Mel Kiper NFL Mock Draft 2016: Notable Picks from ESPN Guru's 4th Mock

With the 2016 NFL draft less than a month away, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. released his fourth first-round mock draft Wednesday, and there was some significant movement since his previous edition. 

Kiper's latest mock stayed true to form at the top, with the Tennessee Titans selecting Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil No. 1 overall and North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz going second to the Cleveland Browns, but there were plenty of shakeups elsewhere.

Here is a full listing of Kiper's first-round predictions, along with some further analysis regarding the most intriguing picks of the mock:

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

Carson Wentz No. 2 Overall to Browns

The Cleveland Browns' complicated quarterback situation has gotten much clearer this offseason. Veteran Josh McCown remains in the fold, and the team swapped out one former Heisman Trophy winner for another by waiving Johnny Manziel and signing Robert Griffin III.

Despite the addition of RGIII, Kiper still believes Cleveland will go with Wentz at No. 2 overall, which would undoubtedly muddy the waters even more under center for the Browns.

Wentz seemingly boosted his stock significantly with great performances at the NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day, which may have pushed him past California's Jared Goff on many draft boards.

Even so, ESPN's Tony Grossi believes Goff is a better option for the Browns at No. 2 than Wentz, according to ESPN Cleveland:

Goff is certainly a better known commodity after starting for Cal at the FBS level for three years, while Wentz faced weaker competition in the FCS.

Based on his performance against primarily FBS players in the Senior Bowl, however, Wentz is confident that he belongs in the same conversation, per Jake Kring-Schreifels of Redskins.com:

"

I think to a lot of people it showed I can handle that game speed. Obviously, there's still going to be a big jump going forward, but that was probably the big question everyone wants to know. Can he adjust. He was playing FCS ball. All these guys are FBS guys. I think I went in there and proved that I could handle it.

"

Wentz may prove to be correct, although this stat, courtesy of Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson, raises the question of whether he'll be able to hold up against top-flight pass-rushers at the next level:

The Browns have a lot of holes to fill and could get by for at least one more season with the combination of McCown and Griffin at quarterback, but there is no question they need a long-term answer.

There is a great deal of risk involved with Wentz, but if they believe he has a legitimate chance to be a superstar signal-caller, they cannot afford to pass him up.

Joey Bosa No. 4 Overall to Cowboys

Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa was predicted to fall to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 6 in Kiper's last mock draft, but he rebounded a bit this time in the form of landing with the Dallas Cowboys at No. 4 overall.

Dallas ranked just 25th in the NFL in sacks last season, and with Greg Hardy out of the picture currently, it desperately needs an outside pass-rushing threat. Bosa is arguably the best option in that regard, and he could prove to be a steal at No. 4.

Bosa's production dropped off at OSU in 2015 due to the amount of attention opposing offenses paid to him, but he was a monster in 2014 with 13.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss. He was constantly a disruptive force, and that type of impact would go a long way toward helping an anemic Cowboys defense.

According to NFL.com's Chase Goodbread, NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly said on Path to the Draft he believes Bosa is a true superstar in the making:

"

Some people will say he's not an elite player; shouldn't be taken that high. To me he's better than [Lions lineman] Ziggy Ansah, who (was drafted) around that point, he's better than [Jets lineman] Leonard Williams, who should've gone by that point in the draft. And guess what? He's a safer pick and will be more productive than [Texans lineman] Jadeveon Clowney has been. That answers that question to me.

"

Despite Casserly's ringing endorsement, NFL Network analyst Lance Zierlein said on The Pick Is In podcast he doesn't think the Cowboys are particularly interested in Bosa, per Goodbread: "I don't believe the [Cowboys] will draft [Bosa]. I've heard that they're not in love with [Bosa]. I don't think [Bosa] is going to be a Cowboy."

Bosa seems to be a perfect fit for the Cowboys in terms of positional need, although they would benefit from help at every level of their defense.

The former Buckeyes star was once considered the consensus top player in the draft class, and if he proves to be precisely that down the line, selecting him could be a franchise-changing move for the Cowboys.

Ezekiel Elliott No. 6 Overall to Ravens

While running backs regained some draft value last year when Todd Gurley went No. 10 overall to the then-St. Louis Rams, there still seems to be some apprehension when it comes to investing heavily in them on draft day.

That concern doesn't surround Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott, however, as Kiper believes the Ravens will nab him with the No. 6 overall pick. That is a significant departure from Kiper's third mock, which featured Elliott falling all the way to the New York Jets at No. 20.

The selection would be somewhat surprising since the Ravens already have Justin Forsett, who rushed for 1,266 yards two seasons ago. His production dropped last year, he missed time due to an injury, and he is now 30 years of age, though, which suggests an upgrade could be needed soon.

While it may be difficult to justify taking a running back so early in most cases, an anonymous AFC running backs coach compared Elliott to arguably one of the greatest players to ever play the position, according to Zierlein:

"

I feel the same way about Elliott that I felt about [Vikings running back] Adrian [Peterson]. It was hard to find weaknesses for Adrian coming out, and it's hard to find weaknesses for Elliott. I don't usually believe in taking running backs in the first round, but Elliott is one of those guys you make an exception for, just like with [Peterson].

"

Being compared to Peterson is a huge burden, but Elliott topped 1,800 rushing yards in both 2014 and 2015 at OSU, and there isn't a single area of obvious weakness in his game.

He is an every-down back who excels at everything, and the fact he is capable of being on the field for almost every offensive play could make him worth such a significant investment.

Baltimore desperately needs a big-time playmaker on offense, and there may be no better option on the board at No. 6 than Elliott.

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