NFL Mock Draft 2016: 1st-Round Projections for Coveted Prospects' Landing Spots

The top five picks in the NFL draft could go a multitude of ways.

While it may not look like it, the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles have changed how teams are approaching this draft. Things will get interesting once Carson Wentz and Jared Goff supposedly go first and second. 

One note of interest is Laremy Tunsil, the Ole Miss offensive tackle who was once considered the top pick in this draft. Instead of going to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1, the San Diego Chargers can address a huge need by taking Tunsil to protect quarterback Philip Rivers.

The Dallas Cowboys could follow that by addressing their defensive line with Ohio State standout Joey Bosa, or they could go with Florida State star Jalen Ramsey and begin a new era in the Dallas secondary.

And whichever of those two is left available at No. 5, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be right there to pick him. None of the teams drafting in the first five picks are in a lose-lose situation.

For the final time before the draft, here's a look at the latest mock and how the top five looks heading into Thursday.

1	Los Angeles Rams (via TEN)	Jared Goff	QB	Cal
2	Philadelphia Eagles (via CLE)	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota State
3	San Diego Chargers	Laremy Tunsil	OL	Ole Miss
4	Dallas Cowboys	Joey Bosa	DL	Ohio State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jalen Ramsey	DB	Florida State
6	Baltimore Ravens	Ronnie Stanley	OL	Notre Dame
7	San Francisco 49ers	DeForest Buckner	DL	Oregon
8	Cleveland Browns (via PHI)	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Vernon Hargreaves	DB	Florida
10	New York Giants	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
11	Chicago Bears	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
12	New Orleans Saints	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
13	Miami Dolphins (via PHI)	William Jackson III	DB	Houston
14	Oakland Raiders	Eli Apple	DB	Ohio State
15	Tennessee Titans (via LA)	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
16	Detroit Lions	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
17	Atlanta Falcons	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
18	Indianapolis Colts	Noah Spence	DE	Eastern Kentucky
19	Buffalo Bills	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
20	New York Jets	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis
21	Washington Redskins	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
22	Houston Texans	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
23	Minnesota Vikings	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Keanu Neal	S	Florida
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
26	Seattle Seahawks	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
27	Green Bay Packers	Vernon Butler	DT	Louisiana Tech
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Mackensie Alexander	DB	Clemson
29	Arizona Cardinals	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
30	Carolina Panthers	Kendall Fuller	DB	Virginia Tech
31	Denver Broncos	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan State

Latest Buzz in the Top Five

The Rams are in a good spot. They've spent the last two years building their offensive line, with seven offensive linemen taken since 2014. Los Angeles also has the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, running back Todd Gurley, in its back pocket.

So, of course, the Rams felt they needed to make the trade with Tennessee to get the top spot and take one of the two aforementioned quarterbacks. But since the Rams made the trade with the Titans nearly two weeks ago, speculation has ran on whether they prefer Goff or Wentz. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher says they have an idea on who they're taking but have not spilled the beans since the trade.

"[Me and Rams general manager Les Snead] have been doing this for a long time," Fisher said, via Rams.com. "I can never remember coming out two weeks before the draft and saying, 'This is the guy we're taking.'"

Two weeks later, the Rams have continued to stay in hush-hush mode with the No. 1 pick. But all signs have the Rams taking the quarterback from Cal, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com:

That's where the Eagles come in.

There's drama brewing in the City of Brotherly Love. With the Eagles sitting at No. 2, Sam Bradford wants out of Philadelphia, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Philadelphia gave $22 million in guaranteed money to Bradford this offseason, and despite Eagles vice president Howie Roseman telling Reuben Frank of CSN Philly that "Sam is our starting quarterback," Bradford clearly feels like the odd man out.

Philadelphia already brought in Chase Daniel for $7 million a year to be the presumptive backup, but even if the Eagles pull a shocker and don't take Wentz, it's still a sticky situation for them to be in, per David Murphy of Philly.com:

"

Really, it does not matter what you or I think about Bradford, at least not within the context of evaluating last week's trade. What does matter is what the players inside the locker room think, and that's where this thing has the potential to get sticky. So sticky, in fact, that the best thing for the Eagles to do at this point might be to admit their mistake, cut or trade Bradford, and eat the $11.5 million cap hit such a move would require.

"

The Eagles wouldn't have made this move to No. 2 without their own reservations on Bradford. It would be a messy situation for the Eagles to get in, but they haven't been in a position to draft a top quarterback in a long time. Wentz should more than likely be the guy in Philadelphia starting next year.

Pick No. 3 is where the fun begins. The Chargers need some help up front as Rivers' Super Bowl window slowly closes. If the quarterbacks come off the board, sitting at No. 3 would be Tunsil, who was my original choice for the No. 1 pick to Tennessee before the trades. Now, the Chargers have a golden opportunity to take the best offensive tackle in the draft.

Even Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network thinks the Chargers should not hesitate to grab Tunsil once they're on the clock, per NFL Total Access:

However, draft expert Mike Mayock thinks Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley is gaining some ground to be the top tackle taken over Tunsil, per College Football 24/7:

Tunsil is the top tackle right now based on his pass-protecting abilities, which the Chargers need to address. Rivers was sacked 40 times last year. He'll need to improve his run blocking, but Tunsil is an athletic freak who can develop into a Tyron Smith-type of offensive tackle in the next few years. The Chargers can't pass on him.

Much like the Cowboys can't pass on versatile defensive lineman Bosa with the next pick. Dallas has plenty of depth at defensive end with Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence, but those two are suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. 

But there's one difference between Bosa and Dallas' two young defensive ends: Bosa's versatility to line up anywhere on the line, whether on the outside or inside, is the type of impact defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli wants on his defense. On Monday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked if Bosa's supposed character issues would be an issue if he's available at No. 4, per ESPN's Ed Werder:

To answer that, in short, he's no Greg Hardy. There's that.

Which brings this full circle to the Jaguars, who are the team to watch in 2016. One more additional piece can put Jacksonville in playoff contention next year. The offense is nearly complete, but Jacksonville needs help on the secondary. The best secondary player in this draft, Ramsey, is the last piece of the puzzle to solidify this rebuilding project of the Jaguars.

Jacksonville needs help at safety and corner, as do the Cowboys. But while the Cowboys need to address the versatility up front, the Jaguars can do the same with Ramsey. Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley sees the Florida State standout as a guy who can play on the outside.

"I think when you look at corners like that, very athletic—his length, size and speed and how productive he was," Bradley said, per Ryan Day of Big Cat Country. "His interview, I thought was really good. I liked his approach. His length, his size and speed."

Ramsey isn't a savior for Jacksonville's defense, but he'll make it better based on his ability to play the deep ball and play multiple positions. If he's there at No. 5, Jacksonville shouldn't think twice. Plus, it sounds like Bradley is committed to Ramsey if he's there.

The talent level in this draft class is deep. After the top five, it's anybody's guess where these players go. But these are the best players who should go within the first 30 minutes or so on Thursday.

Follow Danny Webster on Twitter.