2017 Official Draft Thread - Round 1

[Steve]

Thomas is going to get a lot of looks from draftnik's as a 34DE. It is a position he has played, so it is easy to imagine him doing that. But he lacks the size to do that as a 2 gapper, and as a 1 gap 34 type he is slow to shed, mostly because he has to engage with little or no leverage. He is not a horrible 34 DE, but not super productive or well suited to it.

With the senior bowl and shrine game, I want to see him play on the edge. The guy is a much better player on the move. I want to see him play as a 43 DE, where he can attack a player edge on the move. He has the tools to be a good player, and I think it fits his natural skills better. He may be a much better NFL DE/edge guy then college player. Stanford didn't really set the guy lose, so that is something I would like to see. He could be a very good DE.

[richpjr]

Daniel Jeremiah at the NFL network did his first mock and has us taking:

MALIK HOOKER SOHIO ST.
With the best ball skills of any safety I've ever evaluated, Hooker would benefit from the pass rush led by Joey Bosa. If Jason Verrett comes back healthy, this could quickly become one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

[CTrout]

Malik Hooker or Jamal Adams. What a tough decision to make if they are both there at 7. It's funny how you hardly ever see S's go top 10, now this year you could have 2.

[Bearded14YourPleasure]

Just wanted to encourage people to check out the NFL draft subforum if they haven't yet. Some player rankings and mock drafts posted over there.

[Formula 21]

If Williams is as good as Julio Jones, I'm drafting him. #dominant.

[Bolt-O]

If Williams is as good as Julio Jones, I'm drafting him. #dominant.

Yeah. It would be tough call if the two safeties grade out as well as Williams though. I wonder what if any concessions Bradley got for signing on.

[Fleet]

Based on speed and hands id compare Corey Davis to Julio over Williams. Williams is more of a Keenan Allen type. I think he probably times at 4.5 range. Maybe late 4.4's. Davis could run in the 4.3's. He blazes. Catches the ball with his hands at all times. Williams is the better route runner. Davis the better deep threat. Both have big play ability and make the amazing catch up in the air. Both can jump out of the stadium. I actually dont think they are far apart. I think Davis had he seen tougher DB's would have torched them all the same. Do not sleep on Davis as a top 10 pick.


I think there could be a high probability that both the Safeties are gone. So i would be looking at Pass Rush or WR. With a move to a 43 Under/Over i could see that Leo spot or Safety being the top priority. Getting Ingram resigned. It would give us 3 monster pass rushers if we drafted Thomas or Barnett. I do however expect these 2 edge players to run pretty slow. But it will be that 10 yard split that matters most. And shuttle times.

Safe players to draft.

Williams WR
Davis WR
Thomas Edge
Barnett Edge
Adams S
Hooker S
Foster LB

[Formula 21]

I agree with your cluster. I'm pretty excited about the draft this year. Especially since I consider pick 38 to be a late 1st round pick.

[WindsorUK]

If Williams is as good as Julio Jones, I'm drafting him. #dominant.

Doesn't matter how much of a beast he is. If Philip is lying on his backside, he could have Rice and Alworth on the flanks and our offense wouldn't be any better.
Gotta build the O line- after adding a stud D player in the 1st round, that is.��

[Fleet]

Id really rather cut Franklin and Barksdale and bring in a couple players ready now. Rivers may not have the time for a rookie OL to get up to speed. I wouldnt mind going after a guy that knows the zone in Ron Leary. And maybe look at a Vet like Whitworth out of Cinci for LT. Use Dunlap at RT. Look at a draft prospect in the 4th or so. I really think the draft will have so much defensive value in the early rounds. Especially in the 3rd where we draft guys like Mager and Watt and pass over players like Moncrief and other positions that are stacked in a given year. We did it right when we drafted Allen as that was one of the deepest positions in the draft. That 3rd round pick is essential in getting right as there is almost always a steal sitting there. There is actually a lot of WR prospects i think could be sitting there this year. Westbrook, Kupp, Samuel types. Samuel would be nice if we let Woody walk. He plays both WR and RB. But i wouldnt be surprised if WR is a value pick in the 3rd this season. DT/Edge is another pretty deep class. A guy like Elflien in the 3rd would be a nice OL value pick. There are a lot of RT prospects in this draft and the 3rd would be a good place to see one as well. That 3rd pick needs to be a hit though.

[Formula 21]

I'd love Samuel in the 3rd. But I can't see him lasting past the end of the 2nd.

[Fleet]

Yeah i think hes a 2nd round guy. But my point was that guys fall into the 3rd that probably shouldnt be there. I thought Moncrief was a good example. And he was there because that draft was deep at WR. We have some positions that are pretty deep. Top end of the WR class is small. But there are a lot of guys that should be very good players.