2017 NFL Draft 1st Round Review: Looking at the Big Picture
By Zack Trapp
Months of mock drafts and quotes anonymous scout quotes have been rightfully thrown out. Now, we’re left with the wreckage to sort through with a 2017 NFL Draft 1st Round Review.
One of the wildes\ first rounds in recent memory was off the rails within the first fifteen minutes. The old cliche that actions speak louder than words holds true in the NFL Draft. Teams tell you what they think of their personnel and who they want to become with their personnel decisions, not at press conferences. With months of planning put into three nights, each pick is a calculated decision towards that identity.
1.) Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, EDGE, Texas A&M
No further analysis needed here. Garrett was the no-doubt best player available from wire to wire and a no-brainer pick. He’ll need to become a more nuanced rusher to live up to his Julius Peppers billing.
2.) Chicago Bears: Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
The shocker that kicked off a first round for the ages. John Fox and Ryan Pace are betting their jobs that Trubisky will become the savoir Chicago has longed for. A quick-strike passer with a tight release, he should be a good fit for Darryl Loggin’s offense. They’ll need to add some darting receivers to help him out.
3.) San Fransisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
This one is interesting. The 49ers are transitioning to a 4-3 defense and will have to sort out how to deploy their past three top picks(Thomas, DeForrest Buckner, and Arik Armstead). In theory, Thomas would be best suited as a 3-tech who could slide around like Michael Bennett in Seattle. Where Buckner and Armstead play is in question.
4.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, HB, LSU
Under Tom Coughlin’s eye, the buzzword for the underachieving Jaguars has been getting tougher. The Adrian Peterson-esque bulldozer certainly embodies that image. He’ll help give a struggling Blake Bortles cleaner looks by drawing further safety attention into the box. Throw in a smooth T.J. Yeldon and you have one of the top backfields in the NFL.
5.) Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Teams played plenty of man coverage with single high safety looks against Tennessee’s plodding receiving corps. To take the next step with their new look offense, the Titans needed to add a dominant outside receiver for a developing Marcus Mariota. Davis is a precise route runner that win with size and after the catch that will fit well with Mariota’s timing-based skill set and Tennessee’s bruising power offense.
6.) New York Jets: Jamaal Adams, S, LSU
Reminiscent of the Leonard Williams pick two years ago, the Jets grab a top-tier talent who started to slide. It’s surprising that Todd Bowles added a safety rather than a corner as his scheme relies on a dominant man-to-man in the secondary, like Patrick Peterson in Arizona and a younger Darrelle Revis. Adams has been talked about as a tone-setting leader than can play high, in the box, at linebacker, and at nickel.