NFL Mock Draft 2016: Final Draft-Day Projections for All 32 Teams

Get ready for a wild ride as the 2016 NFL draft kicks off Thursday night. A deep yet not overly star-studded group of prospects is awaiting word on where they will continue their football careers, and there will likely be plenty of twists and turns along the way.

That's why this year's draft is extremely promising from an entertainment perspective. The lack of certainty after the top two selections has created a boatload of intrigue and left the door open for some truly surprising selections, with big boards around the league probably varying quite widely.

Let's check out a complete mock draft of the opening round, which also includes a prediction for the player the New England Patriots will select with their first pick in Round 2. That's followed by a breakdown of three prospects whose fate is likely to shape Day 1 in Chicago.

2016 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Los Angeles Rams (from TEN)	Jared Goff, QB, Cal
2	Philadelphia Eagles (from CLE)	Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
3	San Diego Chargers	Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
4	Dallas Cowboys	Jalen Ramsey, S, Florida State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
6	Baltimore Ravens	DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
7	San Francisco 49ers	Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA
8	Cleveland Browns (from MIA via PHI)	Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
10	New York Giants	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
11	Chicago Bears	William Jackson III, CB, Houston
12	New Orleans Saints	Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
13	Miami Dolphins (from PHI)	Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
14	Oakland Raiders	Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
15	Tennessee Titans (from LA)	Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
16	Detroit Lions	Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
17	Atlanta Falcons	Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
18	Indianapolis Colts	A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
19	Buffalo Bills	Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky
20	New York Jets	Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
21	Washington Redskins	Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
22	Houston Texans	Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
23	Minnesota Vikings	Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
26	Seattle Seahawks	Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor
27	Green Bay Packers	Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State
29	Arizona Cardinals	Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama
30	Carolina Panthers	Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
31	Denver Broncos	Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
60*	New England Patriots	Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

Prospects Who Will Shape Round 1

Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA

Myles Jack is a unique talent. He's a former running back with explosive playmaking ability off the edge and the athleticism to defend any type of tight end in coverage. While he's a bit raw in terms of grasping the position and must add more power to his frame, his upside is enormous.

His draft stock is in limbo, though, because of a season-ending knee injury he suffered last September. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported front offices are concerned about his longevity. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News had one source call the linebacker's knee a "time bomb."

Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports passed along comments from the UCLA standout, who's trying to ignore the outside noise and focus on what he can control.

"It's not like I'm getting mad," Jack said. "There's nothing for me to hide. ... I'm doing everything. I'm not focused on the knee, worried about the knee, it's not limiting me, it doesn't swell up on me."

He should be one of the first seven or eight players off the board Thursday night. If that doesn't happen, things are likely to get chaotic with front offices further down the draft order looking to move up to take advantage of the terrific value.

Yes, there may be some extra risk associated with taking him inside the top 10. But in a draft class limited in terms of true top-end talent, he's got the tools to develop into a superstar, which makes the potential reward outweigh the downside.

Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss

A couple of months ago, Laquon Treadwell seemed like a lock to become the first wide receiver off the board, possibly as a top-10 selection. His status is now far less certain, mostly because of his mundane testing numbers at his pro day, including a 4.63 time in the 40-yard dash, per NFL.com.

His game isn't predicated on making a bunch of plays down the field, though. The Ole Miss product is a physical force, capable of simply overpowering cornerbacks to move the chains. His overall skill set certainly makes up for the lack of straight-line speed.

He's got at least one high-profile believer in his ability to make a major impact. The NFL Network provided commentary from San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice on Treadwell:

Alas, his potential slide could be bad news for the other wideouts. Josh Doctson, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Michael Thomas and Tyler Boyd all have top-50 value. But with that type of depth and Treadwell maybe not going early, there might not be a rush to draft that position.

So, after being forecast inside the top 10 early in the draft process, there's a chance Treadwell doesn't come off the board until the 20s. That would place a greater onus on positions without as much depth in Round 1 with the knowledge a solid receiver should be out there on Day 2.

Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

The potential landing spots for Paxton Lynch are all over the place. Based purely on ability, he's a fringe first-round selection. But the high demand for quarterbacks combined with the lack of supply means they are virtually guaranteed to get overdrafted every year.

Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, the top two prospects at the position, are expected to come off the board with the first two picks. After that, every other team hoping to upgrade at QB simply has to guess when Lynch could be available.

It's hard to imagine he falls out of Round 1 with the Denver Broncos, which lost Peyton Manning to retirement and Brock Osweiler to free agency, sitting at No. 31. That said, Rapoport reported some buzz connecting the Memphis quarterback to the top 10:

Separating fact from fiction at this stage of the process is an almost impossible task. There's so much information being tossed out there by front offices, agents and everybody else involved in the draft, which is why a player such as Lynch can have a draft range of 20 spots or more.

If he does end up going somewhere around the 10th pick, then that brings another quarterback, likely either Connor Cook or Christian Hackenberg, into play for the back end of Round 1. It creates a scenario in which there could be a lot of jockeying for position throughout Day 1.