2016 NFL Mock Draft: Updated Predictions with Less Than 2 Weeks to Go
Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Rams made the splash trade of moving up to the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. After months of debating about what the Tennessee Titans would do the pick, it's now out of their hands.
It's fair to speculate that the Rams didn't give up a king's ransom for a non-quarterback, which means the prior projections of players such as Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, UCLA linebacker Myles Jack and Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa going first overall are likely out of play. The ripple effect, including two quarterbacks potentially going back-to-back at the top of the draft, is felt throughout the league, not just at the beginning of the draft.
In an effort to make sense of the draft-changing trade, we'll take the pulse of the NFL in a new mock draft exercise, including another early trade—this time for a non-quarterback who is ranked highly but doesn't seem to have a home in the top slate of picks.
Follow along as we go team by team, giving you a taste of what you may see in Chicago at the end of the month.
1. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff, QB, California
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The Los Angeles Rams traded up to the first overall pick this week, flipping first-round selections with the Tennessee Titans at the cost of a 2017 first-round pick, two 2016 second-round picks, a 2016 third-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick.
This should be no surprise, as the team had Case Keenum, who was brought in for a seventh-round pick last offseason, listed as the starting quarterback. What is surprising, though, is who the pick is allegedly for.
NFL Network's Mike Silver, ESPN's Adam Schefter, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd all have stated that the team is leaning toward taking quarterback Jared Goff of California, not Carson Wentz of North Dakota State. I can't figure out what the Rams have to gain by feeding lies to reporters when they already own the top pick of the draft, and both Goff and Wentz have the same agent, so taking the words of Silver, Schefter, Miller and Cowherd as fact is the plan of action.
2. Cleveland Browns: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
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I'm not totally convinced that the Cleveland Browns turn in the second overall pick. Remember, the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly tried to move up for Marcus Mariota last offseason, and according to Howard Balzer, a longtime football columnist and broadcaster, the Tennessee Titans almost traded the first overall pick of this class to the Eagles.
If Philadelphia still wants to give Carson Wentz a shot, he is likely to be on the board with the second overall pick. The North Dakota State product has been thought of as the premier quarterback in the class for the majority of the offseason. Does Paul DePodesta's “Moneyball” mind say to trade the second overall pick for multiple at-bats or to take a player viewed as a franchise quarterback?
If they choose to trade the pick, the Browns have a couple of years of Robert Griffin III, a former second overall quarterback, to fall back on. At this point, it's easy to assume that Cleveland takes Wentz, but if the team moves the selection to Philadelphia, it would surprise no one.
3. San Diego Chargers: Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
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The San Diego Chargers get a chance to select the best non-quarterback prospect on the board. Many believe this is Laremy Tunsil, the offensive tackle from Mississippi. Unfortunately, the team has invested so many assets on the offensive line, which is average, that it can't really move on to a new offensive tackle.
Last offseason, King Dunlap, the left tackle, signed a four-year, $28 million contract. On the third day of the league year, his salary became fully guaranteed. The right tackle, Joel Barksdale, signed a four-year deal with an eight-figure signing bonus this offseason.
Surely, one can kick inside to guard, right? Wrong. Orlando Franklin signed a five-year, $36.5 million contract in 2015. The other guard, D.J. Fluker, was already kicked inside from tackle. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Short of moving Dunlap to the bench and cutting him next season, the team can't look at Tunsil. Treating Dunlap's contract as a one-year deal including the dead money the team would have to pay for 2017, he'd be making about $8.5 million to sit on the bench in 2016 for Tunsil to make any impact for a team that lost 12 games last year.
Relative to the average salaries in the league at the position, he'd be the 14th highest-paid tackle in the NFL. To sit on the bench. That's more than any long-term right tackle in the league. The team almost has to take Jalen Ramsey, who is considered to be the top defender in the draft.
The Florida State cornerback can start right away and will allow the team to move from Brandon Flowers, who regressed in 2015. Jason Verrett looks to be a starting cornerback while healthy, and the team brought in Casey Hayward as a slot cornerback in free agency. The pairing of Hayward and Ramsey could give the Chargers secondary a makeover.
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4. Baltimore Ravens: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Mississippi (from Cowboys)
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Do the Baltimore Ravens need to jump the Jacksonville Jaguars for a franchise left tackle? No. If Laremy Tunsil of Mississippi does fall to the fourth overall pick, though, you'd assume that there will be more dogs in the race than just the Jaguars. The Dallas Cowboys have a plethora of options if quarterbacks go back-to-back at the top of the draft.
There are five positional players—Jalen Ramsey, Tunsil, Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa and Myles Jack—who are considered the best in the draft. Dropping to the sixth overall spot and flipping with the Baltimore Ravens ensures that the Cowboys still get to choose between at least two of those prospects, plus they'd add an additional pick or two.
Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens general manager, is smart enough to know that Tunsil brings upside that the rest of the class can't. Left tackle Eugene Monroe has missed 15 games over the last two years with Baltimore, which doesn't take into account the team's need at right tackle.
The Cowboys already have an established offensive line, which is an area the Ravens need help securing. Newsome locks in his next Jonathan Ogden-type franchise tackle. Everyone wins.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Myles Jack, LB/S, UCLA
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The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Gus Bradley to build their defense similarly to the Seattle Seahawks, the franchise he worked for as a defensive coordinator before his head coaching gig. Unfortunately, on-field talent has been the difference between the practice of his scheme in Seattle and Jacksonville.
The team needs playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Period. Jacksonville will bring back pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr., its 2015 first-round pick, in 2016, as he should be ready to make his NFL debut after missing his rookie season due to a torn ACL. That's not enough, though.
One of Seattle's best units was the linebackers, who could cover every inch of the field sideline to sideline, allowing for long cornerbacks like Richard Sherman to focus on taking their coverage assignments downfield. If Myles Jack, who is coming off a September knee injury, is healthy, he's that type of athlete. He should only be behind Florida State's cornerback Jalen Ramsey in terms of players who can make an instant splash in Bradley's defense.
6. Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State (from Ravens)
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After moving down, the Dallas Cowboys probably have to decide between defensive end Joey Bosa and running back Ezekiel Elliott, both of Ohio State.
At defensive end, they're in trouble. Randy Gregory, the team's second-round pick, is suspended for the first four games of the season due to a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. Greg Hardy has his history of off-field issues and wasn't viewed as enough of an on-field impact to deal with the headache. The team brought in Cedric Thornton, a run defender, in free agency to start across from DeMarcus Lawrence, but that may not be a substantial pass rush to start the season.
With that being said, Dallas is armed with Rod Marinelli, who is considered to be one of the best defensive coaches in football. If he can't develop a mid-round pass-rusher to spell Thornton on running downs for four games, no one can.
Elliott could be an instant-impact player for the Cowboys, as he has 1,500-yard potential as a rookie behind their offensive line. Some will claim that Alfred Morris' addition to the team means they will not look at a ball-carrier early on, but a two-year, $3.5 million contract is hardly a vote of confidence that he'll win a starting job in Dallas.
7. San Francisco 49ers: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
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By all accounts, Colin Kaepernick wants out of San Francisco. The only problem is his contract, which likely needs to downsize before his move. Only two teams are begging for quarterback help in the NFL, if you cross off the Los Angeles Rams, who own the first overall pick.
The New York Jets still have their 2015 starter, Ryan Fitzpatrick, sitting on the open market, and they've allegedly shopped defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, their best player, as they can't reward him with a second contract, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (h/t CBS Sports). The Denver Broncos, who lost star defensive tackle Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan in free agency due to their cap situation, is the other franchise.
The 49ers will have to move Kaepernick off the roster before camp starts. It's just a matter of who blinks first between San Francisco and Denver for his contract.
With two quarterbacks off the board, if the 49ers want to make a move for a long-term developmental starter, they need to make it early. Chip Kelly just got the head coaching job in San Francisco, and between the roster's current state and the scheme shift, the team shouldn't expect to contend for a winning season early on. For example, per Odds Shark, the team has the worst Super Bowl odds of any NFC franchise. From people who make money on incoming bets, in the western part of the United States, the 49ers project an absolute tank of a season.
Paxton Lynch can develop on the bench as Kelly's perfect quarterback, a mobile spread passer, while Blaine Gabbert rides out the 2016 season. It's not going to be pretty, but after two staffs in two seasons, a handful of retirements and locker-room incidents, the team is in a ditch. Lynch's tools are far from Marcus Mariota's, who was the crown jewel of Kelly's former Oregon program.
8. Philadelphia Eagles: Joey Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State
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The Philadelphia Eagles have about $5 million of cap space heading into 2017, which is one-fourth of the 30th team in the league, per Over the Cap. They are in the worst cap situation in the league at the moment, even with an expanding salary cap.
They can work around this, but they will need to let go of players. We saw this with the trades of DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso this offseason. A couple of more players, including offensive tackle Jason Peters and defensive end Connor Barwin, are likely on the way out. Peters' replacement is Lane Johnson, who is making nearly double of the average salary over the course of his contract as the next right tackle in the league.
Under Jim Schwartz, Eagles fans should expect a lot of Wide 9 alignments from the team's defensive ends. While Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry are homegrown, neither is a No. 1 defensive end on film. Joey Bosa, who is similar to Tamba Hali, may fit with Schwartz better than any other defensive coordinator in the league. Drafting him to ease up cap space for the re-signing of players such as Fletcher Cox would be a great long-term investment for a rebuilding team.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DeForest Buckner, DL, Oregon
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DeForest Buckner isn't a great pass-rusher, but that's OK. Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans don't want to hear that about this potential selection, but Buckner's run defense is why he's going to be a top-10 pick. At Oregon, he rarely lost the battle at the line of scrimmage, and the 6'7” defensive end was the better of a 2014 Ducks pair that featured Arik Armstead, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the 17th pick of the 2015 draft.
If Buckner makes it past San Francisco, which has his former head coach Chip Kelly and his former defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro, the Buccaneers might be his floor. Buckner's run defense is game-changing, and he can kick inside on nickel downs. With a speed rusher like Jacquies Smith coming off the bench, Buckner can replace a nose tackle's role in one-on-one passing situations, using his 291-pound body to anchor and his length to pressure passers from the interior.
On base downs, you don't want him inside, as his giant frame makes him a target for double-teams, which make tall linemen stand straight up. Instead, you want to play him as a left defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, where he's more of a cleanup player than a true edge-bender. With a 3-technique like Gerald McCoy, though, his 34” arms will have plenty of realistic opportunities to snag down a quarterback off effort and frame alone.
10. New York Giants: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
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Is Ereck Flowers a long-term left tackle in the NFL? Outside of his 6'6” frame, most would say no. Le'Raven Clark, a senior from Texas Tech, has a similar frame and has arms which are two inches longer than Flowers. He is being viewed as a Day 2 selection. On top of that, Clark has an excuse for his lack of development: He played in an Air Raid system at Tech, not a pro-style offense like Flowers did at Miami.
Flowers was injured as a rookie and was "forced” to play left tackle (I remind you he was a top-10 pick,) but he had issues with footwork, anchor and hands while at Miami. Flowers might just be a project right tackle, not a project left tackle.
Unfortunately for the Giants, that means they need a left tackle, unless they plan on starting Marshall Newhouse, who may have been the only consistent starter in 2015 but was beaten with more frequency than Flowers. As far as pure left tackle prospects go, Ronnie Stanley of Notre Dame is second only behind Laremy Tunsil of Mississippi in mock draft popularity.
Stanley is a former basketball player who probably could have declared after the 2014 regular season but elected to play one more year. He's not the on-paper athlete you'd expect him to be, but many still believe he's a dancing bear. On-paper athleticism really should be treated with a grain of salt, since pass protection, the true measurement of athleticism for bookends, is all done with backward movement, as only forward movement is tested through the combine.
The Giants have built their offense in a way that they scheme receivers, other than Odell Beckham Jr., open with pass protection. At some point, you have to decide where to spend big money and assets in the NFL. New York has decided it would rather invest in linemen than receivers, which with an aging Eli Manning doesn't seem like a bad idea.
The reason why the Giants are picking in the top 10 in back-to-back years is that they haven't had that protection. That has to change in 2016.
11. Chicago Bears: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
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The Chicago Bears have done a great job of quickly turning around their roster. They were once the Vegas leaders for earning the first overall pick in this draft, but they finished out of the bottom 10 franchises in record in 2015, plus they did it without their rookie first-rounder, former West Virginia receiver Kevin White.
After adding Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman to their defense this offseason, they have filled almost every hole on the roster. It's too early to take a project left tackle to compete with Charles Leno, since Ronnie Stanley and Laremy Tunsil are both now off the board, but they could address cornerback early on.
If not for Vernon Hargreaves' height, he could have be a top-10 lock. Because of his sub-5'11" stature, though, his on-field, out-of-the-gate talent will fall into a needy team's lap. The Bears don't need Richard Sherman; they need a functional cornerback. Vic Fangio worked with small cornerbacks both with the San Francisco 49ers and the 2015 Chicago Bears, so Hargreaves' height should be viewed as a non-issue when projecting to this specific team.
12. New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins, DL, Louisville
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The New Orleans Saints' draft process should be simple: Who is the best defender available?
Sheldon Rankins of Louisville played 5-technique defensive end for the Cardinals because of his run-stopping ability, but he's an underrated athlete. He can be the penetrating 3-technique under tackle that the Saints so badly need to pair with defensive end Cameron Jordan. With 2015 second-round pick Hau'oli Kikaha moving to defensive end, Rankins' addition can give the 2016 pass-rushing unit a complete overhaul in one swipe.
Rankins is a player with Kawann Short-type of upside. He's a prospect who wins with burst off the line of scrimmage, and when an offensive lineman begins to cheat, he has a well-timed countermove in his back pocket. He's a difference-maker in the NFL.
13. Miami Dolphins: Leonard Floyd, EDGE, Georgia
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The Miami Dolphins lost Olivier Vernon to the New York Giants in free agency. They added Mario Williams, who was a cap casualty in Buffalo, but they need long-term answers at defensive end. Cameron Wake is a 34-year-old. Williams is a 31-year-old. In two years, they might be out of the league, let alone off the Miami roster.
Assuming Wake starts to become a part-time player relatively soon, as 34-year-old footballers do, the team could use another smaller pass-rusher to pair with Williams' 295-pound frame. Leonard Floyd of Georgia is half-end, half-linebacker. Think of him as similar to Dion Jordan coming out of college, the player who the previous staff tried to replace Wake with.
Jordan is still on the roster but is coming off of a yearlong suspension from the league. At 26 years old, with three NFL seasons under his belt, the former third overall pick has three sacks to his name. The Dolphins have two aging veterans and a draft bust to replace, and their best young pass-rusher just left in free agency. They have to make early on.
14. Oakland Raiders: Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Mississippi
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The Oakland Raiders have built a strong culture in the short amount of time that general manager Reggie McKenzie has been with the team. The roster is going to be competitive, and you're going to have to compete for your job.
If Sio Moore ends up in head coach Jack Del Rio's doghouse, he'll get traded. It's as simple as that. The result? For the most part, the Raiders have few holes on the roster, at least relative to what McKenzie walked into.
Robert Nkemdiche of Mississippi is a top-five pick on film. He can't handle a double-team, but he can rush the passer and disrupt on zone run plays. In a league where Datone Jones and Sheldon Richardson, two college interior defensive linemen, are playing 3-4 outside linebacker, Nkemdiche can line up on early downs as a 4-3 defensive end before being unleashed as a 3-technique defensive tackle.
Nkemdiche has the potential of Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, the only two defensive tackles to break the eight-sack mark in their rookie seasons over the past decade. Athletically, he's up there with those two as the elite under tackle prospects of the last 10 drafts.
15. Tennessee Titans: Jack Conklin, OT, Tennessee Titans
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Tennessee moved from first overall to 15th overall, picking up an extra first-round pick, two second-round picks and two third-round picks in the process, and it still comes out with a right tackle. This is a dream scenario for the Titans.
The team needs a right tackle after the Jeremiah Poutasi experiment went wrong for the late guard convert in his rookie season. Jack Conklin of Michigan State has limited on-field athleticism, as his kick-slide isn't up to NFL standards, but he's talented enough to potentially hang as a right tackle for the long term.
16. Detroit Lions: Emmanuel Ogbah, EDGE, Oklahoma State
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Emmanuel Ogbah will be a draft day surprise for the majority of fans. He finished second in the FBS with 13 sacks in 2015 for Oklahoma State. This was a year after dominating against a would-be playoff team in Florida State, which was coming off a national championship win, as a sophomore.
Ogbah is 6'4" and 273 pounds on top of all of that. Athletically, he tested well. According to Mock Draftable, some of his comparables are Aldon Smith, Robert Quinn, Chandler Jones, Jadeveon Clowney, Greg Hardy and Ezekiel Ansah, some of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. Pairing Ogbah with Ansah could give the established quarterbacks of the NFC North nightmares for years.
17. Atlanta Falcons: Chris Jones, DL, Mississippi State
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Quietly, Chris Jones has one of the highest upsides of defensive linemen in this draft class. He's big enough with his 6'6", 310-pound frame that he can realistically fit as a 5-technique or nose tackle in Atlanta's defense, depending on how head coach Dan Quinn wants to shape his Falcons line.
Does the team want to move Vic Beasley to a "Sam" linebacker-type role like Bruce Irvin in his time in Seattle? Jones is a perfect strong-side defensive end to pair with that type of player. If not, he's an interior pressure player.
Assistant general manager Scott Pioli's calling card when he was the general manager in Kansas City was freak defensive linemen. Since he's joined Atlanta's staff, it has taken Beasley and Ra'Shede Hageman early on in the NFL draft. These two sides seem like ideal dance partners.
18. Indianapolis Colts: Shaq Lawson, EDGE, Clemson
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It's 2016. The Indianapolis Colts' top three pass-rushers can't be Erik Walden, Trent Cole and Robert Mathis heading into the regular season. Jonathan Newsome flashed potential during his 6.5-sack rookie season of 2014, but he's now off the roster after his arrest for marijuana possession.
The subtly athletic Shaq Lawson, who had an All-American season at Clemson in his one year as a starter, can be an immediate impact player for the Colts, who lack young, talented defenders. Between 2012 and 2014, the team drafted one defender in the top 100. It was Bjoern Werner, the first-round bust of a pass-rusher who is currently a free agent. The team needs to make up for a need that it has had since 2013.
19. Buffalo Bills: Kevin Dodd, EDGE, Clemson
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The Buffalo Bills had to let Mario Williams go as a cap casualty this offseason, and they didn't fill the need through free agency. For as great of a defensive mind that head coach Rex Ryan is, the defensive line will be exposed if the team can't even field four or five quality on-the-ball players.
Kevin Dodd can play either 5-technique defensive end with his 6'5", 277-pound frame or line up as a pass-rusher, depending on what formation the Bills run on a given down. If he plays opposite of Jerry Hughes, passing downs would become less of a liability.
20. New York Jets: Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
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D'Brickashaw Ferguson retired out of the blue recently, which left a vacancy at the New York Jets' starting left tackle spot. They quickly made a trade for Ryan Clady, who was one of a stable of offensive tackles that the Denver Broncos were sitting on at the time.
That solve doesn't this issue: The team had a right tackle need before Ferguson even called it quits. Breno Giacomini, who spent time with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks before the Jets, is already a 30-year-old. He's a below-average starting tackle in the league, and with just one year remaining on his contract after this season, the team could move on from him with ease.
Taylor Decker of Ohio State is behind only Laremy Tunsil of Mississippi in terms of Day 1 starting potential. Decker is a long bookend at 6'6" and comes with a mean streak. If you value the ground game, like New York seems to, he should be the second tackle on your big board.
21. Washington Redskins: Ryan Kelly, IOL, Alabama
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Ryan Kelly is one of the more impressive center prospects in a long time. He's an immediate starter and has the ability to play any of the three interior offensive line positions. Overall, he's the top interior offensive lineman in the class.
The Washington Redskins took guard Brandon Scherff historically high in last year's draft class, and with living legend offensive line coach Bill Callahan on staff, it's evident that the team is putting a priority on the big uglies up front. The addition of Kelly can give Washington its version of Travis Frederick, and with young linemen like Trent Williams, Scherff and Morgan Moses already on the roster, the team is set for the future.
If Kirk Cousins is your starting quarterback, you may need to invest some significant money on receivers and offensive linemen. This is a step toward that goal.
22. Houston Texans: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
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The Houston Texans did DeAndre Hopkins no favors last season. Despite a handful of quarterbacks playing significant snaps for the team, starting running back Arian Foster going down with an injury and no real pass-catching threat opposite of him, he still led the Texans offense into the playoffs.
The Texans have added quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller in free agency, but an answer to their receiver woes has yet to come. In the simplest of terms, Hopkins is a possession receiver. A speedy receiver, such as Will Fuller of Notre Dame who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, would be a great target to pair with Hopkins.
Fuller has some concentration drop issues, but if he ever turns that around, he's DeSean Jackson. If not, he's Ted Ginn Jr. With Hopkins already the No. 1 receiver on the team, the Texans are in a position to take such a risk.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
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Running back Adrian Peterson isn't going to be "the guy" in Minnesota forever, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is more of a game manager than a downfield play maker. You can win with risk-averse quarterbacks like Bridgewater, but you're going to need receivers to make up for his arm in the passing game.
As of now, the Vikings' best receiver is second-year fifth-round pick Stefon Diggs. Charles Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson haven't been what we built them up to be after quick breakout years early in their careers, and there's no promise Diggs will repeat his 2015 success in 2016.
Josh Doctson is a great possession receiver with amazing body control. Similar to DeAndre Hopkins, he is a clear No. 1 receiver in the NFL. Some people will like Laquon Treadwell from Mississippi more since he is a true junior instead of the redshirt senior that Doctson is, but the TCU product isn't physically limited in any aspect.
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
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The three most wide receiver-needy teams are picking back-to-back-to-back, so don't be shocked for one second if there's a run on the position late in the first round. The Cincinnati Bengals lost Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency this offseason, the two highest-paid players at the position in the free-agent market.
The Bengals like to build from inside the franchise, and Mike Brown has been a notoriously cheap owner of the team. You're telling him that he can land a 20-year-old, someone he might be able to get three contracts out of, in the first round? Forty-time be damned, Laquon Treadwell makes a lot of sense for Cincinnati on paper, especially considering its overall lean toward SEC prospects.
He's a physical receiver who is often tabbed as a step-slower version of Dez Bryant. Giving Andy Dalton that second option next to A.J. Green can be the difference between an AFC North title and hovering around .500 in 2016.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers: William Jackson III, CB, Houston
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have needed cornerback help for years. For whatever reason, though, they've overlooked the position early on in the draft, despite taking players at non-premier positions like Ryan Shazier, an off-the-ball linebacker, in the first round.
This is the year that trend has to change. You can't have a weak secondary and a weak pass rush and expect to win consistently in the NFL. For as good as the Pittsburgh offense was for stretches in 2015, the pass defense wasn't up to standard.
With Jarvis Jones and Bud Dupree as the young, developing pass-rushers, the Steelers can't make a move for another edge defender. That means they have to look at the cornerback position to patch up the pass defense.
William Jackson of Houston is the NFL's new prototype: long and fast. Even when tested against the likes of the Power Five's Florida State, Jackson held his own. After Jalen Ramsey, Jackson is the best Day 1 starting cornerback who measures in over 5'11", which is the baseline for outside cornerbacks in today's NFL.
26. Seattle Seahawks: Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana
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I'm not sure I've seen a front office with more confidence in its offensive line coach than the 2016 Seattle Seahawks. I'm not sure I've seen an offensive line as weak as the 2016 Seattle Seahawks.
On paper, the only non-turnstile on the line is Justin Britt, who was converted from right tackle to guard last season, after just one year in the NFL as a second-round pick. Every other offensive lineman on the roster may not be in the league by 2017. That's amazing.
Sure, the team trusts Tom Cable, the former Oakland Raiders head coach, but outside of J.R. Sweezy, who just signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, none of his reclamation projects has really worked. He now has to figure out how to develop four starters, including two bookends, by September.
The Seahawks have pinned themselves in a corner. It's almost irrational to think they could address any other position other than offensive tackle with the 26th overall pick.
Jason Spriggs of Indiana is similar to Lane Johnson athletically, but he has an issue with working against inside moves from pass-rushers. Cable adding a project body to his 2016 roster is better than the situation the team is in currently, though.
27. Green Bay Packers: Kenny Clark, DL, UCLA
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The Green Bay Packers have virtually no defensive line depth. For as big of a need as inside linebacker is, the team's fallback option is to keep Clay Matthews there in 2016. On the defensive line, there's really only one quality starter.
Josh Boyd is coming off a season-ending injury as a 5-technique, Letroy Guion is on a short-term deal one year after facing gun and drug charges, Mike Pennel starts the season on a four-game suspension, Datone Jones is moving to outside linebacker, and B.J. Raji retired. That's the status of the interior defensive line outside of Mike Daniels, who was a borderline Pro Bowl 3-technique-type last season.
Kenny Clark is young and athletic, which is exactly how GM Ted Thompson likes to build in the defensive front seven. His inside linebackers look like pass-rushers, and his nose tackles play like under tackles in nose tackle bodies. With Raji out of the picture, California's Clark has to be high on Green Bay's list on draft day, as he can play either 3-4 defensive end or nose guard as a rookie.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
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Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs took Marcus Peters in the first round. In back-to-back drafts, their first-round pick might be a cornerback. As of now, Peters is the only starting-caliber outside cornerback on the team, and considering the potential lost season of Justin Houston due to knee surgery and recovery, the defensive passing game needs plenty of help.
Chiefs general manager John Dorsey is part of the Ted Thompson-Ron Wolf tree, which also includes John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks popularized long cornerbacks due to the success of their defense, but Thompson and Wolf had been doing the same in Green Bay years before Schneider was even considered a general manager candidate.
Dorsey needs a cornerback, and his background would suggest a long cornerback is the way he'd lean. Eli Apple of Ohio State is young, as he declared as a redshirt sophomore, and he's a raw defensive back, but he has the potential to be as good of an outside corner as anyone in the class.
Emmitt Thomas was the defensive coordinator of the Packers in 1999, when Wolf was the team's general manager and vice president, the same year that they drafted the 6'0" cornerback Mike McKenzie. Thomas is now the Chiefs' secondary coach. Everything points to a 5'11"-plus boundary player as "the type" in Kansas City.
29. New England Patriots
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Deflategate.
30. Arizona Cardinals: Vernon Butler, DL, Louisiana Tech
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You can never have enough defensive linemen. With the expiring contract of Calais Campbell, who will be on his third deal after this season, the team may want to look ahead. When you take into account the expiring contracts of other stars like Tyrann Mathieu and the recently traded-for Chandler Jones, a parachute plan for a major free agent might be the best way for the Cardinals to use their one top-90 pick in the 2016 draft.
Vernon Butler is a 3-technique in a nose tackle's body. He's giant (6'4", 323 lbs) but explosive. Ignore the fact that he played for a mid-major program; I saw him win firsthand in one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl practices against "big school" offensive linemen.
Is he the team's future nose tackle? Is he the team's future 5-technique? Is he the team's future 3-technique? The flexibility he allows is a positive for contract negotiations, plus defensive linemen are rotated so heavily that it's easy to see him on the field in the short term, too.
31. Carolina Panthers: Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
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If it wasn't evident by the Super Bowl's result, the Carolina Panthers need to do something to help get the ball out of Cam Newton's hands faster. They don't have the receivers, in part due to the injury of Kelvin Benjamin, to get open deep downfield quickly, and their offensive linemen can't hold up against edge-benders like Von Miller.
Offensive linemen aren't quick fixes, as they almost all need a year or two to transition to the NFL game. Adding a fast target like Corey Coleman of Baylor, who at one point was on pace for about 30 receiving touchdowns during his final season, would be great for the Carolina offense.
After adding big targets in Benjamin and Devin Funchess over the past two drafts, taking a shot at an undersized speedster seems like the easy way to improve the deep passing game. Based on the power run element to the Panthers offense and the fact that they have a run threat in Newton passing the ball, it's easy to see why they might want to build the deep ball of play action to supplement their bookend talent.
32. Denver Broncos: Su'a Cravens, LB/S, USC
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The Denver Broncos lost plenty in free agency, including a young quarterback in Brock Osweiler. One player who walked was inside linebacker Danny Trevathan, who signed with the Chicago Bears. If the Broncos decide they wanted to pair Brandon Marshall, a great coverage linebacker, and safety T.J. Ward with a hybrid linebacker, Su'a Cravens from USC is "the guy" after Myles Jack of UCLA.
The Pac-12 specializes in spread offenses, and Cravens was that Trojans chess piece who played a little bit of everything to try to negate them. He's similar to Shaq Thompson, who was drafted in the first round out of Washington in the 2015 draft class by the Panthers.
Coverage linebackers who can play sideline to sideline allow for cornerbacks to play their passing assignments without fear of needing to be a tackler near the line of scrimmage. Adding Cravens to fill the hole in Denver doesn't just bring in a linebacker—it allows Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware to still aggressively get up field, and it keeps the Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby combination of defensive backs shutting down man-to-man routes.
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