2016 NFL Mock Draft: Complete 1st-Round Predictions for Top Prospects and More

While none of the prospects in the 2016 NFL draft class have the hype of an Andrew Luck or even a Jameis Winston, teams have made up for it with a historic build.

The first two picks have been traded for the first time since 1983. That season, the first five picks were somehow involved in a trade. That draft also included John Elway and Eric Dickerson going with the first two selections. Four of the top five players in the class wound up making at least one Pro Bowl.

This year's class isn't quite as touted. It's apparent now that Jared Goff and Carson Wentz will go off the board with the first two picks. Teams don't mortgage their futures for defensive backs or offensive linemen. These moves made by the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles will shape at least the next half-decade of their trajectories—possibly longer.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how things will fall Thursday night.

Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Los Angeles Rams	Jared Goff	QB	California
2	Philadelphia Eagles	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	Cleveland Browns	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 Storylines

Addressing the QB Debate

It's becoming readily apparent that Goff and Wentz will be the first two picks Thursday. The Rams didn't mortgage two years' worth of draft capital to take a tackle, and a quarterback has been earmarked for Philly since its trade.

But which player will come off the board first? ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Rams were leaning toward Goff but that both have met with the team before the draft. Jordan Raanan and Mark Eckel of NJ.com talked to a source who called Goff to L.A. a "done deal." Head coach Jeff Fisher discussed both quarterbacks, via Schefter:

"

We've also done private workouts with Jared and with Carson already. We did those at the end of February, early March. We were the first ones in. We're familiar with both of them, in addition to those other prospects on this roster. So, the skill sets are different, the personalities are different, the background is different, the competition is different, and that's what makes this such a challenge.

"

Of the two, Goff is the safer option. He arrived at California with a ton of fanfare and became a star despite an often-lacking supporting cast. There are issues with his arm strength, and he doesn't have prototypical size (6'4", 215 lbs). But this feels like we're looking like an "Alex Smith at worst" career path—likely without needing the years' worth of development.

Wentz has all the upside in the world, but his downside is scary. It wasn't as if he was lighting up the record books at North Dakota State. He took over a program that was already piling up the national championships and added two of his own. If you're asking who looks more the part, then it's Wentz (6'5", 237 lbs) in a walk. If you're asking who has the better resume, it's Goff.

The Rams seem to recognize the precarious position they put themselves in and will side with safety.

Does the No. 3 Pick Become a Candidate for Trade?

The San Diego Chargers are in a curious situation. In one way, this draft could not have broken better for them. They weren't taking a quarterback at No. 3. Philip Rivers is under contract for four more seasons and isn't going anywhere.

As it stands, San Diego now has its pick of the class. It could fill a need in the secondary with Jalen Ramsey, protect Rivers' blindside with Laremy Tunsil or fortify its front seven with Joey Bosa. Or it could hold an auction at No. 3 and trade the pick to a team that's in love with one of those three players.

General manager Tom Telesco talked about his options, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com.

"

The option's still there. Like I said, the phones were pretty active up until Wednesday and then once that trade was made, it's really slowed down. But we'd still be open to it...we feel like we're in a very good spot and obviously there's going to be a great player there for us to take. If there's a trade there that makes sense for us, we can move back and acquire some picks either this year or next year or both and that would be a great option, too. So we'll kind of see how it plays out.

"

The most likely option here is staying put. No team is going to give up a wide array of picks in the same way they did for Goff or Wentz. Any of the players remaining on the board could be multitime Pro Bowlers. But their role as complete franchise-changers isn't there. If the Chargers think any of those players are on that level, they should just take one of them rather than adding mid-round picks.

So Does Robert Nkemdiche Go in the 1st Round?

By now, Nkemdiche's story should be secondhand. He's a 6'3", 294-pound behemoth who is without question one of the five most physically talented players in this class. Put him next to Bosa, and you're taking Nkemdiche 10 times out of 10—and that's not a knock on Bosa.

Nkemdiche arrived at Ole Miss as the consensus No. 1 player in the country, regarded as one of the top prep stars in recent memory. Over his three years as a Rebel, Nkemdiche alternated between brilliant and infuriating. He was consistently effective despite the coaches asking him move all over the defensive line, but it often felt like he was leaving effort on the field.

Still expected to be a top-10 pick as his junior year ended, Nkemdiche took a tumble multiple stories out of a hotel window and saw his draft stock plummet. He was charged with drug possession after police found marijuana in the hotel room. According to Nkemdiche's account of the night, the marijuana belonged to another person who was staying with him.

"I told them the truth: It was a rash decision by me. It was uncharacteristic, and that's not who I am," Nkemdiche told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "That's not what I stand for, that's not what my family stands for. It was embarrassing for me and my whole family and the whole Ole Miss family."

Nkemdiche also told Seth Wickersham of ESPN The Magazine he wants to purchase a pet panther once he gets NFL money. Wickersham wrote he's "a creative spirit entering a world where creative spirits are looked upon with suspicion and disdain." The questions about Nkemdiche's personality have been enough to drop a surefire first-round pick to someone who may be waiting until Friday.

Ultimately, talent wins out too often in the NFL for Nkemdiche to fall too far. But this is going to be one of those curious "character vs. talent" questions.