NFL Mock Draft 2016: Projections for Most Enigmatic 1st-Round Prospects

As free agency wanes and we inch closer to the 2016 NFL draft, the picture is starting to take shape. However, a few prospects still remain a mystery for a variety of reasons. 

With various questions about upside, character concerns and injuries lingering, we won't know for sure how the NFL views certain players until the weekend of the draft. 

Here's a look at an updated mock draft, with a closer look at three of the highly touted prospects who are most difficult to place. 

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	School
1	Tennessee Titans	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
2	Cleveland Browns	Jalen Ramsey	DB	Florida State
3	San Diego Chargers	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
4	Dallas Cowboys	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
6	Baltimore Ravens	DeForest Buckner	DL	Oregon
7	San Francisco 49ers	Jared Goff	QB	California
8	Philadelphia Eagles	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
10	New York Giants	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
11	Chicago Bears	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota State
12	New Orleans Saints	Sheldon Rankins	DL	Louisville
13	Miami Dolphins	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
14	Oakland Raiders	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
15	Los Angeles Rams	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
16	Detroit Lions	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
17	Atlanta Falcons	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
18	Indianapolis Colts	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
19	Buffalo Bills	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
20	New York Jets	Leonard Floyd	LB	Georgia
21	Washington Redskins	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
22	Houston Texans	Vernon Butler	DT	Louisiana Tech
23	Minnesota Vikings	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
27	Green Bay Packers	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaylon Smith	LB	Notre Dame
29	Arizona Cardinals	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
30	Carolina Panthers	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
31	Denver Broncos	Jonathan Bullard	DL	Florida

Notable Enigmatic Prospects

Paxton Lynch, Memphis

Evaluations and projections for Paxton Lynch have been all over the map this offseason. 

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, for example, praised Lynch for his potential as a dual-threat quarterback and compared him to Marcus Mariota. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., on the other hand, didn't even include Lynch in his most recent first-round mock draft.

Like many mid-first-round quarterbacks we've seen in recent years—EJ Manuel, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, to name a few—Lynch's draft stock is all about potential. 

Since the creation of the rookie wage scale, there is relatively little financial risk involved in taking a quarterback in the first round. But the potential payoff for hitting the jackpot is enormous. 

As a result, teams gamble on flawed prospects who, if everything falls into place, could reach an elite level. 

The Los Angeles Rams are a strong candidate to gamble on Lynch in the first round. 

As the team transitions to Los Angeles, the franchise needs to give the new fanbase a reason to pay attention—and Case Keenum and Nick Foles aren't going to do the trick. A young, high-upside prospect like Lynch, however, could give fans some hope for the future. 

Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss

There were serious red flags surrounding Robert Nkemdiche even before his bizarre hotel incident in late December. 

A few days before Nkemdiche fell out of the hotel window, a scout described Nkemdiche to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as "really a different kid. He may scare some people. He's strange strange."

Many teams will likely remove Nkemdiche from their draft boards altogether. But the Seattle Seahawks are one of the few who may still consider him in the first round. 

Head coach Pete Carroll has been willing to take chances on players with off-field concerns and has the strong locker room leadership to potentially help Nkemdiche adjust to life in the NFL. 

Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Prior to tearing ligaments in his knee in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Jaylon Smith was a top-five lock and potentially even a candidate to go No. 1 overall. 

However, now that his rookie season is in jeopardy, he may not even land in the first round. Teams that could still roll the dice on Smith are stable franchises that can afford to redshirt him for a year. 

The Kansas City Chiefs could be an ideal landing spot due to their strong but aging group of linebackers. 

The Chiefs could view Smith as a long-term replacement for 33-year-old inside linebacker Derrick Johnson.