Fantasy Football

2016 NFL Mock Draft

The 2016 NFL Draft will take place on April 28-30. This is my latest first-round mock …

1. Tennessee Titans – Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
Jalen Ramsey is the best player in this draft, but Tunsil is a close No. 2. Still, history tells us it’s much more likely the top pick will be an offensive tackle than a hybrid corner/safety.

2. Cleveland Browns – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
Because the Browns only need a quarterback and they always draft the proverbial Carson Wentz. Spoiler Alert: This won’t go well.

3. San Diego Chargers – Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State
They lost a playmaker and long-time staple in Eric Weddle, and Ramsey would be an immediate upgrade. Every team that passes on him will regret it. The Chargers won’t make that mistake, not when he can fill a need.

4. Dallas Cowboys – Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
The Cowboys were so desperate for defensive end help last season that they signed the NFL’s resident malcontent Greg Hardy. DeMarcus Lawrence stepped up, but Dallas still needs to fill a void. Bosa is both talented and is the big splash pick Jerry Jones loves so much.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars –DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
The Jags are almost definitely doing defense here unless they shock everyone and go offensive line. It pretty much comes down to Myles Jack or Buckner. I feel defensive end is a more crucial need, even with the addition of Malik Jackson.

6. Baltimore Ravens – Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA
The Ravens are pretty terrible when it comes to drafting offense overall, so it’s a good thing they usually stick with defense. Baltimore knows how to build a team and will go with the best player available. The loss of Daryl Smith also causes this to make far too much sense. Plus, they love their linebackers.

7. San Francisco 49ers – Jared Goff, QB, Cal
Chip Kelly is going to want his own quarterback. Goff ran an up-tempo offense at Cal and is widely considered the best quarterback available at this point. I’m having a hard time believing the 9ers are as confident in Colin Kaepernick as they are letting on.

8. Philadelphia Eagles – Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
With Stanley still on the board, I don’t think Philly can pass up on the talented lineman. Whether they role with Sam Bradford or Chase Daniel (it will ultimately be Daniel), they will have to protect him. Stanley will be able to transition in with Jason Peters still viable, but 34 years old.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
Lawson is one of the more debated players in this draft as far as value goes. Some believe he’s a top five pick while others question if he even belongs in the first round. The Bucs can use a DE and his upside at pick No. 9 is outstanding.

10. New York Giants – Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
The Giants went on a spending spree bolstering their roster on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Rueben Randle is gone, they know Victor Cruz is done and the rest of their pass-catchers have a ton of question marks other than Odell Beckham of course. They’ll pick up the top wideout and plug him in opposite OBJ. They need that complementary WR2.

11. Chicago Bears – Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
The Bears have a significant need at corner and Hargreaves is the top pure corner in this draft. Chicago won’t let him pass them by.

12. New Orleans Saints – Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State
The Saints have to address their miserable defense. They seem to be okay with their secondary once healthy, at least that’s what they’re saying. I still expect them to address the secondary in an early round. Nonetheless, pass rush is always a need if you’re not stacked. Ogbah is the best available.

13. Miami Dolphins – Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
Although ILB and CB is a bit more of a pressing need, Lee is the best player on the board and the Dolphins need help all over the LB corps. Corner is very deep this season and they can probably still get a very good CB in Round 2, which may not be the case at linebacker.

14. Oakland Raiders – Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
The Raiders are all of a sudden a solid team without too many holes to fill. Still, they need a CB2 at this point. There are a handful of corners that could be drafted here. I believe Alexander will be viewed as the best on the board.

15. Los Angeles Rams – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
I don’t think the Rams go QB here, although, they desperately need one. Still, there is no one worthy at this point. Then again, Wentz and Goff weren’t either. They badly need a true outside playmaker at wideout. Coleman is by far the best available.

16. Detroit Lions – Jack Conklin, OT, Mich State
The Lions really need help at right tackle. Conklin has the talent to step in immediately. With Calvin Johnson gone the Lions will need to help Matthew Stafford in every way possible.

17. Atlanta Falcons – Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
The Falcons must improve their pass rush. After drafting Vic Beasley last season, Dodd could create a formidable young one-two punch off the edge.

18. Indianapolis Colts – Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
The Colts desperately need help on the interior line on both sides of the ball. However, Ryan Grigson and Jim Irsay form the worst front office in the NFL. So they’ll draft a running back. Sorry Andrew Luck, enjoy lacerating your internal organs with shattered bone fragments.

19. Buffalo Bills – Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss
Nkemdiche is a top-10 talent, but comes with baggage and red flags. Do you know who’s willing to take a chance on an elite level playmaking defender with some character concerns? Rex Ryan. He’s willing to and will in fact draft him. It will be an outstanding choice too.

20. New York Jets – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
The Jets offensive line is aging and is in danger of dramatically declining quickly if they don’t do something now. Decker can be a franchise OT for them to build around for the future.

21. Washington Redskins – Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
The Redskins really need a physical run-stopping presence. No one fits that bill more than Ragland in this draft. He’ll be a perfect fit in Washington.

22. Houston Texans – Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor
The Texans have a few holes to fill. Will Fuller is a strong possibility, but I think they go with a big powerful DT here. Billings is the man that can step in for Vince Wilfork, who is merely a stop-gap option.

23. Minnesota Vikings – Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
Well Mike Wallace didn’t work out as a super-fast guy that can take the top off a defense, so they’ll give Fuller a try. Eventually they’ll learn the hard way it’s not the wideouts to blame for the lack of big plays.

24. Cincinnati Bengals – Sheldon Rankings, DT, Louisville
The combination of power to stop the run, lateral quickness and pass rushing abilty will entice the Bengals into snatching up Rankings. He’ll be a great pickup and make the Cincy interior line horrifying for opposing offensive coordinators.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers – Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
No matter how glaring a need Pitt has, I feel like they always end up drafting a linebacker. Nevertheless, they desperately need a corner. It seems Apple will be their man.

26. Seattle Seahawks – Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana
This was one of the tougher picks to make. The Seahawks really need to improve their offensive line though. Russell Wilson took a beating last season and Marshawn Lynch is no longer there to Beast Mode his way through defenders.

27. Green Bay Packers – A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
Reggie Ragland would have been a perfect fit here. Unfortunately, he’s off the table at this point. They also need to fill a void in the middle of the line, especially since B.J. Raji unexpectedly retired. Robinson is a steal this late.

28. Kansas City Chiefs – William Jackson III, CB, Houston
With Sean Smith gone, the Chiefs need a corner. Jackson is the last of the top tier corners available. He has the talent to be every bit as good as Apple and Alexander.

29. Arizona Cardinals – Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
The Cards have very few week spots. Nonetheless, outside of Calais Campbell their defensive line really isn’t that great. By drafting Reed they plug in an immediate game-changer in the middle of their line.

30. Carolina Panthers – Artie Burns, CB, Miami
Burns is climbing up draft boards. He’s very underrated due to his athleticism and playmaking ability. The Panthers need a CB2 opposite Josh Norman and even Norman is becoming an issue as he demands a king’s ransom after a great year. I just want to say, I’ve been saying Burns will climb into Round 1 since January. So I’m not jumping off that ship now.

31. Denver Broncos – Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Because as of now Mark Sanchez is the starter. How do you address any other position first? It’s very possible Lynch ends up being the best QB in this draft.

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