NFL Mock Draft 2016: Early Look at Top Prospects in Next Year's Class

It's never too soon for a mock draft. After all, we all love these things, don't we?

Of course, we do. Even before a snap has been played in the college or NFL game, we can't help but look for the next big thing, the next player who could change our favorite franchise and the next force to be reckoned with in the NFL. The same reason I often do the fantasy draft in Madden for the sake of doing a draft—sometimes, I just sim through the games to get to the offseason and the draft—is the same reason we're all ready for a 2016 mock draft.

So let's get to it, along with some of the top potential storylines for next year's draft.  

Pick	Team	Player
1	Tennessee Titans	Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
3	Oakland Raiders	Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
4	Washington	Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
6	Cleveland Browns	Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State
7	New York Giants	Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
8	Chicago Bears	Jalen Ramsey, S, Florida State
9	New Orleans Saints	Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
10	San Diego Chargers	Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
11	Minnesota Vikings	Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
12	St. Louis Rams	Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
13	Carolina Panthers	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
14	Houston Texans	Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State
15	New York Jets	Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
16	Kansas City Chiefs	Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
17	Buffalo Bills	Jared Goff, QB, California
18	Baltimore Ravens	A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
19	San Francisco 49ers	Duke Williams, WR, Auburn
20	Detroit Lions	Max Tuerk, C/G, USC
21	Atlanta Falcons	Su'a Cravens, S, USC
22	Philadelphia Eagles	Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
23	Miami Dolphins	Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
24	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jalen Mills, S, LSU
25	Cincinnati Bengals	Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
26	Arizona Cardinals	Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State
27	New England Patriots	Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State
28	Dallas Cowboys	Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
29	Green Bay Packers	Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
30	Denver Broncos	Tyler Boyd, WR, Seattle Seahawks
31	Indianapolis Colts	Adolphus Washington, DT, Ohio State
32	Seattle Seahawks	Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State

It's obviously way too soon to accurately forecast the top overall pick because we have no idea which team will select or how the performances next season or the injuries will affect the stock of certain players. But if you had to ask me, right now, who I thought the top pick most likely would be, I would say Ohio State Buckeyes stud defensive end Joey Bosa. 

We're talking about the next dominant NFL defensive lineman here, folks. We're talking about a player who finished with 13.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles in 2014. We're talking about a player who would have been, at worse, a top-10 pick in this year's draft and may have gone in the top three. 

I'd be shocked if the Tennessee Titans had the top overall pick and didn't select him, barring an injury or a surprisingly unproductive season. You never know. But he sure looks like the safe money as the top prospect in this class. 

And boy, if the Titans get a quarterback in Marcus Mariota one year and a potentially elite pass-rusher the next, you have to think a few years of mediocre football will be worth it. 

Things could get really interesting in this hypothetical draft at No. 4, where I have Washington slated to pick. Chances are, if they finish with the fourth overall pick, there will be reason to think the Robert Griffin III era has come to an end. Head coach Jay Gruden likely won't lose any sleep were that the case. 

Could this be the moment the team drafts his replacement? 

I don't think so. The team already picked up his fifth-year option for 2016, a pretty big risk considering his contract during the 2016 season becomes guaranteed if he's injured during the 2015 season and spends the offseason rehabbing, essentially. Given his injury history, that's a real possibility. 

That was a vote of confidence in Griffin, and you have to think if he is improved in Gruden's system this year and largely stays healthy that Washington will stick with him for the foreseeable future. He was such a huge investment that giving up on him already, especially given how well he played his rookie season, would be a tough call. 

That means the top potential quarterback on the board, Penn State Nittany Lions' Christian Hackenberg, will be available at No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns. And barring a truly excellent and drama-free season from Johnny Manziel, you have to think they would pounce all over Hackenberg (or whomever they deem to be the top quarterback on the board). 

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Hackenberg struggled in 2014—throwing just 12 touchdown passes and 15 picks—but he was playing under his second coach in as many years, and Penn State had a ton of turnover on the offensive line. Remember, as a freshman under now-Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien, he threw for 2,955 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

He really looks the part of an NFL quarterback, possessing ideal size, arm strength and intelligence. There's just no way Cleveland would pass on him at No. 6, unless Manziel really blew up in 2015, and there was little indication from his performances this season that such a leap forward could take place. 

This could be a quarterback-heavy first round. With plenty of solid teams going into 2015 with quarterback questions, namely the Houston Texans, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, players like Cardale Jones, Connor Cook and Jared Goff could all be top-20 picks. 

Jones more than likely has to win Ohio State's starting job to be considered as a first-rounder, but he sure looked like the next Ben Roethlisberger at the end of Ohio State's season. One AFC general manager thinks NFL teams will be plenty interested in Jones next season, raw or not, per Jeffri Chadiha of ESPN:

"

He's raw and not as refined as an intermediate passer, but he can drop the ball in between corners and safeties. Teams in this league will take note of that and take a chance on him if he continues to grow. People say he doesn't have enough experience. I say he played well in the conference championship, the national semis and national title game. That's more big-game experience than most guys get in a career.

"

The one thing that could hurt Jones is that he's coming from a spread offense, while Hackenberg and Cook have experience in pro-style offenses. Spread quarterbacks have certain hurdles to overcome, as Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider told Chadiha:

"

Can he get the information? Can he express it to his teammates? Can he read a defense? That's pretty intense stuff. It's like learning a whole language. ... It's hard to evaluate those players at the college level when you are at a game and they are looking at cards with colors and turtles and stuff. You have no idea what they are doing, as opposed to watching guys line up under center, read a defense and check out of a play.

"

Those will be big questions for Jones when he enters the NFL. Of course, he needs to first answer if he can be the starting option for Ohio State. If he does, there's little questioning his ideal size, arm strength and ability to handle high-pressure situations.