NFL Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Top Storylines to Watch

We're 10 days from Roger Goodell calling out the first selection of the 2016 NFL draft on April 28, and the storylines are starting to emerge for the organization's biggest offseason spectacle. 

Just when it seemed that a consensus top 10 was getting easy to see, the Los Angeles Rams pulled off a megadeal for the No. 1 pick and shook the whole thing up. 

According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Titans' haul for the No. 1 pick includes the No. 15 pick along with a first-rounder next season, two picks in the second round this year (Nos. 43 and 45) and a third-rounder in 2017. 

The implications of the deal are far-reaching both in terms of the total draft and the first round.

Here's a look at how the first round could shake out with a new team in the No. 1 slot, along with the top storylines to watch for on draft night. 

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Los Angeles Rams	Jared Goff	QB	Cal
2	Cleveland Browns	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota State
3	San Diego Chargers	Laremy Tunsill	OT	Ole Miss
4	Dallas Cowboys	Joey Bosa	DL	Ohio State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jalen Ramsey	CB/S	Florida State
6	Baltimore Ravens	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
7	San Francisco 49ers	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
8	Philadelphia Eagles	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Shaq Lawson	EDGE	Clemson
10	New York Giants	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
11	Chicago Bears	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
12	New Orleans Saints	DeForest Buckner	DL	Oregon
13	Miami Dolphins	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
14	Oakland Raiders	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
15	Tennessee Titans	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
16	Detroit Lions	Sheldon Rankins	DL	Louisville
17	Atlanta Falcons	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
18	Indianapolis Colts	Emmanuel Ogbah	EDGE	Oklahoma State
19	Buffalo Bills	Jarran Reed	DL	Alabama
20	New York Jets	Leonard Floyd	EDGE	Georgia
21	Washington Redskins	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
22	Houston Texans	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
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	Germain Ifedi	OT	Texas A&M
27	Green Bay Packers	A'Shawn Robinson	DL	Alabama
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Noah Spence	EDGE	Eastern Kentucky
29	Arizona Cardinals	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
30	Carolina Panthers	Jason Spriggs	OT	Indiana
31	Denver Broncos	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan State

Exactly Who are the Rams Targeting at No. 1?

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Franchises don't just give up the  bounty of picks that the Rams did without knowing who they want to take with the top pick. It's clear the Rams are moving up for someone, but they're doing a good job of keeping that under wraps. 

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the team will bring in both quarterback Jared Goff and Carson Wentz for visits leading up to the draft. 

General manager Les Snead doesn't seem too interested in tipping his hand, either. He has said, "There'll be a lot of suspense, that'll be good for the networks," per Albert Breer of NFL Network.

Looking at the nature of the trade, there's reason to believe the pick has to be Goff, though. 

Here's what Jeff Fisher had to say about the decision-making process, per Schefter:

"

"We were the first ones in," Fisher said. "We're familiar with both of them, in addition to those other prospects on this roster. So the skill sets are different, the personalities are different, the background is different, the competition is different, and that's what makes this such a challenge."

"

The important phrase to home in on is the question of competition. Fair or unfair, the competition that Wentz faced in college will play a factor in this decision. The Rams aren't the typical team picking at the top of the draft. There is no five-year plan. 

This deal was made to be competitive as soon as possible. 

The leap from the highest level of FBS college football to the NFL is a dramatic one. That's why you don't see very many rookie quarterbacks lighting it up. It takes time to adjust to the smaller windows and overall speed of the game. 

The jump from the FCS level to the NFL is even steeper. Wentz might have the higher upside with his tools and size, but there's little chance he's ready to step in right away. The Rams don't have that kind of time. 

That's why it's not shocking that the buzz is for Goff as the No. 1 pick, per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report:

This storyline has a Part 2, though: The Cleveland Browns.

Even in the draft the Browns can't have the spotlight. They've now become the runner-up of the 2016 quarterback sweepstakes. 

As it so happens, they're more equipped to take on a project with the No. 2 pick. 

Even with the Rams taking Goff, the Browns still have a need for a quarterback of the future. Fortunately for whoever that might be, the team just went out and acquired Robert Griffin III, giving them someone to man the position over the next season or two while they develop the long-term solution. 

The Browns could still wind up with their quarterback of the future, even if they're left to just pick whoever the Rams didn't want to take with the first pick. 

Where Does Paxton Lynch Land?

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Before the Rams traded up to No. 1, the quarterback situation in Round 1 looked pretty clearcut. Two teams in the top 10 definitively needed a quarterback: the Browns and San Francisco 49ers. There appeared to be two top-10 quarterbacks. 

Now there seems to be three teams and only two quarterbacks who have been perceived as top-10 quarterbacks. 

Teams don't draft based on the perception of the pundits, though. They draft based on who they like and what their needs are. 

There's no denying that the Niners are still a team in need of a quarterback. To believe otherwise is to believe in Blaine Gabbert as a viable NFL quarterback. 

However, that means a quarterback we don't expect could slide into the top 10. Call it the Jake Locker Corollary: Teams are generally willing to reach if they are desperate enough at quarterback. 

With Goff and Wentz off the board, Paxton Lynch might be the answer to San Francisco's quarterback problem. As Benjamin Allbright of 1340 AM in Denver noted, Lynch might be one of the biggest winners of the Rams trade:

The Niners don't necessarily have to be the team that takes Lynch in the top 10, though. The Giants and Rams have already traded into the top 10. The pick-swapping doesn't usually stop when the draft gets started. 

The New York Jets met with the Memphis signal-caller on Friday, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

If they believe he's a better solution to their quarterback quandary than Geno Smith, it might just trigger a trade in front of the Niners to ensure they get their guy. 

What Order Will the Receivers Go In?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

If you want to start a war among draft pundits, ask who their favorite receivers are in the draft. 

You won't even find a consensus No. 1 anymore. 

Heading into the draft process it appeared to be Laquon Treadwell. Now? He's not even in Matt Miller's latest first-round mock draft. 

The Ole Miss product has seen his stock drop because of a 40 time that clocked in the mid-4.6 range at his pro day. Depending on how you view Treadwell as a prospect, that's either not a big deal or cause for him to see a huge drop on draft day. 

Pat Kirwan of Real Football Network—who has NFL scouting experience—falls in the first camp. He provided some context as to why mock drafts might be overreacting to the slow 40 time:

"

This year’s draft isn’t stocked with a lot of high-round talent, and the consensus top receiver, Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss, made some waves in recent weeks when he ran a pretty pedestrian 4.6 in his Pro Day 40.  The mock draft experts immediately started dropping him in their drafts because of a lack of speed.  Well here’s a news flash from our friend Erron Banks – DeAndre Hopkins ran a 4.57 at the Combine, and Keenan Allen ran a 4.6.  Tavon Austin ran a 4.3.  Who do YOU think the more productive receivers have been thus far in their NFL career?

"

If teams are disappointed by Treadwell's 40 time, he probably isn't the receiver they wanted anyway. He wins with strong hands, great route running and his ability to go up and get 50-50 balls. None of those require breakneck speed. 

Even if you figure out Treadwell's stock, there's still another wave of receivers who are interesting in the mid-to-late first round. Corey Coleman, Josh Doctson, Michael Thomas and Will Fuller can be seen in plenty of mock drafts throughout cyberspace. 

But it wouldn't be a shock to see any of them slip out of the first round. Fuller isn't listed in this particular mock but could wind up being the first receiver to be taken. He was the second one off the board in CBS' consensus mock draft, which aggregated mock drafts from multiple sites. 

Ultimately, this class of wide receivers will be an interesting Rorschach test for teams. Coleman, Doctson, Thomas and Fuller all appear to have similar talent levels but all bring different skill sets to the table. 

Just who a team like the Texans, who pick at No. 22, will choose out of that group probably says more about what they look for in a receiver than the actual prospect they take with that selection.