PHILADELPHIA — The first round of the 2017 NFL Draft was a wild one.
We saw many trades, surprising picks and crazy reactions from the Philadelphia crowd throughout Thursday night.
With the first 32 picks in the books, it’s time to analyze some of the best and worst selections. Here are the most notable steals and reaches of the first round.
STEALS
Jamal Adams, No. 6, New York Jets
Adams might be the best defensive prospect in this class, and he was projected to go No. 2 or No. 3 in most mock drafts. But he surprisingly fell to the Jets, who had an easy decision to make at No. 6. Safety was a huge weakness for New York last season, and its pass defense was poor as a result.
The addition of Adams, who impressed in coverage and as a run-stopper at LSU, should improve the Jets’ pass defense right away.
Reuben Foster, No. 31, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were fortunate to select a key part of Alabama’s march to back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championship Games near the end of Round 1. Foster pursues ball carriers as well as anyone in this class with a quick first step and patience on blocks. He’s also an elite tackler and shows a high football IQ. The 49ers might have found their next leader on defense, similar to what retired linebacker Patrick Willis gave them for many years.
San Francisco also is getting a highly motivated player after almost 30 teams passed on him.
Jonathan Allen, No. 17, Washington Redskins
Allen played an important part of Alabama’s top-five run defense last season as a physical defensive lineman who commands double teams. He also proved to be an effective pass rusher with 8.5 sacks. Allen was projected to be a top 10 pick most of the college football season, so for him to fall to No. 17 is great value for Washington.
REACHES
Mitchell Trubisky, No. 2, Chicago Bears
The Bears gave up a four draft picks, including the No. 3 overall pick, to move up only one spot for a quarterback who started just 13 games at North Carolina. The Bears have a lot of needs, particularly on defense and at wide receiver after Alshon Jeffery left in the offseason in free agency. Instead of filling those roster holes, the Bears surprisingly took a QB when they already signed veteran signal caller Mike Glennon in free agency, and now they also don’t have valuable later-round picks to fill more glaring weaknesses.
Patrick Mahomes, No. 10, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs traded up 17 spots and gave up quality assets to take Mahomes, a player many experts have labeled as a system quarterback who threw for 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns last season because he was part of the Red Raiders’ run-n-gun offense.
Kansas City is in win-now mode with a deep group of running backs, a solid offensive line and one of the league’s best defenses. Unless they think Mahomes can replace starting quarterback Alex Smith in the near future, this pick should’ve been used to draft a player who could make a more immediate impact. Wide receiver was a bigger need for the Chiefs in Round 1.
Kansas City better hope Mahomes doesn’t turn out like the other Red Raiders quarterbacks who put up amazing stats in college but never accomplished much in the pros.
Evan Engram, No. 23, New York Giants
Engram is a big-play, pass-catching tight end, and the Giants offense doesn’t need another explosive weapon with wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Brandon Marshall already in the fold. New York would’ve been better served using its first-round pick to address the holes on the offensive and defensive lines.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
