NFL Draft 2017 Results: Live First-Round Updates, Analysis Of All 32 Picks

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Apr 27, 2017

Welcome to NESN.com’s 2017 NFL Draft live blog. Follow along for up-to-the-minute results and analysis as each first-round pick is announced. The full list of picks can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Pick No. 32: New Orleans Saints — Ryan Ramczyk, tackle, Wisconsin
And with that, a wildly eventful first round comes to an end. The New England Patriots have yet to make their first selection, and Jimmy Garoppolo and Malcolm Butler were not traded. New England currently does not have a pick in the second round, either.

Day 2 of the NFL draft, which features Rounds 2 and 3, begins Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.

Pick No. 31: San Francisco 49ers — Reuben Foster, linebacker, Alabama
Foster’s lengthy slide finally ends as the 49ers pull off a trade with the Seahawks to trade back into first round and select the former Alabama star. Seattle, which received a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder in the deal, now will not make its first pick until Friday. — Z.C. 

Pick No. 30: Pittsburgh Steelers — T.J. Watt, linebacker, Wisconsin
The Steelers select the younger brother of Houston Texans star J.J. Watt. In case you were wondering, the Steelers and Texans play each other on Christmas Day this year. — Z.C.

Pick No. 29: Cleveland Browns — David Njoku, tight end, Miami
Three first-round picks, zero quarterbacks. Njoku, who’s just 20 years old, needs work as a blocker but is a dynamite receiver, especially after the catch. Of course, even the best pass-catchers need a capable quarterback to throw them said passes, and Cody Kessler currently tops the Browns’ QB depth chart. — Z.C.

Pick No. 28: Dallas Cowboys — Taco Charlton, defensive end, Michigan
The captain of the 2017 draft All-Name Team joins the Cowboys after notching 9 1/2 sacks as a senior with the Wolverines.

In other news, the Browns have swung another trade, this one with the Green Bay Packers, to move up from No. 33 to No. 29. This will be their third first-round selection. — Z.C. 

Pick No. 27: Buffalo Bills — Tre’Davious White, cornerback, LSU
After losing Stephon Gilmore to the Patriots in free agency, the Bills, who traded down from No. 10, use their first pick on a corner. White’s not overly physical, but he’s great in coverage and can return punts. — Z.C.

Pick No. 26: Atlanta Falcons — Takkarist McKinley, outside linebacker, UCLA
The Seahawks initially owned this pick, but the Falcons traded up from No. 31 to draft McKinley. Seattle also landed a third-rounder and a seventh-rounder in the deal. — Z.C. 

Pick No. 25: Cleveland Browns — Jabrill Peppers, safety, Michigan
After drafting Myles Garrett first overall and trading down from No. 12, the Browns take perhaps the most versatile defender in this year’s draft class. Peppers was all over the field in all three phases at Michigan, seeing time at defensive back, linebacker, running back, slot receiver and kick/punt retuner. He goes in the first round even after testing positive for a diluted sample at the combine. — Z.C.

Pick No. 24: Oakland Raiders — Gareon Conley, cornerback, Ohio State
Another shocker in a night full of them. Conley is a first-round talent, but he currently is involved in an ongoing rape investigation and is not scheduled to speak with police until Monday. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime, and he passed a polygraph test administered by the Ravens earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Conley has vehemently declared his innocence, and the Raiders must believe he is telling the truth. Still, a surprising and risky pick for Oakland. — Z.C.

Pick No. 23: New York Giants — Evan Engram, tight end, Ole Miss
It wasn’t surprising to see the Giants select a tight end here. It was interesting to see them go with Engram over Miami’s David Njoku. Engram posted ridiculous numbers at the combine, but he’s drastically undersized for a tight end and rarely was used as a blocker during his time at Ole Miss. Still, he has the potential to be a matchup nightmare in the passing game, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall by his side. — Z.C. 

Pick No. 22: Miami Dolphins — Charles Harris, defensive end, Missouri
Another highly regarded pass rusher. The Patriots’ AFC East opponents have drafted defense so far, with the Jets picking up safety Jamal Adams earlier. — Z.C.

Pick No. 21: Detriot Lions — Jarrad Davis, linebacker, Florida
The Lions address their most glaring weakness by drafting Davis, who dealt with injury problems at Florida but turned heads at his pro day. He’s considered a versatile and high-character player — Z.C. 

Pick No. 20: Denver Broncos — Garett Bolles, tackle, Utah
The first offensive lineman to come off the board goes to Denver at No. 20, which badly needed O-line help. And he brought a special guest up to the stage with him. — Z.C.

Pick No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers — O.J. Howard, tight end, Alabama
The most complete tight end in a draft loaded with talent at the position will be catching passes from Jameis Winston in Tampa. The mid-round run on Alabama players continues. — Z.C.

Pick No. 18: Tennessee Titans — Adoree’ Jackson, cornerback, USC
The Titans entered this draft with needs at wide receiver and cornerback. They now have addressed both tonight. Jackson is an athletic freak who also returned kicks and punts and even played some offense for the Trojans. — Z.C.

Pick No. 17: Washington Redskins — Jonathan Allen, defensive end, Alabama
After the first 15 picks came and went without a single Bama player selected, teams now have used back-to-back selections on Crimson Tide products. Allen once was considered the second-best prospect in the draft behind Myles Garrett, but his stock took a hit over the past few weeks, partially because of shoulder issues that concerned talent evaluators.

If Allen can live up to that earlier hype, this could be a steal for the Redskins. — Z.C.

Pick No. 16: Baltimore Ravens — Marlon Humphrey, defensive back, Alabama
Exactly halfway through the first round, an Alabama player finally comes off the board. Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster and O.J. Howard are among the Crimson Tiders still on the boards. — Z.C.

Pick No. 15: Indianapolis Colts — Malik Hooker, safety, Ohio State
Hooker was getting top-10 consideration before the draft. The skinny on him: great ball skills, but his tackling needs work. — Z.C.

Pick No. 14: Philadelphia Eagles — Derek Barnett, defensive end, Tennessee
The man who broke Eagles legend Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee is introduced before a raucous Philadelphia crowd. A late bloomer, Barnett doesn’t have elite athleticism, but he was ridiculously productive for the Volunteers. — Z.C. 

Pick No. 13: Arizona Cardinals — Haason Reddick, outside linebacker, Temple
The roars in Philly were especially loud for Reddick, who played his college ball in the city and grew up less than 10 miles away in Camden, N.J. There was some thought the Cardinals could go quarterback here, but with the top three already off the board, they snatch up the athletic former walk-on. — Z.C.

Pick No. 12: Houston Texans — Deshaun Watson, quarterback, Clemson
The Texans land their quarterback of the future, trading up 13 spots to select the two-time Heisman Trophy nominee and 2016 national champion. Is Watson ready to start for Houston in Week 1? No, probably not. But you can make the argument he’s closer to doing so than Trubisky and Mahomes are. Chances are he’ll sit behind Tom Savage to begin his career.

If Watson transitions to the NFL game quickly, however, watch out for the Texans, who already boast one of the league’s top defenses and a game-changing receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. — Z.C.

TRADE: Houston has swung a trade with Cleveland to move up from No. 25 to No. 12. Expect the Texans, who need a quarterback in the worst way, to nab Deshaun Watson here. — Z.C.

Pick No. 11: New Orleans Saints — Marshon Lattimore, cornerback, Ohio State
Everyone knows the Saints desperately need help on defense, and Lattimore certainly should help that regard. More importantly to Patriots fans, however, this selection means New Orleans more than likely is out on New England cornerback Malcolm Butler, whom they showed significant interest in earlier this offseason.

There were rumors the Patriots, who don’t pick until No. 72, could trade Butler to the Saints to move back into the first or second round. Now, that appears very unlikely. — Z.C.

Pick No. 10: Kansas City Chiefs — Patrick Mahomes, quarterback, Texas Tech
Several experts speculated the Chiefs might draft Mahomes in the first round tonight. Nobody — and I mean nobody — expected them to trade up 17 spots(!) to do so. Like Trubisky, Mahomes isn’t considered NFL-ready just yet, but with Alex Smith under contract for at least one more season, he should be afforded plenty of time to develop.

To recap, we’ve seen two quarterbacks, three wide receivers, two running backs, two defensive ends and one safety selected thus far. — Z.C.

TRADE: Kansas City sent two first-round picks (one this year, one in 2018) and a third-rounder to the Buffalo Bills to move up from No. 27 to No. 10. Are they looking to nab a quarterback? We’ll soon find out.

Pick No. 9: Cincinnati Bengals — John Ross, wide receiver, Washington
Boy, has this been a banner night for wide receivers. They’ve made up one-third of the players drafted so far. Ross, of course, can run like the wind. He broke Chris Johnson’s 40-yard dash time at the combine with a blistering time of 4.22 seconds. Ross entered the draft with some injury concerns, but if he can replicate his collegiate success at the NFL level, he and A.J. Green could form a devastating 1-2 punch for Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. — Z.C.

Pick No. 8: Carolina Panthers — Christian McCaffrey, running back, Stanford
Coming off a disappointing 2016 season, the Panthers add the most versatile offensive player in the 2017 draft to their Cam Newton-led offense. McCaffrey is listed as a running back but also has the ability to line up in the slot and return kicks. A true Swiss Army Knife, as they say. Strong pick by Carolina. — Z.C.

Pick No. 7: Los Angeles Chargers — Mike Williams, wide receiver, Clemson
That cheer you just heard might have come from Philip Rivers. The Chargers use their first pick following their relocation to L.A. to draft arguably the top receiver in this draft. Williams checks all the boxes from a physical standpoint, and he’s coming off a standout performance in Clemson’s national championship game victory over Alabama. — Z.C.

Pick No. 6: New York Jets — Jamal Adams, safety, LSU
A team with plenty of holes to fill, including quarterback, the Jets choose to shore up their secondary by adding Adams, a hard-hitting safety who’s been lauded by scouts for his leadership qualities and football IQ. NFL.com’s official draft profile on Adams says he brings “a sheriff’s mentality” to the field, which is a pretty darn good compliment to receive.

Some fun facts: Adams did not commit a single penalty during his final season at LSU, and his father, George, played for the New York Giants in the 1980s. — Z.C.

Pick No. 5: Tennessee Titans — Corey Davis, wide receiver, Western Michigan
Another surprise, as Davis comes off the board far earlier than most projected. Many mock drafts had the FBS’s all-time leading receiver pegged as a mid-to-late first-rounder. He’s undeniably talented, though, and the Marcus Mariota-led Titans certainly need help at the wideout position. — Z.C.

Pick No. 4: Jacksonville Jaguars — Leonard Fournette, running back, LSU
For the second year in a row, a running back hears his name called fourth overall. Fournette, a big, powerful runner with deceptive mobility and receiving skills, was considered by many to be the top back available this year. This might not be the smartest pick for Jacksonville, though, which already has T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory on its roster and has more glaring needs elsewhere. — Z.C.

Pick No. 3: San Francisco 49ers — Solomon Thomas, defensive end, Stanford
The Niners bolster their defense by selecting Thomas, who played his college ball just down the road at Stanford. It’s very early, but John Lynch’s career as a general manager appears to be off to an excellent start. San Francisco still needs a quarterback, but Lynch and new head coach Kyle Shanahan evidently aren’t sold on any of the signal-callers expected to come off the board tonight. — Z.C.

Pick No. 2: Chicago Bears — Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina
Wow. The Bears traded four draft picks, including three in this draft, to move up one spot to draft Trubisky, whom most experts believe won’t be ready to start in the NFL this season. Remember, Chicago just gave quarterback Mike Glennon a three-year, $45 million contract with $18 million guaranteed last month.

If Trubisky, who started just 13 games at UNC, flops, this move could haunt the Bears for years. — Z.C.

Pick No. 1: Cleveland Browns — Myles Garrett, defensive end, Texas A&M
Despite some speculation the Browns could go with Mitchell Trubisky here, they do indeed opt for Garrett, the consensus No. 1 player in this draft. Garrett racked up 8 1/2 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his final season with the Aggies, then impressed evaluators at both the NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day. He’ll be expected to contribute from Day 1.

And we already have our first trade of the night. The Chicago Bears sent four picks to the San Francisco 49ers to move up to No. 2. Very interesting. — Z.C.

8:06 p.m.: The Cleveland Browns officially are on the clock. They reportedly are expected to draft Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, who’s been considered the top prospect in this draft for close to a year now.

By the way, the crowd of 70,000 (yes, 70,000) on hand in Philadelphia relentlessly booed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he stepped to the podium to open the proceedings. — Zack Cox

Pre-draft: Check out the scene at the NFL draft red carpet, including exclusive interviews with prospects and coaches.

 

https://twitter.com/NickGossNESN/status/857723701604872194

https://twitter.com/NickGossNESN/status/857721891959828483

5 p.m.: The red carpet ceremony is about to begin. But first, here are some links to the latest draft rumors. — N.G.

Browns will take Myles Garrett at No. 1 >>

Titans have received offers for No. 5 pick >>

1:05 p.m.: Here’s a very interesting quote from Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Unfortunately for him, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky probably will be the first QB drafted. — N.G. 

1 p.m.: Fans now are being let in to the Ben Franklin Parkway to take on the NFL Draft Experience, which includes cool exhibits, photos with the Lombardi Trophy, tons of food options and much more.

There’s even a band of Eagles fans. — N.G.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTZR8kpA2wo/

Noon ET: The NFL draft is back in Philadelphia after a 56-year hiatus, and more than 100,000 fans are expected to descend upon the Ben Franklin Parkway over the next three days to witness history.

Here’s what the stage looks like.

The first round will take place here Thursday night. As you can see on the left side, the Cleveland Browns will be on the clock first with the No. 1 overall pick.

In the area leading up to the draft stage, every team has a draft video board. For example, this is what the Patriots’ stand looks like.

Keep it right here for news, updates and every pick from the first round. — Nicholas Goss

Full list of first-round picks

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2. Chicago Bears (from San Francisco 49ers): Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
3. San Francisco 49ers (from Chicago Bears): Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5. Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams): Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
6. New York Jets: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
7. Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
8. Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
9. Cincinnati Bengals: John Ross, WR, Washington
10. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo Bills): Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
11. New Orleans Saints: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
12. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns): Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
13. Arizona Cardinals: Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings): Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
15. Indianapolis Colts: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
16. Baltimore Ravens: Marlon Humphrey, DB, Alabama
17. Washington Redskins: Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
18. Tennessee Titans: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
20. Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
21. Detroit Lions: Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
22. Miami Dolphins: Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
23. New York Giants: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
24. Oakland Raiders: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
25. Cleveland Browns (from Houston Texans): Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
26. Atlanta Falcons (from Seattle Seahawks): Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
27. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City Chiefs): Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
28. Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29. Cleveland Browns (from Green Bay Packers): David Njoku, TE, Miami
30. Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin
31. San Francisco 49ers (from Seattle Seahawks): Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
32. New Orleans Saints (from New England Patriots): Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin

Thumbnail photo via Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images

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