NFL Draft 2016: Latest Mock Draft and Shifts on Stock Market as Event Nears

The NFL draft stock market changes more often than the Cleveland Browns chew through quarterbacks.

Maybe that's not fair. The draft, after all, is a fickle beast. A first round in which only a low percentage of the picks work out, and it's not always the guys up top, makes it hard for teams to contend on a year-to-year basis.

This year, the stock seems wilder than ever, though, in large part thanks to trade after trade shifting things around.

It's a defensive-heavy draft, so don't be shocked to find defenders making up the notable recent stock movers after a look at an updated mock based on team need and—indeed—prospect stock.

2016 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Los Angeles Rams	Jared Goff	QB	California
2	Philadelphia Eagles	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota State
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	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
7	San Francisco 49ers	Joey Bosa	DL	Ohio State
8	Cleveland Browns	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
10	New York Giants	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
11	Chicago Bears	Shaq Lawson	LB	Clemson
12	New Orleans Saints	Noah Spence	DE/LB	Eastern Kentucky
13	Miami Dolphins	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
14	Oakland Raiders	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
15	Tennessee Titans	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
16	Detroit Lions	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
17	Atlanta Falcons	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
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	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
22	Houston Texans	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
23	Minnesota Vikings	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	T.J. Green	S	Clemson
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	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
30	Carolina Panthers	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
31	Denver Broncos	Jason Spriggs	OT	Indiana

Latest Stock Market Shifts

Stock Down: 22. Houston Texans: Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson

Clemson corner Mackensie Alexander might be the biggest loser of the NFL draft process this year.

Alexander put on a show last year from a shutdown standpoint, sticking with big names and hardly allowing notable plays. But for a guy who is just 5'10" and 190 pounds, deeper film analysis revealed he didn't make a ton of plays himself, either.

Once the top corner on the board, now NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has suggested Alexander could fall all the way out of the opening round:

"

The general public has been in love with Alexander as a draft prospect for a while, but I'm not sure that NFL teams feel the same way about him. Alexander's size (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) is a concern for many teams I've spoken with as they see him as more of a slot corner than an outside player. If he had a history of making a ton of plays on the ball, it would probably land him in the first round, but he didn't make any interceptions at Clemson.

"

While the lack of size and notable plays qualifies as a concern, nickel corners are so important these days that Alexander will still likely find himself coming off the board in the first round.

From a future-looking standpoint, the Houston Texans wouldn't mind taking the falling Alexander and slapping him on the field with Kevin Johnson and others down the road. Perhaps the best player available, it also seems like the best fit.

While not a top-10 slot for Alexander, it sure beats falling out of the round.

Stock Up: 25. Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Green, S, Clemson

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

One Clemson player goes down; another shoots up. 

Folks haven't heard much about the safety position this year outside of Jalen Ramsey for good reason—until now. Clemson's T.J. Green continues to turn heads late in the process because of his blend of size (6'2", 209 lbs) and speed (4.34 40-yard dash at the combine).

Green has put on an absolute show in workouts lately, causing NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah to mock him 29th overall to the Arizona Cardinals while heaping notable praise: "Many teams believe Green's future might be at cornerback, and his draft stock is soaring."

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller explained the dynamic around Green's rising stock:

In this scenario, Green seems like the perfect fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that coughed up 271.9 passing yards per game last year to rank 30th.

The Steelers could use a new enforcer. Best of all, Green can slot in at safety when asked or provide critical rotational depth at corner for a long time.

It's a good fit for both sides, but especially Green, who looked like a second-round pick at best one week ago.

Stock Up: 30. Carolina Panthers: Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Fuller family strikes again.

This time it's Kendall out of Virginia Tech, a 5'11", 187-pound corner who looks like the opposite of Alexander on film thanks to his outstanding ability to make plays on the ball.

Fuller's recent climb up draft boards stems from a positive medical re-check after a knee issue that ended his 2015 campaign. Prior to the injury, he had looked like a first-round pick, anyway.

Now cleared, CBSSports.com's Rob Rang compared Kendall to others from the family:

"

Although his game still needs refinement in areas, Fuller has very good short-area quickness with the controlled footwork and natural feel in coverage to develop into a reliable NFL starter like his older brother Kyle, except Kendall has better size and upside. Fuller is currently rated fifth among corners and 53rd overall.

"

Just in time, too, because the Carolina Panthers need some serious help.

The Carolina front office just scoffed at the idea of paying Josh Norman what he wants, so Norman took his talents to Washington and put ink to paper, according to NFL Network's Rand Getlin.

Norman's departure leaves a huge absence in the Carolina secondary, so it's great a pro-ready Fuller just got cleared and looks like a first-round pick.

Stats are courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 23. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.