The Cleveland Browns haven't won a game. Three teams (Bears, Panthers, 49ers) have just one win. Three more teams (Saints, Jets, Jaguars) have just two. That's seven teams all but eliminated from the playoff race at the midway point of the season. For those teams, and many others, it's draft season, and both fans and front office personnel will be watching to see where the 2017 NFL draft is weak and where it's strong.
We'll get into that today—looking at the strengths and weaknesses of this class—and much more.
Here's what's below:
The next J.J. Watt
Updated mock draft
NFL trade deadline thoughts
Names to know, injury updates
...and an interview with an anonymous NFC scout
The Scout's Report
—Jonathan Allen destroyed the Texas A&M offensive line in last weekend's matchup, pushing his name into the national spotlight. As a 5-technique defensive end, Allen reminds me of J.J. Watt with his athleticism and playing style. That doesn't mean he'll become an All-World defender like Watt, but the potential is there. Allen has always been a top-five player in this class, but now the football world is seeing just how dominant he is.
—UCLA's Josh Rosen missed Saturday's game against Utah with a nerve injury in his shoulder, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, but scouts I've talked to are already raving about the true sophomore's NFL potential. Multiple NFL scouts said Rosen would be the No. 1 quarterback in this draft if he were eligible to enter. Unfortunately, The Rosen One isn't eligible until 2018.
—Where will Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett be drafted? The top five seems like a lock, and one general manager I spoke to this week said his team would have "no decision" if they were on the clock and Garrett's name was on the board.
—Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly might want to stop talking to the media. This week in an interview with The MMQB's Emily Kaplan (h/t NFL.com), Kelly was asked why NFL teams should draft him. His answer? Because of his swag. No, Chad. Just no.
—"Move this dude up from wherever you have him—Haason Reddick. Memphis tape is elite." That's what one scout sent to me during the week after viewing Reddick live against Memphis. The Temple linebacker doesn't have great size for the edge (6'1", 220 lbs), but his bend and motor are impressive. He's in Round 3 for me currently.
—Jim Harbaugh predicted this week that Michigan would have "double-digit" players drafted (h/t NFL.com) in the 2017 class. I agree. In fact, nine Wolverines are already ranked in my early top 100. They are (in order): Jabrill Peppers, Jourdan Lewis, Jake Butt, Erik Magnuson, Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley, Jehu Chesson, Mason Cole and Amara Darboh.
—Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy was on the verge of being in my top 50 prospects when I updated the list, but a torn pectoral muscle is ending his season. Cichy may still enter the draft as a redshirt junior, but it's more likely he returns to school for the 2017 season and carries a Round 1 grade into the fall.
5 Names to Know
5. QB Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech
Patrick Mahomes is a big name, one you probably know, but it's time to get to know him as a draft prospect. Mahomes has the biggest arm in college football—in fact, one of the strongest arms I've ever seen—and is athletic enough to make plays outside the pocket.
The downside is that he's playing in a Texas Tech scheme that has never produced a solid NFL quarterback, and he's playing with a supporting cast that wouldn't have one starter at Alabama, Ohio State or even Texas.
Mahomes is asked to do a lot with very little. He won't be NFL-ready right out of the gate, but if Jared Goff can be the No. 1 overall pick out of the "Bear Raid" offense, then we should all keep our eyes open with Mahomes and the "Air Raid" he runs at Tech.
4. EDGE Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss
Marquis Haynes may not have a natural position in some NFL schemes—he's 6'2", 222 pounds—but for those with a 4-3 scheme, he's an ideal fit as a strong-side linebacker. Teams that prioritize speed and power and would like a little additional pass rush from the linebacker corps should see Haynes as a Round 2-3 player with stock on the rise.
3. SS/LB Josh Harvey-Clemons, Louisville
The Deone Bucannon experiment—taking a college safety and making him a linebacker—is having just average success right now in the NFL in Arizona, but that won't stop other teams from trying the same thing. If so, Josh Harvey-Clemons is an interesting fit in the hybrid money 'backer role.
At 6'4" and almost 230 pounds, Harvey-Clemons comes downhill with bad intentions. He can fly in space, too, but he might have limited hips to stick as a strong safety in the pros. But playing linebacker on third down could be where he has the most natural fit.
2. EDGE Ejuan Price, Pitt
What do you do with an eye-opening edge-rusher who doesn't meet the NFL's metric requirements? You find a place for him. At least that's what I would do.
Ejuan Price is only 5'11" but has a stocky, powerful 250-pound frame. He's also posted 11 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 20 hurries this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He has generated those numbers with surprising play power and a good shoulder dip that has Price eating up the competition.
1. T Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin
The search for the top offensive tackle in this class may have finally ended—if junior Ryan Ramczyk declares.
A natural at the position, Ramczyk has allowed zero sacks in the games I've charted this season and didn't allow any quarterback hits in the five games I saw. He isn't a great athlete, but he's a good one with the length, power and timing to be a Day 1 player for an NFL team. I'm still deciding on where to slot him in a need vs. value draft, but he looks like a Round 1 prospect.
3 Questions with: an Anonymous NFC Scout
Each week I'll ask three questions to an NFL draft prospect, current player, agent or current scout. This week, I spoke with an anonymous NFC scout about the quarterback class, Leonard Fournette and where to play Jabrill Peppers.
Bleacher Report: What's the deal with this QB class? Are there any good players out there or a ton of them? Everyone seems torn.
Scout: How could anyone be torn on this quarterback class, Matt? Let me just be blunt—it sucks. You guys anointed [DeShone] Kizer way too soon. [Deshaun] Watson's touch is really bad down the field. [Brad] Kaaya is [Teddy] Bridgewater 2.0. I don't want any of these quarterbacks in the top 10 picks. But of course one of them will go early. You should probably go ahead and put Kizer there because the Browns are going to panic and draft him based on size and athleticism. But they shouldn't. It's just not a good class.
B/R: We've talked before about Leonard Fournette, but what did you think of his game Saturday?
Scout: Best f--king running back in the country. Period.
He's rare. I can't remember seeing anyone like him recently. Maybe since AD [Adrian Peterson]. Todd Gurley was close physically but had the injury and didn't run as mean. Zeke [Elliott] was maybe a more complete back because of the things he could do as a receiver, but he's nowhere close to what Fournette is as an athlete.
B/R: Jabrill Peppers is getting some Heisman love right now. Where do you play him in the NFL?
Scout: Can I line him up at running back? Only half-joking there. I don't think he's a natural enough mover to play at cornerback. The NFL will eat him alive with double moves and the quickness of the position. Guys in the pros get open off press coverage with their feet—imagine him trying to jam and turn with Antonio Brown. It ain't happening.
The best place is probably free safety, where you get his instincts and ball skills and don't ask him to lock up speedy, shifty receivers in man coverage. He's a damn good player, but he doesn't jump out to you at any one position.
The Big Board
Week 8 approaches, which is when I tear up my big board rankings each season and start completely from scratch. As that process unfolds, this is a great time to post a new mock draft and then a full top 50 next week.
Parting Shots
Last week, I led this part of the column with thoughts on the top four quarterback prospects in the country and why I liked each one. This week, the flip side: why I'm low on each of the big four. Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer and Brad Kaaya all have impressive talents, but where do they need work?
10. Why I'm low on Deshaun Watson
Deep accuracy has been an issue for Watson going on two seasons now. Charting his tape, you see a lot of quick-hitters and timing-based completions, but when he has to lay the ball out deep, there are misses and more turnovers than you'd like from a top-tier quarterback.
I also haven't seen the development from Watson that was expected this year. Perhaps that's unfair—to judge a player based on my expectation of his development—but he's not taken the next step despite getting wide receiver Mike Williams back and losing no key players from last year's dominant offense.
Watson may still be a top-five pick in this draft, but he needs to finish strong with one more month of football.
9. Why I'm low on Mitch Trubisky
Trubisky has just a handful of starts under his belt after sitting for two seasons at UNC. The redshirt junior still has time to develop, but if we're talking about the 2017 NFL draft, he would enter with a small sample size working in his favor.
The NFL has moved past the idea that the top quarterbacks should be seniors—even if former seniors Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott look pretty damn good right now—and is more accepting of quarterbacks with fewer starts, but Trubisky would be a huge bet on upside at this stage.
I like Trubisky's upside as much as any quarterback's in this class, but it's too soon to know if this streak he's on can last. He looks like a 6'3" Wentz to me, and he's only thrown 200 passes fewer than Wentz did in his career, but betting a high first-rounder on so few throws is a gamble.
8. Why I'm low on DeShone Kizer
The ceiling on Kizer is amazingly high, but where is the floor? We might not have seen it yet. Maybe the benching against Stanford was the bottom, but Kizer is going backward instead of forward throughout this season.
Some of that blame goes to Brian Kelly and his poor handling of the Notre Dame offense this year. Some of it is the product of the top three wide receivers from last year not being on the team anymore. And losing both Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin on the offensive line hurts too, but Kizer needs to step up. That starts by making better decisions from the pocket and not staring down his targets.
7. Why I'm low on Brad Kaaya
The bad habits formed playing behind an awful offensive line can be tough to iron out. That's where I'm at right now with Kaaya. The athletic, back-foot throws he makes with defenders in his face are heroic and display his toughness, but they lead to sailing balls and errant passes.
Can an NFL offensive coordinator fix that? Good ones can, and Kaaya is smart enough to adapt, but will he be too beaten up by the time he gets to the NFL to reach his potential? That might push the Miami junior into the draft one year early instead of staying for another season of development under Mark Richt.
6. ESPN's Adam Schefter shared an ominous quote about quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in his weekly notebook. If you're a Vikings fan, this info gives you pause about the future.
"If he didn't make it back, it wouldn't surprise me," one doctor who has worked with NFL teams said last week, echoing the sentiment of other medical officials in and outside the league. "This is a bad injury, about the worst knee injury a player can have."
What's more telling is that the report goes on to say that Bridgewater's injury isn't as bad as Marcus Lattimore's or Robert Edwards' because Bridgewater didn't suffer nerve damage. Remember that Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith did suffer a stretched nerve and there has been no update on his status.
I have no news on how well Bridgewater is doing in rehab, and I'm not qualified to question the opinion of a doctor, but this seems like a case of hyperbole to say it wouldn't be shocking if Bridgewater never made it back. It's also a stretch to say this knee injury is "the worst knee injury a player can have" when the same injury with nerve damage is undoubtedly worse.
5. Last week, I shared an interesting story from The MMQB's Peter King about backstage access to the Indianapolis Colts preseason scouts' meeting. This week, ESPN gave us another look behind the curtain, this time chronicling the Sam Bradford trade through the words of general managers Howie Roseman and Rick Spielman.
If you're a nerd about team-building like I am, this stuff is as good as it gets. Rarely do we get the chance to see how the sausage is made, so take advantage of every opportunity out there to learn about the reasons for trades and the process of how they are completed.
4. Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke asked me to help out with an article he was writing this past week on why draft analysts all missed on the 2016 quarterback class—at least off early reviews—and how that would change the evaluation process moving forward.
Burke is one of the best football writers I know, and this would be worth sharing if he didn't ask for my opinion. Draft fans who want to learn as much as possible about scouting should make time to read this.
3. The NFL trade deadline approaches—November 1 at 4 p.m. ET—and there isn't a ton of buzz about potential deals. Yet. That will likely start Monday morning.
Which players could and should be moving? Here's my list of players I expect to be on the block. Some may not be moved due to the asking price or salaries they bring with them, so don't look for every player listed to be traded. But if you're a GM who is calling about making a move, these players should be available:
2. Where does the strength of the 2017 draft class reside? Taking into account juniors and redshirt sophomores who are expected to declare, this class looks stacked at a few positions.
Running backs: Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook highlight a loaded group at running back, with both carrying a first-round grade. The depth here is tremendous too. Joe Mixon, D'Onta Foreman, Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey, Samaje Perine and Royce Freeman all look like potential Day 2 picks.
Tight ends: After a few seasons of poor tight end quality, the 2017 class gives us a rebound. O.J. Howard is a legit Round 1 player, and behind him Jake Butt, Bucky Hodges, Evan Engram and Jordan Leggett are all quality Day 2 picks.
Edge-rushers: Myles Garrett may be the top pick in the draft come April, but the depth here is tremendous as well. Alabama's duo (Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson) could easily go in the top 40. Tennessee has a potential top-15 pick in Derek Barnett. You can't overlook SEC stars Carl Lawson and Charles Harris either. Out west, Solomon Thomas and Takkarist McKinley look like first-rounders as well.
Cornerbacks: Five cornerbacks are in my top 32 players—Quincy Wilson, Gareon Conley, Teez Tabor, Marlon Humphrey and Marshon Lattimore. Right behind them are Jourdan Lewis, Sidney Jones and Desmond King. We could see eight cornerbacks go in the top 40 picks.
Safeties: This is an unusually good safety class. Last year, I had two safeties with Round 1 grades—Karl Joseph and Keanu Neal. This year, I have four—Jabrill Peppers, Jamal Adams, Malik Hooker and Justin Evans. And outside the top 32, guys such as Marcus Allen and Marcus Williams are lighting up offenses and making a case for premium-pick status.
1. Every draft class is weak in at least a few spots. Looking at this year's crop, where will teams be hunting for steals in weak groups?
Franchise quarterbacks: Where are the studs? Last year at this time, Goff had already established himself as the top quarterback in the country, and Wentz had considerable Round 1 buzz building. This year? No one can agree on a top quarterback among the Big Four underclassmen.
Wide receivers: Outside of Mike Williams at Clemson, no wide receiver looks like a lock to be drafted on the first day. JuJu Smith-Schuster at USC is emerging after a poor start, and I do like Isaiah Ford at Virginia Tech, but after seeing six receivers drafted in the top 50 last year, we could realistically see three or four this time around.
Offensive tackles: Two tackles—Ramczyk and Cam Robinson—are in my top 32 right now, but I don't feel great about either one. Ramczyk is still raw and may not even enter the draft. Robinson is a bit of a headache off the field and has struggled to match speed on the field. He's likely an NFL right tackle.
Defensive tackles: Jonathan Allen is a stud and should be a top-five pick, but after him there's a huge drop-off to Michigan State's Malik McDowell. Even with McDowell, you can question his on-field growth potential and off-field maturity. Other than those two, there isn't one defensive tackle who currently carries a Round 1 grade.
Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report.