2016 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Breakdown Before Week 1

Ohio State and Virginia Tech will officially put Week 1 of the 2015 college football season to bed Monday night, so it is naturally time to turn our attention to which of the nation’s best players will hear their names called during the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.

While projecting where NFL teams will stand after an entire season of injuries and roster movement is a difficult task, the elite college playmakers will rise to the top as the 2015 season unfolds.

With that in mind, here is an early look at a first round mock for the 2016 NFL draft. Since the NFL season is yet to start, the order of the draft was determined using Odds Sharks' list of Super Bowl odds. 

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

Players to Watch

No. 8 St. Louis Rams: Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams boast one of the strongest defensive lines in the league behind Chris Long, Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn, but they were still a disappointing 19th against the pass in 2014. They need better production from the secondary moving forward if they are going to turn the corner as a potentially dominant defense.

Enter Virginia Tech’s Kendall Fuller.

Fuller played through a broken wrist last season and still earned first-team All-ACC honors while tying for the conference lead with 17 passes defended. He boasts the ideal size (6’0" and 196 pounds) and speed combination to play on the outside and physically match up with impressive receivers and keep up with them downfield.

His brother, Kyle, is arguably the best member of the Chicago Bears secondary, so the NFL bloodline is already in place.

Fuller has the opportunity to make an impression Monday night in a one-on-one battle with Ohio State’s Michael Thomas. Thomas could very well be a future first-round pick himself and is a physical presence at 6’3”, so Fuller will be tested. 

Expect NFL teams to pay attention if he passes.

No. 13 New Orleans Saints: Jared Goff, QB, California

Shannon Carroll of the Daily Californian painted an enticing picture of California quarterback Jared Goff:

"

On the football field there’s just about no one smoother than Cal quarterback Jared Goff. In the shotgun, he’s poised and confident, and he makes threading pin-point passes to his receivers in double coverage look easy—almost too easy. He stays cool and collected as 300-pound defensive linemen rush at him, and he easily evades them with his quick footwork while still managing to find a target downfield for a touchdown.

"

That sounds like a future NFL signal-caller, especially since Goff threw for a borderline-ridiculous 3,973 yards and 35 touchdowns a season ago. He also boasted a 62.1 completion percentage and is comfortable spreading the ball all over the field with quick-hitting routes and a willingness to stay in the pocket until a receiver breaks free.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Goff rarely focuses on just one target, can beat defenses with the deep ball and is content picking secondaries apart underneath when necessary. 

As for the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees is 36 years old. Brees has become a New Orleans institution, but the Saints will eventually need a new quarterback. He has made a living spreading the ball around to different receivers (much like California does) and would be the perfect mentor to Goff.

No. 22 Miami Dolphins: Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins need offensive line depth if they ever hope to challenge the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked the Dolphins dead last in its offensive line rankings for the 2014 season and didn’t mince words in its description:

"

Breakdown: Just horrible. The 210 combined sacks, hits and hurries they allowed were most in the league and they weren’t much better in the run game. The musical chairs that saw Mike Pouncey to guard and Ja’Waun James to left tackle had a detrimental effect and it was brutal to watch them. It’s a young group that needs to play better.

"

Ohio State’s Taylor Decker would provide a championship pedigree and the size (6’8” and 315 pounds) necessary to step in right away at the NFL level.

Decker is versatile (14 starts at right tackle and 15 starts at left tackle entering the 2015 season) and is one of the emotional leaders on the Buckeyes offense. He earned first-team All-Big Ten status last year and helped clear the path for Ezekiel Elliott, Cardale Jones and the rest of the playmakers on the way to a national title.

Decker is also a team player who was named captain entering the 2015 campaign. He thrives in a leadership role and appears ready for the additional responsibilities given his comments, per Blake Williams of Scout.com:

"

That was a huge thing for me. Coming back for my senior year that was something that I really wanted and it was just important to me personally. It was a goal I had and it’s kind of a testament to the guys that lead me when I was a young guy and showed me how to do things.

It’s probably one of my favorite accomplishments because it shows that the guys that I am out here playing with have respect for me. Enough to allow me to represent the team and that’s really important to me.

"

The Dolphins could use some of that leadership on their lackluster offensive line in 2016 and beyond.