NFL Mock Draft 2016: Projections for 1st-Round Prospects Post-Free Agency Week 1

The flashy NFL free-agency signings are starting to die down, and while plenty more deals will be made in the coming days and weeks, it's safe to say that the biggest impact to the NFL draft landscape has already occurred. 

Some NFL teams' draft boards will look completely different post-free agency.

The Houston Texans, for example, are hardly candidates to draft a quarterback in the first round after spending big bucks on former Bronco Brock Osweiler. 

Teams in the top 10 that satisfied some of their biggest needs through free agency may also be more active in wheeling and dealing their selections, which will also shake up the draft board. 

For now, however, with the information we have, this is a good example of what positions teams will be looking at on the first day of the draft in April. 

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Tennessee Titans	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	Cleveland Browns	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota St.
3	San Diego Chargers	Jalen Ramsey	CB/S	Florida State
4	Dallas Cowboys	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
6	Baltimore Ravens	DeForest Buckner	DL	Oregon
7	San Francisco 49ers	Jared Goff	QB	Cal
8	Philadelphia Eagles (MIA)	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
10	New York Giants	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
11	Chicago Bears	Noah Spence	DE	Eastern Kentucky
12	New Orleans Saints	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
13	Miami Dolphins (PHI)	Vernon Hargreaves III	CB	Florida
14	Oakland Raiders	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
15	Los Angeles Rams	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
16	Detroit Lions	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
17	Atlanta Falcons	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
18	Indianapolis Colts	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
19	Buffalo Bills	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
20	New York Jets	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
21	Washington	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
22	Houston Texans	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
23	Minnesota Vikings	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
27	Green Bay Packers	Reggie Ragland	ILB	Alabama
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Cody Whitehair	OG	Kansas State
29	Arizona Cardinals	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
30	Carolina Panthers	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
31	Denver Broncos	Jarran Reed	DT	Alabama

Breaking Down Top Skill Position Players

The early selections in the first round of the draft typically see defensive linemen, defensive backs and offensive linemen flying off the board.

And while all those positions are crucial to building a franchise, many times it's the big-play athletes such as the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs who end up becoming the faces of their franchises and fan favorites to watch come game day. 

Let's look at some of the game-changers at skill positions expected to come off the board in Round 1.

Jared Goff, QB, California 

The San Francisco 49ers have still not signed a quarterback in free agency to compete with Blaine Gabbert—and even if they do, it won't preclude them from drafting a quarterback to develop for the future. 

Assuming Carson Wentz comes off the board first, Bay Area local Jared Goff seems like a no-brainer to the 49ers at No. 7 overall. 

Now that Chip Kelly is running things in San Francisco, Goff seems to be a good match for what the 49ers' new offense may look like.

Kelly has demonstrated a preference for passers who can make decisions quickly and who limit mistakes, and Goff has proven at California that he can do both. His mobility, somewhat like former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers, is enough to get him out of sticky situations, if not his marquee attribute. 

"Goff shows many of the traits scouts are looking for in a pro-style quarterback, including impressive accuracy on in-cutting routes in the short, intermediate and deep levels, the courage to stand in the pocket and enough functional mobility to buy time," wrote Dane Brugler and Rob Rang of CBS Sports. 

It will be interesting to see if the 49ers get skittish and trade up to ensure they leave Day 1 of the draft with Goff, but as things stand right now, No. 7 seems like a perfect landing spot for the young quarterback. 

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Some will argue that the eighth overall pick in the 2016 draft is far too early for any running back to come off the board, Ezekiel Elliott or otherwise. 

And, sure, it's possible that the Philadelphia Eagles (who traded with Miami to land this selection) will target another position here, perhaps a quarterback. 

But there's no denying that the Eagles need a running back now that DeMarco Murray is a Tennessee Titan. Though Ryan Mathews has not yet been traded, Philadelphia will still need a No. 1 back ahead of him. 

"Elliott has the talent to be the featured piece of Doug Pederson's offense," wrote Brugler. Indeed, the relentless rusher is coming off an eye-popping 2015 season with the Buckeyes, rushing for 1,821 yards and 23 touchdowns on 289 attempts and adding another 206 receiving yards. 

If anything, Elliott needs to improve in the pass-catching game, but he's a fast and difficult-to-tackle runner with excellent vision. The Eagles would go a long way toward establishing their new, post-Chip-Kelly offense by adding Elliott. 

Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss 

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Widely regarded as the top receiver in this year's draft class, there are many teams in the first round of the draft that will be interested in Laquon Treadwell.

In this mock draft, he manages to remain on the board until Houston's selection at No. 22 because of teams filling other needs in the picks before, though it's possible someone before that—the Los Angeles Rams or the Detroit Lions, for example, is unable to pass him up.

If Treadwell does make it to No. 22, however, he would be an excellent and shiny new weapon for new quarterback Brock Osweiler. 

Reviewing Treadwell's strengths, Brugler described the kind of player Houston has been missing: a big-play generator who also has the potential to be a passionate locker-room leader:

"Very strong-minded competitor and doesn't shrink under bright lights. Innately motivated and wired right for professional football. Carries himself like a leader with a goal-oriented mindset—genuinely enjoys the [camaraderie] with his teammates."