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

College football's bowl season serves two purposes: It gives programs an opportunity to showcase themselves on a national stage, but from the player's perspective, it's the best platform for a job interview with the NFL they could hope for. 

Even though scouts are watching players for years, keeping track of their performances on and off the field, there's a tangible effect to seeing talent under the bright lights of a bowl game. The ability to handle pressure, and perform under it, can move a player up or down a draft board. 

Looking ahead to the 2016 draft, which is still too far away to make declarative statements about which players might go where, team needs have largely been made clear, and adding high-impact talent will be the first step toward building a championship roster for next season. 

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

QB Watch: Jared Goff, California

It would be hard for any draft-eligible quarterback to perform better in a bowl game than California's Jared Goff did against Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.  

The junior star went 25-of-37 for 467 yards and six touchdowns, surpassing a Cal record for most yards in a bowl game held by a rather prominent NFL quarterback, per ESPN Stats & Info:

College stats don't necessarily translate to NFL success, so let's focus on how Goff's performance may have impacted his draft status. 

Rob Rang of CBS Sports broke down the fundamentals of Goff's game that make him an appealing option for pro teams following Cal's 55-36 victory:

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Goff has enough velocity to make every NFL throw and he has spectacular touch on intermediate and deep routes. ...

As was highlighted by ESPN's commentators during the Armed Forces Bowl, however, it is Goff's fundamentally sound footwork which earns his accuracy.

While Goff isn't a true dual threat, he possesses the light feet and spatial awareness to buy time in the pocket, subtly side-stepping pass-rushers and stepping up when needed.

"

There are certain flaws that Goff will have to overcome if he wants to reach his full potential. Rang noted Cal's system is fairly simplistic, featuring a spread attack with predetermined reads that won't work in the NFL. 

All of the tangible items are there for Goff. He also looks the part of an NFL quarterback at 6'4", though he could stand to add more bulk to his 215-pound frame. 

Goff hasn't declared for the NFL draft at this point, but there's no reason for him to return to school given how high his stock is. 

Player to Watch: Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

Clemson star defensive end Shaq Lawson has already declared for the 2016 draft. It was an easy decision after his breakout season in which he set career highs with 21.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, both surpassing his totals from the previous two seasons combined. 

Lawson will have at least one more game on the biggest stage college football has to offer when Clemson takes on Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal. It's also a prime matchup to showcase what makes him a special talent. 

The Sooners like to air things out on offense with quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw 354 passes during the season with 35 touchdowns. 

Since the Orange Bowl is expected to be a wild shootout, there will be plenty of chances for Lawson to make his presence felt in Oklahoma's backfield. 

Scouts have been raving about Lawson virtually all season. Dane Brugler of CBS Sports recounted a story from earlier this year during Clemson's game against Notre Dame about how NFL talent evaluators were viewing the Tigers star:

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Lawson plays decisive and disciplined to hold the edge and not abandon his responsibilities, something that was evident against the Irish's athletic backfield. And scouts were definitely watching: “this #90 is a difference-maker!” That was a text I received during the game from an AFC scout who wasn't at the game, but was watching while on the road.

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Scouting reports haven't changed much in the weeks since. B/R's Matt Miller noted in a Dec. 11 scouting notebook that one college scouting director called Lawson "a top-10 player. Defensive ends like that go high."

While one game won't squash Lawson's draft stock, a brilliant performance with so much at stake could move him into that top-10 mix. 

Stock Down: Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss

Every draft has that one player whose raw talent makes him such an appealing option early in the draft but boasts significant red flags that could push him out of the first-round mix entirely. 

This year's test case appears to be Mississippi star Robert Nkemdiche. It's amazing how the draft process can change in such a short amount of time. 

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated did a mock draft in October with Nkemdiche going No. 1 overall, which would have been to the Detroit Lions at the time. It was a practical decision based on the Lions' roster construction, as Burke wrote:

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Close call here between Nkemdiche and Joey Bosa, but the presence of rising star Ziggy Ansah tips the scale toward Nkemdiche's interior presence. The Lions lost Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and C.J. Mosley last off-season; it's possible they could see Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker depart this coming year in free agency. As was the case with Suh several years ago, Detroit could craft its defense around Nkemdiche moving forward.

"

Things have clearly changed in the two months since that article was written, starting with Nkemdiche not dominating the way a potential top pick should. He performed adequately with seven tackles for loss and three sacks but didn't have that "wow" factor.

One AFC personnel director told NFL.com in December he "would stand on a table and tell my franchise to not take him in the top 15 picks." His biggest concerns were that he didn't view the Ole Miss star as a natural pass-rusher and didn't like that there were multiple times he wasn't finishing plays. 

The NFL.com article noted those comments were made before Nkemdiche was arrested and charged with marijuana possession. 

With Nkemdiche's inconsistent play on the field combined with his current legal problems, it would not be a surprise to see him slide all the way out of the first round. He still makes the cut in my mock draft to Oakland at No. 16, but it's a tenuous spot that will likely change drastically over the next four months.