NFL Mock Draft 2016: Post-CFP Championship Predictions for 1st-Round Prospects

Wild Card Weekend not only knocked four teams out of the NFL playoffs, but it also helped set the draft order for picks 21-24 after the non-playoff teams were already set from 1-20.

The final eight selections will be decided when the remaining teams are eliminated from the playoffs, meaning this draft is based upon the Arizona Cardinals beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 50.

Let's take a look at projections for the first round of the draft, which takes place April 28, and some analysis of a few top prospects.

Pick	Team	Selection	Position	College
1	Tennessee Titans	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	Cleveland Browns	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
3	San Diego Chargers	Jalen Ramsey	CB	Florida State
4	Dallas Cowboys	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
6	Baltimore Ravens	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
7	San Francisco 49ers	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
8	Miami Dolphins	Vernon Hargreaves III	CB	Florida
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
10	New York Giants	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
11	Chicago Bears	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
12	New Orleans Saints	Jaylon Smith	OLB	Notre Dame
13	Philadelphia Eagles	Jared Goff	QB	California
14	Oakland Raiders	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
15	St. Louis Rams	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
16	Detroit Lions	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
17	Atlanta Falcons	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
18	Indianapolis Colts	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
19	Buffalo Bills	Andrew Billings	DT	Baylor
20	New York Jets	Reggie Ragland	ILB	Alabama
21	Washington	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
22	Houston Texans	Carson Wentz	QB	NDSU
23	Minnesota Vikings	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Robert Nkemdiche	DT	Ole Miss
25	Green Bay Packers	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
26	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
27	Seattle Seahawks	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
28	Denver Broncos	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
29	Carolina Panthers	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
30	Kansas City Chiefs	Germain Ifedi	OT	Texas A&M
31	Arizona Cardinals	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
N/A	New England Patriots	Pick Forfeited	N/A	N/A

Cleveland Should Pass on Quarterback 

It will be tempting for the Cleveland Browns to take either Paxton Lynch or Jared Goff with the No. 2 selection. However, if they are smart, they will avoid the quarterback position in the first round and take the best player available—Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Joey Bosa.

Both Lynch and Goff had outstanding seasons and most likely will go in the first round, but the Browns defense needs major help, and if Cleveland whiffs on a quarterback in the first round two times in the past three years, it could send the franchise into a worse downward spiral than it's already experiencing.

Bosa's stats dropped a bit during his junior season, but a "down" year of five sacks, one interception and 51 total tackles when opposing offenses put most of their eggs in their baskets trying to stop him is a pretty good effort.

Year	Tackles	Tackles for a Loss	Sacks	INT
2013	42	13.5	7.5	0
2014	55	21.5	13.5	0
2015	51	16.0	5.0	1
Total	148	51.0	26.0	1

Nearly every draft expert has him ranked as the No. 1 or No. 2 overall player, and the Browns should jump at the chance to take someone who could be an immediate playmaker, per Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com:

"

Excellent core strength with a NFL body at a young age. Flexible athlete and doesn't play tight. Bosa has an explosive get-off which helps him generate an immediate advantage over offensive tackles. Better yet, he possesses terrific upper body strength and technically-refined hand usage.

Controls his momentum very well with excellent break down skills to collect himself and make plays in space. Strong hands and wrists to be a reliable striker and finisher.

Natural lateral quickness to sidestep blockers with athletic swim moves to step outside and swat inside. Good initial quickness for his size, staying low and generating an immediate push. Heavy-handed and uses his full extension to put blockers on skates. Natural knee bend at the point of attack, using his limbs to work off blocks and mirror the ballcarrier.

Very disciplined and rarely loses contain, leveraging the edge and keeping his vision in the backfield. Rarely fooled with terrific secondary quickness, not taking himself out of plays due to hustle and ball awareness. Active on stunts with experience lining up inside and outside - proven threat anywhere in the front-seven.

"

Bosa can be the next piece in the puzzle of shoring up a defense that ranked 28th in sacks and 30th in rushing yards allowed in 2015.

The Browns could take a quarterback in the second round, possibly former Michigan State Spartan Connor Cook, but no matter what they do in the later rounds, passing on Bosa would be a mistake.

Robinson Coming to an NFL Backfield Near You

Brugler and Rob Rang's assessment of Alabama defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson might be all you need to know about his future in the NFL:

"

STRENGTHS: Built like a vending machine with proportionate bulk, strength and balance to be effective as a pass rusher and run stopper. He has the upper-body strength to push the pocket and not only does he test well physically, but his coaches say he's one of the most intelligent on the team.

WEAKNESSES: Robinson is still learning how to use his hands and is developing his pass rush repertoire.

IN OUR VIEW: The stoutest of Alabama's three-headed monster of future first-round picks, Robinson is surprisingly agile for his size but his game is all about power, making him a better fit in a two-gap alignment.

"

That might be the most impressive strength vs. weakness write-up ever for an NFL draft prospect. The 6'3", 312-pound lineman registered 7.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks this season, and this is what he looked like when he entered opposing backfields, per Alex Byington of the Times Daily:

"

What it looks like to have A'Shawn Robinson coming for your soul: pic.twitter.com/SdjHxgUf9M

— Alex Byington (@abyingtonTD) January 12, 2016"

While his numbers on an Alabama defense stacked with future NFL players weren't overwhelming, NFL scouts know he has the size and ability to perform at the next level. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars had one of the most impressive offenses in the NFL last season, but their defense allowed the second-most points in the league, leading to the firing of defensive coordinator Bob Babich.

With Robinson stacking the line and former first-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. returning to his defensive end position after tearing his ACL, the Jaguars line should be much-improved, helping the team compete for a division title in the weak AFC South.

Texans Dig Deep for a Quarterback

If it wasn't apparent the Houston Texans needed a quarterback before their 30-0 loss in the Wild Card Round against the Chiefs, it's glaringly obvious now.

Despite using four average-at-best quarterbacks during the regular season, Houston won the AFC South and earned a playoff berth. However, Brian Hoyer was exposed by a stout Chiefs defense that held him to 15-of-34 passing for 136 yards and four interceptions.

The Texans sport one of the best defenses in the NFL, and if they could add a solid quarterback to throw the ball to the talented DeAndre Hopkins, they should certainly compete for a postseason spot again next year.

In an era where young quarterbacks are contributing earlier than ever, why not take a chance on a senior who has shown he is a winner?

Carson Wentz of the FCS North Dakota State Bison has done pretty much nothing in his college career except win. After bouncing back from an early-season injury, he led his team to a fifth straight FCS championship and his second as the starter, per ESPN College Football:

Wentz has jumped up the QB draft board on CBSSports.com to rank third, even ahead of Cook, who led his team to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The 6'5", 231-pounder is a legitimate NFL prospect despite lacking a household name, per Brugler:

"

Although his internal clock needs maturing, Wentz performs well within structure, but can also improvise when the play breaks down, stretching out his legs to pick up chunk yardage if it's there (949 career rushing yards). He possesses a NFL-style skill-set with his size, athleticism and arm talent, including the field vision to work through reads and make sound decisions. Wentz ideally needs a redshirt rookie season in the NFL, but will be the top senior quarterback on several NFL draft boards.

"

Brugler thinks he may not be able to help right away, but at this point, the Texans might as well give him a shot after they finished 24th in terms of quarterback rating in 2015 and couldn't capitalize on their stellar defense.