2017 NFL Draft Winners and Losers

Biggest Winners: Indianapolis Colts 
No folks, this is not a typo. New general manager Chris Ballard brought sensibility back to the Colts war room after Ryan Grigson's tumultuous 5-year tenure as the head of the team's front office with a terrific draft haul that addressed a majority of the team's top needs. The Colts were able get to acquire 3 immediate defensive starters in safety Malik Hooker, cornerback Quincy Wilson and edge rusher Tarrel Basham within the first 80 picks of the draft without having to sacrifice any future assets in the process. After adding a trio of nice defensive pieces in the first 3 rounds, Ballard spent the final day of the draft adding depth to the offense (tackle Zach Banner, running back Marlon Mack) and taking smart gambles on accomplished college players who didn't have the athletic upside to go earlier in the draft (inside linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., cornerback Nate Hairston). It's clearly too early to tell if these players are going to being able to help push this currently middling Colts team back into the playoff hunt, but on paper, the Ballard-era is off to a very promising.
Honorable Mentions: Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints

Biggest Losers: Chicago Bears
After winning 9 games in the last 2 seasons, there's clearly a lot of pressure for the Bears front office and coaching staff to right the ship in 2017. The pressure of being on the hot seat forced Bears general manager Ryan Pace to make some of the most desperate picks I've seen in my decade or so of closely following the NFL Draft. The Bears quickly became the laughing stock of Round 1 after they traded up from #3 to #2 to select North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, just 2 months after signing former Buccaneers backup Mike Glennon to a 3-year/$45 million deal in free agency. The Trubisky disaster was followed-up by the equally head-scratching selection of Ashland tight end Adam Sheehan,an insanely raw player who has no experience playing against top-level competition, in round 2. Pace redeemed himself a bit on day 3 with the addition of an underrated safety prospect in Eddie Jackson and a much-needed pass-catching back in Tarik Cohen, but it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the absurd reaches he made in the early rounds and failure to address the team's abundance of issues on the defensive side of the ball. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, New York Jets

Best Overall Pick: Marshon Lattimore to the Saints (11th overall)
Thanks to some quarterback overdrafting and a run on receivers in the top 10, top corner prospect Marshon Lattimore fell into the Saints lap at #11. With his combination of top-notch ball skills, freakish athleticism and relentless physicality, Lattimore has a great chance of giving the Saints secondary the top corner they've lacked for the majority of the Drew Brees-era. 
Honorable Mentions: David Njoku to the Browns (29th overall), Jonathan Allen to the Redskins (17th overall), Malik Hooker to the Colts (15th overall)

Worst Overall Pick: Mitch Trubisky to the Bears (2nd overall)
While I thought Mitch Trubisky was the best quarterback available in this draft class, there's no universe where he deserved to be a top-5 pick. With just 1 year of starting experience at North Carolina and a skill set that needs to be greatly refined before he can have any degree of success at the professional level, Trubisky is far too much of a project to justify taking a gamble on with such a high draft pick. The pick makes even less sense when you consider that the Bears just handed $16 mil in guaranteed money to veteran Mike Glennon in free agency this offseason. This move isn't fair to either of these guys and could end up creating the type of massive divide in the locker room that a team in the middle of a rebuild can't afford to have. Barring some kind of unforeseen miracle, the Bears decision to select Trubisky is on track to go down as one of the most misguided, franchise-damaging picks in the history of the NFL Draft.  
Dishonorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes to the Chiefs (10th overall), DeShaun Watson to the Texans (12th overall), Garret Bolles to the Broncos (20th overall)

5 Biggest Potential Sleepers:
1.Corn Elder, cornerback (Selected 152nd overall by the Carolina Panthers)
2.George Kittle, tight end (Selected 146th overall by the San Francisco 49ers)
3.Desmond King, cornerback/safety (Selected 151st overall by the Los Angeles Chargers) 
4.Blair Brown, inside linebacker (Selected 148th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars)
5.Marlon Mack, running back (Selected 143rd overall by the Indianapolis Colts)
 
5 Biggest Potential Busts: 
1.DeShaun Watson, quarterback (Selected 12th overall by the Houston Texans)
2.Garret Bolles, tackle (Selected 20th overall by the Denver Broncos)
3.Jabrill Peppers, safety/inside linebacker (Selected 25th overall by the Cleveland Browns)
4.Marlon Humphery, cornerback (Selected 16th overall by the Baltimore Ravens)
5.Reuben Foster, inside linebacker (Selected 31st overall by the San Francisco 49ers)

Overall Grades (full draft classes for all 32 teams can be found here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000804541/article/2017-nfl-draft-quicksnap-grades-for-all-32-teams

Atlanta Falcons: B
Arizona Cardinals: B
Baltimore Ravens: B+
Buffalo Bills: B+
Carolina Panthers: A-
Chicago Bears: D+
Cincinnati Bengals: A-
Cleveland Browns: A-
Dallas Cowboys: A-
Denver Broncos: C
Detroit Lions: C+
Green Bay Packers: B
Houston Texans: B
Indianapolis Colts: A
Jacksonville Jaguars: A-
Kansas City Chiefs: B
Los Angeles Chargers: A-
Los Angeles Rams: B
Miami Dolphins: B
Minnesota Vikings: B+
New England Patriots: B+
New Orleans Saints: A-
New York Giants: B+
New York Jets: B-
Oakland Raiders: B+
Philadelphia Eagles: A-
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
San Francisco 49ers: B+
Seattle Seahawks: B+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A-
Tennessee Titans: B
Washington Redskins: B+

Top 50 Prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft + 5 Best Players at Each Position (Post-Draft Update)

1.Solomon Thomas, edge rusher (Stanford) Selected 3rd overall by the San Francisco 49ers

2.Jamal Adams, safety (LSU) Selected 6th overall by the New York Jets

3.Marshon Lattimore, cornerback (Ohio State) Selected 11th overall by the New Orleans Saints

4.Malik Hooker, safety (Ohio State) Selected 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts

5.Myles Garrett, edge rusher (Texas A&M) Selected 1st overall by the Cleveland Browns

6.Mike Williams, wide receiver (Clemson) Selected 7th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers

7.Jonathan Allen, defensive tackle (Alabama) Selected 17th overall by the Washington Redskins

8.Leonard Fournette, running back (LSU) Selected 4th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars

9.Haason Reddick, inside/outside linebacker (Temple) Selected 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals

10.David Njoku, tight end (Miami) Selected 29th overall by the Cleveland Browns

11.Derek Barnett, edge rusher (Tennessee) Selected 14th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles

12.Corey Davis, wide receiver (Western Michigan) Selected 5th overall by the Tennessee Titans

13.Christian McCaffery, running back (Stanford) Selected 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers

14.Tre'Davious White, cornerback (LSU) Selected 27th overall by the Buffalo Bills

15.Forrest Lamp, guard (Western Kentucky) Selected 38th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers

16.John Ross, wide receiver (Washington) Selected 9th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals

17.Gareon Conley, cornerback (Ohio State) Selected 24th overall by the Oakland Raiders

18.Taakarist McKinnley, edge rusher (UCLA) Selected 26th overall by the Atlanta Falcons

19.Zach Cunningham, inside linebacker (Vanderbilt) Selected 57th overall by the Houston Texans

20.Dalvin Cook, running back (Florida State) Selected 41st overall by the Minnesota Vikings

21.Tim Williams, edge rusher (Alabama) Selected 78th overall by the Baltimore Ravens

22.Charles Harris, edge rusher (Missouri) Selected 22nd overall by the Miami Dolphins

23.Mitch Trubisky, quarterback (North Carolina) Selected 2nd overall by the Chicago Bears

24.Evan Engram, tight end (Ole Miss) Selected 23rd overall by the New York Giants

25.Alvin Kamara, running back (Tennessee) Selected 67th overall by the New Orleans Saints
26.Kevin King, cornerback (Washington) Selected 33rd overall by the Green Bay Packers

27.Quincy Wilson, cornerback (Florida) Selected 46th overall by the Indianapolis Colts

28.Marcus Williams, safety (Utah) Selected 42nd overall by the New Orleans Saints

29.Obi Melifonwu, safety (Connecticut) Selected 56th overall by the Oakland Raiders

30.T.J. Watt, edge rusher (Wisconsin) Selected 30th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers

31.Ryan Ramcyzk, tackle (Wisconsin) Selected 32nd overall by the New Orleans Saints

32.Jordan Willis, edge rusher (Kansas State) Selected 73rd overall by the Cincinnati Bengals

33.Adoree' Jackson, cornerback (USC) Selected 18th overall by the Tennessee Titans

34.O.J. Howard, tight end (Alabama) Selected 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

35.Jourdan Lewis, cornerback (Michigan) Selected 92nd overall by the Dallas Cowboys

36.Justin Evans, safety (Texas A&M) Selected 50th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

37.Kareem Hunt, running back (Toledo) Selected 86th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs

38.Jarrad Davis, inside linebacker (Florida) Selected 21st overall by the Detroit Lions

39.Chris Godwin, wide receiver (Penn State) Selected 84th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

40.Patrick Mahomes, quarterback (Texas Tech) Selected 10th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs

41.Joe Mixon, running back (Oklahoma) Selected 48th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals

42.Chidobe Awuzie, cornerback/safety (Colorado) Selected 60th overall by the Dallas Cowboys
43.Sidney Jones, cornerback (Washington) Selected 43rd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles

44.Malik McDowell, defensive tackle (Michigan State) Selected 35th overall by the Seattle Seahawks

45.George Kittle, tight end (Iowa) Selected 146th overall by the San Francisco 49ers
46.Corn Elder, cornerback (Miami) Selected 152nd overall by the Carolina Panthers

47.Cam Robinson, tackle (Alabama) Selected 34th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars

48.Carl Lawson, edge rusher (Auburn)  Selected 116th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals

49.Taco Charlton, edge rusher (Michigan) Selected 28th overall by the Dallas Cowboys
50.Dalvin Tomlinson, defensive tackle (Alabama) Selected 55th overall by the New York Giants

Top 5 Prospects by Position 

Quarterback
1.Mitch Trubisky (North Carolina) NFL team: Chicago Bears
2.Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech) NFL team: Kansas City Chiefs
3.Deshone Kizer (Notre Dame) NFL team: Cleveland Browns
4.DeShaun Watson (Clemson) NFL team: Houston Texans
5.Nathan Peterman (Pittsburgh) NFL team: Buffalo Bills

Running Back
1.Leonard Fournette (LSU) NFL team: Jacksonville Jaguars
2.Christian McCaffery (Stanford) NFL team: Carolina Panthers
3.Dalvin Cook (Florida State) NFL team: Minnesota Vikings
4.Alvin Kamara (Tennessee) NFL team: New Orleans Saints
5.Kareem Hunt (Toledo) NFL team: Kansas City Chiefs

Wide Receiver
1.Mike Williams (Clemson) NFL team: Los Angeles Chargers
2.Corey Davis (Western Michigan) NFL team: Tennessee Titans
3.John Ross (Washington) NFL team: Cincinnati Bengals
4.Chris Godwin (Penn State) NFL team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5.Dede Westbrook (Oklahoma) NFL team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Tight End
1.David Njoku (Miami) NFL team: Cleveland Browns
2.Evan Engram (Ole Miss) NFL team: New York Giants
3.O.J. Howard (Alabama) NFL team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4.George Kittle (Iowa) NFL team: San Francisco 49ers
5.Bucky Hodges (Virginia Tech) NFL team: Minnesota Vikings

Center
1.Ethan Pocic (LSU) NFL team: Seattle Seahawks
2.Pat Elflein (Ohio State) NFL team: Minnesota Vikings
3.Tyler Orlosky (West Virginia) NFL team: Philadelphia Eagles
4.Jon Toth (Kentucky) NFL team: San Francisco 49ers
5.Chase Roullier (Wyoming) NFL team: Washington Redskins

Guard
1.Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky) NFL team: Los Angeles Chargers
2.Taylor Moton (Western Michigan) NFL team: Carolina Panthers
3.Dan Feeney (Indiana) NFL team: Los Angeles Chargers
4.Dion Dawkins (Temple) NFL team: Buffalo Bills
5.Danny Isidora (Miami) NFL team: Minnesota Vikings

Tackle
1.Ryan Ramcyzk (Wisconsin) NFL team: New Orleans Saints
2.Cam Robinson (Alabama) NFL team: Jacksonville Jaguars
3.Garret Bolles (Utah) NFL team: Denver Broncos
4.Roderick Johnson (Florida State) NFL team: Cleveland Browns
5.Antonio Garcia (Troy) NFL team: New England Patriots

Edge Rusher (Defensive End/Outside Linebacker)
1.Solomon Thomas (Stanford) NFL team: San Francisco 49ers
2.Myles Garrett (Texas A&M) NFL team: Cleveland Browns
3.Derek Barnett (Tennessee) NFL team: Philadelphia Eagles

4.Taakarist McKinley (UCLA) NFL team: Atlanta Falcons
5.Tim Williams (Alabama) NFL team: Baltimore Ravens

Defensive Tackle:
1.Jonathan Allen (Alabama) NFL team: Washington Redskins
2.Malik McDowell (Michigan State) NFL team: Seattle Seahawks
3.Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama) NFL team: New York Giants
4.Chris Wormley (Michigan) NFL team: Baltimore Ravens
5.Larry Ogunjobi (Charlotte) NFL team: Cleveland Browns

Inside Linebacker:
1.Haason Reddick (Temple) NFL team: Arizona Cardinals
2.Zach Cunningham (Vanderbilt) NFL team: Houston Texans
3.Jarrad Davis (Florida) NFL team: Detroit Lions
4.Reuben Foster (Alabama) NFL team: San Francisco 49ers
5.Blair Brown (Ohio) NFL team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Cornerback:
1.Marshon Lattimore (Ohio State) NFL team: New Orleans Saints
2.Tre'Davious White (LSU) NFL team: Buffalo Bills
3.Gareon Conley (Ohio State) NFL team: Oakland Raiders
4.Kevin King (Washington) NFL team: Green Bay Packers
5.Quincy Wilson (Florida) NFL team: Indianapolis Colts

Safety:
1.Jamal Adams (LSU) NFL team: New York Jets
2.Malik Hooker (Ohio State) NFL team: Indianapolis Colts
3.Marcus Williams (Utah) NFL team: New Orleans Saints
4.Obi Melifonwu (Connecticut) NFL team: Oakland Raiders
5.Justin Evans (Texas A&M) NFL team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Top 50 Prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft+5 Best Players at Each Position

With the start of the 2017 NFL Draft just five days away, here are my picks for the 50 best prospects and 5 best plays available at each position.

50.Taco Charlton, edge rusher (Michigan)

49.Carl Lawson, edge rusher (Auburn)

48.Sidney Jones, cornerback (Washington)

47.Cam Robinson, tackle (Alabama)

46.George Kittle, tight end (Iowa)

45.Malik McDowell, defensive tackle (Michigan State)

44.Chidobe Awuzie, cornerback/safety (Colorado)

43.Joe Mixon, running back (Oklahoma)

42.O.J. Howard, tight end (Alabama)

41.Patrick Mahomes, quarterback (Texas Tech)

40.Chris Godwin, wide receiver (Penn State)

39.Kareem Hunt, running back (Toledo)

38.Adoree' Jackson, cornerback (USC)

37.Justin Evans, safety (Texas A&M)

36.Desmond King, cornerback (Iowa)

35.Jordan Willis, edge rusher (Kansas State)

34.Evan Engram, tight end (Ole Miss)

33.Jarrad Davis, inside linebacker (Florida)

32.Jourdan Lewis, cornerback (Michigan)

31.T.J. Watt, edge rusher (Wisconsin)

30.Obi Melifonwu, safety (Connecticut) 

29.Corn Elder, cornerback (Miami)

28.Ryan Ramcyzk, tackle (Wisconsin)

27.Marcus Williams, safety (Utah)

26.Charles Harris, edge rusher (Missouri)

25.Quincy Wilson, cornerback (Florida)

24.Alvin Kamara, running back (Tennessee)
23.Kevin King, cornerback (Washington)
22.Mitch Trubisky, quarterback (North Carolina)

21.Zach Cunningham, inside linebacker (Vanderbilt)

20.Taakarist McKinnley, edge rusher (UCLA)

19.Tim Williams, edge rusher (Alabama)

18.Dalvin Cook, running back (Florida State)

17.Christian McCaffery, running back (Stanford)

16.Gareon Conley, cornerback (Ohio State)

15.John Ross, wide receiver (Washington)

14.Forrest Lamp, guard (Western Kentucky)

13.Tre'Davious White, cornerback (LSU)

12.Corey Davis, wide receiver (Western Michigan)

11.Derek Barnett, edge rusher (Tennessee)

10.David Njoku, tight end (Miami)

9.Haason Reddick, inside/outside linebacker (Temple)

8.Leonard Fournette, running back (LSU)

7.Jonathan Allen, defensive tackle (Alabama)

6.Mike Williams, wide receiver (Clemson)

5.Myles Garrett, edge rusher (Texas A&M)

4.Malik Hooker, safety (Ohio State)

3.Marshon Lattimore, cornerback (Ohio State)

2.Jamal Adams, safety (LSU)

1.Solomon Thomas, edge rusher (Stanford)

Quarterback
1.Mitch Trubisky (North Carolina)
2.Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech)
3.Deshone Kizer (Notre Dame)
4.DeShaun Watson (Clemson)
5.Nathan Peterman (Pittsburgh)

Running Back
1.Leonard Fournette (LSU)
2.Christian McCaffery (Stanford)
3.Dalvin Cook (Florida State)
4.Alvin Kamara (Tennessee)
5.Kareem Hunt (Toledo)

Wide Receiver
1.Mike Williams (Clemson)
2.Corey Davis (Western Michigan)
3.John Ross (Washington)
4.Chris Godwin (Penn State)
5.Dede Westbrook (Oklahoma)

Tight End
1.David Njoku (Miami)
2.Evan Engram (Ole Miss)
3.O.J. Howard (Alabama)
4.George Kittle (Iowa)
5.Bucky Hodges (Virginia Tech)

Center
1.Ethan Pocic (LSU)
2.Pat Elflein (Ohio State)
3.Tyler Orlosky (West Virginia)
4.Jon Toth (Kentucky)
5.Chase Roullier (Wyoming)

Guard
1.Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky)
2.Taylor Moton (Western Michigan)
3.Dan Feeney (Indiana)
4.Dion Dawkins (Temple)
5.Danny Isidora (Miami)

Tackle
1.Ryan Ramcyzk (Wisconsin)
2.Cam Robinson (Alabama)
3.Garret Bolles (Utah)
4.Roderick Johnson (Florida State)
5.Antonio Garcia (Troy)

Edge Rusher (Defensive End/Outside Linebacker)
1.Solomon Thomas (Stanford)
2.Myles Garrett (Texas A&M)
3.Derek Barnett (Tennessee)
4.Tim Williams (Alabama)
5.Taakarist McKinley (UCLA)

Defensive Tackle
1.Jonathan Allen (Alabama)
2.Malik McDowell (Michigan State)
3.Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama)
4.Chris Wormley (Michigan)
5.Tanzel Smart (Tulane)

Inside Linebacker:
1.Haason Reddick (Temple)
2.Zach Cunningham (Vanderbilt)
3.Jarrad Davis (Florida)
4.Reuben Foster (Alabama)
5.Blair Brown (Ohio)

Cornerback:
1.Marshon Lattimore (Ohio State)
2.Tre'Davious White (LSU)
3.Gareon Conley (Ohio State)
4.Kevin King (Washington)
5.Quincy Wilson (Florida)

Safety:
1.Jamal Adams (LSU)
2.Malik Hooker (Ohio State)
3.Marcus Williams (Utah)
4.Obi Melifonwu (Connecticut)
5.Justin Evans (Texas A&M)