top of page

NFL Draft Blunders: Top 5 Misses from the 2017 1st Round

Writer's picture: Ryan MobleyRyan Mobley

Before we get into the list I must acknowledge that yes, we are just 6 years removed from this class. There is plenty of "Bounce Back" time for the names on this list, most of which are still in the league. This is simply a fun look-back exercise to get the mind ready for the draft in two months. That being said here is a list of some of the biggest whiffs in the 1st round of the 2017 NFL Draft.


* Photo Credit: Mark Konezny | Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports



#5 John Ross / Washington Huskies


Draft Pick: 9th Overall / Cincinnati Bengals


John Ross flew up draft boards after running the fastest ever 40 yard dash in combine history (4.22). The Bengals rolled the dice and took him 9th overall in 2017 and the production they got was abysmal. Ross has struggled to stay on the field his entire career, appearing in just 37 games in his first 5 seasons. His most productive year came in 2019 where he played just 8 games, racking up 506 yards on 28 catches with 3 TD’s. The first two rounds of this WR class in general were completely lackluster, but Ross at 9 directly in front of 4 straight pro-bowlers is a tough pill for Cincy to swallow. He is currently signed to a future contract with the Chiefs but has not appeared in a game in 2022 after injuring his knee again in 2021. When the dust settles Ross might be a little lower on this list, we'll have to wait and see if the injury bug sticks with him in Kansas City.




#4 Gareon Conley / Ohio State


Draft Pick: 24th Overall / Oakland Raiders


The cornerback position and the Raiders just haven’t seen eye to eye in what seems like decades as this is one of the many whiffs at the position in recent drafts. Conley struggled from the get go to stay on the field, fracturing his Tibia (Shin) in minicamp of 2017. He ended up appearing in just two games his rookie season before missing the rest of the year due to re-aggravating that same leg. He got his shot the next year in Oakland, starting in 14 games for the Raiders, allowing just north of 500 yards and 4 TD’s. Conley did have 3 picks that year including a pick-six against Cleveland in a 45-42 Raiders victory. He was traded the following year after week 6 to the Texans in exchange for a 3rd round pick. He started two games in the playoffs for the Texans who eventually lost 51-31 against the Chiefs in the divisional round. Conley’s option was declined the following season; he’s been out of the league since, dealing with multiple ankle surgeries.



#3 OJ Howard / Alabama


Draft Pick: 19th Overall / Tampa Bay Buccaneers



For the record I still really want OJ Howard to work out, but the experiment seems to be dead. OJ’s production is slightly better than a few players who were left off this list but considering he was a top 20 pick as a tight end and hasn’t seen a season with more than 36 catches.. hard to leave him off the “blunders” category. The painful part of this one is how highly touted he was as a prospect, with elite athletic scores coming out of college and a 6’6 246 pound frame to go along with it. From a receiving perspective many scouts were nearing “can’t miss” territory. Boy did he miss. Through 5 years in Tampa Bay he appeared in 59 games, with 119 receptions and 1,737 yards. Those numbers are good for just about 2 catches and 30 yards per game. Since leaving the Bucs he’s bounced around from the Bills practice squad to the Texans TE2, appearing in 13 games this year and racking up 145 yards. OJ just never lived up to the immaculate hype, and being that it came at a premium pick at what many consider a non-premium position, he cracks the list.



#2 Taco Charlton / Michigan


Draft Pick: 28th Overall / Dallas Cowboys


Boy was I ready for the Taco content. The sting of this pick has slightly deteriorated since Micah Parsons arrival, but Cowboys fans were bamboozled by then D-Coordinator Rod Marinelli. The thing is most analysts were stunned when he went in the 1st round. You look back at all these scouting reports and see "Slow for the position" constantly. Marinelli was apparently instrumental in bringing in Charlton although many had him as a mid-late 2nd round pick as a project. Taco started just 7 games for the Cowboys in his brief 2 year (and some change) stint year with the team. In the 27 games he appeared in for Dallas he recorded just 4 total sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 8 tackles for loss. To make things worse TJ Watt was taken just two picks later by the Steelers and we all know how that has turned out. Taco has officially been on 5 teams since 2019. He was most recently signed by the Jaguars in January of 2023, sadly I don’t think a comeback tour is on the horizon.



#1A Solomon Thomas / Stanford

#1B Reuben Foster / Alabama


Draft Picks: 3rd Overall || 31st Overall / San Francisco 49ers


I wrote this blog with intention, mainly to highlight possibly one of the worst 1st round draft performances for a new HC/GM duo. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan couldn’t have had any worse of a start to their tenure as they selected Stanford standout Solomon Thomas at #3 overall and then doubled down on defense at pick #31 with Reuben Foster. Thomas had a unique scenario regarding this list of players as he started a ton early on and just couldn’t produce. In the first two years of his career with San Francisco Thomas started in 25 out of 30 games and had very little to show for it.


He somehow had a missed tackle % of 16.2% his 2nd year in the league. Hindsight is 20/20 when considering how many holes were on this roster in 2017, after scrolling down that draft board, it's heartbreaking to look at some of the pieces San Francisco could’ve added instead of Thomas. He eventually spent 4 years with the 49ers, totaling 6 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. Ironically enough his most productive year came in 2021 with the Raiders. At least we’ll always have that clip of Nick Bosa teaching him technique on the sideline of a game in 2019.


Reuben Foster was on the top 10 of a lot of teams' big boards talent wise, but off the field issues were a major concern and his draft stock took a turn for the worst because of those concerns. The 49ers took the bait at pick #31 and most fans were ecstatic at the potential talent level that had just fallen to them. After rehabbing from a torn rotator cuff just before the draft, Foster had a great 10 game stretch for SF in his rookie season, finishing 3rd in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. If anyone here is into PFF grades, they gave Reuben Foster an overall 81.2 grade for his rookie campaign. Sadly the off the field issues made their way into his professional career as he was arrested multiple times in 2018, most notably for a domestic violence charge in April of 2018. The 49ers ended up releasing their first round pick just 19 months after selecting him 31st overall. Thank goodness they selected George Kittle in the 5th and DJ Jones in the 6th, outside of those two this year had the potential to be one of the worst classes of all time (Shoutout Jon Gruden).


Side note, Foster just signed a deal to play for the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL.


* Find us on Twitter @TheUpsidePlay and let us know who we missed.

* Also, this list of Mel Kiper's final Big Board heading into the draft is hilarious



- Ryan Mobley / Upside Play

82 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentários


Follow Us:

  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Subscribe:

Thanks for submitting!

bottom of page