NFL Mock Draft 2016: Latest Projections for Highly Sought-After Prospects

Well, if the hype for the 2016 NFL draft felt a little lacking, the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams took care of that.

The Rams emptied their picks war chest to move up to the No. 1 pick, where they will presumably take a quarterback to ease their Los Angeles transition. Tennessee now sits at No. 15 but boasts six picks in the first 76 this year and an extra first- and third-rounder in 2017. 

The implications here are huge. The Cleveland Browns, who once thought they'd have their pick of Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, will now be left with the second option. While there has been debate about which of the quarterbacks is better, the recent history of second-place quarterbacks isn't great. Marcus Mariota is working out for the Titans, but go through and take a look at recent signal-callers taken. Odds are a lot of those teams would like a refund.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how the Rams-Titans trade shook up the first round.

Mock Draft

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

Top 5 Analysis

1. Los Angeles Rams: QB Jared Goff, California

It would be hilarious if the Rams moved up here and took, like, Ezekiel Elliott. Or even Laremy Tunsil. But you don't sell the farm for a running back or offensive lineman. The only reasonable explanation for the Rams' move to No. 1 is they've fallen in love with one of the draft's top two quarterbacks.

Right now, which quarterback they love is the question of the day. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Rams are leaning toward Goff. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times is saying Wentz.

Goff gets the nod here simply because he better fits the mold of what you'd expect from a Jeff Fisher quarterback. He's the readier of the two right now. The Rams need to drum up interest in their team, Fisher needs a strong season to save their job and the front office has thrown all its cards on the table. If Goff is even a top-12 NFL starter, the Rams will have a franchise face to open their new building.

The bust potential is much higher with Wentz, so I'd lean toward caution here.

2. Cleveland Browns: QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State

The Browns signed Robert Griffin III this offseason, but if they think Wentz is the guy, that shouldn't matter. Griffin's only on a two-year deal and is a full four years removed from his historic rookie season. They're not really beholden to him beyond the $6.75 million due in 2016.

Wentz is a risk; there's no denying that. He was a no-star prospect coming out of high school who put up great-but-not-otherworldly stats at an FCS school. North Dakota State won a pair of championships with Wentz under center, but it was winning without him. There's a lot of "looks like a quarterback, walks like a quarterback, must be a quarterback" going on here.

I'm not entirely sold on Wentz. The rest of the NFL appears all-in. Groupthink is a powerful drug, so don't be surprised if this is the pick.

3. San Diego Chargers: DB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

For my money, Ramsey is the best prospect in the 2016 class. His flaws are few and far between. He has All-Pro potential as a cornerback or safety, and he ran a 4.41-second 40 time and boasted solid leaping skills.

"Everybody talked about all these offenses and how you stop the big receiver, the little receiver, the big tight end," FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said, per Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. "He can play all the positions. He can play corner. He can match the big receiver. He can play the field [corner] and play off. He can play a little guy. He can play a tight end. He can tackle. He can play out of the backfield."

Positional versatility is vital for any NFL secondary at this point. Ramsey is talented enough that the San Diego Chargers could even take a plug-and-play tact with him. If they need him to replace Eric Weddle as the franchise safety, he can do it. If they want him opposite Brandon Flowers, he can do that from day one.

There's not much reason to pass on Ramsey if he's available here.

4. Dallas Cowboys: DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State

For a while, Bosa looked like he had the inside track on being the top pick. The long draft process has likely knocked him out of consideration, but the Dallas Cowboys would be more than happy to shore up their defensive line here.

Dallas has taken the position that games are won in the trenches. It's already built the NFL's best offensive line—a unit good enough to carry Darren McFadden to a 1,000-yard season. Things haven't been quite as strong on the defensive side, and the Cowboys are going to be even worse next season if they don't bring back Greg Hardy.

Drafting Bosa might allow them to avoid the Hardy headache. He's probably not on the same level as a pass-rusher, but he's going to be an excellent player against the run and pass. His build is NFL-ready, and there may be no safer choice in this entire class. The J.J. Watt comparisons have been a bit unfounded, but Bosa's got Pro Bowl potential.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: OLB Myles Jack, UCLA

Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

Let's make one thing clear: Myles Jack does not play linebacker. He does not play safety. He does not play running back.

Myles Jack plays one position: Myles Jack.

He'd almost instantly be the Jacksonville Jaguars' most marketable player—provided he winds up being good at football. That's the biggest question here. Jack is so uniquely talented that no one knows where he'll play—or, honestly, if he'll play all that well. Jack's career numbers at UCLA have never quite matched the hype of his freshman ascent.

He's a fun player, but there are a lot of questions here.