PASS OR FAIL?
The Post’s Mark Cannizzaro breaks down how all 32 NFL teams fared during this year’s draft in Philly
The 2017 NFL draft always will be remembered by the aggressive maneuvering for its quarterbacks.
The Bears stunned everyone by trading their No. 3 overall pick to the 49ers at No. 2 to land North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. In all, three teams traded up to land quarterbacks, with the Chiefs moving from 27 to 10 for Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and the Texans moving from 25 to 12 for Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.
And all of this occurred with the Browns, holding the No. 1 pick and perennial quarterback issues, resisting the urge to reach for one of the top quarterback prospects. Only time will tell if the Browns were too cautious, or the Bears, Chiefs or Texans too anxious.
Here is a look at The Post’s team-by-team draft analysis:
AFC EAST
BUFFALO BILLS They traded down in the first round from No. 10 to 27 to acquire more picks (a 2018 first-rounder and 2017 third-rounder) and still addressed their three biggest needs — secondary, receiver and tackle. They lost CB Stephon Gilmore, WR Robert Woods and OL Zach Brown to free agency, and they addressed CB in the first round with LSU’s Tre’Davious White, WR in the second round with East Carolina’s Zay Jones and a tackle in the third round with Temple’s Dion Dawkins. MIAMI DOLPHINS The Dolphins made a strong position stronger, taking Missouri DE Charles Harris in the first round and Ohio State LB Raekwon McMillan in the second. Harris is versatile and should help in sub packages as a pass rusher. He led Missouri with nine sacks last season and 28 quarterback knockdowns. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Fortunately, they don’t have a ton of needs, because they had no first- or second-round picks. In the third round, the Patriots went small school, picking Youngstown State DE Derek Rivers and Troy OT Antonio Garcia. Rivers had 41 career sacks at Youngstown, but faces a large leap in level of competition. Garcia is considered a project LT prospect. NEW YORK JETS Their eyes lit up as the first-round board unfolded and LSU safety Jamal Adams (above) fell into their lap. Adams, a solid playmaker, might end up being the locker-room leader the rudderless Jets desperately need once he starts playing and producing. They went safety again in the second round with Florida’s Marcus
Maye, a productive player the Jets targeted throughout the process.
AFC NORTH
BALTIMORE RAVENS With four picks in the top 78, the Ravens didn’t address their biggest need — the void left by the retirement of WR Steve Smith Sr. They passed on some top receivers and went defense with their first four picks, beginning with Alabama CB Marlon Humphrey, who is talented but got beat deep too often in college. Baltimore hopes Houston LB Tyus Bowser, a second-round pick, helps a lacking pass rush. CINCINNATI BENGALS A team that needed defensive help went all offense early in the draft,ft and it went with risks. Speedy Washington WR John Ross was the first-round pick. He ran a 4.22 in the 40 and could be a great addition to a receiving corps that includes A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert and Tyler Boyd. But Ross has had two knee injuries and a shoulder injury. Speaking of risk, the Bengals took the risk of the draft when they picked troubled Oklahoma RB Joe
Mixon in the second round. CLEVELAND BROWNS They were 1-15 last season but much more successful than that in this draft. Good for the Browns for not desperately reaching for one of the overrated QBs. Instead, they upgraded their defense with Texas A&M DE
Myles Garrett (above) and Michigan DB Jabrill Peppers in the first round and added TE
David Njoku from Miami. In the second round, the Browns got a QB with some potential in Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer. PITTSBURGH STEELERS Hoping for good sibling DNA in the first round, the Steelers picked Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt, the brother of J.J. Watt. They got another receiving threat for Ben Roethlisberger in USC WR JuJu
Smith-Schuster. No team seems to find and develop WRs better than the Steelers, so expect him to be good.
AFC SOUTH
HOUSTON TEXANS They moved up 13 spots and gave up two first-round picks to get Deshaun Watson at No. 12 overall. Watson will sit behind Tom Savage, but for how long? Savage isn’t an established NFL QB, and Houston fans will be clamoring for the dynamic Watson, who was 32-3 at Clemson. The Texans missed badly on Brock Osweiler in free agency a year ago and have no first-round pick in 2018. So Watson better work out for them. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Ohio State S Malik
Hooker was the ninth new defensive player the Colts have signed or drafted this offseason. They finished 30th in the NFL in defense last season, so the focus was clear. Hooker was rated as a top-five talent, but there were concerns about having hernia surgery and playing just one year as a starter. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Their plan in this draft was simple: Build around QB Blake Bortless and improve the offense. LSU RB
Leonard Fournette (above), at No. 4 overall, was a good start. He is a 20-plus-carry-per-game back with power. The Jaguars have averaged the fewest yards per game and rushed for the second-fewest touchdowns in the NFL over the past five seasons. Alabama OT Cam
Robinson, their second-round pick, was considered by many as a first-round talent. TENNESSEE TITANS The pick of Western Michigan WR Corey
Davis this high (fifth overall) was surprising, but the Titans are bent on giving QB Marcus Mariota more targets. The second-round pick, USC CB
Adoree’ Jackson, has a chance to contribute right away, not only as a DB but a specialist. Keep an eye on him on offense, too. He caught 39 passes and had two TDs for USC.
AFC WEST
DENVER BRONCOS If there was one thing that prevented the Broncos from getting to the playoffs last year it was their shaky O-line. They needed a LT and went out and got one in the first round with Utah’s
Garett Bolles (above), though Bolles played only one year at the position. Bolles, a work in progress, may take a while to develop. In time, we’ll know whether the Broncos were smart taking him over the more seasoned Cam Robinson from Alabama. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS The Chiefs gave up a third-round pick this year and their firstrounder in 2018 to trade up for QB Patrick Mahomes II, hoping they’ve found an eventual successor to Alex Smith, who turns 33 in May. Mahomes, a gunslinger with dodgy mechanics, will have the luxury of learning. Look out for their third-round pick, Toledo RB Kareem Hunt, who could get a lot of immediate action with the Chiefs so thin at RB. Hunt rushed for 1,475 yards and caught 41 passes as a senior. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS Clemson WR Mike
Williams, at 6-foot4, 218 pounds is the perfect receiver for Philip Rivers. He is a productive, big-play receiver who wins balls in the air and often made Deshaun Watson look good with spectacular catches. Western Kentucky OL Forrest Lamp, picked in the second round, can play tackle or guard and should compete immediately for a starting job. OAKLAND RAIDERS Leave it to the Raiders to take a chance on a character-questionable player, picking Ohio State CB
Gareon Conley at No. 24 overall despite recent rape allegations hanging over his head. The Raiders went DB in the second round, too, with UConn’s Obi Melifonwu.
NFC EAST
DALLAS COWBOYS They addressed immediate needs here, with Michigan DE Taco Charlton a pass rusher from the first round, Colorado CB Chidobe Awuzie taken in the second and Michigan DB
Jourdan Lewis in the third. The Cowboys lost four defensive backs to free agency this offseason in Barry Church, J.J. Wilcox, Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. NEW YORK GIANTS OK, their first-round pick, Mississippi TE
Evan Engram, is not a blocker. So what? He was drafted to catch passes, which is something no Giants TE has done consistently in too long to remember. The Giants addressed the loss of Johnathan Hankins by picking Alabama DT
Dalvin Tomlinson in the second round. And they picked a potential Eli Manning successor in the third round, Cal’s Davis Webb. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES They went all defense early, with Tennessee DE Derek Barnett at No. 14 overall then DBs Sidney
Jones from Washington in the second round and Rasul
Douglas from West Virginia in the third. Barnett is known for his relentless effort and broke former Eagles’ great Reggie White’s Tennessee sack record with 32. They added UNC WR
Mack Hollins in the fourth round as another big-target weapon (6-4, 221) alongside Alshon Jeffery for QB Carson Wentz. WASHINGTON REDSKINS They believe they got a steal in Alabama DE
Jonathan Allen (above) at No. 17 overall, thanks to the early run on offensive players. Allen is considered the best true interior talent in the draft. He will team with newcomers Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain. The Redskins went defense from Alabama again in the second round with LB Ryan Anderson, who has pass-rushing ability.
NFC NORTH
CHICAGO BEARS The biggest question: Did they need to trade up (and trade away two picks this year and their 2018 first-rounder) to get Mitchell
Trubisky? The Chicago fans who booed Trubisky at a Bulls game in the United Center on Friday didn’t think so. He might turn out to be a 13-year NFL starter, but Trubisky is a risk, having started just 13 collegiate games. DETROIT LIONS They passed on reaching for a needed pass rusher at No. 21 and took the smart, safer choice in Florida ILB Jarrad Davis (above), a three-down player with good run-stopping skills and ability to cover RBs. He should fit in as an immediate starter. Their second-round pick, Florida CB Teez Tabor, should push Nevin Lawson for a starting spot right away on the outside. GREEN BAY PACKERS With no first-round pick, the Packers added defense in the second and third rounds, picking Washington CB Kevin
King, who was viewed by analyst as possible first-round talent. The Packers think the 6-foot-3 King has a chance to be a No. 1 cornerback. King is the tallest corner GM Ted Thompson has ever drafted. He also can play multiple positions from safety to the slot cornerback to the outside corner spot. MINNESOTA VIKINGS The Vikings have moved on from Adrian Peterson, drafting FSU RB Dalvin Cook at No. 41 overall, in the second round. Cook averaged 142.1 yards from scrimmage per game in college. They also added OL help with Ohio State C Pat Elflein in the third round. He was a high school wrestler — just like Vikings coach Mike Zimmer — and he moved from right guard to center as a senior when the Buckeyes needed help. So he might be slotted as a guard for the Vikings.
NFC SOUTH
ATLANTA FALCONS They entered the draft in search of an edge rusher to play opposite of ’16 sacks leader Vic Beasley Jr., and think they found that in UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley in the first round. McKinley had 10 sacks in 2016 season and averaged 1.6 tackles for loss per game. His health is a concern; he’s coming off surgery to repair his labrum and facing a 4-6 month rehab. Also, in the third round, they added LSU’s
Duke Riley, who fills a need at LB, where depth is an issue. CAROLINA PANTHERS Their plan was twofold: A need for speed and more help for QB Cam Newton. The marquee pick was Stanford’s dynamic RB Christian
McCaffrey (above) in the first round. He immediately fills three needs — change-of-pace back, receiving threat out of the backfield and a punt returner. Brooklyn’s Curtis Samuel, another jack-of-all-trades offensive weapon, was taken in the second round. Samuel will line up as a slot WR and replace the departed Ted Ginn Jr. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS The Saints were busy early and productive, landing Ohio State CB
Marshon Lattimore, rated by some as the best corner in the draft, at No. 11, and Wisconsin OT Ryan Ramczyk at 32. Both players have injury concerns. Lattimore has a history of hamstring injuries and Ramczyk is coming off postseason hip surgery, which might limit him into training camp and beyond. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS The Bucs got the most complete TE in the draft t in Alabama’s O.J. Howard. At 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, he ran a 4.51 in the 40, has pass catching skills and is a strong blocker. The Bucs like to use a lot of two-TE sets and Howard should be an immediate contributor.
NFC WEST
ARIZONA CARDINALS They addressed a need and got an immediate contributor at 13 overalll in Temple LB Haason Reddick (above), a versatile player who can play inside and rush the passer. They traded up nine spots in the second round to draft Washington S Budda
Baker, who has been compared to Arizona’s Tyrann Mathieu and Seattle’s Earl Thomas — good company. LOS ANGELES RAMS With no first-round pick, they went with South Alabama TE Geraldld
Everett in the second. He could be a nice complement to returning TE Tyler Higbee. Rams coach Sean McVay loves utilizing the position (no team received more yards out of the tight end position than McVay’s Redskins last season). In his last two years at South Alabama, Everett caught 90 passes for 1,292 yards and 12 TDs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers Good start for rookie GM John Lynch, who stole draft picks from the QB-desperate Bears trading up to No. 2 and got his man, Stanford DE Solomon Thomas, anyway at No. 3. The 49ers also landed Alabama LB Reuben
Foster at 31 overall when many had Foster with top-10 talent. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS They want to get younger on defense and got Michigan State DT Malik McDowell (below) in the second round with their top pick. His consistency has been questioned, and he had just 1.5 sacks in his final year at MSU. So on paper, he does not look like an impact player.