Fans are routinely reminded that mock drafts are largely constructed around the basis that the picks are made based on how the draft analyst believes each general manager and coaching staff will approach their picks, and not what the draft analyst would do if they were making the calls.
Big boards – otherwise known as player rankings – are where one can share their true evaluation of the draft. My upcoming mock drafts will not mirror my big board due to the extreme subjectiveness of this process. Here, however, we get a look at how I’d approach the draft as a general manager.
Overall, the 2017 draft features the best prospect class in years. It’s a deep offensive line class, and unlike most years, there’s more than one blue-chip prospect in every position group, even when excluding those with NFL interest. Ranking the middle-tier of offensive linemen – Laval’s Jean-Simon Roy, Bethune-Cookman’s Dariusz Bladek, McGill’s Qadr Spooner and Calgary’s Braden Schram – created the toughest decisions when forming the list, while finding an appropriate placement for prospects such as Kwaku Boateng (weight) and Justin Herdman (times), both of whom have great film but poor measurables, also caused headaches.
It’s certainly a flawed process, as is the draft in general, and expect my next big board to look drastically different. Look for a top-50 in 7-10 days, with my second mock draft in between.
| 1. | Justin Senior | OT | Mississippi State |
| 2. | Jordan Herdman | LB | Simon Fraser |
| 3. | Antony Auclair | TE | Laval |
| 4. | Eli Ankou | NT | UCLA |
| 5. | Danny Vandervoort | SB | McMaster |
| 6. | Geoff Gray | OG | Manitoba |
| 7. | Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga | LB | Maine |
| 8. | Mason Woods | OG | Idaho |
| 9. | Kwaku Boateng | DE | Wilfred Laurier |
| 10. | Justin Vaughn | DT | Fordham |
| 11. | Nate Behar | WR | Carleton |
| 12. | Dondre Wright | DB | Henderson State |
| 13. | Junior Luke | DT | Montreal |
| 14. | Braden Schram | OG | Calgary |
| 15. | Robert Woodson | CB/FS | Calgary |
| 16. | Qadr Spooner | OG | McGill |
| 17. | Jean-Simon Roy | OG | Laval |
| 18. | Mitchell Picton | WR | Regina |
| 19. | Dariusz Bladek | C/OG | Bethune-Cookman |
| 20. | Connor McGough | DE | Calgary |
| 21. | Kay Okafor | DT | St. Francis Xavier |
| 22. | Fabion Foote | DT | McMaster |
| 23. | Johnny Augustine | RB | Guelph |
| 24. | Malcolm Carter | WR | Ottawa (CJFL) |
| 25. | Nate Hamlin | FS | Carleton |
| 26. | Faith Ekakitie | NT | Iowa |
| 27. | Justin Herdman | LB | Simon Fraser |
| 28. | Nakas Onyeka | LB | Wilfred Laurier |
| 29. | Tunde Adeleke | FS | Carleton |
| 30. | Jeremy Zver | OG | Regina |
