Former NFL GM projects 15 SEC players taken in first round of 2017 NFL Draft

Not many people know more about the NFL draft process than NFL.com analyst Charlie Casserly, who served as the GM for the Washington Redskins from 1989 to 1999 and held a similar position with the Houston Texans from 2000 to 2006.

According to his first 2017 NFL mock draft, Casserly thinks the SEC will be well-represented in the first round in April, with 15 of the 32 players who will hear their names called coming from the conference.

Of those 15 SEC first-round picks, which can be seen below, Casserly has six former SEC stars going in the top 10:

• No. 1 — Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M — Cleveland Browns
• No. 2 — Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama — San Francisco 49ers
• No. 4 — Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU — Jacksonville Jaguars
• No. 5 — Jamal Adams, S, LSU — Tennessee Titans
• No. 6 — Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama — New York Jets
• No. 9 — Tim Williams, LB, Alabama — Cincinnati Bengals
• No. 12 — Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee — New England Patriots (via trade)
• No. 13 — Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama — Arizona Cardinals
• No. 14 — Jalen “Teez” Tabor, CB, Florida — Indianapolis Colts
• No. 19 — Charles Harris, DE, Mizzou — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• No. 21 — Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama — Detroit Lions
• No. 24 — Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU — Oakland Raiders
• No. 27 — Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt — Kansas City Chiefs
• No. 28 — Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida — Dallas Cowboys
• No. 32 — O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama — New England Patriots

Of note, Casserly seems to be higher on former Tennessee DE Derek Barnett than most analysts, sending him to New England with the No. 12 overall pick, which he has the Patriots acquiring via a trade with the Cleveland Browns involving QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

Casserly then sends another SEC player — Alabama TE O.J. Howard — to the defending Super Bowl champions with the final first-round pick.

Obviously, there’s still a long way to go before April’s draft, so these mock drafts and position rankings are sure to change. At the moment, though, it appears SEC fans will have plenty of reasons to watch the first round of this year’s action.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.