Official 2017 1st Round Of The NFL Draft Thread

[Joemailman]

Charles Harris - OLB - Missouri

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Long legs with well defined bubble. Has loose, fluid hips. Explodes out of his stance in search of gap work vs. run game. Lateral quickness makes it a challenge to reach him or cross his face for offensive linemen. Good first step quickness. Plays with energy and keeps it cranked up until the whistle blows. Runs with high knees and athletic, long strides in the open field. Basketball standout in high school who uses nimble feet for an effective spin move. Can unleash spin counter in either direction. Plays on either side of the line and can play with a hand down or standing up. In 2015, led team in sacks, tackles for losses and hurries and was second in tackles. Uses early speed-to-power to create movement before attacking the tackle's inside shoulder. Showed some ability to drop in space when called upon.

WEAKNESSES Found himself too easily engulfed by size this season. Gives ground on the edge and can be widened out of his run fit. Hands must get better at point of attack. Needs to punch and own the point. Rides on blocks rather than shucks them. Lacks desired glass-chewing mentality against the run. Plays with slow reaction time to counters and misdirection and can lose track of the ball. Needs earlier shoulder turn as rusher to prevent early pass sets from punching him as squared-up rusher. Slow to activate his counter spin back inside. More violent approach with hands at top of his rush would help grease the edge. Productivity dropped after struggling with new defensive scheme.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1

SOURCES TELL US "Don't get caught up in his numbers this year. He just didn't mesh with what they asked him to do. He's also got to be coachable and I think he may have fought the changes a little too much. What I saw in 2015 is what I think he's going to be." NFC North regional scout

NFL COMPARISON Connor Barwin

BOTTOM LINE High-cut pass rusher with good athleticism but concerns regarding his ability to drop anchor against the run. Ironically, Harris might be best suited as a penetrator which is something he fought against this season. His hands can be improved as pass rush weapons, but he has agility and footwork that can't be taught. Harris can play on the edge in a 4-3 or 3-4 front and should be the next in a line of early contributing defensive ends coming out of Missouri.

[Joemailman]

Evan Engram - TE - Mississippi

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Good explosion over the first 5 yards of his route. Plus athletic ability with easy-opening hips. Nimble feet with quick, controlled strides into and out of his breaks. Accelerates out of his breaks to uncover from defenders for quarterback. Will have to be guarded by defensive backs. Opens quickly to find the ball. Successful working all three levels at Ole Miss. Has true vertical speed to attack the seams. Competitive, athletic runner after the catch. Springy leaper. Jumped out of the gym to snare a touchdown over the head of a Georgia defender. Able to pluck balls low, high, and behind him.

WEAKNESSES Needs to learn when and where to sit down in the middle of the field. Must learn to do a better job of working back to the ball. Doesn't post up defenders effectively. Allows defender to work through him and disrupt the catch. Has had issues with drops and contested catches could be an issue. Allows throws to beat him up at times. Needs to do better job of selling a two-way go to the top of his routes rather than giving route direction away. Move tight end only who lacks dependability as a blocker.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round2 1-2

NFL COMPARISON Jordan Reed

BOTTOM LINE Makes up for his lack of size with athletic ability and plus speed for the position. Engram has experience as a safety blanket for Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly and can work all three levels of the field. He will appeal strictly to teams looking for a move tight end who can be deployed as a chess piece in a matchup-based passing attack. Engram's ability to stress defenses could land him on Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) of the draft and a potential starting role early in his career.

[Joemailman]

Raiders are on the clock. Cam Robinson?

[Bretsky]

Raiders are on the clock. Cam Robinson?

Both R Foster and J Peppers seems Raider like

[Joemailman]

Jabrill Peppers - S - Michigan

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Athletic and fluid in space with desired change of direction talent. Moves with the changing flow of a play. Willing to sacrifice body to honor contain against run. Jack of all trades. Can play slot, safety or linebacker in sub-packages in any given game. Won't hesitate to race downhill once he diagnoses run. Hits with as much force as he can muster. Has big closing burst. Runs plays down from sideline to sideline. Able to knife into gaps and make tackles for losses or disrupt runs. Has man cover talent and is physical enough to handle most tight ends. Has enough quickness to match receivers. Aggressively re-routes receivers. Capable blitzer who buzzes in from all angles. Electric return man with ability to charge up crowd and his own sideline with big kick or punt return. Has experience carrying and catching the ball and as wildcat quarterback. Could offer red-zone flexibility on offense.

WEAKNESSES Scouts question his instincts and lack of ball production. Has just one interception and 10 passes defensed at Michigan. Slow to recognize construct of play and can be found playing through a straw at times. Needs better recognition and anticipation to become an improvising play-maker. Doesn't always trust his feet in coverage and will maul at the top of the route. Just a guy when asked to play deep safety. Slow to read and range until ball is in the air. Can be overzealous against play-action and drawn below his deep ball responsibilities. Too small for take-on duties at linebacker. Leads into tackles with ducked head. Opts to hit rather than wrap-up.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1-2

SOURCES TELL US "These comparisons to Charles Woodson are nuts. Both are really good return men, but Woody is one of the greatest playmakers of all-time. Peppers has one interception and I don't think he's ever forced a fumble. Michigan might move him around too much. He will really improve when he can lock in and learn a position." -- AFC Director of Scouting

NFL COMPARISON Eric Weddle

BOTTOM LINE The ultimate Swiss Army Knife on the collegiate level, and will likely play a hybrid role on the next level that allows him to blitz, cover and chase, Peppers' draft value will be helped by his return ability and that is a role he should maintain throughout the earlier stages of his career. While Peppers doesn't have the production teams expect from first-round defenders, he should benefit from a role that is more clearly defined on the next level.

[Joemailman]

The way this is going I could definitely see TT trading down.

[Joemailman]

Gareon Conley - CB - Ohio St.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Has NFL size with above-average length. Plays long. At his best when playing with inside leverage and trapping receivers against the boundary. Shades receivers with a basketball stance -- wide base, bent knees and wide arms. Creates challenging throwing lanes to target. Allowed just 37 percent completion rate. Press-man talent with zone instincts. Shows discipline and technique on verticals and curls. Matches with his feet rather than grabbing. Senses when his pattern is designed to clear space for another receiver and reacts accordingly. Has plus burst to the throw. Uses length to play around receiver and bat passes down underneath without interfering. Runs well and sinks into receiver's lap down the field, getting his head around to make a play on the ball. Plays the ball with soft hands and outstanding timing.

WEAKNESSES Can be a little tight-hipped in his transitions. Pattern-match was just average when facing off against more advanced route trees. Michigan receivers created separation and some panic in Conley with their inside releases and crossing routes. Got caught reaching and holding in attempt to recover. Will occasionally default to face-guarding rather than turning to find ball. Can be slow to digest route combinations and lose track of his man. Doesn’t look as comfortable or confident in off-man. Plays small in run support and needs to work on consistency as a tackler. Gets driven off his spot by blocking receivers and rarely charges forward to attack near the line of scrimmage.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1

SOURCES TELL US "He's not as good as the other cornerback (Marshon Lattimore), but he's a good corner. If he measures over 6-foot and runs in the low 4.4s he will come off the board on Thursday night." -- North area scout for NFC team

NFL COMPARISON Aqib Talib

BOTTOM LINE Press-corner with experience at both cornerback spots and an ability to fit into a variety of coverage techniques. He plays with good top-end speed and has the ball skills to challenge and defend passes on any level. He can step in right away in zone coverage, but could struggle to match patterns from a pedal. He will likely be targeted by teams seeking long cornerbacks who can crowd and trail receivers down the field. He has the talent to become an early starter, but he must improve in run support.

[Joemailman]

Would TT take Cook?

[Bretsky]

Would TT take Cook?

I think he would

[Joemailman]

Browns take a QB?