NFL drafts are usually remembered for one or two big names. Maybe a massive bust here, a late-round gem there. But the 2017 NFL draft first round? Honestly, it’s basically the blueprint for how the modern league was built. It gave us the greatest quarterback of a generation, a handful of Hall of Fame-track defenders, and one of the most widely mocked trades in the history of sports.
If you were a Chicago Bears fan on April 27, 2017, you probably remember the confusion. The Bears traded up exactly one spot—from No. 3 to No. 2—to grab Mitchell Trubisky. They gave up a third-round pick, a fourth-rounder, and a future third-rounder just to move up three feet. Meanwhile, a guy named Patrick Mahomes was sitting there. So was Deshaun Watson.
It’s easy to play "Monday Morning Quarterback" years later, but even at the time, people were scratching their heads. Mahomes was viewed as a "project" with a big arm from a "gimmick" offense at Texas Tech. Watson had just won a National Championship but had some scouts worried about his velocity.
The Top 10: High Stakes and Heartbreak
The first ten picks of the 2017 NFL draft first round are a wild mix of "nailed it" and "what were they thinking?"
- Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett (DE, Texas A&M) – No brainer. He’s been exactly what they wanted: a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
- Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky (QB, North Carolina) – The trade that launched a thousand memes. Trubisky wasn't terrible, but when you're picked over Mahomes, "not terrible" is a death sentence.
- San Francisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas (DE, Stanford) – This is the one that actually hurt the Niners more than people realize. He never turned into the pass-rushing force they expected.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette (RB, LSU) – He helped them get to an AFC Championship game, but taking a running back at 4 is a tough pill to swallow in the modern NFL.
- Tennessee Titans: Corey Davis (WR, Western Michigan) – Solid player, but never the "Alpha" receiver you want in the top 5.
- New York Jets: Jamal Adams (S, LSU) – He was incredible for a few years before the relationship soured. Still, the Jets turned him into a haul of picks later, so they technically won twice.
- Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams (WR, Clemson) – A contested-catch king who has stayed productive when healthy.
- Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey (RB, Stanford) – Some critics gave this a "D" grade because he was a "small" running back. Yeah, he basically broke the league's yardage records instead.
- Cincinnati Bengals: John Ross (WR, Washington) – He ran a 4.22 at the combine. He didn't do much else in the NFL. Speed isn't everything.
- Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes (QB, Texas Tech) – The Bills traded this pick to the Chiefs. Imagine being a Buffalo fan and watching Mahomes win three Super Bowls while thinking, "We could've had him." (At least they got Josh Allen a year later).
Why the Quarterback Order Flipped the Script
Basically, the league's hierarchy shifted that night. If the Browns or Niners had taken Mahomes, the Chiefs' dynasty wouldn't exist. It's weird to think about. Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith for a year, which was probably the best thing for him. Trubisky was thrown into the fire with a coaching staff that didn't seem to know how to use him. Environment matters just as much as talent.
The Steals of the Late First Round
The back half of the 2017 NFL draft first round might actually be better than the front half. Usually, the talent drops off after pick 15. Not this year.
New Orleans basically built a contender in one night. They grabbed Marshon Lattimore at 11 and Ryan Ramczyk at 32. Those two guys anchored their defense and offense for half a decade. But the real "how did he fall that far?" award goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
T.J. Watt went 30th overall. Thirty. 29 teams looked at a guy with that last name and that production and said, "Nah, we're good." Taco Charlton went before him. Takkarist McKinley went before him. Watt has since become one of the most dominant defensive forces in history.
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The McCaffrey Factor: Changing the Value of RBs
Christian McCaffrey at No. 8 was controversial. At the time, the "analytics" crowd was starting to scream that you should never take a running back in the first round. "Run CMC" proved that if the back is actually a high-end slot receiver in disguise, the rules change.
The Panthers used him as their entire offense. Then, the 49ers traded for him and he became the engine of a Super Bowl team. He didn't just run the ball; he forced defenses to treat him like a WR1. Looking back, he was one of the few players in that class who lived up to the "generational" label.
Notable Names You Forgot Were First Rounders
- Tre'Davious White (27th): Became a shutdown corner for the Bills.
- Evan Engram (23rd): A polarizing tight end who finally found his groove in Jacksonville later on.
- Marlon Humphrey (16th): One of the most consistent corners in the league for Baltimore.
- David Njoku (29th): Took a few years to cook, but became a beast for Cleveland.
The Long-Term Fallout
When we look at the 2017 NFL draft first round, we see the moment the "mobile, big-armed QB" became the gold standard. Before Mahomes and Watson, there was still a lot of love for the "pro-style" pocket passer (which is why Trubisky was valued).
This draft also reinforced the idea that picking for "traits" (like John Ross's speed or Solomon Thomas's "motor") over "production" is a dangerous game. The guys who produced in college—Garrett, McCaffrey, Watt, Lattimore—mostly translated. The guys who were "projections" mostly struggled.
What You Can Learn From This Class
If you're a fan of a team looking for a savior, remember that the "consensus" is often wrong. The draft experts at the time mostly liked the Trubisky pick for Chicago. They worried Mahomes was too "wild."
Actionable Insights for Following Future Drafts:
- Watch the trades: The Chiefs and Texans both gave up future first-rounders to move up for their QBs. If a team is willing to bet the future on a guy, they usually see something the public doesn't.
- Productivity over Combine: T.J. Watt had the stats. Mahomes had the stats. McCaffrey had the stats. Don't let a "disappointing" 40-yard dash or a weird "system" scare you off a player who actually plays football well.
- Position Value is Real: Even though McCaffrey is great, the Panthers struggled to win with him because they lacked a QB. You can't build from the outside in; you have to get the quarterback right first.
If you really want to understand why your team is where it is right now, go back and look at who they took in 2017. Most of these players are now in their prime or nearing the end of it. The teams that hit—like the Chiefs or the Saints—spent years at the top. The teams that missed are likely still trying to find their way out of the basement.