Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2017 NFL Mock Draft 7.0: QB or not QB? That is the question for the top 10 picks

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, Chris Burke/Sports Illustrated

You know that old NFL draft saying about how “it only takes one team” to fall in love with a player? The mantra holds especially true for quarterbacks.

Most years—not all—the first selection of a QB sets the wheels in motion for the remainder of Round 1. Teams in need of a quarterback start hunting a little more aggressively to climb the draft order; teams already set at the game’s most important position dangle their draft picks, hoping a desperate general manager will pull the trigger on a trade. When will that opening salvo be fired?

This is the first SI.com 2017 mock draft without a quarterback in the top 10. Unlikely? A bit, but it’s also not that hard to get from point A to point B. Enough talent exists at other positions to push those quarterbacks down.

So, on top of the typical pick-by-pick breakdown, this mock also—with an assist from Hamlet—asks the question: QB, or not QB? In other words, how badly does each team holding a Round 1 selection need a new face under center?

Off we go ...

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