Six bold predictions for the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft

Get the stats for Sportsnet.ca's top 5 NFL prospects.

The NFL draft is upon us, and as always the one thing we know for sure is that there’ll be surprises.

Last year nobody could have guessed that Laremy Tunsil would drop all the way to No. 13 when video of him smoking from a bong was leaked during the draft to sabotage him.

Although I don’t expect any extortion in the first round in 2017, I do expect the primetime reality show that is the draft to be full of surprises. Here are my bold predictions for the kickoff of the NFL Draft in Philadelphia.

Houston gets a QB
The Houston Texans have a championship defence and are in win-now mode. But they still badly need a signal-caller after Tony Romo’s sudden retirement threw a wrench in their plans.

It would be a gamble to assume Deshaun Watson will fall to them at No. 25, but make no mistake — the Texans will end the day with a QB.

If Bill O’Brien can’t convince his former boss to trade him Jimmy Garoppolo, he’ll have to get aggressive in the draft. Expect Houston to be one of the teams trying to move up to get a QB.

[relatedlinks]

Peppers falls out of the first round
By now you know Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers tested positive for a diluted urine sample. A spokesperson said Peppers was sick and being pumped with fluids to compete with linebackers and DBs at the NFL combine, but the result has raised eyebrows nonetheless.

What made him special in college was his electric return ability and the fact he played 100 snaps a game.

But he wasn’t a special defender. Peppers currently lacks the range to be a safety, the ball skills to be a corner and is too small to play linebacker.

As it is he’s the seventh-ranked safety by Scouts Inc. Now he’s going to be in the drug program and will be tested randomly year-round. One positive test will mean he misses games. That, combined with his lack of obvious NFL position, will be enough to move him down draft boards.

After the first, a team like the Dallas Cowboys could take a chance on him. Why? Because they love reclamation projects and desperately need secondary help, and because Jerry Jones’s track record proves he doesn’t believe in character issues.

Six corners among the first 32 picks
First, most NFL teams these days play the majority of their snaps in the nickel to match up with spread offences, which means base defence calls for three corners. Second, the 2017 cornerback class is really deep.

The intersection of these two factors means corners will be flying off the board early and often. Don’t be surprised if we see six cornerbacks go in the first round with Marshon Lattimore going as high as No. 3 to Chicago.

Rounding out the group would be USC’s Adoree’ Jackson, who is in play with both Seattle and former Trojans coach Pete Carroll at No. 26 (as a possible Richard Sherman replacement) and New Orleans at No. 32 (assuming they don’t trade for Malcolm Butler).

 
Assessing the 2017 NFL Draft with Tiki Barber
April 27 2017

Three receivers in the top 15
Last year Will Fuller was the first receiver off the board at 21. But in 2015, Amari Cooper (4), Kevin White (7) and DeVante Parker (14) made it three receivers in the top 15.

Expect a year more like the latter.

The first receiver off the board will be Mike Williams of Clemson, who had 98 receptions and 11 TDs last season. More importantly, he made big play after big play in the national championship game against one of the best Alabama defensive units Nick Saban has ever had.

John Ross jumped up draft boards when he ran a 4.22 40-yard dash at the combine. Not just a workout warrior, he was productive with 81 receptions and 17 touchdowns catches last season.

The lesser known of the group is Corey Davis, who is the FBS all-time leader in receiving yards with 5,285 and a consensus all-American at Western Michigan. Davis put up at least 1,400 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons and is the only player with 300 receptions, 5,000 receiving yards and 50 receiving TDs in FBS history.

These guys are all true No. 1 receivers. Davis has the biggest chance to slip as he’s recovering from a high ankle sprain, but they’ll all be great players.

Because of the constant injury issues with Sammy Watkins, don’t be surprised if the Buffalo Bills get in on the receiver action when they pick at No. 10.

Trubisky falls, Watson rises
Mitch Trubisky will not be the first-overall pick — in fact, he won’t even be the first QB taken. He’s actually going to drop behind Deshaun Watson in the draft order.

Cleveland owns the No. 1 pick and is rumoured to be very interested in Trubisky. But the fact that he is a Browns fan from Ohio is not reason enough for the QB-starved team to draft him first overall. He showed promise in 2016, but still has just 13 starts under his belt.

Meanwhile, Watson was a far better player for far longer in the same conference and should be waiting in the green room for a far shorter length of time than Trubisky.

I wouldn’t even be surprised if Patrick Mahomes jumps up to be the second QB taken, even with the Browns picking again at No. 12.

Jets draft a tight end early
The New York Jets will draft a tight end. The preferred scenario would be to move down and stockpile picks, but if they can’t they’ll shock the world and get a TE at No. 6. Yes, that is high for a tight end but the new-age tight end is really just another receiver who plays in the slot.

The Jets are desperate at the position because they’ve gotten just 26 receptions, 268 yards and one touchdown out of their tight ends the last two seasons combined. O.J. Howard of Alabama is the best tight end in the draft and should be packing his bags right now to head to the Big Apple.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.