Official 2017 1st Round Of The NFL Draft Thread

[pbmax]

Not sure this pushes defenders down unless now with Trubisky gone early teams start to panic.

Packer Report @PackerReport 5m5 minutes ago
Apples and oranges but the Bears' new QB couldn't beat out Marquise Williams, who was in over his head here.

Brad Biggs @BradBiggs 10m10 minutes ago
Wow. #Bears gave up No. 3 overall, 3rd rd pick (No. 67), 4th rd pick (No. 111) and 2018 3rd rd pick to move up one slot to No. 2.

Packer Report @PackerReport 6m6 minutes ago
Someone needs to arrest John Lynch for robbery.


Unreal haul for the 49ers. Who also don't have a QB.

[ND72]

Well hello stranger!

Now I feel welcome again! Thank you bears!

[Joemailman]

Solomon Thomas DE - Stanford

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Angular build, well-built frame. His mother, father and uncle were all collegiate athletes. Lined up at multiple positions. Has ravenous approach to the game. Gets out of the blocks quickly and attacks with early, skilled hands. Stays hungry and wants to feast. Powerful for his size. Shows ability to win with power or quickness. Outstanding athleticism. Fluid in his play. Transitions from move to move. Unpredictable pass rush. Attacks both the edges and can crank up a bull rush. Uses swipes, rips and arm-over to unlock his rush. Hands and feet work in unison. Has lightning-quick spin move he can access to unhinge from block and find new life in his rush. Violent disengagements from blocks leave no doubt blocker is whipped. Relentless approach combined with athleticism makes block recoveries extremely difficult in run or pass. Refuses extended engagements to blockers and works himself free. Will sniff out gaps and make himself skinny into the backfield. Very good pursuit speed and range as playmaker.

WEAKNESSES Considered a "tweener" by scouts, who believe he could struggle to keep enough weight on his frame to play along interior. Length is below average as five-technique. Plays with inconsistent pad level. Needs to get bigger and stronger through his lower body. Tends to play taller as play rolls along and can get washed out of plays by strong down blocks. Hands are quick but need more consistent pop behind them. Overall play strength can be improved. "Big and strong" across from him causes some issues. Gets engulfed at times. Snap-count guesser with seven offsides penalties in 2016.

DRAFT PROJECTION Top-10 pick

SOURCES TELL US "He's damn good. I don't think he gets drafted as early as you do because he's not big enough for inside and he's not as long as you like on the outside. You have to figure out where you will play him, but he won't stop. He's going to be really productive." -- Director of scouting for AFC team

NFL COMPARISON Justin Smith

BOTTOM LINE Explosive defender who combines strength, quickness, and a muscle-car motor to drive him around the field making play after play. Has the hands and feet to be a quick-win specialist and the size to fit as a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive end who can reduce inside for pass-rush downs. He has all the athletic traits to become a high-impact player and possesses more than enough skill and talent to believe he will continue to elevate his game as a pro. Thomas has the potential to become the best defender from this draft class and a future all-pro.

[Joemailman]

49ers pick up 3 picks and still get the guy they probably wanted

[red]

bears are smart

the whole world knew the 49ers wanted thomas, so the bears give up a ton to switch picks with san fran, not for thomas, but for some crap QB.

the the 49ers still get their guy

unless, like they said on NFLN, the 49ers got an offer from another team and went to the bears with the news

[Joemailman]

Jaguars are on the clock.

[pbmax]

HISTORY! Bear first round picks inside the Top 5.

[red]

there the 2nd coming of eddy lacy going #4 overall

[Joemailman]

Leonard Fournette - RB - LSU

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Full-on, grown man with outstanding definition throughout his body. Built like a linebacker with speed like a receiver. Long, powerful strides get speedy turnover. Click and go runner who hits his second gear faster than most big backs you'll ever see. Able to accelerate and scream around the corner for chunk runs against linebackers lacking speed or urgency to the edge. Powerful hips and thighs shake defenders right off. Tacklers better bring full force and technique. Always the hammer and never the nail. Violent finisher looking to intimidate run-support safeties with crushing blows behind lower pads. Runs feet through any and all contact. Has balance and power to plow through tackle attempts on an angle. Punishing stiff arms go viral. Has experience running from two-back, single-back and off-set looks. Hands are adequate in passing game. Can create for himself with power and speed. Wins in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

WEAKNESSES Doesn't make many defenders miss with open field shake. Aggressive, take-on style could lead to shortened career. Struggles to elude sudden traffic at line of scrimmage. Lacks looseness of hips to jump-cut from gap to gap. Struggled with a bad ankle for most of the season. Plays through a straw. Excitable runner in need of more patience. Too quick to hit the accelerator and slam into defenders when there are still cuts and yards left in the play. Runs to obvious daylight but needs to learn to anticipate and finesse the crease in traffic. Doesn't see cutback lanes developing as outside zone runner and prefers to keep runs play-side. Throws half-hearted, grazing shoulder as chip blocker. Pass protection and routes need extensive work.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1

SOURCES TELL US "I can't wait to see how the draft guys pick at Fournette and tell everyone what he doesn't do right. He was healthy last year and that is what you are going to get. Big, fast and dominant." -- NFC director of scouting

NFL COMPARISON Bo Jackson

BOTTOM LINE High-end talent with rare blend of size, speed and power. Comparisons to Adrian Peterson feel lofty, but from a physical standpoint, he's there. Fournette doesn't have the wiggle to make defenders miss and his vision can be iffy. However, if your run fits and tackling aren't sound, he can take it the distance in an instant. May have durability concerns due to physical running style, but has All-Pro potential.

[Joemailman]

Titans are on the clock.

[red]

HISTORY! Bear first round picks inside the Top 5.

when jay cutler is by far the greatest QB your 100 year old franchise has ever had, you should quit trying

how can they never find a good one?

[texaspackerbacker]

I don't see Fournette having a AP type career.

[red]

we're already falling behind and we're only 4 picks in

[red]

WMU REPRESENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Joemailman]

Corey Davis - WR - Western Michigan

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Outstanding four-year production. Alpha attitude on the field and not afraid to take on the challenge of heavy target load. Excellent competitiveness. Focuses like a laser when ball is in the air. Tracks the deep ball as well as anyone in college and understands how to stack cornerbacks and keep them on his hip. Has second gear to run under the long ball. Excels in intermediate and deep parts of the field. Route running showed improvement in 2016. Variable route speed creates indecision for defenders. Vertical routes are crisp and create tilt in off-corners and safeties that he is quick to take advantage of. Play speed features access to functional burst. Can defeat inside leverage. A quarterback's friend who works aggressively back to the ball. Dominates in red zone. High-point catcher who uses well-timed leaps and long arms to win the 50-50 throws. Increases physicality and acceleration out of routes when operating near paydirt.

WEAKNESSES Doesn't always sell his vertical routes aggressively enough to make cornerbacks open their hips. Drifts, at times, on in-breaking routes, allowing defenders to squeeze the route. Needs to improve quickness into and out of his breaks underneath. Elongated into breaks when working from slot. Has had some issues with focus drops on throws outside of his frame. Had 16 drops over last three years at Western. Free releases into his routes in college will turn into stern press challenges in the pros. Wasn't asked to do much meaningful blocking.

DRAFT PROJECTION Round 1

SOURCES TELL US "Man, he breaks them off with those routes. It wasn't even fair the way he did those corners in that conference. A man among boys." -- AFC North regional scout

NFL COMPARISON Eric Decker

BOTTOM LINE Touchdown juggernaut who was a four-year model of production and consistency in college. Davis has the route-running and ball skills to become a starter in the league, but it is his competitiveness and production in the red-zone that should make him a good one.