NFL Mock Draft 2016: Post-Super Bowl 50 Opening Night Predictions

As the NFL season winds down, teams are revving up their offseason strategies, mainly pertaining to April's draft. However, the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers have a different focus.

The two remaining teams vying for a Super Bowl 50 championship are strategizing how to win the big game. Fans were treated to some insight from both teams during Monday night's Super Bowl Opening Night—a glorified media session fans paid $30 to see.

At the headquarters of the other 30 teams, general managers and staff are taking in every nugget of info they can to decide which available players will fit their system. While plenty of gems can be found in the later rounds—Tom Brady (sixth), Terrell Davis (sixth) and Marques Colston (seventh)—the first 32 picks (or in this case 31) are the most intriguing to fans.

Let's take a look at a projection of how the first round could shake out as well as some deeper analysis of a few top prospects:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	College
1	Tennessee Titans	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	Cleveland Browns	Carson Wentz	QB	NDSU
3	San Diego Chargers	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
4	Dallas Cowboys	Jared Goff	QB	California
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jalen Ramsey	CB	Florida State
6	Baltimore Ravens	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
7	San Francisco 49ers	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
8	Miami Dolphins	Vernon Hargreaves III	CB	Florida
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
10	New York Giants	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
11	Chicago Bears	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
12	New Orleans Saints	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
13	Philadelphia Eagles	Jarran Reed	DL	Alabama
14	Oakland Raiders	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
15	Los Angeles Rams	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
16	Detroit Lions	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
17	Atlanta Falcons	Noah Spence	DE/LB	Eastern Kentucky
18	Indianapolis Colts	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
19	Buffalo Bills	Jaylon Smith	OLB	Notre Dame
20	New York Jets	Reggie Ragland	ILB	Alabama
21	Washington	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
22	Houston Texans	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
23	Minnesota Vikings	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Andrew Billings	DT	Baylor
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
27	Green Bay Packers	Robert Nkemdiche	DT	Ole Miss
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
29	Arizona Cardinals	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
30	Denver Broncos	Jason Spriggs	OT	Indiana
31	Carolina Panthers	Germain Ifedi	OT	Texas A&M
N/A	New England Patriots	Pick Forfeited	N/A	N/A

Wentz Will Be Going Early

A week ago, North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz wasn't a projected top-10 pick. Heck, a month ago he wasn't even a projected first-round pick. Now, after a strong Senior Bowl showing, there are whispers he could go as high as No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, one NFL executive told her taking Wentz would prove to be the best bet in the long run. 

"If the Browns take Carson Wentz at No. 2 they'd be set for 15 years,'' an NFL personnel man, whose team does not need a quarterback, said. "He's the best quarterback in the draft. If I were picking at No. 2, I'd take him. It will solve all of their problems and they'd get that team turned around.''

Cabot said sources told her Cleveland's interest in Wentz is "genuine," meaning an FCS quarterback—albeit one who is a two-time national champion as a starter—could be the second overall pick of a draft that will include at least two other signal-callers selected in the first round.

The recent love for Wentz comes from a strong overall Senior Bowl performance, according to Rob Rang of CBSSports.com, who also said Eastern Kentucky's Noah Spence made a big impact at the game:

"

Eliminating any questions about their ability to rise to a new level of competition, North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz and Eastern Kentucky edge rusher Noah Spence were the big winners in practices for the 2016 Senior Bowl.

Their efforts sparked a significant charge up my personal ranking of the top 32 prospects eligible for the 2016 NFL Draft.

"

Here's a highlight from the Senior Bowl where Wentz made what many would consider an NFL throw, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports:

Cleveland, who still has the much-maligned Johnny Manziel and the unproductive Josh McCown on its roster, desperately needs a quarterback of the future. Wentz, who threw for 5,115 yards, 45 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in what amounted to roughly two full seasons at NDSU, seems to have shaken any kind of small-school label that had been given to him.

No one knows yet if he'll be better than any of the other quarterbacks in this draft class, but it's clear NFL teams think he has the potential to do just that.

Chargers Would Be Lucky if Bosa Falls in Their Lap

Ohio State defensive end Joy Bosa might be the most talented prospect in the draft. However, when it comes to some selections, team needs trump talent. In contrast, the San Diego Chargers have many holes to fill before the defensive line, but Bosa is too good to pass up.

Rang lists him as his No. 1 overall prospect:

"

Bosa isn't the dominant edge rusher his hype might suggest but no one in this class is better at a more important position. Powerful, athletic, technically sound and ultra-competitive, Bosa is a threat to make a big play on every snap, whether it be rushing the passer or defending the run. He projects best in the left defensive end role in which he's starred for much of his career with the Buckeyes but has experience rushing out of the two-point stance, as well. He is agile and instinctive enough to handle the transition to a 3-4 alignment should the team lucky enough to get him favor that approach.

"

The Chargers played a hybrid 3-4 defense last year with players constantly switching and moving in the gaps, and Bosa would fit right in. San Diego ranked 24th in the NFL in sacks last season with 32 and could use Bosa and his 26 career sacks in 38 games.

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit included the 6'5", 275-pounder in an answer to a question from one of his Twitter followers about which rookies will have the biggest impact next season:

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com lists wide receiver, linebacker, quarterback and center as the biggest needs for the Chargers. However, if Bosa is still on the board, those needs go out the window.

Cowboys Looking for Next Romo

Barring another offseason injury, Tony Romo will be the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, and possibly the next few years as well. That doesn't mean Dallas shouldn't take a quarterback in the first round.

It won't be pleasing for fans to see their No. 4 overall selection sit on the bench, but it might be the best thing for the team in the long run.

Jared Goff has the size (6'4", 210 pounds), mobility and numbers (12,200 career yards, 96 touchdowns) to be a top prospect in the 2016 draft, and according to Rang, those traits will translate into a nice NFL career for the former California Golden Bear:

"

Sure, coach Sonny Dykes' up-tempo spread offense has inflated Goff's production, but of the quarterbacks potentially available in the 2016 draft, the lanky junior offers the best combination of awareness, functional mobility, accuracy and toughness -- the traits I believe are the best indicators of future success at this position for the NFL.

"

Despite the praise, Rang said (via Joe D'Aloisio of CBSSports Radio) he believes Wentz will go before Goff in the draft. There is still plenty of disagreement between analysts, as Bob Sturm of the Bob & Dan Show of Dallas' The Ticket (via SportsDay), believes Goff will be the first quarterback selected, possibly in the top three:

"

If Jared Goff goes before the Cowboys pick, we should not be the least bit surprised.  He has probably the highest ceiling of this group, mainly because he seems to have a veteran QB's knowledge of football and defenses and coverages and most importantly, where to go with the ball against those coverages.  Everyone knows the safeties are better in the NFL, but at the major college level he was just embarrassing secondaries with routine and ease.  He understands that the best way to beat blitzes is to burn them and to give your receivers a chance to make plays in single-coverage because as a QB, there is always a place to attack.

"

Sitting behind Romo for two or three years could do wonders for Goff's development. For Cowboys fans complaining about having to wait multiple seasons for a top pick to play, just ask any Green Bay Packers fans how it turned out when another California quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, rode the bench his first three years.

Here's a hint: really well.