2016 NFL Mock Draft: Top Prospects and 1st-Round Projections Before Playoffs

While 12 NFL teams are focused on making a playoff run and attempting to win the Super Bowl, the rest of the league has already turned its attention to the offseason and the NFL draft.

It seems as though the draft is a hot topic of conversation throughout the year, but with much of the first-round order currently set and many of the top underclassmen declaring themselves eligible, the road to the 2016 NFL draft in Chicago has truly begun.

As teams start to kick their draft preparation into high gear, here is a full first-round mock draft, along with a closer look at some of the top prospects that figure to be selected early in April.

First-Round Mock Draft

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

Breaking Down Top Picks

Laremy Tunsil

NFL teams are always on the lookout for potential franchise offensive tackles, and Ole Miss' Laremy Tunsil seemingly has all the tools needed to be a perennial Pro Bowler at the next level.

The 6'5", 305-pound stud allowed just two sacks during his three-year career as the Rebels' left tackle, according to the team's official website.

While it's often difficult to quantify an offensive lineman's ability, Tunsil showed off his immense athletic ability by scoring a touchdown during Mississippi's Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma State, as seen in this video courtesy of ESPN:

Tunsil's true value is as a blocker, though, and the Tennessee Titans would certainly benefit from finding quarterback Marcus Mariota a reliable blindside protector.

Mariota showed immense promise as a rookie, but he missed four games due to injury, which is something Tunsil could help limit.

One person who sees big things in front of Tunsil as he makes the move to the NFL is Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, per ESPN.com's Joe Schad:

"

Few players have brought more joy to my life than Laremy Tunsil, and I'm so proud to see him take this next step in his life. I will always be grateful for the opportunity he gave us three years ago, and I look forward to seeing him walk across the stage at this year's NFL Draft. With his spirit, hard work and determination, he has a bright future ahead of him.

"

The past two No. 1 overall picks who were offensive tackles didn't quite work out in the NFL, as Jake Long is a backup for the Atlanta Falcons and Eric Fisher has struggled to gain traction with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tunsil is a supreme talent who could perform at a level similar to 1997 No. 1 overall pick and likely future Pro Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace. Because of that potential, it will be extremely difficult for the Titans to pass on him.

Jared Goff

Quarterbacks are often the focus of the NFL draft, and while the overall quality of the 2016 class is somewhat of a mystery at that position, California's Jared Goff looks every bit like the cream of the crop.

The three-year starter enjoyed an incredible career at Cal, throwing 96 career touchdown passes, including a Pac-12 record 43 in 2015.

Goff was especially dominant in the Golden Bears' Armed Forces Bowl win over Air Force with 467 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions through the air. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was a truly historic performance:

As seen in this video courtesy of SportsCenter, Goff made some big-time, NFL-caliber throws en route to his record-setting day:

After such a fitting end to his time at Cal, Goff felt extremely comfortable with forgoing his senior year and banking on a shot at the first round of the NFL draft.

"The game really started to slow down for me, and I was able to see things quicker and learn a lot of stuff this year," Goff said, per ESPN.com's Kyle Bonagura. "I feel like at the college level I've done a lot and it was time to take the next step. You just know when you're ready."

Several NFL teams need help at the quarterback position, and one can only assume that an organization will hitch its wagon to Goff in the first round.

The only real question relates to how early he will go. The Cleveland Browns continue their desperate search for a franchise signal-caller, and with Johnny Manziel potentially on the way out, they could strike at No. 2.

While Cleveland has other needs, it can't truly take the next step until it finds the right guy under center. Because of that, look for the Browns to roll the dice once again and cross their fingers that Goff can solve their problems.

Joey Bosa

While quarterbacks are always at a premium in the NFL, the same can be said about the players who pressure them, which is why Ohio State's Joey Bosa promises to be among the top picks in the 2016 draft.

The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native is coming off his worst season in terms of sacking the quarterback with just five, but he was often double- or triple-teamed and still produced to the tune of 51 tackles and 16 stops for loss.

Bosa truly showed what he could do as a sophomore in 2014, though, as he registered 13.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss, thus making him one of the most coveted players in the class.

Either the Titans or Browns could easily go with Bosa since he may be the best overall player in the draft, but if positional needs take them elsewhere, look for the San Diego Chargers to strike at No. 3 overall.

The Bolts have plenty of needs on both sides of the ball, but continuing to develop a young, talented defense into a potential power may be the quickest path to winning with quarterback Philip Rivers commanding the offense.

Bosa seems perfectly capable of playing 4-3 end, 3-4 linebacker or essentially anywhere along the front seven that would give him the best chance to get to the quarterback.

Assuming he lands in the Chargers' system, don't be surprised if Bosa becomes one of the NFL's best edge-rushers as soon as he enters the league.

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