The major media 2017 mock drafts are rolling on now that the Super Bowl is behind us and a few of them are starting to surface with more than just first round prognostications.
On Wednesday, Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated released a mock of the first three rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft and he has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting a cornerback, an edge rusher and a wide receiver with their three picks.
With the 30th overall selection in the first round of his latest mock, Burke has the Steelers drafting Florida cornerback Teez Tabor and he writes:
See what I mean? Cornerbacks to be had. While Tabor will swing and miss from time to time, he has the footwork required to thrive as an NFL man-to-man cover corner. Put a pass anywhere near him, and a quarterback is at great risk of that ball heading back the other way.
Tabor, who is listed ahead of the scouting combine at 6’0″, 201-pounds, played in 37 games at Florida and registered 104 total tackles to go along with 9 interceptions and 28 pass breakups. 4 of his interceptions came in 2016.
In the second round of his latest mock, Burke has the Steelers selecting Houston edge rusher Tyus Bowser with the 62nd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and he writes:
If Bowser can conquer the steep learning curve awaiting him, he has the movement skills to be the kind of player a coordinator can use in a variety of ways.
Bowser, who Alex Kozora has already profiled on the site, played in 48 games while at Houston where he registered 137 total tackles to go along with 19 total sacks. Ahead of the combine, Bowser is listed at 6’3″, 244-pounds.
To close out the Steelers selections in his latest mock draft, Burke has Pittsburgh taking North Carolina wide receiver Ryan Switzer in the third round with the 94th overall pick and he writes:
Switzer may be overkill for a team that has an emerging Eli Rogers, but in the best way possible. Just ask Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola how it works to have two stellar slot options.
Switzer, who measured in at the Senior Bowl at 5084, 179-pounds, played in 53 games at North Carolina where he caught 244 passes for 2,912 yards and 19 touchdowns over the course of four seasons. It should also be noted that Switzer returned 99 punts for 1,082 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Until we get around to posting our profiles of Tabor and Switzer on the site, below are a some highlight video cutups for you to look at along with links to their school bios:
