2016 NFL Mock Draft: First-Round Predictions for Top Prospects

The NFL draft is five months away, but it's never too early to dream about your team's first-round pick—especially if that is the only thing you have to look forward to each season.

There is a lot of talent on defense in this draft, as well as the offensive line. There are some good quarterbacks, but only time will tell if they live up to their high expectations.

Here are predictions for the first round based on records as of Week 12, and three teams that have a chance to upgrade immediately based on their picks:

Pick	Team	Player	Notes
1	Tennessee Titans (2-9)	Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State	Quickly becoming everyone's top pick.
2	Cleveland Browns (2-9)	Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis	Given their history with quarterbacks, not a good omen for Lynch.
3	San Diego Chargers (3-8)	Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss	Fans don't like these picks, quarterbacks do.
4	Dallas Cowboys (3-8)	Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss	The Cowboys like big defensive linemen.
5	San Francisco 49ers (3-8)	Jared Goff, QB, California	The 49ers can't pass on the best available quarterback in their backyard.
6	Baltimore Ravens (4-7)	Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State	Ramsey could help bring defense back to Baltimore.
7	Miami Dolphins (4-7)	Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida,	He's no Ramsey, but the next best thing.
8	Philadelphia Eagles (4-7)	Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson	They need someone who can get to the other team's quarterback for a change.
9	Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)	Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame	Talent at QB and WR for Jaguars is no good without protection.
10	New Orleans Saints (4-7)	Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi	Marques Colston on his way out, Treadwell on his way in.
11	Saint Louis Rams (4-7)	Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor	Coleman may be a stretch here, but his play-making skills could thrive on the Saint Louis turf.
12	Detroit Lions (4-7)	Jaylon Smith, OLB, Notre Dame	If Smith is available here, you have to take him.
13	New York Giants (5-6)	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State	Elliott running the ball and Odell Beckham, Jr. catching the ball. That's quite an offense.
14	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)	Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA	A knee injury could cost him a few spots.
15	Oakland Raiders (5-6)	Tre'Davious White, CB	Oakland needs to build a good defense to go with an improving offense.
16	Buffalo Bills (5-6)	DeForest Buckner, DE	The Bills know what kind of a difference a play-making DE can be.
17	Chicago Bears (5-6)	Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA	Hard-nosed lineman who would have fit in on old-school Bears' defenses.
18	Atlanta Falcons (6-5)	Jarran Reed, DL, Alabama	With Clark gone, Reed is a pretty good consolation prize.
19	New York Jets (6-5)	Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State	Not sure if Cook is the answer, but Geno Smith certainly isn't.
20	Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)	Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State	Blue collar guy in a blue collar town.
21	Houston Texans (6-5)	Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State	He's not quite first-round talent, but with the three other QBs gone, Houston has to make the move.
22	Seattle Seahawks (6-5)	Adolphus Washington, DT	He does a little bit of everything, which is a perfect fit in Seattle.
23	Kansas City Chiefs (6-5)	Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State	The Chiefs love to take offensive linemen, they just rarely work out.
24	Green Bay Packers (7-4)	Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor	If Billings doesn't return to Baylor, he will be a great pick here for the Packers.
25	Indianapolis Colts (5-5)	Germain Ifedi, OL, Texas A&M	Has experience at both tackle positions and left guard as well.
26	Washington (5-6)	Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh	Kirk Cousins has been throwing the ball well, and could use another target.
27	Minnesota Vikings (8-3)	Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State, 6-3	Could make a great 1-2 combo with Stefon Diggs.
28	Arizona Cardinals (9-2)	Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State	Physical linebacker who could add to an already stout defense.
29	Cincinnati Bengals (9-2)	Jayron Kearse, S, Clemson	Super athlete who will help a Cincy secondary decimated by injuries.
30	Denver Broncos (9-2)	Cody Whitehair, OL, Kansas State	Would be nice if Brock Osweiler could stay upright next year after being sacked 11 times in 2.5 games this year.
31	Carolina Panthers (11-0)	Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State	Huge game against Ohio State helped his draft stock.
N/A	New England Patriots (10-1)	N/A	Lost pick for role in Deflategate

Browns May Have Finally Found Their Quarterback

Can we all agree the Johnny Manziel experiment is not working? Enter Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch.

The junior brings a 6'7", 245-pound frame (nearly the opposite of Manziel) to the huddle and numbers that compare with the best.

In 25 games the past two seasons, Lynch has thrown 50 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. He's also one bowl win away from back-to-back 10-win seasons at Memphis. The last time that happened was, never.

He completed nine passes in the first half of a 63-0 win against Memphis in Week 13. That is a pedestrian number until you realize seven of them went for touchdowns.

Even back in October, well before Lynch threw for a school record 28 touchdowns this season, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. praised the quarterback, per Jonah Jordan of Memphis247Sports.com:

“My biggest riser," Kiper said. "Lynch has good size with room to fill out, and not just a strong arm, but the ability to get the ball out quickly.”

The Browns need help in a lot of places, but with budding wide receiver Travis Benjamin and talented tight end Gary Barnidge, Lynch could find himself running a decent offense.

Cleveland could pass on him, but that means it's willing to ride with Manziel or Josh McCown, which so far this year has led to two wins in 11 games.

Lynch should pack his bags for Cleveland and pray they add some parts around him to succeed. 

Giants' Offense Could Be Fun to Watch

New York wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. makes outstanding catches for a living, and Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott has a knack for finding the end zone. 

Together they could get New York fans excited again.

Elliott scored 37 touchdowns the past two seasons and helped carry the Buckeyes to 25 wins in 27 games, and a national championship.

He brings some swagger to the field, just like Beckham, and could help bring life to a running game that has been flat in 2015 to say the least. 

The Giants are 26th in the NFL in rushing with 983 yards, and their three touchdowns on the ground are ranked 29th.

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com had this to say about Elliot on his draft profile:

"

Elliott is extremely well-rounded as a runner with ideal size for the position along with coordinated footwork that is always in sync with his eyes. He runs with natural pad level and fantastic forward lean, using his balance, leg drive and relentless fight to move the chains and pick up every inch he can.

Elliott is at his best on counter run plays, stopping on a dime and transitioning his weight to shoot through holes and dart through the second level of the defense. He displays outstanding vision to quickly read blocks and rarely runs with hesitation, bouncing away from would-be tacklers without slowing down.

"

If Elliott can bring a steady running game to New York, and injured wide receiver Victor Cruz is back in 2016 to team up with Beckham, this is all of a sudden an explosive Giants offense.