2016 NFL Mock Draft: Projections for Landing Spots of Top Prospects

With the Alabama Crimson Tide locking up yet another national championship on Monday night to make it four in seven years, the college football season is officially over. For the next three months, most of the conversation concerning college programs will be centered around the 2016 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans are on the clock with the No. 1 pick. They could elect to move the pick to add more resources to help build around quarterback Marcus Mariota or simply take the player they believe to be the best available.  

Here's a look at my latest mock draft:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
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	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jalen Ramsey	CB	Florida State
6	Baltimore Ravens	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
7	San Francisco 49ers	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
8	Miami Dolphins	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
10	New York Giants	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
11	Chicago Bears	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
12	New Orleans Saints	Jarran Reed	DL	Alabama
13	Philadelphia Eagles	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota State
14	Oakland Raiders	Vernon Hargreaves III	CB	Florida
15	St. Louis Rams	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan State
16	Detroit Lions	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
17	Atlanta Falcons	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
18	Indianapolis Colts	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
19	Buffalo Bills	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
20	New York Jets	Leonard Floyd	LB	Georgia
21	Washington Redskins	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
22	Houston Texans	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
23	Minnesota Vikings	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Jaylon Smith	LB	Notre Dame
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
26	Seattle Seahawks	Noah Spence	LB	Eastern Kentucky
27	Green Bay Packers	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
29	Denver Broncos	O.J. Howard	TE	Alabama
30	Arizona Cardinals	Shilique Calhoun	DE	Michigan State
31	Carolina Panthers	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State

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

Why Tunsil?

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Titans have Mariota, so they don't need to concern themselves with the whole debate over which of the available quarterbacks is best suited for NFL success. Instead, Tennessee has to find a way to better protect its young franchise quarterback.

In 2015, the Titans allowed a league-high 54 sacks. If the team wants Mariota to see more time on the field than he does on the trainer's table, this is an issue it must resolve. He missed four games in his rookie season.

The Ole Miss Rebels' Laremy Tunsil projects as the best offensive tackle in the draft. Athletically, he's similar to the Philadelphia Eagles' Jason Peters, though Tunsil is a little leaner at this stage of his career.

CBS Sports lists him at 6'5" and 305 pounds, but that frame is certain to grow with weight and conditioning coaches in the NFL. Mariota needs some weapons in the passing game, but he needs someone to protect his blind side even more.

Why Goff?

Johnny Manziel can't be trusted as the franchise QB of the Cleveland Browns—or any other team. Thus it would be smart for management to take a QB with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Some would advise it to select the best player available, but as Will Brinson of CBS Sports pointed out in light of the NFL wild-card matchups, the signal-caller matters:

There's a question as to whether the California Golden Bears' Jared Goff or the Memphis Tigers' Paxton Lynch is the best QB prospect. Goff is the hottest name after Lynch struggled against the Auburn Tigers defense in the Birmingham Bowl.

Every pick is a gamble, but the Browns have to minimize the risk as much as possible. Goff looks like the safest of the two top prospects. He's had more experience against top-notch talent, and his release point is better suited for the NFL.

Why Bosa?

Mel Evans/Associated Press

The San Diego Chargers have plenty of holes on both sides of the ball, but they do still have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Philip Rivers. It's not time to draft his replacement—at least not in the first round. The Bolts can take the best player available, and that would be Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Joey Bosa.

As a sophomore, Bosa had 13.5 sacks. We saw that number drop to just five in his junior season. The decline was primarily due to the fact opposing teams focused on keeping him out of the backfield. The extra attention they paid him helped put Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard in position to have excellent years rushing the passer.

Bosa's presence on a defensive line will help make his teammates better on the next level as well. The Chargers need that type of impact player.