College Football

NFL Draft 2017: 5 Biggest First Round Steals

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:13 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Joel W. Cade/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

The first round of the 2017 NFL Draft was full of trades and surprises, and a few teams walked away with some big steals.

Three teams traded up for a quarterback in a draft that many experts predicted quarterbacks would fall to the second round. Several projected top ten players fell into the teen and early twenties. Several teams took chances on players they probably should not have.

In the end, every general manager will proudly proclaim they got the players they were targeting all along. But that does not mean they didn't have to do some moving around to get them. Overall, it was a fun night for the NFL.

Much like the day after a wild party binge, NFL teams are now re-examining their draft boards, sharpening their focus and getting back on the saddle for what will be an exciting ride in rounds two and three on Friday night.

The NFL Draft is a crap shoot. Teams spend outrageous amounts of time and money investigating draft picks only to have a roughly 50/50 shot on any given player.

A major factor of player success, outside of hard work and determination, is where players land. If a player is lucky, he will land on a team with a plan on how to use him. A mediocre player can succeed in the right system. Conversely, a great player can fall apart if not used properly.

After the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, here are five players who find themselves in good positions. If they figure it out, they will be first round steals.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Solomon Thomas

Defensive Line, Stanford

The San Francisco 49ers traded their second-round pick to the Chicago Bears. In return they received the Bears first round pick (3), the Bears third round pick (67), fourth round pick (111) and the Bears first round pick in 2018. On top of trading their pick for that haul, they picked the player they wanted all along at number three.

Solomon Thomas is a third-year sophomore from Stanford. His name has been linked to the 49ers for the past few weeks leading up to the draft. His versatility to rush from the edge and from the defensive interior is exactly what the 49ers need moving from a 3-4 base scheme into a 4-3 base scheme.

This is also the third year in a row that the 49ers chose defensive line early in the draft. They chose Arik Armstead in 2015 and DeForest Buckner in 2016. Armstead and Buckner both fit the mold of a 3-4 defensive end.

Moving to a 4-3 they will transition from the 5 technique to a pure defensive end with run responsibilities. Thomas will most likely be kicked inside into a 3 technique which is the key to a 4-3 front and where he excelled at Stanford.

The 49ers improved their defensive line significantly while picking up a major haul of draft picks. The 49ers robbed the Bears blind.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Marshon Lattimore

Cornerback, The Ohio State University

The New Orleans Saints have been in the cornerback market for a while. They flirted with signing New England Patriot Malcolm Butler for a first-round pick. Instead, they exercised patience and allowed the best cornerback to fall to them in the draft. Being patient enough to allow other teams to jump ahead of them for quarterbacks pushed the best cornerback of the draft down to them at eleven.

Marshon Lattimore was the best cornerback in the draft. He played a lot of press man in the Ohio State 4-3 defense. He has the speed and athleticism to do the same thing in the NFL. His lack of game experience, due to being a one year starter, means he will need to continue to develop at the NFL. But he has all the traits to be an All-Pro cornerback early I his career.

The fact that Lattimore fell is a testament to how much the NFL is an offensive league. Teams projected to picks corners, safeties and defensive linemen early decided to take the best available offensive players first banking on the draft being deep enough to push quality defenders down the boards.

The Saints held their water and got the best cornerback in the draft. Lattimore is a steal at pick eleven.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jonathan Allen

Defensive Line, Alabama

It is not a surprise that Jonathan Allen fell in the draft. It is a surprise that he fell all the way to seventeen to the Washington Redskins. The fact that his fall was that significant points to injury concerns about his arthritic shoulders along with schematic concerns that his production may be the result of playing with other great defenders at Alabama.

The Redskins entered the draft looking to significantly upgrade their defense. They accomplished that mission by taking Mike Mayock's second ranked player overall. Allen's free fall is the Redskins gain as he joins a defense that gave up over 350 yards of total offensive, over 100 yards rushing and over 250 yards passing per game last season.

Allen will upgrade the defensive front significantly. He can rush from the edge or the interior. His primary position at Alabama was a defensive end in Alabama's base 3-4 defense. Much like Solomon Thomas, he kicks inside on passing downs to rush the passer. Unlike Thomas, Allen relies more on power than quickness which will make his transition to the NFL a little more adventurous than Thomas.

The Redskins walk away with the second-best player in the draft at pick seventeen. That is the definition of a steal.

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Hooker

Safety, The Ohio State University

The Indianapolis Colts came into the draft looking to upgrade their defense at every level. Before the night was over, they landed the Dane Brugler of NFLDraftscout.com's second overall ranked player.

Malik Hooker has been compared to Ed Reed. Hooker plays the center field safety with outstanding range. He has been projected to be selected in the top ten by most mock drafts. As an athlete, his natural athleticism compares only to Myles Garrett in the draft.

But Hooker was not drafted on athleticism. Hooker's ball skills on the field is what makes him an elite player. He plays with an amazing sideline to sideline range putting him in position to employ his elite ball skills. Once he gets around the ball, he will come down with it. His presence as a center field free safety effectively shuts down opponents' deep passing game.

Hooker is truly a game changer at the position. The fact he fell all the way to fifteen is mind boggling. Yes, there were medical concerns and questions about his toughness, but his talent is simply something teams have to take that chance on.

Hooker solidifies the free safety position for years to come in Indianapolis. Hooker is a steal at pick fifteen.

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

O.J. Howard

Tight End, Alabama

The biggest steal in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft is far and away O.J. Howard. Howard's production at the collegiate level combined with his potential as a receiving threat make him a very dangerous player. He may not be the best player in the draft, but he may end up being the most valuable player in the draft.

O.J. Howard was the cleanest player in the draft. He has excellent character and clean medicals. On top of that he blocks and plays receiver. He is easily one of the top five players in the draft except he does not play a premium position. Howard fell while other teams were taking quarterbacks and edge rushers. Had he played a premium position, Howard would have been taken very high.

Howard is a unique talent in that he blocks effectively as a Y tight end. He is one of the few players who effectively blocked Myles Garrett last season. His blocking skills are what makes him elite. He can play the F tight end as the mismatch receiver outside. He need to develop as a receiving tight end. But his speed and size make him an easy projection in that area.

The combination of receiving and blocking make O.J. Howard a very dangerous tight end. He is a complete tight end, and at pick nineteen, O.J. Howard is the steal of the draft.

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