NFL Mock Draft 2017: Latest QB Projections & First Round Top 10 Speculation, 2017 NFL Draft Betting Approved?
There will be plenty of NFL mock draft 2017 speculation, rumors, and buzz in the coming weeks as the professional football league’s big event draws closer. For months now, there has been a consensus on who the No. 1 overall pick will be for the Cleveland Browns. There had been rumors and predictions that the team might try to trade away that pick in order to save their franchise with a solid quarterback like the New England Patriots’ backup Jimmy Garropolo. However, this never materialized. The Browns were able to acquire Houston Texans starter Brock Osweiler via trade, though. With that said, here are the latest projections, predictions, and buzz for the upcoming NFL Draft’s first round top 10 and more.
Myles Garrett will be the No. 1 pick when the NFL Draft arrives later this month. While there is always a potential for surprises, in recent editions of the draft the top pick usually is known well ahead of time. Garrett, a defensive end out of Texas A&M, is considered the top choice for pretty much any time that has the spot. Based on his athleticism and skill set, a team would be remiss if they were to pass on this sort of opportunity to add a solid prospect to their team. It’s better to err on the side of caution rather than gamble on a quarterback who doesn’t pan out.
The Cleveland Browns’ fan base may want something more but at this point, they also know there can be some gems drafted later on. The Browns also hold the No. 12 pick and overall have a total of 11 selections for this year’s draft. They could very well snag a quarterback with one of those later picks, but they won’t pass on Garrett with their first one. One would be hard pressed to find any report online contending that someone else is going to be drafted first.
As Sporting News reported earlier this week in their draft prospect scouting report, Garrett is listed at 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds with a 4.64 second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He also had 33 bench press repetitions during his outing. It’s said his main strength is his pure athleticism which will certainly make him a success in the league, but if he can “develop more technique,” then Garrett could really hit the ceiling for his potential. So with that said, it won’t be surprising when Garrett is the top pick.
.@movethesticks Mock Draft 4.0 Top 10:
10. BUF – @TheAdams_era
9. CIN – Jonathan Allen
8. CAR – @CMccaffrey5
FULL: ? https://t.co/7flinYp1ug— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2017
At Walter Football, their latest mock draft considers him the top pick and believes that the top three picks will be defensive players. The site speculates that the San Francisco 49ers will take Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas and that the Chicago Bears will draft Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen. The site also believes that the first offensive player to be drafted might be LSU running back Leonard Fournette who could go as high as the No. 4 pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In terms of which quarterback might go first, that’s been the big question for months now in the NFL mock draft buzz. For a bit of time following the Clemson Tigers’ National Championship win, there was speculation it would skyrocket QB DeShaun Watson to be a top 10 or even top five draft pick. However, the latest mock draft via the NFL website lists Watson going at possibly the No. 12 spot to the Cleveland Browns, or even later at the No. 27 spot to the Kansas City Chiefs.
So which quarterback could go in the top 10 if any do? At least two of the NFL website analysts predict it will be North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky. Chad Reuter speculates he’ll go as high as No. 6 to the quarterback-needy New York Jets while Lance Zierlein has him at the No. 10 spot selected by the Buffalo Bills. The only other quarterback shown in the first round of the website’s mock at this point is Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes who could go around the No. 25 spot to Houston or lower if he goes in the first round.
In an interesting addition to this year’s draft, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has reported that Nevada sports books were approved for wagering on the NFL Draft this year. While there won’t be any betting allowed for which players go to which teams or in what spot, there will be prop bets allowed. Among the wagers that bettors may be able to contemplate are the total number of quarterbacks drafted in the first round or whether more offensive players are drafted in the first round than defensive players.
There might also be an over/under bet offered for the first kicker taken for those bold enough to speculate. As of this report, that could be Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez who CBS Sports projects will be selected in the fifth or sixth round of the NFL Draft. Fans will find out over the course of the three-day event which “kicks off” on April 26 and ends April 29 with the seventh round of picks.
[Featured Image by Joe Robbins/Getty Images]
