NFL Mock Draft 2016: Early Predictions for Nation's Top Prospects

Let's talk quarterbacks.

No position is more regularly compelling at the NFL draft, and no position affects the draft more. After much deliberation, I've settled on four quarterbacks to be selected in the first round on Thursday, keeping in mind one of the NFL's fondest trends: reaching for QBs in the first round.

First, let's take a look at my updated mock draft: 

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Los Angeles Rams	Jared Goff, QB, California
2	Philadelphia Eagles	Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
3	San Diego Chargers	Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
4	Dallas Cowboys	Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
6	Baltimore Ravens	Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
7	San Francisco 49ers	DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
8	Cleveland Browns	Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
10	New York Giants	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
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	Robert Nkemdiche, DT/DE, Ole Miss
15	Tennessee Titans	Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
16	Detroit Lions	Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
17	Atlanta Falcons	Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
18	Indianapolis Colts	Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
19	Buffalo Bills	Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State
20	New York Jets	Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
21	Washington	Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
22	Houston Texans	Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
23	Minnesota Vikings	Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	William Jackson III, CB, Houston
26	Seattle Seahawks	Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana
27	Green Bay Packers	Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia
29	Arizona Cardinals	Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State
30	Carolina Panthers	Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
31	Denver Broncos	Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

At least until a compelling report convinces me otherwise, it seems the Los Angeles Rams will select Jared Goff with the top overall pick. He seems like less of a project for starters, and before the Wentz buzz became all the rage, he was considered the top quarterback in this class.

When ESPN asked 13 NFL and draft insiders who they felt was the best quarterback in the draft, nine picked Goff (and Todd McShay, who picked Wentz, said he heard that the Rams were leaning toward Goff).

In that article, Louis Riddick offered the following reasoning for choosing Goff:

"

Goff has superior feet in the pocket, rush awareness, poise and accuracy under pressure. He also has superb decision-making, touch and accuracy at all three levels. This kid took a beating and never flinched. He has a Joe Montana-like presence in his movement and demeanor. He will get bigger and stronger, and his hand-size issues are overblown. He just needs the right pieces around him, and he will have a great career.

"

The Rams will be getting a good player regardless. But for the moment, it would appear more likely that Goff will be the pick.

Wentz is going to be the pick at No. 2 for the Philadelphia Eagles, then, and it appears he's the player Philly wanted all along, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post:

The Eagles traded the farm for the right to select Goff or Wentz. Here's a look at that deal, via the Eagles: 

General manager Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson will now forever be attached to whichever player the Eagles select—likely Wentz, who will probably need a year on the bench to adjust to the NFL. But that may be the best-case scenario for the Eagles, who may be able to trade Sam Bradford for a nice return next season if he plays well this year.

So in hindsight, the Eagles may get some of those draft picks back. One thing is certain: It's a brand-new era in Philadelphia.

And that leads me to Michigan State's Connor Cook and Memphis' Paxton Lynch. The San Francisco 49ers would be wise to work things out with Colin Kaepernick and shouldn't reach to draft Cook or Lynch at No. 7. Picking either player in the top 10 would be a reach, though again, teams reach for quarterbacks every year.

Likewise, it would be pretty shocking if the the Browns traded out of the No. 2 selection just to reach for a quarterback at No. 8.

But when the Jets are on the board at No. 20, it isn't hard to see a scenario where they decide to select a quarterback.

Cook would be the smarter pick for the Jets, who would surely be looking for someone who could play immediately. While Lynch is a project, Cook is a three-year starter who played in a pro-style offense at Michigan State. 

And he remains surprised that he isn't the subject of more draft buzz, as he told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports:

"

If you look at the Bill Parcells rules to draft a quarterback I think I measure up pretty well. He should be a college graduate and start at least 30 games (Cook graduated last year with a degree in media and information) and I started 40. He must have 23 wins; I have well over 23 wins (Cook was 35-5 as a starter). He must have a completion percentage over 60 percent; that's the only thing I don't have (Cook completed 57.6 percent of his passes as a starter).

If you look at his other rules he has to be at least a three-year starter. I did that. So he has to be consistent, and it wasn't like I had just one good year. I proved myself each year I played and I got better as a junior than as a sophomore, and I was better as a senior than I was my junior year. So I don't know why there isn't more talk and I'm not one to be boastful or anything, but this is important stuff, this is the NFL Draft and I am a competitor and I want to be the best. And when people talk about me in a negative way it does upset me, but you can't do anything about it, and I think I've earned every bit to be considered a first-round draft pick.

"

The Jets will certainly agree. 

That will almost assuredly leave Lynch on the board for the Denver Broncos. They could sit Lynch for a season or two behind a player like Mark Sanchez or Ryan Fitzpatrick—if the Broncos signed the latter in free agency—and allow him to grow, the ideal situation for the talented but unseasoned quarterback.

Again, the team could also end up trading for a player like Kaepernick. But if it doesn't and Lynch is on the board at No. 31, it would be surprising if the Broncos went in a different direction.

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