The top 25 players in the 2017 NFL draft, period

DE  Texas A&M

Craig's take: Consensus No. 1 player, but … beware of the combine "freak" who gets the draftniks droolin' over 40 times, bench presses and three-cone results. Garrett's sacks vs. Power 5 teams: 16½ in 26 games. Sacks vs. non-Power 5: 16 in nine games.

2Jonathan Allen

DT  Alabama

Craig's take: On the flip side, I don't fret about below-average underwear workouts when the prospect produces the way this guy did on Saturdays for Nick Saban. Run-stopper who can rush.

3Jamal Adams

S  Louisiana State

Craig's take: From Hall of Fame selections down to the draft, it's good to see that safeties continue to get their due respect. The best of the bunch is right here.

4Marshon Lattimore

CB  Ohio State

Craig's take: Could be a great with all the tools and demeanor. But he's an injury risk and doesn't have a lot of film on his résumé.

5Deshaun Watson

QB  Clemson

Craig's take: Went 35-3 with a title. A leader, clutch player, mobile, instinctive. I'll put him this high because QBs are so much more valuable. Trust him, take him and teach him.

6Leonard Fournette

RB  Louisiana State

Craig's take: This guy looks incredible. He could be the next Bo Jackson. Of course, he's also a running back. And know this about Bo: He lasted only 38 NFL games.

7Solomon Thomas

DE  Stanford

Craig's take: Considered the second-best edge rusher behind Garrett. These guys don't last long.

8O.J. Howard

TE  Alabama

Craig's take: A quality Crimson Tide guy with 57 games played. And, oh yeah, great hands, 250 pounds and runs a 4.5.

9Reuben Foster

LB  Alabama

Craig's take: Can we just make Alabama the 33rd NFL team? Foster can blast people, make plays sideline to sideline and cover.

10Mitchell Trubisky

QB  North Carolina

Craig's take: He's raw, this is too high and, well, so what? As we saw in 2011, teams that need QBs take QBs. Potential is high.

11Mike Williams

WR  Clemson

Craig's take: Looks like a legit No. 1 receiver in skills and size (6-4, 218). Fractured neck in '15 appears to be no problem.

12Malik Hooker

S  Ohio State

Craig's take: Like Lattimore, film is limited. Great NFL potential. Surgery (labrum) in January shouldn't hurt stock.

13Forrest Lamp

G  Western Kentucky

Craig's take: As free agency proved again, guards are valued people, too. Considered a dominant run blocker.

14Cam Robinson

OT  Alabama

Craig's take: Yes, there actually are some worthy tackles. Robinson has ideal size and experience vs. SEC rushers.

15Patrick Mahomes II

QB  Texas Tech

Craig's take: Spread QBs from Texas Tech can be fool's gold. He needs work, obviously, but the talent is there.

16Corey Davis

WR  Western Michigan

Craig's take: Decent size, staggering stats and known for knowing where to be and when to be there. The latter is key.

17Christian McCaffrey

RB  Stanford

Craig's take: He could be an evolutionary-type of running back. Or he could get squashed like a relatively little bug.

18Gareon Conley

CB  Ohio State

Craig's take: Another big (6-0, 195) OSU corner who can fit into a variety of NFL schemes.

19Dalvin Cook

RB  Florida State

Craig's take: Three-time 1,000-yard rusher who can catch the ball. But three shoulder surgeries for a RB is concerning.

20Derek Barnett

DE-OLB  Tennessee

Craig's take: SEC edge rusher with double-digit sacks the past three seasons.

21Takkarist McKinley

DE-OLB  UCLA

Craig's take: Considered raw, but had 18 TFLs, 10 sacks and broke up six passes in 2016. That's raw you can work with.

22Malik McDowell

DT  Michigan State

Craig's take: Could be an elite interior rusher with the size (6-6, 295) to move along the front line.

23Joe Mixon

RB  Oklahoma

Craig's take: Grabbing this hot potato requires due diligence, strong leadership and a costly exit plan if Joe's deplorable behavior resurfaces.

24Garrett Bolles

OT  Utah

Craig's take: Needs to add size and polish after only one year at the FBS level. But considered to be best athlete of the OTs.

25John Ross

WR  Washington

Craig's take: Seventeen TDs in '16 and a record 4.22 40 at the combine overshadow slight build. Should they? At least he was productive before we learned that he's also crazy fast.

Mark Craig is an NFL and Vikings Insider. • Twitter: @MarkCraigNFL • E-mail: mcraig@startribune.com