Looking back at the best 3 and worst 3 picks of the 2017 NFL Draft

Editor’s note: In conjunction with the Trib’s coverage leading up to Thursday’s NFL Draft, we’ll look back at the three best and three worst picks of each draft over the past five years.

It’s much too early, of course, to pass final judgment on the 2017 draft less than 24 months after it took place. But that doesn’t mean conclusions can’t be drawn.

For instance, if Patrick Mahomes never plays another down in the league, that he won the league MVP award in his first full season on the field qualifies the Kansas City Chiefs for having made a good decision when they traded up for the No. 10 pick.

Similarly, while there’s still plenty of time for John Ross to redeem himself and stake out a solid career as a speedy wideout, it’s safe to say at this point that if the Cincinnati Bengals were offered a re-do with the eighth overall pick, they’d go a different direction.

An early look back at the 2017 draft:

Three best

1. Patrick Mahomes

QB, 10th overall, Chiefs

After a year of sitting behind veteran Alex Smith, Mahomes took the NFL by storm last season and is a prime candidate to take over the unofficial mantle of “Face of the League” when Tom Brady eventually retires.

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2. Marshon Lattimore

CB, 11th overall, Saints

New Orleans had some dreadful defenses as part of 7-9 teams from 2014-16. Lattimore wasn’t the lone reason things turned into a top-10 unit upon his arrival, but it’s not a total coincidence, either. He has helped the team go 24-8 his first two seasons.

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3. Deshaun Watson

QB, 12th overall, Texans

Bill O’Brien’s Texans had been stuck in the just-above-average range for too long almost solely because they were missing a good quarterback. Watson changed that, and with him as a franchise QB, they are a fringe Super Bowl contender.

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Three worst

1. John Ross

WR, 8th overall, Bengals

The Bengals clearly were smitten with Ross’ speed (to be fair, many were after he blazed his 40-yard dash at the combine). But Ross had zero catches in an injury-riddled rookie season. He finished with just 21 catches over 13 games in 2018.

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2. DeShone Kizer

QB, 52nd overall, Browns

Yes, Kizer started as a rookie and his career isn’t over. Plus, he wasn’t even a first-round pick. But his selection looks worse for Cleveland when considering all the team’s moves that day. Coming off a 1-15 season (they went 0-16 with Kizer as the primary starter the next year), the Browns kept trading down — and a pick they owned at one point turned into Watson.

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3. Solomon Thomas

DE, 3rd overall, 49ers

Thomas still is 23 and has been a two-year starter. So his arrow might still be pointing up. But a No. 3 overall pick should be a no-brainer, no-doubt star by now to be considered a success. Thomas has four sacks in 30 games.

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