2016 NFL Mock Draft: Predicting Landing Spots for Top Prospects

It's never too early to start looking ahead. With the NFL season preparing for Week 6 and NCAA football for Week 7, predictions are already being made as to where the top collegiate players will land in the pros. 

Here is a look at my second mock draft for April's first-round festivities. I came to these decisions by predicting where NFL teams will finish this year and what needs they have among their rosters. 

Selection	Team	Player	School	Position
1	Detroit Lions	Joey Bosa	Ohio State	DE
2	Jacksonville Jaguars	Robert Nkemdiche	Ole Miss	DT
3	Houston Texans	Jared Goff	Cal	QB
4	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jaylon Smith	Notre Dame	LB
5	Tennessee Titans	Jalen Ramsey	Florida State	DB
6	New Orleans Saints	Laquon Treadwell	Ole Miss	WR
7	Chicago Bears	Connor Cook	Michigan State	QB
8	San Francisco 49ers	Laremy Tunsil	Ole Miss	OT
9	Miami Dolphins	DeForest Buckner	Oregon	DE
10	Cleveland Browns	Maliek Collins	Nebraska	DT
11	Kansas City Chiefs	Ronnie Stanley	Notre Dame	OT
12	Baltimore Ravens	Vernon Hargreaves	Florida	CB
13	Washington Redskins	Leonard Floyd	Georgia	LB
14	Oakland Raiders	Myles Jack	UCLA	LB
15	Philadelphia Eagles	A'Shawn Robinson	Alabama	DT
16	San Diego Chargers	Tyler Boyd	Pittsburgh	WR
17	Seattle Seahawks	Vadal Alexander	LSU	OG
18	Minnesota Vikings	Su'a Cravens	USC	S/LB
19	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kendall Fuller	Virginia Tech	CB
20	Dallas Cowboys	Ezekiel Elliott	Ohio State	RB
21	Indianapolis Colts	Taylor Decker	Ohio State	OT
22	New York Giants	Tre'Davious White	LSU	CB
23	St. Louis Rams	Darron Lee	Ohio State	LB
24	Buffalo Bills	Jack Conklin	Michigan State	OT
25	New York Jets	Jordan Jenkins	Georgia	LB
26	Carolina Panthers	Cameron Sutton	Tennessee	CB
27	Denver Broncos	Max Tuerk	USC	C
28	Atlanta Falcons	Shawn Oakman	Baylor	DE
29	Cincinnati Bengals	Adolphus Washington	Ohio State	DT
30	Arizona Cardinals	Andrew Billings	Baylor	DT
31	Green Bay Packers	Michael Thomas	Ohio State	WR

The two top defensive talents of the draft, Ohio State's Joey Bosa and Ole Miss' Robert Nkemdiche, could very well flip-flop throughout the upcoming months. Their superior pass-rushing capabilities are going to be coveted by the league's weakest teams. 

If things continue to carry out this way for the Detroit Lions, they'll be holding the first overall pick in the draft. While their defense is a top-10 unit when it comes to sacking the quarterback, they're toward the bottom of the rankings when it comes to their rushing defense. 

Bosa has shown so far in 2015 that he can help defend against the run on the edge, as PFF College points out:

It's that kind of effectiveness against the run that is going to put him just ahead of Nkemdiche, but whatever team he falls to will be getting a gift. 

Nkemdiche is one of the most athletic players that will be coming out of the 2016 class, as the defensive tackle not only possesses the speed and strength to get in the backfield, but he can even be a productive member of the offense. 

Draft Scout 24/7 takes a look at his versatility:

His ability to read the snap is also great, per Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

The Ole Miss man holds the tools to become one of the league's most difficult defensive players to stop. At 6'5", 293 pounds, his frame might have him playing at defensive end, not defensive tackle like he does in the SEC. 

Unlike some past drafts, there is not that one definitive prospect that is a must-have for the team slated to hold the first pick. If a different team with different needs happens to hold the worst record in the NFL at the end of 2015, there could very well be another name being called first come April. 

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.