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NFL mock draft 2017: Quarterbacks dominate first round

By Matt Verderame

Sep 24, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) runs the ball for a touchdown past Florida Gators defensive back Chauncey Gardner Jr. (23) during the first quarter at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) runs the ball for a touchdown past Florida Gators defensive back Chauncey Gardner Jr. (23) during the first quarter at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
21

Dalvin Cook

Running Back, Florida State Seminoles

The Detroit Lions are very close to winning their first playoff game since 1991. While that sentence is both uplifting and depressing at the same time, Detroit should feel good about its current state. The offseason was productive with the signings of Paul Worrilow, T.J. Lang and Ricky Wagner. Additionally, the team is coming off a 9-7 year that ended in the playoffs for the second time in three years. The Lions, though, need to take the next step. Doing so would be easier with a real running game.

Dalvin Cook has a litany of off-field concerns, but with Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey off the board, he might be worth the gamble. Detroit has ranked 30th, 32nd and 28th each of the last three seasons in rushing yardage, respectively. With Cook running behind an improved offensive line, that should finally change. Considering the young talent on defense and the weaponry around Cook in Matthew Stafford, Eric Ebron, Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, there is real reason to believe the Lions could leapfrog the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.

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