NFL Mock Draft 2017: Another QB on top?

DE. Auburn. Carl Lawson. 26. player. 45. <p>Projecting Carl Lawson in the first round is a very risky proposition for one reason and one reason alone.</p> <p>He just has not been able to stay on the field.</p> <p>Lawson has appeared in only 21 games over three seasons at Auburn, and while he has been regularly dominant when he plays, NFL teams are justifiably concerned about the durability of the rising senior. It is safe to assume that Lawson’s injury track record is what kept him out of the 2016 NFL Draft (when he could have declared), but that also might allow him to rise on the board if he can stay healthy and productive in his final college campaign.</p> <p>When Lawson has played, he has been fantastic. He regularly gets into the backfield to disrupt the opposition, and the 6-foot-2, 257-pound pass rusher has everything you would want coming off the edge. Lawson runs quite well, shows the natural pass-rush instincts that NFL teams covet and also presents the versatility to play in a number of schemes.</p> <p>Again, Carl Lawson has to stay on the field, presumably for all of 2016, in order to justify this draft slot, but if he does, watch out for a potentially fast-rising prospect.</p>