2016 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Picks, Projections for Most Impactful Prospects

NFL prospects who have a major impact on the league right out of the gates don't come around often.

Last year, outside of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota at the top, notables such as Todd Gurley, Marcus Peters and Amari Cooper fell into the category. In 2014, eight first-round picks made the Pro Bowl, highlighted by Odell Beckham, Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack.

Those guys weren't exactly surprises. It figures to play out in much of the same way here with the 2016 class. There isn't a must-have quarterback, wideout needed a recent hype train to capture attention and it still remains mostly about the defenders.

Here's an updated mock and a look at a trio of players who will have the rare instant impact franchises desire.

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

Highlighting Most Impactful Prospects

1. Tennessee Titans: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

What, an offensive lineman at No. 1 can't have a major impact right out of the gates?

It depends on the prospect and situation. Will Laremy Tunsil play in a situation needing major help and protect a quarterback who can make waves if given extra time?

Absolutely.

The Titans let Mariota take 38 sacks last year, 54 as a whole over three signal-callers. Taylor Lewan looks good on the left side, but the guards have struggled, and Byron Bell isn't the answer on the right.

At 6'5" and 310 pounds, and one of the most hyped prospects in the offensive trenches for years, there is little doubt Tunsil can come in and start right away. In fact, Tunsil can start on either side, though it wouldn't hurt to see him man the left side while Lewan moves to the right, a thought reinforced by a nugget Bleacher Report's Matt Miller provided:

Better protection for Mariota isn't just about the present, either. It's a long-term investment for the franchise as the Oregon product enters his critical sophomore year looking to take a leap, not slump.

Some might call an offensive lineman with the top pick boring. That would do a major disservice to the impact Tunsil can have in Tennessee.

3. San Diego Chargers: Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Florida State

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Folks might get tired of hearing about Jalen Ramsey, but he's in the headlines so often because he's the most impactful player in the 2016 class.

Ramsey does it all at 6'1" and 209 pounds, combining elite athleticism with sound instincts and reactions. He's able to play any slot in the defensive secondary, as he did at Florida State, and can match the run with violence or drop back into coverage.

Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher recently suggested Ramsey will have a long NFL career thanks to sheer passion for the sport. 

“I’d be astonished [if he wasn't a success],” Fisher said, according to Corey Clark of the Tallahassee Democrat. “Because of his work ethic, his intelligence, his competitiveness and demeanor to be great every day. He literally tried to get better every day on the practice field. And he studies film and he’s very instinctive.”

If Ramsey doesn't come off the board at one of the first two picks, he isn't falling past the San Diego Chargers. The team lost Eric Weddle, and Brandon Flowers isn't a quality starter at corner anymore.

Ramsey can start right away and plug one of these holes. The where portion of the equation doesn't really matter—that's just how well he projects to the next level.

13. Miami Dolphins: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State

Ezekiel Elliott has a lot going for him if he wants to wind up as one of the guys taking the league by storm.

For one, Elliott plays running back. It's one of the easiest positions to transition to at the pro level, so long as the prospect can pick up the playbook well and hold his own in pass protection. The Ohio State product does the latter with ease.

Two, Elliott is elite—one of the most anticipated players at the position in years. He's an every-down back standing at 6'0" and 225 pounds with soft hands and the obvious ability to get upfield and into second and third layers of defenses thanks to his vision, decision-making and athleticism.

In fact, PFF College suggested Elliott would have stacked up well against last year's Todd Gurley-led class, too:

The Miami Dolphins look like the floor for Elliott. They lost Lamar Miller in free agency, and unless they want to roll the dice on someone recovering from injury such as Arian Foster, it's just the relative unknown of Jay Ajayi in the backfield.

Elliott isn't hyped like he would have been in past years because of the nature of his position, relegating him to a committee role most places he lands. It's a situation allowing him to fall to a team in need that would use him more than most, boosting his potential to have a major rookie campaign and take his team with him.

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