2016 NFL Mock Draft Pre-Divsional Round Projections for First-Round Prospects

As top prospects make their official declarations for the NFL draft, the first round remains an ever-changing landscape less than three months from the April 28 selection day.

As numerous new head coaches are participating in their first drafts, there is no way to truly predict any selection. There isn't even a clear consensus on the No. 1 pick, although offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive end Joey Bosa are widely considered the top two prospects.

Let's take a look at projected first-round selections as well as some analysis on the top-three potential picks.

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

Titans Selection as Much About Mariota as Tunsil

Any team could use Bosa—an athletic defensive end for the Ohio State Buckeyes the past three years—but sometimes selections are more about team needs than the best player available.

Tunsil, formerly of the Ole Miss Rebels, is a 6'5", 305-pound offensive tackle who can help protect the future of the Tennessee Titans franchise—quarterback Marcus Mariota.

The Titans made it clear they are willing to invest in the former Oregon Ducks quarterback after drafting him No. 2 overall in 2015, and making him their starting quarterback in Week 1. Although he missed four games with a knee injury, he still broke a team rookie passing record with 2,818 yards.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network praised Tunsil for his excellent footwork:

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com cited inconsistency and the fact Tunsil suffered an injury in 2014 as his only drawbacks along with the following listed as his strengths:

"

Quick off the snap with tremendous lower-body flexibility. He does a tremendous job staying square to defenders, sinking in his kickslide to handle speed and absorb power at the point of attack. Comes to balance on the move and peppering rushers with a quick punch.

Tunsil doesn't have a passive bone in his body and boasts the body control to protect the edge and get out in space. Recognizes extra pressures and quickly picks up defenders on combo blocks.

"

Even though Bosa would certainly help the Titans defensive line, Tunsil's high rating across the board, and the need to protect Mariota a clear priority, offensive tackle needs to be the pick here.

Bosa Goes No. 2 Despite No. 1 Talent

The selection of Tunsil puts the Cleveland Browns at a crossroads. They desperately need help at the quarterback position, but Bosa is too good to pass up.

Although there will be quarterbacks with first-round talent in the draft such as Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch and others, none of them are "can't miss."

Bosa, who recorded 26 sacks, 51 tackles for a loss and forced five fumbles in his career, is considered as "can't miss" as you can get for the defensive end position. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. listed him Thursday as the No. 1 overall pick in his latest mock draft, per ESPN CollegeFootball:

Kiper obviously feels the Titans can't afford to pass him up, and if so, it might be worth it for the Browns to then take a chance on a quarterback. But in this scenario, Bosa is a good enough player that the Browns can look past their highest need, go for the best available player and try to find a quarterback in a later round.

Brugler's assessment of Bosa is reason enough to not think twice about taking the former Buckeye:

"

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.

"

It will be tempting for the Browns to take Goff or Lynch and hope for the next Peyton Manning, but if they do, and either is more like the next Johnny Manziel, the Browns won't climb out of the cellar any time soon.

Treadwell Glides in at No. 3 to the Chargers

Wide receivers aren't generally thought of as top-three picks, but it's not unprecedented. Nine have been drafted first, second or third since 1971 and another 10 were taken fourth or fifth, including Sammy Watkins in 2014 and Amari Cooper last year.

It takes a special talent to be drafted that high, and Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss fits the bill perfectly, according to Evan Silva of Rotoworld:

Here is some of the ability Treadwell possesses as the top wideout prospect, according to CBSSports.com, per 247Sports:

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said wide receiver should be the main focus for the San Diego Chargers.

"For years it was just Antonio Gates, maybe Vincent Jackson and then a slew of guys catching passes from Philip Rivers. Gates is on the way out, and the Chargers need more help at wide receiver beyond Keenan Allen, who is out for the season with an injury."

Treadwell, at 6'2", 210 pounds, possesses the size to be an NFL receiver, but he also showed he has the fortitude as well after bouncing back from a gruesome injury in 2014 to finish 2015 with 82 receptions, 1,153 and 11 touchdowns.

San Diego has many needs, but the name of the game is scoring points, and Rivers to Treadwell is a good start down that path.