NFL Draft 2016: Team-by-Team Analysis and Grades for Round 1 Results

The 2016 NFL draft promised some crazy twists and turns, and it didn't fail to deliver. 

The surprises ranged from mildly surprising (a running back going No. 4 overall in this era of the draft, Ezekiel Elliott to the Dallas Cowboys) to mildly confusing (what were the odds on Eli Apple being the first corner taken after Jalen Ramsey?) to absolutely bizarre (Laremy Tunsil's sudden drop to No. 13). 

When all the dust settled on Thursday, 31 players were chosen as the three-day process of the draft started. 

Truly evaluating a draft class will take a few years. Grading this draft in its entirety will at least take until Saturday is over. But where's the fun in that?

Here's a look at the full results for the first round, along with initial analysis for each pick based on what kind of value the player represents based on talent and team fit:

Pick	Team	Selection	Grade	Analysis
1	Los Angeles Rams	Jared Goff, QB, Cal	A	If you trade up for No. 1, you better be taking the most pro-ready quarterback. The Rams did just that.
2	Philadelphia Eagles	Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State	A-	Wentz has all the tools to develop into a franchise quarterback. Will Philly be patient enough to let it happen?
3	San Diego Chargers	Joey Bosa, DE/OLB, Ohio State	B	Bosa is certainly a good player, but his fit in 3-4 is questionable and offensive line was an area of need.
4	Dallas Cowboys	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State	C	With a rushing attack that was ninth in DVOA last season, RB wasn't a true area of need. Elliott will produce big numbers, but his value at No. 4 is highly questionable.
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State	A	Ramsey could be the foundation of the Jags secondary for years to come. Tremendous value at No. 5.
6	Baltimore Ravens	Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame	B+	Stanley has limited bust potential because of his ability as a pass-blocker, but it's hard to see him developing into a dominant run-blocker, so his ceiling isn't quite as high as you'd like to see here.
7	San Francisco 49ers	DeForest Buckner, DL, Oregon	A-	Good marriage of team need and talent . Buckner should be a solid piece on a developing defensive front.
8	Tennessee Titans	Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State	B+	Can't fault the Titans too much because they made good moves to collect picks, yet they still wound up filling a need. Still, Conklin isn't too much to get excited about.
9	Chicago Bears	Leonard Floyd, DE/OLB, Georgia	B	Floyd is an explosive pass-rusher, but whether he's more than a specialist remains to be seen.
10	New York Giants	Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State	C+	Position isn't a surprise, but making Apple the first cornerback off the board is. There is pressure on for him to outperform those projected ahead of him.
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida	A	Traded back with the Bears and still wound up with a player who could well be the best in a position of need.
12	New Orleans Saints	Sheldon Rankings, DT, Louisville	A-	Saints get an all-round defensive tackle who should add toughness and explosiveness to a front that desperately needs it.
13	Miami Dolphins	Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss	A	Dolphins took a player who might just be the best in the draft thanks, in part, to unforeseen circumstances.
14	Oakland Raiders	Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia	B	Joseph wasn't a popular pick on mock drafts this high, but he should be a solid addition to the secondary on a team loaded with young talent.
15	Cleveland Browns	Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor	B	Much like the Titans—with whom the Browns traded—you have to applaud the trades Cleveland made. Whether Coleman is the best receiver in the class will be a question that's debated for a long time, though.
16	Detroit Lions	Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State	A-	Decker has comparable potential to Conklin, who went in the Top 10. The Lions got to take their man without trading up.
17	Atlanta Falcons	Keanu Neal, S, Florida	C	Neal could be a fine safety, but with defenders such as Shaq Lawson and Darron Lee, on the board the value could have been better.
18	Indianapolis Colts	Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama	B	This pick won't wow anyone, but Kelly should be a consistent starter, and that's what the Colts need out of this draft.
19	Buffalo Bills	Shaq Lawson, DE/OLB, Clemson	A-	Lawson might end up being the best edge-rusher in the draft. That's a lot of upside at a priority position for the No. 19 pick.
20	New York Jets	Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State	A-	Lee's versatility makes him an interesting chess piece who could allow the Jets to get creative on defense.
21	Houston Texans	Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame	B-	No denying the Texans need for another receiver, but Fuller feels like a one-trick pony with Treadwell and Doctson left on the board.
22	Washington Redskins	Josh Doctson, WR, TCU	B+	Receiver might not have been the biggest need for the Redskins, but Doctson shows they're committed to getting help for Kirk Cousins.
23	Minnesota Vikings	Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss	A	The Vikings stayed put while teams were trading up for receivers and wound up with a player who could well be the best at the position. That's value.
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Williams Jackson III, CB, Houston	B+	Rather than get involved in the receiver run because of a need, the Bengals stuck with their board and took a player who could be a big part of their secondary for years to come.
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Artie Burns, CB, Miami	C	The Steelers couldn't have been happy Jackson was taken right before their turn. They wound up with a player less prepared for the next level just one pick after their divisional rival.
26	Denver Broncos	Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis	B+	Lynch might not be pro-ready right off the bat, but the Broncos obviously have everything in place except the quarterback position, so this is a calculated risk that could pay huge dividends.
27	Green Bay Packers	Kenny Clark, DL, UCLA	B	Clark should help a Packers pass rush that could use a boost on the inside, but where he fits along the 3-4 defensive line is a legitimate question.
28	San Francisco 49ers	Joshua Garrett, OG, Stanford	B-	Chip Kelly's offense is predicated on being able to run the ball through the interior. Garrett should help in that regard. Moving up to get him was a questionable move, though.
29	Arizaon Cardinals	Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss	A	Much like Tunsil and the Dolphins, Nkemdiche could be one of the best players in the class if he avoids off-field issues.
30	Carolina Panthers	Vernon Butler, DL, Louisiana Tech	B-	Butler will undoubtedly contribute as a versatile tackle on Carolina's dominant defense, but this felt like a good opportunity to improve an offensive line that remains a bit of a question mark.
31	Seattle Seahawks	Germain Ifedi	A-	The Seahawks did a great job of working the draft order by trading down with Denver and nabbing a legitimate candidate to start right away somewhere on the offensive line.

Big Winners

Jacksonville Jaguars Land Jalen Ramsey in Near-Perfect Top 5

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn't have asked for the top five to go any better for them. 

With Blake Bortles in tow, the team has no need for a quarterback. Joey Bosa would have been a good fit, but he doesn't necessarily project as the type of difference-maker on defense that Ramsey could be. When the Cowboys decided to take Elliott with the No. 4 pick, the Jags must have been jumping for joy. 

“They talked about it on my [pre-draft] visit there,” Ramsey said, per John Oehser of the team's official site. “They said, ‘If they’re still on the board we’re going to get you.’"

With Ramsey's ability to play either corner or safety, he's a rare talent the Jaguars could build their secondary around. Jordan Plocher of Pro Football Focus illustrated Ramsey's ability to take the deep ball away from opposing offenses:

Ramsey is the most sure thing in this draft. His absolute floor is he winds up being a consistent starting safety, and his ceiling sees him as a shutdown corner who can match up with anyone on third down. 

That's a bargain—even at No. 5.

Miami Dolphins Take Advantage of Tunsil's Slide

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The slide of Laremy Tunsil was definitely the most intriguing story as Round 1 unfolded on Thursday. It was borderline surreal to watch as the Ole Miss tackle went from being a projected top-five pick to out of the top 10. 

The reason for the fall will go down as one of the most bizarre stories of the draft. Just before the first round began, a video of Tunsil apparently smoking from a bong and wearing a gas mask was posted to his Twitter feed.

Once picked by the Miami Dolphins at No. 13, Tunsil said his account had been hacked, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network: 

Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reported that the Baltimore Ravens took Tunsil completely off their board after the incident. However, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier was far more comfortable with taking the tackle. 

"We had heard rumors, but we had done work," Grier said, per Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. "We had known about it. The video is two years old. So, from all the information we had, we were comfortable with it."

Issues with drug use can be a major concern. Just ask the Cleveland Browns how Josh Gordon is doing, but taking a step back and looking at Tunsil's drop with some perspective, the Dolphins have to be considered a major winner.

The major issue for teams isn't that Tunsil allegedly smoked marijuana; it's that the video was released without the teams having any time to look into the matter before the draft. After all, Bosa was suspended for a game at Ohio State for either academic issues or smoking marijuana, according to Austin Ward of ESPN.com. 

The Chargers still made him the No. 3 pick. 

The Dolphins have a player in Tunsil who has a legitimate chance to be the best player in the draft, and they got him at No. 13. Yes, there are risks. The video is at least evidence that Tunsil's off-field decision-making could be questionable. 

However, that's a risk a team should be willing to take at No. 13. Add in the fact the Dolphins traded down to 13 before the draft started, and they have to be considered one of the biggest winners of the draft.

Minnesota Vikings Add Laquon Treadwell to Arsenal of Weapons for Teddy Bridgewater

The Minnesota Vikings have made a habit out of drafting well recently. They went out and drafted Teddy Bridgewater two years ago and seem to be surrounding him with enough weapons for him to develop into the quarterback they need to win.

They took another huge step in that direction by taking Laquon Treadwell with the 23rd pick on Thursday.

Chris Trapasso of NFL.com immediately commented on the Ole Miss receiver's fit in Minnesota:

This is a perfect marriage of value and fit for the Vikings. Stefon Diggs emerged as an exciting receiver for the Vikings last season, but at 6' and 195 pounds, he doesn't necessarily have the size to go over the middle and work the underneath routes the Vikings will need to consistently move the ball, especially when Adrian Peterson eventually hangs up his cleats.

That makes Treadwell a great complement, as he's a big-bodied receiver with some elusiveness, as noted by Pro Football Focus:

Early mock drafts for 2016 had Treadwell as a top-10 selection. The pre-draft process put a damper on that, as he didn't test nearly as well as some of the receivers taken ahead of him. Corey Coleman, Will Fuller and Josh Doctson all have better straight-line speed and athleticism.

However, Treadwell's game doesn't hinge on those factors. He's a tremendous blocker with good route running and strong hands. The Vikings recognized that and made a great decision by not putting too much weight on 40 times and athletic testing.