NFL Draft 2016: Known Order and Top Prospects Before Week 17

Once Sunday ends, 20 teams will know where they're picking in the 2016 NFL draft. For the other 11 (minus the New England Patriots), their fate will come down to how well they do in the playoffs. 

Imagine hearing someone like Dumbledore or a character from The Lord of the Rings say that. I did, and that makes the NFL draft seem as epic as it can possibly be in early January.

There are more important things to tend to at the moment, such as who's going to win the NFC North and which of the Pittsburgh Steelers or New York Jets will be in the playoffs, but there's never a dull moment when discussing the possibilities of where the top prospects will land.

Here's a look at the updated draft order and some top prospects as Week 17 draws near.

Pick	Team
1	Tennessee Titans
2	Cleveland Browns
3	San Diego Chargers
4	Dallas Cowboys
5	San Francisco 49ers
6	Jacksonville Jaguars
7	Miami Dolphins
8	Baltimore Ravens
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10	New York Giants
11	New Orleans Saints
12	Philadelphia Eagles
13	Detroit Lions
14	Chicago Bears
15	Indianapolis Colts
16	Buffalo Bills
17	Oakland Raiders
18	St. Louis Rams
19	Atlanta Falcons
20	Pittsburgh Steelers*
21	Washington Redskins*
22	Houston Texans*
23	Seattle Seahawks*
24	New York Jets*
25	Kansas City Chiefs*
26	Minnesota Vikings*
27	Green Bay Packers*
28	Denver Broncos*
29	Cincinnati Bengals*
30	Arizona Cardinals*
31	Carolina Panthers*

Top Prospects

Joey Bosa, DT, Ohio State

Good news: Joey Bosa's Ohio State career ended with a win in the Fiesta Bowl.

Bad news: He wasn't on the field for most of it.

Bosa was ejected from Friday's game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter for targeting, as he leaned in with his helmet on Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer.

"I really have no place to judge what the ref says," Bosa said, per ESPN.com's Austin Ward. "Dealt with the penalty, and I'm happy we came out with the win."

Although he didn't get a chance to make a bigger impact on the game, Bosa is projected to be a top-five pick in the draft. CBS Sports ranks him as the No. 1 prospect, ahead of Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and Florida State corner Jalen Ramsey.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Bosa would declare for the draft after the Fiesta Bowl, but Bosa didn't want to make any formal announcement until after the Buckeyes took care of business in Glendale, Arizona.   

According to Ward, it turns out Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer let the cat out of the bag by "inadvertently" saying the defensive end would declare for the draft. Bosa commented on the reveal to Ward:

"

I was really trying my absolute best to keep it unannounced that I was leaving. I had no intention whatsoever of it coming out before the game. I had no idea that he said that and didn't even tell. Apparently, I declared for the draft in my sleep.

I really just didn't want to take any attention off the team and what we were focusing on doing, which was winning this game. Now obviously it's out there. He didn't do it on purpose to upset me or anything. He probably thought it was out there already.

"

Regardless of how the news of his plan surfaced, Bosa is going to be a top pick. He's a versatile defender who can play on the edge as a 4-3 pass-rusher or a 3-4 outside linebacker. A team can also move Bosa around in various blitz packages, including lining him up against a defensive tackle.   

Any team that seeks a difference-maker on defense would get one in Bosa. The Tennessee Titans could use an edge-rusher like him, but they could also go with an offensive lineman should they hold on to the No. 1 pick and pick our next prospect.

Laremy Tunsil, OL, Ole Miss

The team that drafts Laremy Tunsil is getting the next Warren Sapp.

I mean, the Warren Sapp who was used in goal-line packages and caught touchdowns.

Because who would have thought the top offensive lineman prospect in the country had hands this smooth?

It was that kind of night for Tunsil and Ole Miss, who steamrolled over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Friday night in the Sugar Bowl. 

Tunsil hasn't yet set anything in stone for the draft. He told Hugh Kellenberger of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger that he'll talk with his family "next week" and come up with a decision.  

If Tunsil declares for the draft, he'll be the top offensive lineman taken. He's not as heavy as most linemen at 6'5" and 305 pounds, but that allows him to be quicker off the snap and have a faster reaction time against more athletic and agile pass-rushers.

As mentioned above, the Titans could use a guy like Bosa to anchor their defense for the next decade. However, the future of the franchise needs some protection, and Tennessee is only going to succeed for as long as Marcus Mariota remains upright. Getting Tunsil to protect his blind side will be a better future investment for the Titans.

Tyron Smith was only a couple of pounds heavier than Tunsil when the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in 2011. The Cowboys have a future Hall of Famer in their midst protecting Tony Romo's blind side. Tunsil is the closest thing to Smith coming out of college.

The return results, therefore, look promising.

Jared Goff, QB, Cal

The last time the San Francisco 49ers had a chance to take a quarterback from California with a high draft pick, they passed on him and took Alex Smith.

Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, turned out all right.

Lightning has struck twice for the 49ers, and they've won the lottery. If they're on the clock and have a top-five pick like they do now, Goff is going to be a 49er unless the Cleveland Browns somehow pass on Paxton Lynch.

Goff ended his Golden Bears career in record fashion, throwing six touchdown passes in Cal's 55-36 win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. In terms of natural throwing ability, Goff is the best passer in this draft, while Lynch is the better athlete.

There will be some concern about how Goff played in an uptempo spread offense, where he operated mostly in shotgun. The same thing was also said about Mariota, and he completed 62 percent of his passes and threw 19 touchdowns with little to no talent around him with the Titans.

Goff has the prototypical size (6'4", 210 lbs) to be a franchise-caliber quarterback, and he has the arm strength to fire the ball into tight windows. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski has more on Goff's throwing ability:

"

Most quarterbacks can make the required throws when everything is perfect. However, perfect pockets are rarely found in the NFL. Good quarterbacks display the ability to still make the throws when everything is crashing down around them. 

For Goff, his footwork is the key to his success. The young signal-caller patterns this aspect of his game after Peyton Manning, and the staff stresses keeping his feet "hot" and consistently chopping. 

"

Lynch is getting more attention as the top quarterback prospect in 2016, mainly because he's bigger (6'7", 245 lbs), more agile and can throw an accurate pass. But on a pure quarterback level, Goff is the best prospect and has more face-of-the-franchise value right now than Lynch does.