2017 Official Draft Thread - Round 1

[chargerkdb]

He is an undeniable talent. Big hitter and tenacious. Some of his decisions predraft are head scratchers. Him and Perryman would leave some bruised people in their wake. Hits really high, I see him lead with the head between the chest and facemask He is going to be paying some fines in the NFL. Keeps having diluted wee wee and he will miss games too.

[chargerkdb]

I believe he was # 2 on the ESPN top 150 when he came out of HS, so he definitely has natural talent.

Some of his HS tapes out there. Man amongst boys

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

SAN DIEGO -- With the just five days before the NFL draft, the Los Angeles Chargers have a busy week ahead leading up to Thursday.

The team will hold a voluntary, veteran minicamp Tuesday and Wednesday at Chargers Park. We’ll keep an eye on whether Joey Bosa shows up for the two-day workout.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco also is expected to address the media on Monday for his predraft presser, offering an opportunity to pick his brain before the draft.

Now, let’s get to your questions from this week’s mailbag:




@eric_d_williams: There's been some debate recently on the value of safeties in the top 10 of the draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs hit a home run by selecting Eric Berry out of Tennessee at No. 5 of the 2010 draft. Earl Thomas went nine picks later to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 14. Both of those players developed into Pro Bowlers at their position.

Mark Barron is the only other safety this decade to be selected in the top 10 of the draft. Barron went No. 7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 but was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2014 and has been moved to linebacker.

So it's fair to wonder if the Chargers will value the safety position enough to select Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker at No. 7.

Here's a couple things to consider in that discussion. Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was in Seattle when they selected Thomas in 2010 and knows the value of having an elite safety in the back end of his defense.

And Telesco was with the Indianapolis Colts when that team took Bob Sanders at No. 44 overall in the second round. Sanders set the tone for the Colts defensively.

The Chargers also could find a productive safety later in the draft, like North Carolina State's Josh Jones or Marcus Williams out of Utah on Day 2.

Because offenses are throwing the ball more, teams also are using safeties as more of a hybrid position, like the Arizona Cardinals do with Deone Bucannon, allowing defenses to get young players on the field earlier and cater a defense that better fits a player's skill set.

Bottom line: Regardless of position, the Chargers have to take the best impact player at No. 7. If Adams or Hooker is available and the Chargers are on the clock, I think they take a safety.



@eric_d_williams: The Chargers have seven picks in this year’s draft -- one in each round -- which does not give them an abundance of trade capital to move up or down in the draft.

I’m sure the Chargers would love to trade back and get more picks if they do not like the players available at No. 7, but there has to be a player available at that spot that teams want to trade up for.

Either a team has to fall in love with one of these quarterback prospects, or perhaps a player like Leonard Fournette, O.J. Howard or Christian McCaffrey is available and a team wants to move up to add a playmaker on offense.

The Chargers also have a history of moving around during the draft under Telesco, as Ricky Henne of Chargers.com detailed here.

However, the only times Telesco has made a draft day trade was to move up to get a player.

Two years ago, the Chargers traded the No. 17 overall pick, a fourth-rounder and fifth-rounder in 2016 to the San Francisco 49ers to move up to spots, taking Melvin Gordon at No. 15.

In 2014, Telesco traded the No. 57 overall selection in the second round and a fourth-rounder to the Miami Dolphins to move up seven spots to select Jeremiah Attaochu at No. 50.

And in 2013, the Chargers traded the No. 45 overall selection in the second round and a fourth-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals to move up seven spots and picked Manti Te'o at No. 38.

So if recent history tells us anything, perhaps we should look for the Chargers to trade up rather than move down

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Chargers GM Tom Telesco hopes to excel at NFL draft, spreadsheets and all
Tom Telesco
Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco addresses the media during the NFL scouting combine in March. (Gregory Payan / Associated Press)
Dan Woike
Every NFL general manager needs a system.

In the buildup to the NFL draft, years of in-person scouting, hours of film study and mountains of notes about details large and small need to be distilled down to an easy-to-navigate list, ranking the football players that’ll best help your football team.


And if your system is flawed, you’ll drown in a flash flood of information.

Luckily for Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco, he’s got a sturdy life raft built out of rows and columns.


“I can’t exist without Excel,” he said.

Telesco was an early adopter of the Microsoft spreadsheet program in the mid-1990s during his time as a scouting assistant with the Carolina Panthers, and he still relies on it today.

Everything can be organized and sorted, tracing the origin of a decision. And if you were to trace the origin of Telesco’s path to being the general manager for the Los Angeles Chargers’ first draft in their new city, it would point to a tiny college just east of Cleveland.

On the surface it seems strange that Division III John Carroll University would have such a large presence in the modern NFL landscape, considering its schedule is populated with opponents such as Muskingum and Heidelberg.


While the school’s enrollment couldn’t fill one section in a NFL stadium, plenty of its alumni have prominent roles in the NFL’s past and present. The stadium is named after the most famous graduate, Don Shula. Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager Doug Caldwell played for the Blue Streaks, as did longtime NFL assistant coach Greg Roman, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and the Patriots director of player personal, Nick Caserio.

So did Telesco, and even as he sees his former teammates strolling around at the league’s major events, it doesn’t seem too shocking to him.

“It’s Division III football with a Division I feel,” he said, proudly noting the Blue Streaks reputation for turning out smart, hard-working football minds. “If you play Division III football it’s not for a full scholarship. It’s because you love it. You’ve got kids that love football there, who have a passion for it.”

And in talking to Telesco, he’s most comfortable discussing that love for football.

It began in high school in Buffalo, where he abandoned baseball and basketball after discovering football was his true passion.

It continued to the practice fields at John Carroll, where he played wide receiver and tried to beat Caldwell at the line of scrimmage when working against the scout team.

Rams' Les Snead knows his role as general manager, and the NFL draft will help define it
Rams' Les Snead knows his role as general manager, and the NFL draft will help define it
And, through some good luck, it led to a spot as a scouting assistant with the Carolina Panthers, where Telesco impressed Panthers General Manager Bill Polian with his willingness to do anything the team needed — including a short-lived stint helping out in the weight room.

“Very early on in Carolina, when he was just beginning, it was obvious that he had a great deal going for him,” Polian, currently an analyst for ESPN, said. “As time went on, it was clear that he had a grasp of things beyond just what his present job was. He saw the big picture. He understood issues. He was really inquisitive and at the same time, really grasped everything he learned. He was a fast learner. It was obvious.”

He learned how to cut and edit game and practice tape. He logged everything. He was one of the first young guys in the office to embrace Excel spreadsheets.

“He had tremendous organizational skills,” Caldwell said. “He was always on top of it.”

Telesco went with Polian to Indianapolis before eventually becoming the youngest general manager in Charger history.

Now 44, and about to helm his fifth draft, Telesco isn’t gloating about picking Joey Bosa last season or Melvin Gordon the year before or Keenan Allen in the third round in 2013. The misses, such as Manti Te’o and Chris Watt, haven’t been egregious enough to result in total condemnation, either.

And in this league, draft evaluation for Telesco comes on Sundays in the fall, something Polian always believed as well.

“’Winning’ the draft isn’t important to him. Whatever Mel Kiper grade he gets, he could care less,” Polian said. “What he wants to do is to make sure the draft does what it’s supposed to do — to contribute good players to the team that can help you win on Sunday. That’s the overarching task. And, that’s where his focus is.”

By that measure, the past four seasons haven’t been good enough.

The Chargers are 27-37 since Telesco’s hiring with only one trip to the postseason, three years ago. They’ve won only nine games over the past two seasons and are about to step foot in Los Angeles, where every win and every loss will help determine the team’s place in the city’s sports hierarchy.

“It really doesn’t make a difference to me,” Telesco said about working in a new city.

Whether it was on the tiny field outside of Cleveland, in the offices in Carolina and Indianapolis, or in front of a spreadsheet in his San Diego office, every action has an origin point.

[Maverick]

Cool....I know Excel....know it VERY well, actually....maybe I can be the GM of an NFL team...

[Millionaire Wussy]

Cool....I know Excel....know it VERY well, actually....maybe I can be the GM of an NFL team...

I wish! We'd have McCaffrey.

[Formula 21]

McShay's final tier rankings for 2017 NFL draft [Insider] (espn.com)

submitted 7 hours ago by JollyRogers40

55 commentsshare

all 55 comments
sorted by: best

[–]SteelersJollyRogers40[S] 66 points 7 hours ago

As the 2017 NFL draft draws closer, it's time to finalize our draft tier rankings, which uses our grades to separate prospects into segments. This is helpful when comparing players who are close to each other in the rankings. It also helps in predicting where players will come off the board during the first three rounds of the draft.

Here's the final version of our 2017 draft tiers, covering players with first-, second- and third-round grades (in parentheses next to each player's name). If you want to read our finalized reports for a player, click on the link tied to his name.

*Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk.

Tier 1

The elite class of the 2017 NFL draft. These players should be starters from Day 1 and project as perennial Pro Bowl players.

2017: 1 player | 2016: 0 players

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M* (Grade: 95)

Garrett's production, tape and athletic upside put him on a different level compared to his peers. He's one of the elite pass-rushing prospects of the past decade and should be an easy choice for the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick.

EDITOR'S PICKS

McShay's biggest draft needs for every NFL team Which holes will each team be trying to fill during the 2017 NFL draft? Todd McShay takes a close look at where all 32 franchises still needs to improve.

Kiper vs. McShay: Three-round head-to-head mock draft Our two NFL draft gurus traded off picks for three rounds, making the selections as if they were running each of the 32 teams.

Kiper and McShay's favorite player comps: Whom does Watson resemble? You want comps? We've got comps! Mel Kiper and Todd McShay find the NFL players who are most similar to eight top 2017 draft prospects.

Tier 2

A notch below the elite class but still worthy of top-20 picks in most drafts. These picks are expected to be plug-and-play starters.

2017: 10 players | 2016: 8 players

Jamal Adams, S, LSU* (94)
Solomon Thomas, DT, Stanford* (94)
Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU* (93)
Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama (93)
Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State* (92)
O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama (92)
Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State* (92)
Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama (92)
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford* (92)
Haason Reddick, ILB, Temple (92)

Adams is a special player. He has the toughness to play near the line of scrimmage and the athleticism to cover wide receivers and tight ends in space. He's a more complete prospect than Hooker -- and he has a cleaner bill of health, with Hooker coming off multiple offseason surgeries. Howard is my highest-ranked tight end since I had Vernon Davis No. 6 overall in 2006. The Alabama product reminds me of Greg Olsen; they have very similar measurables, plus both bring value as big-play threats and blockers.

Tier 3

These players carry late first-round grades.

2017: 13 players | 2016: 14 players

Mike Williams, WR, Clemson* (91)
Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee* (91)
David Njoku, TE, Miami (Fla.)* (91)
Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky (90)
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State* (90)
Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri* (90)
Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State* (90)
Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan (90)
Garett Bolles, OT, Utah* (90)
John Ross, WR, Washington* (90)
Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama* (90)
Evan Engram, TE, Mississippi (90)
Kevin King, CB, Washington (90)

In the previous 10 drafts, my highest-rated offensive lineman was ranked, on average, fourth overall. The 2017 class is especially weak in that regard, with Lamp at No. 15 being the best O-lineman on my board. McCaffrey's rare versatility -- he can run between the tackles, catch passes in the slot and contribute as a return specialist -- helped bump him up to Tier 2, while Cook stock has been affected by character/durability concerns.

Tier 4

Would rather not reach for these prospects late in the first round, but they're good value picks in the first half of Round 2.

2017: 22 players | 2016: 16 players

Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama* (89)
Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA (89)
Tyus Bowser, OLB, Houston (89)
Jarrad Davis, ILB, Florida (89)
Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina* (89)
Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU (89)
Adoree' Jackson, CB, Southern California* (89)
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson* (88)
Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida* (88)
Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin* (88)
Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State* (88)
Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan (87)
Marcus Maye, S, Florida (87)
T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin* (87)
Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan (87)
Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina (87)
Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State* (86)
Budda Baker, S, Washington* (86)
Josh Jones, S, NC State* (86)
Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma* (85)
Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut (85)
Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan* (85)

That's right: The top-rated QB on my board (Trubisky) does not carry a first-round grade. Both he and Watson have the tools and mental makeup to eventually grow into good NFL starters, but neither are ready to start from Day 1. This tier is where the depth of the defensive back group starts to show: Fifteen of my top 46 players are cornerbacks or safeties. Good DBs will be available deep into Day 2.

Tier 5

These players are middle- or late-second-round prospects.

2017: 15 players | 2016: 20 players

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech* (84)
Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado (83)
Dion Dawkins, OG, Temple (83)
DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame* (83)
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California* (83)
Marcus Williams, S, Utah* (83)
Zach Cunningham, ILB, Vanderbilt* (82)
Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee* (82)
Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida* (81)
Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State (81)
Ryan Anderson, OLB, Alabama (81)
Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan (80)
Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana (80)
Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland* (80)
Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama (80)

It's looking like Mahomes will be a first-round pick, despite carrying a mid-second-round grade. That's quarterbacks for ya. Smith-Schuster is a bit of a forgotten man in this wide receiver class, but I love his competitiveness and he'd be a good fit in a West-coast system because of his ability to make plays after the catch. This is around the spot on the board where the second tier of TEs pop up. Shaheen leads that group, with the size/speed combination to cause matchup problems in the NFL.

Tier 6

These players are third-round prospects. They could develop into solid starters, but they either have limited upside or come with a higher element of risk than players worth drafting in the first two rounds.

2017: 47 players | 2016: 46 players

Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan (79)
Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama (79)
DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State (79)
Teez Tabor, CB, Florida* (79)
Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee (79)
Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington (79)
Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Charlotte (79)
Sidney Jones, CB, Washington* (78)
Duke Riley, ILB, LSU (78)
Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy (78)
Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson (78)
Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh (78)
Jake Butt, TE, Michigan (78)
Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh (77)
Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA (77)
Derek Rivers, OLB, Youngstown (77)
Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma* (77)
Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama (77)
Alex Anzalone, ILB, Florida* (77)
Justin Evans, S, Texas A&M (77)
Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech* (77)
Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa (76)
Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson (76)
Ethan Pocic, OC, LSU (76)
Desmond King, CB, Iowa (76)
Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn* (76)
Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State* (76)
Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky (75)
Kendell Beckwith, ILB, LSU (75)
Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech* (75)
Pat Elflein, OC, Ohio State (75)
D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas* (75)
Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn (75)
Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State (75)
Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado (74)
Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M (74)
Mack Hollins, WR, North Carolina (74)
Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova (73)
ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama* (73)
Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State* (72)
Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio (72)
Josh Malone, WR, Tennessee* (71)
Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia (71)
Davis Webb, QB, Cal (70)
Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU* (70)
Cam Sutton, CB, Tennessee (70)
Zach Banner, OT, Southern California (70)

[chargerkdb]

Cool....I know Excel....know it VERY well, actually....maybe I can be the GM of an NFL team...

Do you know the offensive line function in Excel? Telesco doesn't

[bonehead]

McShay's final tier rankings for 2017 NFL draft [Insider] (espn.com)

submitted 7 hours ago by JollyRogers40

55 commentsshare

all 55 comments
sorted by: best

[–]SteelersJollyRogers40[S] 66 points 7 hours ago

As the 2017 NFL draft draws closer, it's time to finalize our draft tier rankings, which uses our grades to separate prospects into segments. This is helpful when comparing players who are close to each other in the rankings. It also helps in predicting where players will come off the board during the first three rounds of the draft.

Here's the final version of our 2017 draft tiers, covering players with first-, second- and third-round grades (in parentheses next to each player's name). If you want to read our finalized reports for a player, click on the link tied to his name.

*Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk.

Tier 1

The elite class of the 2017 NFL draft. These players should be starters from Day 1 and project as perennial Pro Bowl players.

2017: 1 player | 2016: 0 players

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M* (Grade: 95)

Garrett's production, tape and athletic upside put him on a different level compared to his peers. He's one of the elite pass-rushing prospects of the past decade and should be an easy choice for the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick.

EDITOR'S PICKS

McShay's biggest draft needs for every NFL team Which holes will each team be trying to fill during the 2017 NFL draft? Todd McShay takes a close look at where all 32 franchises still needs to improve.

Kiper vs. McShay: Three-round head-to-head mock draft Our two NFL draft gurus traded off picks for three rounds, making the selections as if they were running each of the 32 teams.

Kiper and McShay's favorite player comps: Whom does Watson resemble? You want comps? We've got comps! Mel Kiper and Todd McShay find the NFL players who are most similar to eight top 2017 draft prospects.

Tier 2

A notch below the elite class but still worthy of top-20 picks in most drafts. These picks are expected to be plug-and-play starters.

2017: 10 players | 2016: 8 players



Tier 4

Would rather not reach for these prospects late in the first round, but they're good value picks in the first half of Round 2.

2017: 22 players | 2016: 16 players

Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama* (89)
Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA (89)
Tyus Bowser, OLB, Houston (89)
Jarrad Davis, ILB, Florida (89)
Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina* (89)
Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU (89)
Adoree' Jackson, CB, Southern California* (89)
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson* (88)
Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida* (88)
Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin* (88)
Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State* (88)
Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan (87)
Marcus Maye, S, Florida (87)
T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin* (87)
Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan (87)
Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina (87)
Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State* (86)
Budda Baker, S, Washington* (86)
Josh Jones, S, NC State* (86)
Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma* (85)
Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut (85)
Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan* (85)

That's right: The top-rated QB on my board (Trubisky) does not carry a first-round grade. Both he and Watson have the tools and mental makeup to eventually grow into good NFL starters, but neither are ready to start from Day 1. This tier is where the depth of the defensive back group starts to show: Fifteen of my top 46 players are cornerbacks or safeties. Good DBs will be available deep into Day 2.

Tier 5

These players are middle- or late-second-round prospects.

2017: 15 players | 2016: 20 players

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech* (84)
Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado (83)
Dion Dawkins, OG, Temple (83)
DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame* (83)
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California* (83)
Marcus Williams, S, Utah* (83)
Zach Cunningham, ILB, Vanderbilt* (82)
Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee* (82)
Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida* (81)
Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State (81)
Ryan Anderson, OLB, Alabama (81)
Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan (80)
Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana (80)
Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland* (80)
Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama (80)

It's looking like Mahomes will be a first-round pick, despite carrying a mid-second-round grade. That's quarterbacks for ya. Smith-Schuster is a bit of a forgotten man in this wide receiver class, but I love his competitiveness and he'd be a good fit in a West-coast system because of his ability to make plays after the catch. This is around the spot on the board where the second tier of TEs pop up. Shaheen leads that group, with the size/speed combination to cause matchup problems in the NFL.

Tier 6

These players are third-round prospects. They could develop into solid starters, but they either have limited upside or come with a higher element of risk than players worth drafting in the (70)

Check out those tier 4 players....a lot of those will be available with the Chargers second pick

Josh Jones, Baker, Obi

[chargerkdb]

If Sidney Jones falls to 2nd do you take him and essentially redshirt?

[bonehead]

3rd round if he lasted that long....

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]