicago had they stayed at No. 3. Adams is going to be an elite play maker in the NFL. He will be the leader and ambassador rather quickly for this Jets’ defense. (Not going to lie, I’m jealous)
Adams is a natural-born leader. He also leads by example on the field. He has great size and hits hard. Intelligent and a field general. Even as a rookie, he will likely be lining guys up in their proper positions. He can be a little to physical at times and veteran wide receivers will look to pick on him for flags early in his career.
Strengths: Size, leadership skills, physical, disruptive and solid tackler.
Weaknesses: Too aggressive at times and struggles to retreat, deep ball coverage is average, too physical at times and not the best hands.
Draft Grade: A
7. Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
This is a great pick and the Chargers chose to draft based on talent and not need. One could argue though, with Keenan Allen’s injury history, wide receiver was a need. If Allen stays healthy, Phillip Rivers will have a plethora of weapons at his disposal.
Some are saying the Chargers should have looked at Jonathan Allen or Malik Hooker here. I was high an Allen until I found out about his medical issues. His shoulder may not hold up for long in the NFL and I am not surprised he dropped. I think Hooker made more sense here, but I do not fault the Chargers for going Williams.
Strengths: Big receiver who fits the mold of a No. 1 option, jump ball ability, strong hands and can play all over the field.
Weaknesses: Loses focus at times, needs to have crisper routes, average release quickness and can disappear when facing a in-your-face, physical corner.
Draft Grade: B
8. Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
This was not a shocker as the Panthers were linked to Fournette and McCaffrey for awhile now. Some think McCaffrey ends up better than Fournette. Personally, I think Fournette is better, but McCaffrey could turn into something great too.
McCaffrey is a little small and people are concerned he won’t hold up as a three-down back. He also has 300-plus touches over his last two seasons. McCaffrey is versatile and has good vision. Has decent agility and can run inside and outside. Overall, this filled a need for the Panthers and gives Cam Newton another toy to play with.
Strengths: Vision, ability to run through the tackles and outside, ability to make cuts and change direction and excellent hands.
Weaknesses: Many miles on his legs could shorten his career, size and speed is just average and lacks the power needed for the NFL.
Draft Grade: B-
9. Cincinnati Bengals: John Ross, WR, Washington
I am actually surprised the Bengals went receiver here. The Bengals must be disappointed with the production they saw out of Tyler Boyd last season. Needless to say, this move gives them a deep threat guy. Ross can run passed almost anyone. He also has the ability to contribute in the return game. He has decent hands, but is still somewhat raw.
Ross has potential and could be similar to DeSean Jackson or Kenny Stills. Guys who do one thing great — run fast and catch deep balls or touchdowns. Can also be used in slant routes and has the ability to generate YAC. Just thought the Bengals would look at the defensive side of the ball first, but this pick could be more impactful.
Strengths: Speed, vertical route running, quickness, play making ability and did I say speed?
Weaknesses: Size, confidence falters after missed opportunities or drops
Draft Grade: B-
10. Kansas City Chiefs (From BUF): Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
The Chiefs moved up 17 spots to draft the quarterback of their future. The question is, did they need to make this move? The Chiefs had some bigger needs to fill on paper, but Andy Reid wanted the next Brett Favre. Yes, that is the comparison being thrown around. The Chiefs needed to move up to guarantee Mahomes because a couple other teams (Cardinals and Browns) were also in need of a QB. This move is for the future and I would not expect to see Mahomes on the field (barring injury) for the next couple seasons.
Mahomes is a project, but if groomed by Andy Reid, he could become something special. He is a confident player who has decent size. He has a strong arm and can throw from multiple angles. He has improved his accuracy every year since his freshman year too. Unfortunately, he can get too cute and start playing backyard ball. He needs to learn to trust the offense and let plays work themselves out.
Strengths: Arm strength, mobility and able to make throws from all over the field.
Weaknesses: Chooses to abandon the play too quickly at times, not afraid to throw the ball into coverage, and inconsistent judgment.
Draft Grade: C
Picks 11–20 coming out soon!
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