SCO NFL Mock Draft 2017


April 4, 2017, 8:56 p.m. | By Ryan Handel, Charles Lott | 6 years, 11 months ago

Which college prospects will be drafted when


This is the slow time in the NFL calendar, but as the 2017 draft approaches, it's always fun to project which college prospect will go to which NFL team. Here's SCO's NFL mock draft for the upcoming season.

Pick 1: Cleveland Browns
Ryan: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
The Browns have the most holes of any team in the NFL, with few star players other than offensive tackle Joe Thomas. Because of this, they'll opt to take the most talented player in the draft, Myles Garrett.
Charlie: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
Garrett impressed in game, at the combine, and pretty much everywhere else. On a team devoid of game-breaking talent, he will be a welcome addition.

Myles Garrett is the consensus top pick in this year's draft. Photo courtesy of Aggie Athletics.


Pick 2: San Francisco 49ers
Ryan: Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama
Similarly to the Browns, the 49ers have many needs up and down the roster. They will attempt to give their defense a spark by drafting the monstrous tackle Jonathan Allen.
Charlie: Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama
The 49ers have spent the last two drafts beefing up their offensive line with Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, and yet their defense still needs interior help.

Pick 3: Chicago Bears
Ryan: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
The Bears have found their running back of the future in Jordan Howard, so they'll upgrade on the defensive end early in the draft this year with shutdown safety Jamal Adams.
Charlie: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
Pairing young defensive tackle Eddie Goldman with pass rusher Solomon Thomas will finally give the Bears a way to chase down opposition quarterbacks.

Pick 4: Jacksonville Jaguars
Ryan: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Fournette is the clear cut top offensive player in this draft class. Jacksonville would be glad to steal him with the fourth overall pick, as he would provide much needed help to Blake Bortles.
Charlie: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
The Jaguars offense is one quarterback away, so they'll continue to draft defense. The pairing of Jalen Ramsey and Jamal Adams will wear down opposition passing attacks.

Pick 5: Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams)
Ryan: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
Lattimore is an easy choice to upgrade the weak Titans secondary and boost Tennessee into the playoffs.
Charlie: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
The Titans only good corner is the second McCourty brother, and solidifying the secondary will go a long way to improving the team's weak defense.

Pick 6: New York Jets
Ryan: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
With Darrelle Revis gone, the Jets desperately need a new star cornerback. Plugging Humphrey into the lineup would be the best possible solution to their secondary woes.
Charlie: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
The Jets love taking quarterbacks higher than they should. Unless they make a move on Colin Kaepernick, it looks like another first round passer will come to New York.

Pick 7: Los Angeles Chargers
Ryan: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
Yet another team with issues in the defensive backfield, the Chargers will shore up a weakness at safety by taking Malik Hooker.
Charlie: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
After losing Eric Weddle, the Chargers need a good ballhawking safety to shore up the center of the field.

Pick 8: Carolina Panthers
Ryan: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
The combination of Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin, and Dalvin Cook would be deadly to opposing defenses.
Charlie: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Jonathan Stewart is too old to carry the bruising back load. Enter Leonard Fournette, ready and willing to tote the rock twenty times a game.

Pick 9: Cincinnati Bengals
Ryan: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
The Bengals defensive line will be one to fear if they can pair Solomon Thomas with Geno Atkins.
Charlie: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
The Bengals roster has been heavily depleted during free agency, and a playmaker the caliber of Peppers should ignite things on the back end.

Pick 10: Buffalo Bills
Ryan: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
The Bills clearly need a second wide receiver to complement Sammy Watkins. The two Clemson products should work well together.
Charlie: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
Tyrod Taylor is ready to grab hold of the franchise-quarterback role, but he's going to need more than Sammy Watkins to find success.

Pick 11: New Orleans Saints
Ryan: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
The Saints' offense is stellar, but they need an impact player like Barnett to improve their struggling defense.
Charlie: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
Barnett is instant pass rush, and across from Cameron Jordan he should get ample opportunities to get to the quarterback.

Derek Barnett would help the Saints pass rush. Photo courtesy of Chattanooga Times.


Pick 12: Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles)
Ryan: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
This might be a reach, and a risky pick, but the Browns cannot after another year with a dud at the quarterback position.
Charlie: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
Cleveland's first pick bolstered the pass rush, and the second will focus on the aging secondary. Humphrey would likely push Joe Haden onto the trade block.

Pick 13: Arizona Cardinals
Ryan: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
Kizer is an accurate, athletic option to replace the aging Carson Palmer.
Charlie: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
Jermaine Gresham is not the answer at tight end for the Cardinals. After losing Michael Floyd, and looking ahead to Larry Fitzgerald's retirement, this offense needs an influx of young weapons.

Pick 14: Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings)
Ryan: Christian McCaffrey, RB/WR, Stanford
The versatile, dynamic McCaffrey can single-handedly take over games for the Eagles.
Charlie: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood can't carry the load in Philly. Cook will take some of the pressure off of Carson Wentz's arm.

Pick 15: Indianapolis Colts
Ryan: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
Andrew Luck can't carry the Colts himself. He still might have to, but at least Cam Robinson might help keep him healthy.
Charlie: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
The Indianapolis Colts have spent several picks on o-line help, but Andrew Luck is still getting hurt. Lamp will be a welcome addition to the offensive trench.

Pick 16: Baltimore Ravens
Ryan: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
Charlton is a massive pass rusher with the potential to become Baltimore's next great defender.
Charlie: John Ross, WR, Washington
The Ravens need fewer "good soldier” types and more sexy playmakers. The 40-yard dash record holder fits the bill.

Pick 17: Washington Redskins
Ryan: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
Adding Foster will improve the Redskins' poor run defense. Despite questions surrounding Foster's character, he is the right choice here.
Charlie: Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
Tak McKinley not only has an awesome name, but will also be a nice pair with outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. If Junior Gallette finally gets healthy, the ‘Skins defense will be looking nice.

Pick 18: Tennessee Titans
Ryan: John Ross, WR, Washington
The Titans have lacked an explosive offense for years, but the combination of Mariota and Ross will create one of the speediest offensive attacks in the league.
Charlie: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Corey Davis will move to number one on the wide receiver depth chart, ahead of Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe and the perennially underutilized Kendall Wright.

Pick 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ryan: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
The Buccaneers will roll the dice on the ultra-athletic Peppers, who can bolster both their special teams and secondary.
Charlie: Christian McCaffrey, RB/WR, Stanford
McCaffrey can be a jack-of-all-trades for quarterback Cam Newton, helping out in the passing, rushing, and return game.

Pick 20: Denver Broncos
Ryan: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
Coming from a smaller SEC school like Vanderbilt, Cunningham is one of the most underrated players in this draft class. The Broncos will steal this dynamic player with the twentieth pick.
Charlie: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
With the retirement of DeMarcus Ware and the loss of Danny Trevathan last year, the Broncos' linebacker corps is looking a little sparse.

Pick 21: Detroit Lions
Ryan: Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
McKinley is a versatile player that can fill multiple roster holes in the Lions' defense.
Charlie: Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
Haloti Ngata won't last forever, and Caleb Brantley will force teams to stop doubling Ezekiel Ansah. Tyrunn Walker is also not the long-term answer.

Pick 22: Miami Dolphins
Ryan: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
The Dolphins will draft bruising offensive lineman Ryan Ramczyk to create running room for Jay Ajayi.
Charlie: David Njoku, TE, Miami
Njoku stays in Miami, and learns the ropes from free-agent acquisition Julius Thomas in Adam Gase's tight end-heavy offense.

Pick 23: New York Giants
Ryan: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
The Giants desperately need to replace the massive bust that is Ereck Flowers.
Charlie: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Ereck Flowers is trash. Sorry, Giants fans. Ryan Ramczyk would be a day one starter for Big Blue.

Whether Ryan Ramczyk or Garrett Bolles, the Giants need o-line help. Photo courtesy of NCAA.com.


Pick 24: Oakland Raiders
Ryan: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
The Raiders' defense is strong, but they have a weakness at linebacker. Enter the underrated Haason Reddick from Temple.
Charlie: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
Perry Riley Jr. is more of a stopgap, and Malcolm Smith is gone, leaving a spot open on the Raiders' already stacked defense.

Pick 25: Houston Texans
Ryan: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
Whoever the Texans start at quarterback next year, he'll need some weapons other than DeAndre Hopkins.
Charlie: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
If the Texans don't pick up Tony Romo, they'll go after the most pro-ready quarterback in the draft: Deshaun Watson. This guy just finds ways to win.

Pick 26: Seattle Seahawks
Ryan: Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
The Seahawks can add to their solid pass rush with the 285 pound beast McDowell.
Charlie: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
Richard Sherman might be on his way out, but even if he stays, the Legion of Boom needs another defender on the island.

Pick 27: Kansas City Chiefs
Ryan: Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
With Jackson and Tyreek Hill as return threats, opposing special teams will be scrambling to defend the Chiefs during kickoffs.
Charlie: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
The Chiefs got rid of franchise rushing leader Jamaal Charles, and while the Spencer Ware/Charcandrick West combo is enticing, an athletic freak like Kamara could always find a place.

Pick 28: Dallas Cowboys
Ryan: David Njoku, TE, Miami
Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, Jason Witten is on his way out, but luckily David Njoku is a capable replacement.
Charlie: Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
The Cowboys will take the best defensive player left on the board at pick number 28. Tim Williams would be a day one starter alongside Sean Lee and maybe Jaylon Smith.

Pick 29: Green Bay Packers
Ryan: Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
Harris is an explosive, versatile defender that can help the Packers not always rely on their powerful offensive attack.
Charlie: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
The Packers have been hemorrhaging offensive linemen, and are far more likely to go after replacements in the draft than in free agency.

Pick 30: Pittsburgh Steelers
Ryan: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
Conley could work well as a slot corner in Pittsburgh alongside the aging William Gay.
Charlie: Budda Baker, S, Washington
Baker would fit nicely into either the third safety or nickel cornerback spot in the Steelers secondary.

Pick 31: Atlanta Falcons
Ryan: Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
Lamp is this year's underrated small school lineman that will break out on the national stage.
Charlie: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
Fabian Moreau would be a high first round pick in most drafts, but in this year's loaded college secondary, he's a great value pick for the Falcons across from Desmond Trufant.

The Saints could look to Patrick Mahomes II to be the quarterback of the future. Photo courtesy of YouTube.


Pick 32: New Orleans Saints (from New England Patriots)
Ryan: Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Texas Tech
Mahomes can develop behind Drew Brees as he learns a more traditional NFL offense.
Charlie: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
The New Orleans Saints have two first round picks after trading with the Patriots, and one will definitely go towards defense. The other could be used on a high-upside successor to the aging Drew Brees.



Tags: NFL Predictions NFL Draft NFL NFL Mock Draft Cleveland Browns

Ryan Handel. My name is Ryan Handel, and I'm a Staff Writer for Silver Chips Online. I'm on the Blair wrestling team and in my spare time I enjoy watching sports and advocating for the Arthritis Foundation. More »

Charles Lott. My name is Charlie, and I'm the features editor for Silver Chips Online. I enjoy reading, using Oxford commas, and playing frisbee for Blair. More »

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