NFL Mock Draft 2016: Full 1st-Round Predictions, Best Fits for Top Prospects

As the NFL season winds down, pieces for next year's draft are slowly coming into focus. There is still a lot left to be decided, from the final order to underclassmen who will opt for one more year of school, but enough has happened to form some consensus about what will occur at the end of April. 

The 2016 draft is a difficult one to project right now because of all the potential turnover teams could face. For instance, depending on whether or not Peyton Manning decides to play one more year, what do the Denver Broncos do at quarterback? 

Another question is, will there be a top prospect teams love so much they decide to package picks for a major trade? The last such deal saw the Buffalo Bills giving up two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to Cleveland to move up four spots in 2014 and take Sammy Watkins. 

All of these are questions that will have more concrete answers in February. For now, here is what the draft's first round looks like heading into the 2015 regular season's final weeks.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Tennessee Titans	Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2	Cleveland Browns	Jared Goff, QB, California
3	Baltimore Ravens	Jaylon Smith, OLB, Notre Dame
4	San Diego Chargers	Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
5	Dallas Cowboys	DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
6	San Francisco 49ers	Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
7	Miami Dolphins	Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
8	Jacksonville Jaguars	Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
9	New Orleans Saints	A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
10	Chicago Bears	Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
11	Detroit Lions	Laremy Tunsil, OT, Mississippi
12	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
13	New York Giants	Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
14	Oakland Raiders	Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
15	Philadelphia Eagles	Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
16	Buffalo Bills	Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Mississippi
17	Indianapolis Colts	Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
18	St. Louis Rams	Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
19	Atlanta Falcons	Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
20	New York Jets	Su'a Cravens, LB, USC
21	Washington	Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State
22	Houston Texans	Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
23	Minnesota Vikings	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
24	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
25	Kansas City Chiefs	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State
27	Green Bay Packers	Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA
28	Denver Broncos	Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
29	Cincinnati Bengals	Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
30	Arizona Cardinals	Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State
31	Carolina Panthers	Andrew Billings, DE, Baylor

Notes: Draft order as of standings through Week 15. NFL took New England's first-round pick as part of Deflategate punishment. 

Best Option at No. 1: Joey Bosa, Ohio State

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Marcus Mariota's presence in Tennessee does ensure there won't be a quarterback taken first, barring a trade, so that opens up the field for the Titans to simply take the best player available. 

When the season started, Ohio State star Joey Bosa was regarded as the top draft prospect, with Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated explaining why:

"

Probably wise to tone down any J.J. Watt comparisons, even if Bosa heads into the 2015 as a near-unanimous choice to be the 2016 draft's top prospect. Watt's name gets mentioned in Bosa discussions because the Buckeyes junior can win with both raw strength and outstanding athleticism, a combo coveted but not always possessed by edge-rushing prospects.

"

Fast-forward nearly four months, Bosa has done nothing to change that perception. His stats don't look as impressive this season, with a career-low five sacks in 11 games after recording 13.5 last season, but he was also drawing triple-teams from opponents to prevent him from causing havoc in the backfield.

Making Bosa even more valuable as the consensus No. 1 talent for the Titans to take, as noted by Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus, is his ability to defend the run as well as he can disrupt opposing quarterbacks. 

"He is the draft’s most disruptive player after leading the nation in pass-rushing grade each of the last two years (+56.6, +45.2) and leading the way against the run this year as well (+26.0)," Palazzolo wrote.

The Titans seem to have found a franchise cornerstone at quarterback with Mariota. Now, they will get the defensive equivalent when Bosa falls into their lap with the top pick. 

Quarterback Surprise: Carson Wentz to Rams

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

No draft would be complete without a discussion of quarterbacks, but instead of focusing on the two names everyone knows (Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch), the name that is generating buzz right now is North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. 

ESPN's Todd McShay was the first national draft expert I've seen to really blow Wentz up heading into the draft, giving him to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 30 in his first mock draft:

"

The FCS product isn't ready to start from Day 1, but he has a lot of developmental upside, with good size, arm strength and mobility. He's coming off a wrist injury, so his draft stock could be impacted by how that checks out with teams. But it won't surprise me if Wentz winds up among the top 40 picks.

"

It's easy to see why the Cardinals would look for a long-term solution at quarterback since Carson Palmer will turn 36 on Dec. 27 and has two major ACL injuries under his belt. 

But there are a lot of teams that need a quarterback after Goff and Lynch are projected to go off the board. 

The St. Louis Rams stand out most among teams in need of a quarterback because the rest of their roster is ready to challenge for a playoff spot. They boast one of the NFL's best defensive lines, led by star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and rookie running back Todd Gurley has been outstanding. 

Yet nothing the Rams do on defense or with their running game amounts to much because the quarterback duo of Nick Foles and Case Keenum has managed 10 touchdown passes in 14 games. 

Wentz may not be ready to contribute at a high level right away, but it would be hard to imagine a scenario in which he is worse than Foles or Keenum in head coach Jeff Fisher's conservative passing offense. 

Boldest Move: Ezekiel Elliott to Chiefs

Paul Vernon/Associated Press

It's no secret the Kansas City Chiefs rely heavily on the running game. Alex Smith is a solid quarterback who is not going to make mistakes, though he doesn't add anything through the air because of how conservative he is. 

Knowing that, it's a small miracle the Chiefs have won eight consecutive games without the services of star running back Jamaal Charles. The former All-Pro suffered a torn ACL in Kansas City's Week 5 loss against Chicago. 

Charcandrick West has done a solid job as the new lead runner, averaging four yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns, but the Chiefs have to start thinking about what their future at running back will look like. 

Just as the Cardinals need to take Palmer's injury history into account when they decide it's time to look at their quarterback situation, the Chiefs can't sweep Charles' two ACL injuries under the rug. 

Adding a strong, young running back who can take pressure off Charles should be one of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's top priorities this offseason. 

One scout told Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports in late November that Elliott's all-around skill set makes him look like a late first-round selection. 

"He’s not as physical finishing runs as Carlos Hyde," the scout told Feldman, "but he’s got better top-end speed. He’s not Todd Gurley, but he’s a complete back. I think he’s the real deal and he’ll probably be a late first-round pick.”

It's hard for any running back to get in the first-round mix nowadays because of how the position is valued, but Elliott's talent and production at Ohio State are hard to ignore. He fits what the Chiefs like to do on offense and has the potential to be a workhorse in the next two years.