2016 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Prospects Who Would Best Help Each Team

One of the big buzzwords for the NFL draft every year is fit. All 32 teams have a need to fill, necessitating they find a player who is more than capable of fitting in their system and boasts the talent worthy of being taken in the first round.   

Impact rookies are not always hard to find, though it's not as simple as just plugging a talented player into a lineup and letting him go. The development process is something that often gets forgotten, especially on draft night, because everyone is so excited about hearing the name read off the card. 

Looking way ahead to the draft's first round, these are the best fits for each team with a spotlight on the players who will provide the most impact in 2016. 

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

Note: The New England Patriots forfeited their first-round pick because of Deflategate. 

What Happens to Jaylon Smith?

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

By far, the most devastating injury to occur during bowl season happened when Notre Dame star linebacker Jaylon Smith was knocked out of the Fiesta Bowl early because of a knee injury. 

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Smith will undergo reconstructive surgery "to repair damage that includes a torn ACL and MCL." The expectation all along has been that Smith, who is currently the No. 2 prospect on B/R draft expert Matt Miller's big board, will declare for the draft. 

Assuming that remains true—there's no reason for him to return now because he needs to work with a professional medical staff that can help with his rehab—how does the NFL view his draft stock?

One name that will likely be mentioned in comparison to Smith is last year's No. 10 overall pick, Todd Gurley. The St. Louis Rams had no issues with Gurley's knee, took him in the first round and were rewarded with a 1,100-yard, 10-touchdown performance in 2015.  

It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, though, because Gurley's injury was only to his ACL. Smith's injury is comparable to the one suffered by San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman in the NFC Championship Game against Seattle two years ago. 

Bowman was forced to miss the entire 2015 season but returned this year and led the NFL in tackles (154). 

If teams are skittish about Smith's ability to return at the level he showed in college, his stock drops precipitously. That can work to the benefit of a team lower in the first round that didn't expect him to be there. 

A team like the New York Jets, with depth on defense even with the pending free agency for Muhammad Wilkerson and Demario Davis, can afford to draft and store Smith for a full season if he needs time to recover. 

Smith remains in the first-round mix for now, though his official status is still cloudy because teams need to see his medicals during the predraft process before deciding how confident they feel about taking him in the first round. 

Titans Get Help for Mariota

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Last year, the Tennessee Titans got the franchise quarterback they needed when Marcus Mariota was available with the second pick. 

This year, the Titans' next phase of rebuilding has to be getting a franchise left tackle to protect Mariota's blind side so he can create all of those spectacular plays with his arm and legs. 

Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil isn't a sexy No. 1 overall pick because he plays on the offensive line, but the Titans need to start building an attitude to go with their young, developing talent.

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated noted there would be an added benefit for the Titans to take Tunsil with their top pick: 

"

Tunsil was not the top-ranked prospect on our last Big Board but he was close, and he will be there for many before all is said and done. It’s rather easy to see the match here, too—Tunsil can be Marcus Mariota’s blindside protector, while Taylor Lewan slides to RT. Tunsil’s agility would only help him mesh with the mobile Mariota.

"

Even though there may not be many people writing Tunsil's name in pen atop their big-board rankings, he's hardly an egregious No. 1 pick, with ESPN's Mel Kiper noting the Ole Miss star would have been capable of starting in the NFL this year. 

"The entire skill set is there," Kiper wrote. "Flexible, quick, powerful and long, I still think he's the best pass-blocker in the draft at this point in my evals, a guy who wouldn't look out of place if he had to play on Sundays this season. Nimble but strong, he has all the traits you look for at that spot."

Mariota was able to throw for 2,818 yards and run for 252 yards with 21 total touchdowns in 12 games despite playing behind an offensive line that Khaled Elsayed of Pro Football Focus ranked as the seventh-worst in November. 

NFL offenses are built at quarterback and left tackle. The Titans have half of that equation with an opportunity to acquire the other half in this year's draft. 

Cleveland Gets a QB...Again

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

It's no secret the Browns are going to address their quarterback situation in some way this offseason. The Josh McCown experiment is not sustainable. Peter King of the MMQB reported on Sunday the Browns were "so done" with Johnny Manziel. 

While none of the quarterbacks available this year seems to come with the type of baggage that Manziel wound up having, there's always going to be a stigma with any player at that position going to Cleveland. 

The Browns have had the worst combination of luck and bad evaluation when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. 

Memphis breakout star Paxton Lynch will be the fifth quarterback taken by the Browns in Round 1 since the franchise returned in 1999. He meets all the physical requirements needed to be an NFL player, listed at 6'7" and 245 pounds by Memphis' athletic website. 

The athletic tools are mostly in place, with ESPN's Mel Kiper writing in his big-board rankings that Lynch can do all the things necessary to succeed in the NFL. 

"(Lynch) not only has a strong arm but also the ability to get the ball out fast," Kiper wrote. "He has the height to see the whole field quickly without creating space, and he throws well on the move when he needs that space. It sounds trite, but the talent for the position is so clear, and the decision-making has been very good."

There are certainly flaws with Lynch that some have pointed out as well. NFL.com's Bucky Brooks questioned how ready Lynch is for the NFL right now:

"

Those concerns are heightened after watching him struggle against Auburn. While I still believe he's an intriguing prospect with potential, I see him as a developmental prospect who will need time to grow into the position. If I had to compare him to a current pro, I would cite Ryan Tannehill as an apt comparison. Lynch can function at a high level in executing concepts that are similar to the tactics he runs at Memphis, but he will need time to transition to a pro playbook.

"

Even though no one in Cleveland wants to imagine another season with Josh McCown penciled in as the starting quarterback, if it's in the best interest of Lynch to develop behind the scenes before taking over the No. 1 gig late in 2016 or in 2017, then it has to happen. 

Carson Palmer's development didn't stall in Cincinnati because he sat behind Jon Kitna for a year. The Browns are entering into a new era with another new head coach and general manager, so finding a franchise quarterback has to be the first order of business. 

Lynch and Cal's Jared Goff are the top two options and will likely be in the mix for every team in the top five that needs a quarterback. Lynch gets a slight edge over Goff in this mock because of his athleticism and upside.