Just before I get started here, I want to apologise to my mum for the inevitable lack of revision that I'll do tomorrow.
Pick No 1 - Cleveland Browns - Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
The consensus number 1 pick goes to the team most in need of a talented roster, as they look to turn around the Factory of Sadness that has loomed over their city for years on end. 9 straight losing seasons will need to be turned around pretty swiftly if Huw Jackson wants to keep his job. With another pick supposedly coming up at 12 (trade pending), Cleveland will be hoping to really bolster their roster from day one.
Pick No 2 - Chicago Bears (Trade from no.3) - Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
Nobody saw this coming. Everyone assumed this pick would be Solomon Thomas or Jamal Adams. Trubisky only started 13 times in college (the least of any QB drafted in R1 since the turn of the century). This pick is a surprise as well because of the fact that the Bears just signed QB Mike Glennon to a 3-year deal. Let's hope this plays out well for the Bears, because they have made a really risky decision here.
Pick No. 3 - San Francisco 49ers (Trade from no.3) - Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
Thomas is a large D-Lineman who was a captain as a junior at Stanford, and can rush the passer and stuff the run from the interior of the D-Line. The plan for him will be to play all over the line in San Francisco, and he's an athletic freak. He can dunk a basketball, and he weighs 260-odd lbs. He could work out really well at the NFL level.
Pick No. 4 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Fournette has drawn comparisons to Adrian Peterson for his physical build and running style. Mike Mayock described him as 'thirsty for contact'. This man will not head out of bounds. This pick takes some real pressure off the struggling Blake Bortles at the QB position, and automatically boosts the chances of the Jacksonville Jaguars thanks to the decisions of the new front office.
Pick No. 5 - Tennessee Titans - Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Corey Davis is one of the top 3 receivers in this class, no question. He's had ankle injuries and not worked out for any of the teams who wanted him, but his hands and route-running are a notch above the other receivers in this class. He gives Marcus Mariota a very real target from day one, and gives the Titans an opportunity to cause havoc in the AFC South.
Pick No. 6 - New York Jets - Jamal Adams, S, LSU
Jamal Adams is the hard-hitting safety that New York needs. He can play all over the field, with his nose in the line of scrimmage, ranging from sideline-to-sideline, and he's not afraid to hit a guy in the mouth, hard. Bear in mind that this is a team that has to play Tom Brady twice a season, you're going to need all the help you can get in the secondary.
Pick No. 7 - Los Angeles Chargers - Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
The Chargers were projected to take a safety or cornerback with their pick, but instead they selected First Team All-ACC player Williams from Clemson. He creates separation where there is none, and has an unbelievable catch radius. Throw it up and let him go get it. He and Keenan Allen could be a real mismatch for secondaries in the AFC West.
Pick No. 8 - Carolina Panthers - Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
McCaffrey is the son of a 3-time Super Bowl Winner, and is a 'Swiss Army Knife' type of player. He can run the ball, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, and he can return kicks. He's sneakily quick, and very, very dangerous in open space. Watch for him to take the ball to the house at any given moment, which means that Cam Newton could be just as dangerous as in 2015 with Christian McCaffrey at his disposal.
Pick No. 9 - Cincinnati Bengals - John Ross, WR, Washington
The fastest man to ever run at the combine (4.22 second 40-yard time) will complement AJ Green perfectly. He will bring the Cincinnati Bengals offense to a new level, although he has had shoulder and knee issues, bringing question marks about his health. Andy Dalton should be able to reach a new level in the tough AFC North with his newest weapon. Not to mention that Ross can return punts and kicks like few others in this draft.
Pick No. 10 - Kansas City (Trade from no. 27) - Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
Everybody thought that DeShaun Watson would be the second or even first QB off the board, but Patrick Mahomes has the opportunity to learn under Alex Smith for a year or two. Mahomes can throw on the run, in the pocket, to any part of the field. He has an absolute rocket of an arm, and will be given time to learn in Kansas City with Andy Reid as his head coach.
Pick No. 11 - New Orleans Saints - Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
New Orleans NEEDS help on defense badly. They scored 29 points per game and still lost 9 games. That is a ridiculous stat. If their QB Drew Brees can throw for over 5,000 yards and still lost more games than he won. Lattimore is a physical press-man corner with great ballhawking ability, who should be able to shut down half the field from early on in his career in the NFC South.
Pick No. 12 - Houston Texans (Trade from no.25) - DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson
Widely considered the most pro-ready QB in the draft, Watson is a born leader who will provide some leadership on that side of the ball, which is much needed at NRG Stadium with so much of the game falling on the shoulders on JJ Watt.
Pick No. 13 - Arizona Cardinals - Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
This guy has climbed up draft boards like no other in the past week. He walked on as a freshman at Temple, and has been drafted in the same town where his home is located. His technique jumps out at you, and he's versatile like all good linebackers should be. He can cover running backs very easily, and has very good instincts in coverage, despite the fact that he's not particularly comfortable with it.
Pick No. 14 - Philadelphia Eagles - Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
Taking Barnett off the board, when Jonathan Allen and Malik Hooker are still on the board may come as a surprise, but the Eagles love this guy. They're bolstering their D-Line early in the draft, as well as in free agency. He's fast and physical, and should be able to get to the other passers in the NFC East.
Pick No. 15 - Indianapolis Colts - Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
Rangier than Jamal Adams, Hooker is the best ball playing safety in this draft by far. He can read the eyes of every QB in the league and had 7INT in his last year at Ohio State. he can make plays like few other safeties if any in this draft, and whenever he has the ball in his hands, he's a danger to take it back for a TD.
Pick No. 16 - Baltimore Ravens - Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
Ozzie Newsome loves his Alabama players. Humphrey joins Jimmy Smith, Eric Weddle, Tony Jefferson, and Brandon Carr in the Baltimore secondary, which will really take the defense to the next level, although it was already ranked 7th in the league from last season. With two potential shutdown corners, the Ravens will hope to build pressure on QBs and make games easier for Joe Flacco to win.
Pick No. 17 - Washington Redskins - Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
Allen was Mike Mayock's number 2 rated player in this entire draft. He will bring quickness to the Redskins pass rush opposite Ryan Kerrigan, which is much needed with the rushers and passers in the NFC East all being very very good. At 286lbs, and with his size and length, he will be a nightmare for offensive linemen all along the line, all across the league.
Pick No. 18 - Tennessee Titans - Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
A smaller cornerback, Jackson is a player who is still very raw, but has all the physical attributes in terms of speed to cover just about anyone in the AFC South, especially the likes of smaller recievers like TY Hilton of the Colts. He also has 9 career return touchdowns, and will be a real danger with the ball in his hands, either after an interception, or on a punt or kickoff return.
Pick No. 19 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - OJ Howard, TE, Alabama
Another player who fell further than expected, just like his teammate Jonathan Allen, Howard joins Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Jameis Winston in what is becoming a frightening offence in Tampa. He's an athletic freak who can outrun safeties, as well as being able to block defensive backs and linebackers.
Pick No. 20 - Denver Broncos - Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah
At 6'5" and 297lbs, Bolles might not be the biggest of offensive tackles, but his arms are long, and he has the athletic ability to stop some of the best pass rushers in both college football and the pros. There are some questions over his maturity and his ability to avoid penalties, but he should be able to shore up a struggling offensive line in Denver straight away.
Pick No. 21 - Detroit Lions - Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
Davis' selection tells us more about the problems Reuben Foster is having than about Davis himself. Detroit have a massive need for an inside linebacker and choosing Davis over Foster tells us that Foster's shoulder issue is real. However, Davis still brings prototypical size and physicality that is required in the NFL at the linebacker position.
Pick No. 22 - Miami Dolphins - Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
Harris has 18 career sacks at Missouri, and at 6'3", he's tall enough and quick enough to work in a good arc around the pocket, but his main issue is against big tackles who can stuff him easily. That said, he fills the biggest need on the Miami Dolphins roster, and there's a playmate for Cameron Wake to wreak havoc with.
Pick No. 23 - New York Giants - Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
At nearly 6'4", Engram heads to one of the most explosive offenses in the league to play alongside Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall. He's faster than Mike Evans in Tampa, and a great blocker on the inside as well. He'll be a matchup nightmare for linebackers at the pro level.
Pick No. 24 - Oakland Raiders - Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
A surprising selection with a rape case hanging over him, Conley is an accomplished player with 6 INTs in his collegiate career, where he started 27 games. He has the right size, weight, and speed for a player in his position to succeed in this league. All we need now is for the case against him to be dropped, although if he's found to be guilty, he obviously deserves not to be lauded as a first round draft pick and should not be allowed to play in the league.
Pick No. 25 - Cleveland Browns (Trade from no. 12) - Jabrill Peppers, ?, Michigan
One of the most enigmatic players in this draft, Peppers has been projected to play at safety, but could play cornerback, linebacker, running back, quarterback and defensive end in college. As a safety, his production in turning the ball over isn't great, but his job of hitting the man with the ball is pretty second-to-none. Not only that, but he can play just about any position and could find himself getting the ball on offense as well for the Cleveland Browns.
Pick No. 26 - Atlanta Falcons (Trade from no. 31) - Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
McKinley had excellent production at UCLA, and joins a number of players already on the Falcons roster in his mould. At UCLA, the players are coached properly, and that means that he won't take too much coaching at the NFL level. He should be able to wreak havoc for a franchise that struggled to get to the QB last season. Not sure if you remember that Super Bowl, but if they'd hit Tom Brady once or twice more... Maybe they'd have been picking at 32.
Pick No. 27 - Buffalo Bills (Trade from no. 10) - Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
White brings a sensible, solid style of play to the cornerback position, and can play just about every variation of the position. He's a leader on the college defense, and comes into the NFL to play for a team that needs leadership and skills. He can also return the football on kickoffs and punts, which adds value to him as a first round pick.
Pick No. 28 - Dallas Cowboys - Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
Charlton had 18.5 career sacks at Michigan, and adds some jazz to a pass rush that left a little bit to be desired in a team that didn't have a great deal of holes having gone 13-3 last season. One thing to note about Charlton is that he is just a one-year starter, so he could well be a little raw still, so you have to wonder if he would be an immediate starter at the next level. It should also be noted that I can't take any man seriously whose parents name him after a Mexican food, no matter how big and strong they may be. I'll never meet him anyway, so he can't have a go at me for saying that.
Pick No. 29 - Cleveland Browns (Trade from no.33) - David Njoku, TE, Miami
Jesus, Cleveland, leave some picks for the rest of us. They already have 2 first and 3 second round picks next year. Anyway, the Browns selection of Njoku shows intent to become more of a threat on both sides of the ball. As a 20 year old, Njoku, at 6'4" and nearly 250, he still has a lot of growing to do in terms of maturity, but will be a real threat at the next level, with it being difficult for anyone to cover him deep down the field.
Pick No. 30 - Pittsburgh Steelers - TJ Watt, LB, Wisconsin
This kid comes from a real footballing background. His brother Derek plays for the Chargers, and eldest brother JJ is a 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Some draft experts are saying that TJ is better than JJ coming out of college, and if that is the case, then teams in the AFC North had better be very, very worried indeed. He has a relentless motor, and an even more relentless work rate off the field.
Pick No. 31 - San Francisco 49ers (Trade from no. 34) - Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
Foster's slide stops with the penultimate pick of the first round. He's perfectly built for an inside linebacker, although the concerns about his shoulder injury could still linger even through his first few years as a pro. That said, he comes from a pro ready university program, and should be able to start on day one on a defense that is had a tough year last year. Look like John Lynch, the new 49ers GM, is trying to build a defense like the ones he played in for Tampa Bay.
Pick No. 32 - New Orleans Saints - Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Ramczyk was widely considered the best tackle of this draft class. He has quality technique against very good defenses at Wisconsin, so should be able to transfer that with relative ease in the NFC South. Drew Brees will be a very happy man following this pick, as Ramczyk will join Terron Armstead as his bookend tackles to protect him for the last couple of years of his career.
