The 2017 NFL Draft top 200 in our tiered Big Board

 

There are mock drafts and then there are big boards, which are much more important when analyzing what happened in the NFL Draft as we try to make sense of it all. When we talk about the value of a pick, a good pick versus a bad one, that’s what it really comes down to. Was it a good value, were there better players that the franchise will regret having passed on?

More importantly than just that there are also tiers in every draft. The top tiers and the bottom tiers and those differences can have a big impact on how teams make their selections. Remember the Denver Broncos selecting Bradley Roby in the late first round despite having lots of cornerbacks already on their roster? They did that because he was the only first round graded player they had left available to them. That’s where tiers matter and shape teams draft classes.

So with that here are our top 200 prospects (actually 211 but who’s counting, that’s the beauty of a tier after all) from the elite’s to the day three gems and why they all got grouped this way.

Note, as we’ve done in all our rankings, players whose draft stock is lowered by off-field concerns are delineated with an asterisk(*).

Tier 1 – Elite Prospects (Top 5 in most drafts — franchise cornerstones)

There are only two elite prospects in the 2017 class which’s fairly deep in the top tiers but not necessarily here. Garrett is a logical choice as he plays a premium position with a great combination of athleticism and size, not to mention production. Even in the worst case scenario, if healthy, he’ll be a star player.

Hooker might be a surprise as an only one-year starter but his range is elite and having a center fielding type safety as the last line of defense with his talents is a huge plus. His upside is unbelievable and he could really be one of the best two or three safeties that we’ve seen in the league this millennium – he’s a playmaker with absurd ball skills. That’s an elite talent.

1. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

2. Malik Hooker, FS, Ohio State

Tier 2 – 1st Rounders (High-level starters)

These are projected early starters who typically go in the first round and this group is deep with 24 prospects in the mix. The top nine really stand out and were considered as elite prospects but they all have small deficiencies that kept them out. The bottom 10 through 24 are very intriguing players who check lots of boxes.

Guys like Foster, Peppers, and Jones because of off-field issues and injury problems could have easily slipped in the next tier but their tape holds them up here. They have however slipped as all were higher before their incidents this offseason.

These aren’t necessarily perfect prospects but the elite tools are too much to not keep them in the first round and expect great things early on.

3. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

4. Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama

5. Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State

6. Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford

7. Jamal Adams, SS, LSU

8. Takkarist McKinley, EDGE, UCLA

9. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

10. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State*

11. Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama*

12. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

13. Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple

14. Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

15. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

16. Evan Engram, TE/WR, Ole Miss

17. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

18. DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson

19. Jabrill Peppers, DB, Michigan

20. Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

21. Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan

22. David Njoku, TE, Miami

23. Budda Baker, FS, Washington

24. Chidobe Awuzie, DB, Colorado

Tier 3 – Late first and early second round talents (Projected starters with the upside for more)

This group is really the meaty section of this draft class as this is where you can hit a few home runs but not without risk. Some players in this tier are raw, while others are held back by more serious red-flags off the field, injuries, or on-field inconsistencies.

While the upside is great for most of the group and they all have been considered for Tier-2 there’s also more bust potential in this group.

But there’ll be several out of this bunch that could out play their draft stock and end up being much better players than their counterparts in Tier-2. King, Mixon, Foreman, Williams, McDowell, Witherspoon, and Melifonwu are the top candidates to do so.

25. Ryan Ramczyk, LT, Wisconsin

26. Kevin King, DB, Washington

27. Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State*

28. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn

29. John Ross, WR, Washington

30. Curtis Samuel, WR/RB, Ohio State

31. Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU

32. Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky

33. Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma*

34. Jarrad Davis, OLB, Florida

35. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC

36. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas

37. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

38. Mitchell Trubisky, QB, UNC

39. T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin

40. Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State*

41. Eddie Jackson, FS, Alabama

42. Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado

43. Derek Rivers, EDGE, Youngstown State

44. Tim Williams, OLB/EDGE, Alabama*

45. Tedric Thompson, FS, Colorado

46. Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri

47. Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

48. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

49. Garett Bolles, OT, Utah

50. Obi Melifonwu, S, Uconn

51. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama*

Tier 4 – Second rounders (immediate contributors, expected starters within the first two seasons)

The NFL expects to get starters in the second round, or at the very least rotational players who can be plugged in to start by year two. That’s the plan at least. This is another good group though again the risks become greater and the projection is a bit more.

This tier’s a bit split there are some prospects with high upside but raw skills – Kamara, Kizer, Hodges, Adoree, and Mahomes are great examples of this. While others are here because they have the skills to be solid starters though their ceilings might not be super high – Wormely fits that description to perfection, as does Feeney, Pocic, and Dawkins. Again, this is a fairly deep group.

52. Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida

53. ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama

54. Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Florida Atlantic

55. Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU

56. Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA

57. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn

58. Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan

59. Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming

60. Tarik Cohen, RB, North Carolina A&T

61. Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

62. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson

63. Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech

64. Josh Jones, S, NC State

65. Adoree Jackson, CB/WR/PR, USC

66. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma*

67. Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy

68. DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

69. Taylor Moton, RT, Western Michigan

70. Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson

71. Jordan Willis, EDGE, Kansas State

72. Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio Sate

73. Jalen ‘Teez’ Tabor, CB, Florida

74. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan*

75. Marcus Williams, S, Utah

76. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

77. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana

78. Marcus Maye, FS, Florida

79. Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio

80. Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

81. Justin Evans, FS, Texas A&M

82. Ethan Pocic, OC, LSU

83. Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple

84. Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama

Tier 5 – Third round talents (should be starters within the first three seasons)

There’s lots of projection here as these guys will require some coaching. But again in the third round, you’re supposed to be finding future starters, guys who you can be thrown into the fire by year three and decide what to do with by year four when their contracts are up.

There’s plenty of upside in this group but also a decent amount of inconsistencies. These guys also need to be put in the right situation to succeed as they’re not nearly as system versatile as the guys in the top tier were.

85. Steven Taylor, OLB, Houston

86. Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida*

87. Jarron Jones, DT, Notre Dame

88. Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa

89. Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State

90. Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky

91. Jake Butt, TE, Michigan

92. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia

93. Cooper Kupp,  WR, Eastern Washington

94. Joe Williams, RB, Utah

95. Tyus Bowser, OLB, Houston

96. Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina

97. Nico Siragusa, OG, San Diego State

98. Ryan Anderson, OLB, Alabama

99. Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan

100. Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson

101. Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland

102. Elijah Qualls, DT, Washington

103. Desmond King, CB, Iowa

104. Dalvin Tomlinson, NT, Alabama

105. Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee

106. Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo

107. Anthony Walker Jr., ILB, Northwestern

108. Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech

109. Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois

110. Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M

111. Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh

112. Pat Elfin, OC/OG, Ohio St

Tier 6 – Day three gems (projects who will be important contributors in the bottom half of NFL rosters)

Guys who fit on special teams are at a premium at this point. Guys with upside to be a steal are also at a premium here. There’s also a decent amount of players who might not have ideal measurable or athletic skills but in one way or another within the right scheme, they could succeed at the NFL level.

Every year there are great players out of this group don’t think 2017 will be any different. Note, over 300 players will be drafted so there are many more players off this list worth considering but these are the top guys to target in day three.

113. Vince Biegel, EDGE, Wisconsin

114. Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU

115. Chad Hansen, WR, Cal

116. Isaac Asiata, OG, Utah

117. Xavier Woods, FS, Louisiana Tech

118. Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State

119. Tanner Vallejo, OLB, Boise State

120. Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson

121. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, OLB, Tennessee

122. Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA

123. Corn Elder, CB, Miami

124. Noah Brown, WR, Ohio State

125. Jonnu Smith, TE, Florida International

126. Nazair Jones, DT, UNC

127. Isaac Rochelle, DE, Notre Dame

128. Austin Ekeler, RB/WR, Western State Colorado

129. De’Angelo Henderson, RB, Coastal Carolina

130. Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State

131. Ryan Switzer, WR, North Carolina

132. Matthew Dayes, RB, NC State

133. Samson Ebukam, OLB, Eastern Washington

134. Carroll Phillips, EDGE, Illinois

135. Montae Nicholson, S, Michigan State

136. James Connor, RB, Pittsburgh

137. Charles Walker, DT, Oklahoma

138. Pharaoh Brown, TE, Oregon

139. Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma

140. Cole Hikutini, TE, Louisville

141. Devonte Fields, OLB/EDGE, Louisville

142. Jeremy Sprinkle, TE, Arkansas

143. George Kittle, TE, Iowa

144. T.J. Logan, RB, UNC

145. Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova

146. K.D. Cannon, WR, Baylor

147. Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M

148. Davis Webb, QB, Cal

149. Dylan Cole, ILB, Missouri State

150 Dare Ogunbowale, RB, Wisconsin

151.Alex Anzalone, LB, Florida

152. Corey Clement, RB, Wisconsin

153. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech

154. Rodrick Johnson, OT, FSU

155. Howard Wilson, CB, Houston

156. John Johnson, FS, Boston College

157. Channing Stribling, CB, Michigan

158. Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State

159. Jehu Chesson, WR, Michigan

160. Tanzel Smart, DT, Tulane

161. Jermaine Eluemunor, RT, Texas A&M

162. Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Charlotte

163. Ryan Glasgow, DT, Michigan

164. Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU

165. Nate Gerry, S, Nebraska

166. Delano Hill, SS, Michigan

167. Brad Kaya, QB, Miami

168. Julie’n Davenport, LT, Bucknell

169. Deatrich Wise Jr., DE, Arkansas

170. Andreas Knappe, OT, Uconn

171. Colin Buchanan, RT, Miami (Ohio)

172. Ejuan Price, EDGE, Pittsburgh

173. Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pitt

174. Stacy Coley, WR, Miami

175. Travis Rudolph, WR, Florida State

176. Travin Dural, WR, LSU

177. Damien Mama, OG, USC

178. Sean Harlow, OG, Oregon State

179. Tyler Orlosky, OC, West Virginia

180. Danny Isidora, OG, Miami

181. Brendan Langley, CB/WR, Lamar

182. Damore’ea Stringfellow, WR, Ole Miss*

183. Michael Roberts, TE, Toledo

184. Brian Allen, CB, Utah

185. Des Lawrence, CB, UNC

186. Paul Magloire, SS, Arizona

187. Victor Bolden, WR, Oregon State

188. Jalen Robinette, WR, Air Force

189. Darrell Daniels, TE, Washington

190. Eric Saubert, TE, Drake

191. Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss*

192. Duke Riley, LB, LSU

193. Garrett Sickels, EDGE, Penn State

194. Pita Taumoepenu, EDGE, Utah

195. Darius English, EDGE, South Carolina

196. Skai Moore, WLB, South Carolina

197. Jimmie Gilbert, OLB, Colorado

198. Joe Mathis, EDGE, Washington

199. Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE, Miami*

200. Kendell Beckwith, ILB, LSU

201. Jordan Morgan, OG, Kutztown

202. Sefo Liufau, QB, Colorado

203. Jonathan Ford, FS, Auburn

204. Weston Steelhammer, SS, Air Force

205. Aaron Jones, RB, UTEP

206. Elijah Hood, RB, UNC

207. Artavis Scott, WR, Clemson

208. David Sharpe, OT, Florida

209. Dan Skipper, OT, Arkansas

210. Conor McDermott, OT, UCLA