In a shade over 24 hours from the publication of this article, the 2017 NFL draft will get underway, and we’ll finally get some answers after months of speculation. We could very well end up with plenty more questions, but at least we’ll know what the rookie class looks like, and how it fills out most of the 90-man roster.
The 24-hour warning for the draft means we get to hear from NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock. Every year, the night before the draft, Mayock unveils his annual mock draft. It’s not quite the white smoke declaring a new pope, but I suppose it could be a close notch below it!
Mayock is officially unveiling the full mock draft at 5p.m. PT, but in the meantime, he unveiled the first four picks. And considering the 49ers hold the second pick in the draft, that means we get to see what he thinks.
Mayock has Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett off the board first, and then he goes a different route from most mock drafts. He has the San Francisco 49ers selecting LSU safety Jamal Adams. We’ve seen Adams mentioned in other mocks, so while it is not regular occurrence in our mock draft database, it does not qualify as a stunner.
We have heard an assortment of rumors about options at No. 2. Rumors have swirled around Mitchell Trubisky, while most mock drafts continue to slot in Solomon Thomas. Adams is a well-rounded option at safety who by all accounts is among the safest picks in this year’s draft. There is a line of thought that Malik Hooker has more upside as a center-field option, but Adams seems capable of just about any role as a safety.
How would you feel if Jamal Adams ended up as the pick at No. 2?