Official 2017 1st Round Of The NFL Draft Thread

[Joemailman]

Jonathan Allen - DE - Alabama

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Taken to school by Alabama coaching staff and is technically proficient in all phases. Plays outside and inside. Quick off the ball. Superior hand-grappler who can control the wrists and forearms of his opponents with accurate hand placement over wild chops and slaps. Varied approach as a pass rusher. Excellent athletic ability and possesses flexible hips. Able to coordinate hands, feet, and hips to climb over the edge against tackles. Has play strength and quickness to rip through the weak inside post of a guard. Can club with either hand to soften the edge of a blocker. Has posted consistent quarterback pressure and sack numbers despite playing in less than half of the defensive snaps. Alert against the run. Quick to diagnose the mesh point against zone reads and gives chase to the ball. Strong on the edge. Has speed down the line to close down back-side cuts. Feet never seem to stop. Vocal leader willing to give strong corrections to teammates in practice. Came to Alabama as an outside linebacker and runs like it when he's in the open field.

WEAKNESSES Lacking the height teams look for from defensive ends. Not very long and could struggle to win the race for hand positioning against long NFL tackles. Found himself engulfed by linemen with mass from time to time. A move inside could require more bulk on his bones. Not built to take on double-team blocks for a living. Doesn't possess lateral quickness and twitch to contain speedy running backs from getting the corner when he's at defensive end. Teams utilizing one-gap scheme could question his lack of tackles on other side of the line. Might have benefitted by playing along so much NFL talent up front.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1
SOURCES TELL US "He's a really talented pass rusher but he's always been surrounded by enough talent that it's been hard for offenses to game plan their protection for him. He's skilled and very fundamentally sound but I just worry about his size and how he holds up to NFL running games." -- NFC director of player personnel

NFL COMPARISON Fletcher Cox

BOTTOM LINE Outstanding leader and athlete with an ability to rush the passer from outside or inside. Has produced against the run and pass thanks to his strength, agility, elite hand usage, and plus footwork. He might not be the cleanest fit inside as a full-time tackle for some teams, but his talent should trump any size concerns. Allen is a likely first-round selection with Pro Bowl potential down the road.

[Joemailman]

Adoree' Jackson - CB - USC

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Feel in coverage has improved substantially from his freshman season. Shows greater pattern recognition and is able to maintain coverage around the field. Has necessary hip flip and foot quickness to recover from mistakes in press and lapses in coverage in space. Plays in a variety of coverage techniques. Able to mirror and match from press. Features closing burst and takes playmaking angles to the throw. Excellent ball skills with well-timed leaps and aggressive tactics at the catch point. Good feel for when to defend a throw and when to take it away. Consistent tackler. When he gets there, he usually finishes his task. High-end return talent who can swing games in an instant. His eight career return touchdowns make him an immediate return man for any team that takes him.

WEAKNESSES Smallish for an outside cornerback. Might be limited to just work in the slot. Can be a little over-aggressive with pace of bail coverage when fearing speed. Has a very slight hitch in transition forward from his pedal. Allowed routes to leverage him too far out of the middle of the field when he had no safety help. Could have issues with big slots posting him up in space. Lack of size and run-support strength could make him an early target for teams who like to run out of 11 personnel (three wide receivers).

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1-2

SOURCES TELL US "I didn't expect him to have the year he did in coverage. I saw ball skills and coverage ability that I didn't see last year. Those interceptions and return touchdowns will push him into the early second. That's my guess." -- South area scout for AFC team

NFL COMPARISON Johnathan Joseph

BOTTOM LINE There are two things teams love -- ball production from cornerbacks and return men who can play meaningful snaps on every down. Jackson fits those criteria. His lack of size and length are concerns, but he has the athleticism to step right in as a slot corner on the next level. His combination of coverage and return talent could make him an early impact player.

[Joemailman]

Bucs are on the clock. Cook now?