Honestly, if you look at the 2017 NFL Draft order, it’s like looking at a map of a completely different universe. It’s the draft that basically broke the brains of every front office in the league. You had teams trading away their entire future for guys who are barely in the league now, while a kid from Texas Tech—who "experts" said was too raw—was just sitting there at number ten.
Most people forget how weird the vibes were heading into Philadelphia that April. Everyone knew Myles Garrett was going first. That was a lock. But after that? Total chaos. The Chicago Bears decided to set their house on fire to move up one single spot. The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans both mortgage their futures to jump into the top 12.
It was a draft defined by desperation. And looking back, that desperation changed the hierarchy of the NFL for the next decade.
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The Top 10: Where Everything Went Off the Rails
Let’s just get into the grit of it. The Cleveland Browns didn’t overthink it at number one. They took Myles Garrett, a freak athlete who actually lived up to the hype. But then things got... questionable.
The Bears traded a haul—a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a future third—to move from No. 3 to No. 2. Why? To draft Mitchell Trubisky. They were terrified someone else was going to jump them for a guy who had only started 13 games at North Carolina. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were just chilling in the green room.
Here is how that top 10 officially shook out:
- Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE (Texas A&M)
- Chicago Bears (via SF): Mitchell Trubisky, QB (North Carolina)
- San Francisco 49ers (via CHI): Solomon Thomas, DE (Stanford)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB (LSU)
- Tennessee Titans (via LAR): Corey Davis, WR (Western Michigan)
- New York Jets: Jamal Adams, S (LSU)
- Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams, WR (Clemson)
- Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey, RB (Stanford)
- Cincinnati Bengals: John Ross, WR (Washington)
- Kansas City Chiefs (via BUF): Patrick Mahomes, QB (Texas Tech)
The Bengals taking John Ross at nine because he ran a 4.22 forty is still one of the "purest" draft moments ever. It’s that classic NFL trap: falling in love with a stopwatch instead of a football player. Ross barely caught 50 passes in his entire career with Cincinnati.
The Mahomes and Watson Trades
If you want to talk about the 2017 NFL Draft order, you have to talk about the trades. Two specific trades basically decided who would win the AFC for the next five years.
First, the Chiefs. They were sitting at 27. They saw Mahomes sliding and realized Buffalo was willing to talk. They gave up their 2017 first, a third, and their 2018 first to move up to 10. People thought they were crazy. "Alex Smith is fine!" they said. Well, Andy Reid wasn't looking for "fine."
Then, two picks later, the Texans did almost the exact same thing. They traded their 25th pick and their 2018 first-rounder to Cleveland to get Deshaun Watson at 12.
Cleveland was the ultimate dealer in this draft. They had three first-round picks by the time the night was over: Garrett at 1, Jabrill Peppers at 25, and David Njoku at 29. They were stacking assets like a Wall Street firm, but they missed the most important asset in the room: a franchise quarterback.
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Round 1: The Rest of the Story
While everyone focuses on the QBs, the middle of the first round was actually loaded with All-Pro talent. It’s sort of wild how much better the 11-32 range was than the top five.
The Saints got Marshon Lattimore at 11 and Ryan Ramczyk at 32. That single draft basically reopened the Super Bowl window for Drew Brees. Then you had the Ravens grabbing Marlon Humphrey at 16—classic Ozzie Newsome pick. Just sitting there, taking the best player available while others reached for wide receivers.
Notable Late First-Rounders
- T.J. Watt (No. 30, Steelers): How did 29 teams let a future Defensive Player of the Year fall to thirty? Especially when his brother was already a legend?
- Tre'Davious White (No. 27, Bills): Buffalo traded back, got an extra first-round pick from the Chiefs, and still got an elite cornerback.
- Evan Engram (No. 23, Giants): A "matchup nightmare" who finally found his groove after leaving New York.
Why the Order Matters Today
When we look back at the 2017 NFL Draft order, it’s a lesson in "Quarterback Tax." The Bears paid it and went bankrupt. The Chiefs paid it and built a dynasty. The Texans paid it and... well, it was a rollercoaster.
It also shows how undervalued certain positions were at the time. Christian McCaffrey at 8 was seen as a "high" pick for a running back, yet he’s been one of the few players in that top 10 to actually justify his slot.
The Steals You Forgot
You can't talk about 2017 without mentioning the middle rounds. This is where the real value was.
- Alvin Kamara: Round 3, Pick 67 (Saints)
- Cooper Kupp: Round 3, Pick 69 (Rams)
- George Kittle: Round 5, Pick 146 (49ers)
- Aaron Jones: Round 5, Pick 182 (Packers)
Think about that. The 49ers got George Kittle in the fifth round. He’s arguably the best tight end of his generation, and he was pick 146. That’s the beauty and the absolute horror of the draft. Nobody actually knows anything.
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The Biggest Misconceptions
People love to say "Everyone knew Mahomes would be great."
That’s a lie.
Go back and read the scouting reports. They called him "erratic," "unrefined," and a "system quarterback" because he played at Texas Tech. If the league knew what he would become, he wouldn't have been there at 10. The 49ers wouldn't have taken Solomon Thomas. The Jaguars wouldn't have taken a running back.
Another myth? That the Browns "won" the draft because they had so many picks. While they got Myles Garrett, they spent the next few years trying to fix the mistake of passing on the QBs in this class. Accumulating picks is only half the battle; you actually have to hit on the guys you take.
How to Use This Knowledge
If you’re a fan trying to understand how your team got to where they are today, the 2017 NFL Draft order is the best place to start.
- Look at the trades: See what your team gave up. Did they mortgage their future for a bust?
- Check the "Missed" list: Every team that took a defensive player in the top 10 has to live with the fact that they could have had Mahomes.
- Evaluate the GMs: Many of the guys who made these picks—like Ryan Pace in Chicago—lost their jobs because of them.
Your Next Step
Go check your team's current roster. How many 2017 draftees are still there? Usually, if a team has more than two players left from a draft eight years ago, it means they absolutely nailed the evaluation. If they have none? That’s probably why they’re still rebuilding.
Want to see how this compares to other years? Take a look at the 2018 class to see how the QB desperation reached a fever pitch after teams saw what Mahomes and Watson did as rookies.
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