The San Francisco 49ers hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. But Niner Noise looks at how the other 31 NFL teams will pick in this postseason edition mock draft.
With the San Francisco 49ers out of the playoffs, it’s time for Niners fans to shift their focus to offseason plans and rebuilding an anemic roster.
Armed with 10 picks, and possibly more through compensatory selections, San Francisco will have a chance to land some much-needed talent during the 2017 NFL Draft. And boasting the No. 2 overall pick in Round 1 doesn’t hurt much either.
The 49ers could trade down from this spot, which wouldn’t exactly be a bad idea in of itself.
But, for the sake of this mock, we’ll keep things right where they are and hold the Niners at the No. 2 spot.
And, as we all know, the final order of the draft — considering what happens in the playoffs — has yet to be determined. So we have to get creative with the final order and make some assumptions on who ends up in the Super Bowl and so on.
So let’s take a look at all 32 teams and who they might be trying to land in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft in April.
We’ll kick things off with the 1-15 Cleveland Browns.
The Browns clearly have more needs than can be addressed in one offseason. And simply going after the best prospect in the NFL Draft would make a lot of sense. So this would imply Cleveland landing Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett, right?
But with head coach Hue Jackson entering his second year, the franchise needs one major focal point around which to build.
Jackson will want an offensive guy, and North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky is it.
Trubisky has climbed the ranks in recent weeks, even earning ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s top selection as the best signal-caller available in the draft.
The 49ers have to be thrilled Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett fell into their hands at No. 2 overall.
Had Garrett not fallen, it’s likely the Niners trade down in Round 1. There isn’t a drastic falloff from the No. 2 spot to No. 6, in terms of prospective impact.
But Garrett is a different story.
Clearly the top prospect in this year’s draft class, Garrett would be added to a San Francisco defense in desperate need of pass-rushing help and edge-setting abilities.
Garrett supplies both.
And it would be a clear move the team wants to get its defense back on track before worrying about the offensive playmakers it also so desperately needs.
Remember when the Chicago Bears used to have a great defense?
Well, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would love to get his hands on a player like Alabama’s Jonathan Allen.
The 6-foot-3, 292-pound defensive end is easily the best player in Alabama’s elite defense. And he’s the type of pocket-wrecking force around which Chicago can build for years to come.
The Bears could pair Allen with another solid DE, Akiem Hicks, and maybe even replace the latter if he departs via free agency after the 2017 season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars need a lot of help along their offensive line entering this season. But they also need offensive playmakers.
While the Jaguars have spend a good deal of effort addressing the defense, the offensive side of the ball needs some help. And whoever comes to be head coach of Jacksonville would like to have a new tool around which to build.
Enter LSU running back Leonard Fournette.
Fournette has some injury concerns this season. And his decision to sit out the Fiesta Bowl might turn off some scouts.
Still, Fournette is an amazing talent for a team in desperate need for a focal point on offense.
The Tennessee Titans are a team trending in the right direction. But head coach Mike Mularkey could still use some upgrades within his secondary this offseason.
LSU safety Jamal Adams is a beast. At 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, Adams has both the sheer size and physicality to emerge as a solid force within Tennessee’s defensive backfield.
While not necessarily a ballhawk-type player, Adams has the natural cover skills to be able to converge on pass plays and assist, with reckless abandon, against the run.
Yes, Tennessee is happy the Los Angeles Rams were willing to part with this pick last offseason.
There’s no doubting the New York Jets need help at quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t the answer. And unless New York is banking on some kind of contribution from Geno Smith, Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg, going after a franchise signal-caller early is about the only way the Jets can go.
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With North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky off the boards, New York’s next-best option is Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.
Watson’s stock this year has taken a bit of a hit. But some still regard him as the top quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft class.
His mobility and poise under pressure are solid attributes. And head coach Todd Bowles would be more than happy to pair him with a solid Jets receiving corps in 2017.
The San Diego Chargers need a lot of help in the post-Mike McCoy era. And while there are some weapons on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, San Diego’s offensive line is nothing short of a joke.
Alabama’s Cam Robinson is the best offensive lineman in this year’s NFL Draft. He’d immediately be an anchor along one of the two tackle spots and would ensure protection for quarterback Philip Rivers right away.
Opposing teams are doing their best to lock down on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
And while he’ll still be the focal point for the foreseeable future, Carolina would be wise to invest in another playmaker to take away opponents’ focuses.
Florida State running back Dalvin Cook is that guy. With current Panthers’ No. 1 tailback Jonathan Stewart getting up there in years (29 years old), Cook is the kind of player who can easily split time his rookie season and emerge as the featured back in 2018 and beyond.
He’s the perfect tool for Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula’s complex and aggressive running schemes.
The Cincinnati Bengals need some pass-rushing help this offseason, after finishing 2016 with just 33 sacks — 20th in the NFL.
Alabama edge rusher Tim Williams is a good fit for this defense. At 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds, Williams amassed 20 sacks over four collegiate seasons. And 18.5 of those came between 2015 and 2016.
Cincinnati needs an edge player to pair with fellow front-seven defender Carlos Dunlap. The Bengals could certainly do worse than using Williams to upgrade the defense.
The Buffalo Bills might be changing things up a bit, defensively, this offseason now that former head coach Rex Ryan is gone.
And adding a top-10 player like Ohio State’s Malik Hooker would be a smart move.
Hooker might be inexperienced, as far as college starts go, but he’s already displaying the necessary traits to earn top-tier consideration in the NFL Draft.
Buffalo needs help within its secondary this offseason, and the Bills could do worse than land a safety like Hooker.
You guessed it, the New Orleans Saints need more help on defense.
And there are few more perfect to start anchoring down the Saints’ weak defense than Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster.
Top-10 ILBs are rare in the NFL Draft, but Foster is one of them. His converging and coverage skills make him a great fit against either the run or the pass. And New Orleans’ defense needs help in both areas this offseason.
Plus, Foster is the kind of player the Saints can build around in an attempt to get away from the league’s second-to-worst defense from 2016.
The Browns spent their first of two first-round picks in the NFL Draft finding their quarterback of the future, Mitch Trubisky. And now they need to address the defense.
Florida’s Teez Tabor is the best cornerback in this year’s draft.
He has great instincts for his 6-foot-0 frame, and his eight interceptions over three seasons are proof enough he has the ballhawk abilities Cleveland’s defense so desperately needs.
The Arizona Cardinals need to start thinking about the future at wide receiver, with Larry Fitzgerald aging and Michael Floyd no longer in the picture.
And going with Clemson wideout Mike Williams is about the best they could do.
Williams, all 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds of him, is the best receiver in this draft class. And he would ensure head coach Bruce Arians’ offense gets back on track after what was a year full of shortcomings in 2016.
The Indianapolis Colts need to get younger and more dynamic on defense this offseason.
They need a lot of help within their front seven too. And Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham is a player to watch here.
Cunningham has climbed up the ranks in recent weeks and is easily the second-best inside linebacker behind Alabama’s Reuben Foster.
Selecting a guy like Cunningham would give Indianapolis a solid piece around which to build in order to help stop opponents gouging the Colts regularly on the ground and through the air.
The Philadelphia Eagles need secondary help in a bad way this offseason.
At 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, Alabama corner Marlon Humphrey has the kind of frame capable of taking on a little more mass. He’ll need it, but his instincts are there to be a solid cover guy in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s defense.
Humphrey has excellent speed too — something which should bode well in this top-15 pick in the NFL Draft.
The Baltimore Ravens defense was pretty good in 2016, but the team still needs an explosive playmaker off the edge.
This is where Tennessee edge rusher Derek Barnett comes into play.
Barnett’s 13 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss this year indicates his ability to defend well against both the run and pass. He’s the type of player head coach John Harbaugh can quickly work into his defensive schemes right away.
The Washington Redskins have a few needs, especially an aging receiving corps. But upgrades to the defense would help take some of the pressure off likely-to-be-re-signed quarterback Kirk Cousins and Co.
Michigan State defensive lineman Malik McDowell has the ability to line up anywhere on the defensive line, which would give the Redskins some added flexibility and playmaking firepower.
He may not be a preeminent pass-rusher. But McDowell is the kind of run-stuffing lineman capable of creating enough pressure to allow Washington’s other pass-rushers to converge on opponents’ quarterbacks with greater ease.
The Redskins need just that.
The Tennessee Titans lack a true No. 1 wide receiver, and they’ll ideally want some weapons to surround quarterback Marcus Mariota next season.
Washington wideout John Ross III is an ideal candidate here.
At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Ross is probably best suited to play out of the slot. But that’s an area in which Tennessee needs a serious upgrade.
Ross’ shiftiness and speed make him an enticing target, although injury concerns might be a factor.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the right track, offensively. And while they’ve spent efforts to upgrade the secondary, passing up a versatile player like Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers at No. 19 in the NFL Draft is something the Bucs simply can’t do.
It’s likely the Buccaneers use Peppers in an outside edge-setting role and as someone who can cover opponents’ tight ends and tailbacks in passing formations.
Still, Peppers can also double up as a pass-rusher, which gives Tampa Bay an even more exciting weapon on that side of the ball.
Left tackle Russell Okung isn’t going to be the answer for the Denver Broncos offensive line, which pushes this need atop the team’s list this offseason.
Wisconsin tackle Ryan Ramczyk is a perfect fit for a zone-blocking scheme up front. And he’s the kind of player general manager John Elway would want to tab in order to keep his 2016 NFL Draft quarterback investment, Paxton Lynch, developing nicely in coming seasons.
Ramczyk is surprisingly agile too, for his 6-foot-6 frame.
It’s clear signing quarterback Brock Osweiler to a four-year mega deal was the worst thing the Houston Texans could have done last offseason.
Osweiler isn’t the answer, and the Texans better be scrambling for a long-term replacement earlier in the NFL Draft than later.
With two of the top quarterbacks off the board, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer makes sense here. He’s a dual-threat QB, which gives a talented Houston roster the final piece needed to work towards being one of the NFL’s elite teams.
Almost all the Detroit Lions’ needs this offseason will fall on the defensive side of the ball.
While the secondary needs help, Detroit’s front-seven defense could use some reinforcement and pass-rushing help.
Auburn edge rusher Carl Lawson is a player to watch here. His 9.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss would be a welcomed addition for a Lions defense needed to penetrate opposing backfields and wreak havoc on the quarterback.
Yes, the majority of the Green Bay Packers’ problems fall on the defensive side of the ball.
But Alabama tight end O.J. Howard is the type of player who could make quarterback Aaron Rodgers even more dangerous than he already is.
Howard’s collegiate numbers might not indicate a budding superstar. But he has the traits and gifts to be a flexible and versatile piece in head coach Mike McCarthy’s offense.
And it’s scary to think what Rodgers could do with a guy like Howard in the arsenal.
The Seattle Seahawks are just about set across the board and have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
With the exception of the offensive line, that is.
Seattle’s O-line gave up a whopping 42 sacks on the year — a number that would have been higher, if not for the elusiveness of quarterback Russell Wilson.
Upgrading this unit requires some work. And the Seahawks could ensure the interior part of the O-line is shored up with Indiana’s Dan Feeney.
And Seattle could afford to make a few other additions along the line in the NFL Draft as well.
Miami Dolphins offensive linemen Brandon Albert could be a cap casualty this offseason, which opens up a need to reinforce the O-line via the NFL Draft in 2017.
UCLA offensive tackle Takkarist McKinley is a wise choice here, and he’d likely be able to move inside while fellow lineman Laremy Tunsil stays on the outside.
Miami could go in a few other directions here, but ensuring the Dolphins stay strong up front seems to make the most sense.
The Atlanta Falcons defense was pretty awful this season, although one could argue this group is improving as a whole.
In order to take that next leap though, Atlanta’s pass rush is going to have to get better.
Missouri edge rusher Charles Harris is a perfect fit here. Missouri pass-rushers always seem to find success at the NFL level, and Harris’ nine sacks last year is an indication he’d be a welcomed addition to head coach Dan Quinn’s defense once the NFL Draft is complete.
The New York Giants spent a ton of money to upgrade the defense last offseason, and we shouldn’t worry too much about their wide receiving corps either.
But the Giants could use some help in the ground game this NFL Draft. And having a versatile tool like Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey would be a great weapon to install around veteran quarterback Eli Manning and Co.
McCaffrey can be used as a prototypical tailback. But his flexibility to double as a receiver should give Manning an additional choice while teams are busy worrying about wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could pick one of a few defensive positions to address in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. But getting stronger within their front seven makes the most sense.
Illinois edge rusher Dawuane Smoot isn’t exactly a prototypical pass-rusher, and he won’t generate the sack totals.
But what does make him special is the ability to wreak havoc within the pocket, opening up lanes for other rushers to get to the quarterback.
Pittsburgh can build from there — find guys capable of rushing the pocket while Smoot absorbs multiple offensive linemen at once.
The Oakland Raiders need to get better on defense, as illustrated by multiple close-call comebacks by opponents in 2016.
They could go in one of two different directions here — find front-seven support to help linebacker Khalil Mack or address long-tern needs in the secondary.
Let’s go with Washington cornerback Sidney Jones at No. 29 in the NFL Draft.
Jones enjoyed a tremendous year with the Huskies in 2016 and is capable of adapting to both man and zone schemes. He could be a true shutdown corner for the Raiders defense for years to come.
The Kansas City Chiefs don’t have to worry too much about their outside cornerbacks — Marcus Peters and Terrance Mitchell — but could use some help at the nickel.
LSU corner Tre-Davious White is a nice fit here. At 5-foot-11, White embodies the tough, physical style of play head coach Andy Reid would like to see out of his secondary.
And, along with Peters, White could be the type of player to help make an already solid Chiefs defense even that more dangerous in 2017 once the NFL Draft is finished.
The Dallas Cowboys 2016 offense rode to the rescue, but they’ll eventually need to have a shutdown defense on the roster if they want to become a perennial contender.
Dallas could go one of a number of different directions in the NFL Draft. But it’s likely the Cowboys will look to reinforce the secondary first and let pieces hopefully fall into place within the front seven.
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USC cornerback Adoree Jackson is a wise choice at the tail end of the NFL Draft. At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Jackson might be a bit undersized and best suited to play the nickel.
Still, Jackson has good coverage abilities and instincts. And those five interceptions he registered this year look good on his resume too.
The New England Patriots are going to be pressed to try and retain some of their better pass-rushers after this season. Dont’a Hightower and Jabaal Sheard are going to be free agents once 2017 is over, and the Pats want to find possible replacements now.
Florida State edge rusher Demarcus Walker is a great player to watch here. His 16 sacks in 2016, plus 19.5 tackles for a loss, make him an ideal candidate to replace the pass-rushing production off the edge for head coach Bill Belichick and Co.
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Walker is equally stout against the run as well, which would give him the flexibility to play alongside any position within New England’s defensive line.