2016 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Nation's Top Prospects Ahead of Super Bowl

The Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers is the final step before there is nothing but the path to the 2016 NFL draft left on the calendar.

Among many things, the Super Bowl is a case study on incredible front-office wizardry when it comes to dealing with declining legendary quarterbacks and how to balance the draft and free agency.

That last part takes the focus now, with most of the league already hard at work trying to replicate what the Broncos and Panthers managed in the draft over the years.

With the majority of the teams focusing there, it's only right to take a look at a mock draft based on team need and prospect stock to suggest how the teams might go about this goal.

2016 NFL Mock Draft

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

Pre-Super Bowl Predictions 

2. Cleveland Browns: Jared Goff, QB, California

It was easy to presume the Cleveland Browns might take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick after the team brought in former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as head coach. 

After all, Jackson is not only an offensive-minded coach, but most new head coaches in the NFL want to have their guy under center, their franchise quarterback.

The notion only becomes easier to digest now that ESPN.com's Pat McManamon has suggested the Browns plan to let go of Johnny Manziel. 

This, at least for now (Carson Wentz could make a push in the process), leaves the Browns looking at California's Jared Goff. Which isn't such a bad thing—he stands at 6'4" and 215 pounds, and last year threw for 43 touchdowns to 13 interceptions while never allowing his completion percentage to dip below 60 percent over three seasons.

For some, such as NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell, Goff stacks up quite well against other recent high-profile quarterbacks. Cosell said as much on WGFX-FM, according to NFL.com's Dan Parr.

"My initial study of Goff tells me that I think (Goff is) a more natural and better overall thrower than (Titans QB Marcus) Mariota. I think he's a better prospect than Jameis Winston," Cosell said. "Where he goes? I can't answer that, but from studying it preliminarily, that's how I see it with Jared Goff."

Like Jameis Winston, Goff has a solid arm that can make most of the NFL throws. The transition won't be easy, but Jackson is the guy who helped Andy Dalton make a massive career leap, so easing him into things and grooming him as a franchise quarterback while the front office builds the rest of the roster seems plausible. 

14. Oakland Raiders: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Vernon Hargreaves out of Florida isn't getting as much attention these days with Jalen Ramsey and Mackensie Alexander continuing to raise their stock and climb draft boards.

This qualifies as a win for the Oakland Raiders because it increases the chance Hargreaves falls to them at No. 14.

Hargreaves might only be 5'11" and 199 pounds, but he's an elite prospect as a cover corner, showing well in man and zone coverage with elite athleticism making up for what he lacks in height. Said size doesn't stop him from getting violent against the run, either.

CBSSports.com's Rob Rang broke down the Florida product's top traits:

"

When lining up in press man coverage, Hargreaves gets a stiff initial punch in on the receiver at the snap and shows good balance and light feet dropping into coverage, fluidly changing direction and the acceleration to remain in the hip pocket of receivers. He's equally effective in off coverage, reading the quarterback's eyes and breaking quickly downhill to disrupt passes. Hargreaves' lack of height is mitigated by impressive body control, timing and competitiveness in jump-ball situations. He possesses excellent hand-eye coordination to slap the ball away as it arrives as well as good hands for the interception (six in two seasons).

"

The Raiders certainly need any and all help in the defensive secondary after ranking 26th against the pass last season. Not only was that a black eye, former high-profile pick D.J. Hayden wound up ranked as the No. 115 corner in the NFL at Pro Football Focus on a list grading 118 players.

To top it all off, Charles Woodson decided to hang up the cleats after the season, leaving the secondary in even worse shape.

That's asking a lot from Hargreaves, but instincts and athleticism can go a long way. As an added bonus, he'll provide an upgrade as a returner on special teams right away, too.

22. Houston Texans: Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss

Remember Robert Nkemdiche? 

Nkemdiche went from being one of the most-hyped interior defensive linemen prospects in a long time to an odd off-field incident that slammed his stock in the wrong direction.

After detailing the incident back in December, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller provided words of caution around the Ole Miss star's stock: "How this will affect his draft stock remains to be seen, but area scouts had already warned me that Nkemdiche was 'overrated' by the media and 'living off his high school reputation.'"

Again, the team receiving the falling player won't see any point in filing a complaint. 

Not in the slightest. The Houston Texans might have Vince Wilfork on the nose to anchor the defense, but he's 34 years old. Injury insurance and putting a top prospect behind a guy like Wilfork to learn—both on the field and off—isn't such a bad idea.

Not to mention this is the Texans, the team led by head coach Bill O'Brien that has made it quite clear in recent years it won't balk at taking the best player available, even at the cost of ignoring the quarterback position.

Nkemdiche needs a mentor, and the Texans, with Wilfork and J.J. Watt leading the way, have quite a few. It's a long-term investment, but quite the intriguing one if the Texans decide to roll the dice on a falling prospect.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of February 2. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.