2017 NFL Mock Draft Extravaganza: Part Two

Ryan McDowell Posted On June 1, 2016

In the first edition of this series, I examined eight unique 2017 NFL mock drafts and today, I’ll take a look at some specific players projected to be selected in the first round of next year’s draft.

There were five players named in all eight mock drafts, meaning these can be considered ultra safe prospects when considering rookie draft pick value or player value in a devy league.

Deshaun Watson, QB

The Clemson star was not only named in all eight drafts, he was pegged as the top overall choice in seven of the eight. Watson led the Tigers to a near perfect season in 2015 and has to be considered the Heisman frontrunner heading into the upcoming season. With the NFL’s proclivity to make a quarterback the top pick, Watson has an excellent shot to be the pick. I expect his dynasty value to be similar to that of Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota last season. In what is expected to be a stacked class, Watson is likely to slide to the second round of rookie drafts.

Leonard Fournette, RB

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After a couple of years with little attention given to the running back position by both NFL teams and dynasty owners, we’ve seen a bit of a change the past two years with Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott the chalk choices at 1.01 of their respective rookie drafts. In 2017, LSU running back Leonard Fournette could make it three in a row as he is considered the favorite to be the top drafted player in dynasty rookie drafts. He was projected as the top running back in seven of the eight mock drafts and a top ten overall pick in seven drafts as well.

Dalvin Cook, RB

The only running back given a chance to be selected ahead of Fournette is Florida State back Dalvin Cook. This time last year, Cook was in trouble with a legal situation and his Seminoles career looked to be in jeopardy. In the end, the situation was cleared up and Cook delivered a dominant season. Although he was somewhat overshadowed by Fournette and Heisman winner Derrick Henry, Cook’s talent will not be overlooked by NFL teams. He’s currently in line to be a top five rookie pick in dynasty drafts and is already highly valued in devy leagues.

Christian McCaffrey, RB

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey enjoyed a breakout season for the Cardinal last year, resulting in him being a Heisman finalist and highly valued dynasty prospect. While many don’t seem sold on the son of former Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey quite yet, it’s hard to ignore the huge numbers he put up on a weekly basis. McCaffrey is another first round dynasty rookie draft lock and landing in the first round would move him up the board even more. While McCaffrey was mentioned in all eight mock drafts, his value was all over the board, being projected anywhere from ninth overall to the final pick of the first round.

Mike Williams, WR

Perhaps the most surprising unanimous selection in all eight drafts is Clemson wideout Mike Williams. Don’t get me wrong, I love the talent, but after missing almost the entire 2015 season with a serious neck injury, Williams future is somewhat cloudy. It appears that Williams has recovered and is set to go for the 2016 season, but there are a couple of wideouts I’d feel more comfortable with as a dynasty rookie pick. Nonetheless, Williams is sure to be a first round pick in next season’s dynasty drafts if he proves he is healthy.

After the consensus top five, there were a pair of players who were mentioned in seven of the eight mock drafts.

Brad Kaaya, QB

University of Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya was the only player to unseat Watson as a potential top overall pick and he was pegged as a top five pick in five of the eight drafts. Kaaya has some flaws and some of my Miami friends are certain he will not even declare for the NFL Draft following his junior season. In this year’s rookie drafts, we’ve seen how even a high pick in the NFL Draft, like Carson Wentz, can fall to the late second or third round of dynasty drafts, and that is where I’d expect Kaaya to fall.

Juju Smith-Schuster, WR

I honestly don’t know how you leave USC wideout Juju Smith-Schuster out of the first round, but that did happen in one of the eight mock drafts. Despite the running back quality and depth, Smith-Schuster is actually my top ranked devy player and a favorite to be a top three rookie pick in 2017.

Although they were also not named in all eight mock drafts, there are four other players who could easily be selected in the 2017 first round and most are almost certainly in line to be first round dynasty picks.

Nick Chubb, RB

Georgia’s Nick Chubb would likely have been included in the first group and mentioned in all eight drafts had he not suffered a serious knee injury in the middle of the 2015 season. There is still some doubt about Chubb’s future and he could easily miss some early season action as he continues to recover from the injury. Should Chubb return to full strength, he’s first round bound in both the NFL and dynasty drafts.

Malachi Dupre, WR

Just as the NFL’s relentless search for quarterbacks can sometimes result in those players being overdrafted, the same can be said of wide receivers in dynasty leagues. I’m not saying LSU receiver Malachi Dupre is not worthy of his likely first round dynasty pick status, but after Smith-Schuster and Williams, we’ll be desperately searching for the next star receiver. Dupre was named in half of the 2017 mocks, as high as ninth overall. He should be a top 12 rookie pick in dynasty drafts next season and if he is chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft, he should come off the board in the top six dynasty picks.

Corey Davis, WR

That search for star receivers should also lead us all to Corey Davis, the still underrated star of Western Michigan. Davis surprised us all when he chose to return to school following his junior year, but that decision simply made a strong 2017 class even better. Like Dupre, Davis was selected in half of the eight mock drafts and is clearly a favorite of the folks at PFF, who projected Davis as the eighth overall pick. Davis is a near lock to be a first round dynasty pick, even if he does fall to the second round of the NFL Draft.

OJ Howard, TE

While OJ Howard had a disappointing junior season, he shined on the biggest stage as he posted a career best game in the National Championship game against Clemson. Howard scored twice and many expected Howard to bolt for the NFL following that game. Instead, he like several other talented underclassmen, opted to return to school for a final season. It resulted in a weak tight end class this season, but next year’s looks much better. Even if he is a first round pick in the NFL, I expect Howard to be a second round dynasty rookie pick.

Several players were mentioned in just one or two mock drafts. We all have our favorite sleeper picks and an easy way to plant that flag is to mention that sleeper among the top college players in the game. Also, mock drafters must consider the idea that some little known quarterback could sneak into the first round, which happens nearly every season. A year ago, no one would have predicted Wentz or Paxton Lynch as first round picks.

Among the players in this category were quarterbacks Mitch Leidner, Patrick Mahomes, Luke Falk, Chad Kelly and Baker Mayfield, along with wide receivers Conner Kupp, Ricky Seals-Jones, KD Cannon, running backs Royce Freeman and Samaje Perine and tight ends Jake Butt and Bucky Hodges.

By next April, there is a good chance that at least one or maybe even two of the five quarterbacks listed will crack the first round, but it is simply too difficult to predict at this time which that might be. In a deep 2QB devy league, each of these players should be considered. Likewise, any of the other players mentioned could also sneak into the top 32, though Oregon’s running back Freeman would be the player I’d target in devy leagues. I also consider Freeman the most likely to be a first round pick in dynasty rookie drafts as well.

In the next edition of this series, I’ll focus on each position then take a look at each NFL team and which positions they are projected to select.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.