NFL Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Projections and Storylines for Top Prospects

The blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans has quite literally changed the 2016 NFL draft from the top down.

The Rams are now owners of the No. 1 pick in the draft, ostensibly to pick up a quarterback of the future (there's no other position worth the trade). In return, the Tennessee Titans received a bevy of picks in this year's draft and in 2017.

Here's a full rundown of the swap, based on the reporting from NFL.com's Conor Orr.

Los Angeles Rams Receive		Tennessee Titans Receive
2016 No. 1 overall pick		2016 No. 15 overall pick
2016 fourth-round pick		2016 second-round pick
2016 sixth-round pick		2016 second-round pick
		2016 third-round pick
		2017 first-round pick
		2017 third-round pick

This is the hot new storyline for the 2016 draft. It has huge implications for the top quarterback prospects and will have teams near the top reassessing their draft forecasts. The trade shakeup might even have a big effect on top prospects other than the signal-callers.

Here's a first-round mock-up, followed by a look at the storylines for the draft's biggest names.

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

Rams Reportedly Leaning Toward Jared Goff at No. 1 Overall

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Rams are eyeing Jared Goff with their newly acquired No. 1 overall pick, although Carson Wentz is still in the running. Schefter's source tells him the trade gives the Rams "two weeks to debate between Goff and Wentz. You can make a convincing case for both. Both are going to be good."

If Goff and Wentz are worth a lengthy debate in Los Angeles, then it seems likely that whichever quarterback isn't taken at No. 1 won't fall past Cleveland at No. 2 overall. The Browns did sign Robert Griffin III in March, but he's one of the league's biggest question marks after a tumultuous four-year tenure in Washington. 

There could still be more trades in the making. The Rams deal has made it pretty clear that the opportunity to land Goff or Wentz is worth a huge haul of draft picks. The Dallas Cowboys own the fourth overall pick but are still doing their due diligence and taking a look at Goff this weekend.

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

"[Goff] operates in a pretty place," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, per ESPN.com's Todd Archer. "I like to have that excuse to go out there. No, seriously, we are going to go do a workout this weekend. It'll be Goff, out there before their spring game."

CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson points out there could be a scramble to nab the quarterback the Rams don't end up taking:

"

Whether Goff is around when the Cowboys go on the clock at No. 4 is the great mystery. The expectation is that the Rams will take either Goff or Carson Wentz first overall, and whoever remains will go to Cleveland with the second pick. Unless the Eagles, who reportedly were also in the conversations for the No. 1 pick, trade up from No. 8. Of course, maybe the Cowboys fall in love and trade up too, assuming any number of other quarterback-needy teams don't involve themselves in the proceedings.

The shorter version: Things could get hectic in those 10 minutes after Roger Goodell announces the Rams' pick.

"

Whichever quarterback the Rams do end up picking will have an enormous task in front of him. Anything less than franchise-quarterback status will be seen as a failure because of what Los Angeles had to give up to move up to the first pick.

There's also the added pressure that comes with going to a team now playing in the nation's second-largest media market and likely to face plenty of extra scrutiny and attention as it looks to make football work in Los Angeles.

Hopefully, either Goff or Wentz is up to the task.


Will Laremy Tunsil Tumble?

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

The Titans look pretty smart for trading away the No. 1 pick. They already have a potential franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota, who threw for 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in a promising rookie season. They found a needy buyer in the Rams and came away with a hoard of extra picks by moving down to the middle of the first round. 

With a quarterback almost certainly coming off the board at No. 1 and possibly even No. 2, one has to wonder how far Laremy Tunsil—the No. 1 pick in several mock drafts prior to the trade—will have to wait to hear his name called on Thursday, April 28. 

CBS Sports ranks Tunsil as the top overall prospect in this year's draft, ahead of the likes of Goff, Wentz, Jalen Ramsey and Joey Bosa. Sports Illustrated's Peter King reported on Monday that eight out of 10 NFL talent evaluators he spoke with believed Tennessee would have taken Tunsil first overall.

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Assuming the Rams and Brown take quarterbacks, the San Diego Chargers could very well snag Tunsil with the third overall pick. Philip Rivers' well-documented immobility isn't going to get any better in his mid-30s, and the Chargers offensive line has been a mess of injuries and inconsistent play the past two seasons. 

However, the Bolts may not consider left tackle a desperate need with King Dunlap under contract through 2018. A poor defensive line and a secondary now without the talismanic Eric Weddle make Ramsey, Bosa and DeForest Buckner appealing options for San Diego at No. 3. 

The Cowboys offensive line is one of the best units in the league, and the Jacksonville Jaguars should be happy with the play of Luke Joeckel, the No. 2 overall pick in 2013, at left tackle. 

The Baltimore Ravens fixed a need in the secondary by signing Weddle this offseason and could very well take Tunsil at No. 6. Tunsil shouldn't get past the Ravens, but if he does, it will be one of the biggest surprises of the 2016 draft.

Jalen Ramsey Can Do Anything

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

Ramsey is a freakish athlete who appears capable of excelling at either cornerback or safety in the NFL, making him a truly valuable commodity in this pass-happy league. According to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Ramsey sees himself as more of a cornerback than safety:

"

Cornerback. I'm a corner who can play safety. I feel like I'm the prototypical new edition of cornerbacks that the league needs and is going to with bigger receivers. I'm the most physical defensive back and that's how I play at every level. I have good footwork and can play with the smaller receivers. I can play on the back end because of my physicality, but also because of my range and length.

"

If the Browns aren't happy with the quarterback left to them at No. 2, they could put all of their faith in RG3 and try to fix another need at No. 2. CBS Sports' Jared Dubin has the Browns taking Ramsey, as does USA Today's Nate Davis.

However, the Florida State product's own comments make it seem like Cleveland isn't much interested in his services—or rather, the team is more inclined to snag a quarterback, despite the fact it has Griffin and the capable Josh McCown on the roster.

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

"Not much interaction with them at all," Ramsey said, per ESPN.com's Pat McManamon. "Maybe talked to them one time, something like that."

Archer reported that Ramsey has received interest from most of the teams with top picks in the draft: "The Cowboys were the first team he mentioned when asked which teams have shown the most interest. He also mentioned the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens. He said the Cleveland Browns, who have the No. 2 overall pick, only recently had him on the phone."

He also (apparently) joked on Twitter that Los Angeles made its big trade in order to snag him:

Ramsey's versatility and proven ability to shut down opposing wide receivers make him perhaps the most intriguing top prospect in this year's draft, even more so than Tunsil or the versatile Buckner and Bosa.

Moving between 4-3 and 3-4 fronts often leads to defensive linemen taking on different roles in the NFL than they did in college, but it's rarer to see a player such as Ramsey seemingly capable of playing anywhere in the secondary (because he's so talented rather than too raw).

He could be coveted enough for a team to trade into the top five to snag him, especially if it looks like he won't get past San Diego at No. 3 or Dallas at No. 4.