By: Derrik Klassen
- Los Angeles Rams – Jared Goff, QB, Cal
All signs point to this being the pick, whether it is the right one or not. Goff is not an elite prospect worthy of such a massive trade up, but his ability to process so well pre-snap and throw accurately over the middle of the field should keep him from being a bust. In all reality, the Rams are walking down the Sam Bradford road once more.
- Philadelphia Eagles – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
Oh no. This pick smells like disaster. The Eagles already have Sam Bradford contracted for $22 million guaranteed dollars over the next two years. If Bradford explodes in the next couple years, the Eagles have to leave their first round pick on the bench, but shipping off Bradford in favor of Wentz is a poor move, as well. Wentz is much more Jake Locker than he is Andrew Luck.
- San Diego Chargers – DeForest Buckner, DL, Oregon
Jalen Ramsey could be in play here, though it seems as if the Chargers are set on their guy. Buckner is a strong, mean lineman that gives a cornerstone to San Diego’s 3-4 defense. He is not a flashy playmaker, per say, but he will be a formidable piece to build the defense around for a decade.
- Dallas Cowboys – Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
Elliott steps into the league as a top five running back, especially behind the Cowboys dominant offensive line. While the Cowboys did sign Alfred Morris, he does not compare to the elite, all-around game that Elliott provides.
- Jacksonville Jaguars – Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State
Ramsey is one of the small handful of special players in the class. He can play cornerback, either safety spot or even in the slot. Ramsey is capable of playing anywhere in the secondary and has a mean streak that allows him to mentally and physically punish his opponents. Ramsey may very quickly become one of the best corners in the league.
- Baltimore Ravens – Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
Ozzie Newsome loves his fat boys. Newsome also has no issue taking the best player available and holding off on addressing a major need. Though Baltimore still has both bookend spots filled at the moment, it’s tough to imagine Newsome passing on a special tackle prospect, especially after his experience with Jonathan Ogden.
- San Francisco 49ers – Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
There seems to be a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not the 49ers have major interest in any of the quarterbacks left. Though, Chip Kelly has a history of taking wide receivers with premium picks. Doctson is a blend of size, speed and technical ability that Kelly likely fell in love with. Whoever the 49ers roll out at quarterback, they can count on Doctson to be a great help.
- Cleveland Browns – Joey Bosa, DE/OLB, Ohio State
The Browns need help in a lot of areas, but Bosa is the most talented player left on the board. He can step into that “fat OLB” role that players like Chandler Jones and Courtney Upshaw have found success in. He provides a stout edge defender who can also be counted on to be a threat as a pass rusher.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
This makes too much sense. The Bucs are devoid of cornerback talent and Hargreaves is an explosive, fundamentally sound ballhawk. Hargreaves has that aggressive mentality that all cornerbacks need, especially short cornerbacks like him who need to do a bit extra to assert their dominance.
- New York Giants – Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
While the knee injury may scare some teams off, Jack is the best linebacker prospect the league has seen since Luke Kuechly. He is a freak of an athlete, even showing off great talent as a running back early in his UCLA career. Jack also wins in the mental side of the game, too. He already shows great understanding of situational football, as well as angles and how to adapt to receivers (yes, Jack can cover receivers man-to-man as a 240 pound linebacker) that he is facing.
- Chicago Bears – Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
With the Bears in the process of a rebuild, the Bears have the time to take a project in Stanley and throw him into the fire. It is going to take him some time to adjust to the strength and tenacity of the NFL, but with his technical ability, developing a bit of a mean streak would turn Stanley into a solid tackle for the Bears.
- New Orleans Saints – William Jackson, CB, Houston
The Saints appear to want a cornerback badly. They recently pursued Josh Norman heavily despite having no cap room to close the deal. Seeing as the Saints tend to like corners to be on the taller side, Jackson’s frame, speed and aggression make a perfect fit for New Orleans.
- Miami Dolphins – Shaq Lawson, DE/OLB, Clemson
Cameron Wake and Mario Williams are both on the roster, but neither of them is going to last much longer as special players. Lawson can step in year one and be a great rotational piece and take over more and more snaps as he grows. He is the only qualifying ForcePlayer at the EDGE position for the 2016 class.
- Oakland Raiders – Sheldon Rankins, DL, Louisville
Oakland has their EDGE defenders set with Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin, but they could use a force in the middle. Rankins is an explosive, smart interior defensive linemen that will be a penetrator. He can ruin plays from the jump. The Raiders already have a pair of bigger bodies up front, Rankins can be the smaller, quicker pass rusher along the interior that they need.
- Tennessee Titans – Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
Marcus Mariota is a quarterback that loves to throw with timing and work within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage. Treadwell is the perfect receiver for that. He can create separation in condensed areas of the field and is a menace to bring down as a runner. The Titans already have a couple receivers who can create plays; Treadwell can provide a constant chain mover to maximize the rest of the passing offense.
- Detroit Lions – Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss
Nkemdiche is an absolute force. When he is “on”, he takes over plays immediately and ruins them, no matter the play call. Of course, a team would need to get that player out of him more often than we saw at Ole Miss, but with Teryl Austin as the defensive coordinator, the Lions have a great shot at being that team.
- Atlanta Falcons – Leonard Floyd, LB, Georgia
Floyd played more of a pass rushing role at Georgia, but in the NFL, he can be expected to play primarily as an off-ball linebacker. The Falcons desperately need linebacker help and Floyd can step in and start. Though he will be in more of an off-ball role, he can still provide a pass rushing presence on definite passing downs.
- Indianapolis Colts – Noah Spence, OLB, Eastern Kentucky
One would thinkin that having Chuck Pagano for this long would have lead to a quality Colts defense, but alas. With Spence left as the last major threat as a pass rushing outside linebacker, the Colts would be foolish to let him slip. They need a young pass rushing threat.
- Buffalo Bills – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
The Bills just lost Percy Harvin to retirement. Harvin had a fairly impressive season in 2015, mostly being used as a deep threat. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is an outstanding deep passer and Coleman is equally outstanding as a deep receiving threat. Coleman provides the threat of a score any time he touches the ball and will get to line up against inferior cornerbacks as Sammy Watkins takes some attention away from him.
- New York Jets – Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State
Along the defensive line and the secondary, the Jets have strong defensive roster. Though, they lack a dynamic presence at line and Lee can provide that. He is a lot like his Buckeye predecessor Ryan Shazier, who has had a strong first two years in Pittsburgh in a similar defensive scheme to New York’s.
- Washington – Chris Jones, DL, Mississippi State
The Redskins have quietly built a very strong defense and Jones can be the explosive interior presence to take them to the next level. He is a strong, explosive athlete who has shown flashes of dominance. He needs to be more consistent, but luckily Washington already has the defensive line depth to allow him to develop some. Also, drafting Jones pairs him with former college teammate Preston Smith.
- Houston Texans – A’Shawn Robinson, DL, Alabama
Most dominant defenses in the league build their defensive line before anything else. With JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney already being there, Robinson provides a stocky, versatile interior piece that can be moved around to best maximize the two superstars.
- Minnesota Vikings – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
Matt Kalil is a liability at this point. The Vikings need to keep their young quarterback upright and Decker provides a violent presence along the offensive line. He sets a stronger tone than Kalil does and will be a force in the run game, too. Decker is the polar opposite of Kalil and the Vikings need that sort of change.
- Cincinnati Bengals – Vernon Butler, DL, Louisiana Tech
The Bengals need another big man up front to be a game changer. Butler is a strong, stout interior lineman that provides value both as a run defender and a powerful pass rusher. With Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap around him, Butler will be asked to be more of a facilitator than a creator in his own right. He will be able to eat double teams and be a pocket pusher to fulfill that role.
- Pittsburgh Steelers – Keanu Neal, S, Florida
Many have clamored for the Steelers to get back to a more physical style of football. Drafting Neal would help the team get back to that state of mind. Neal is a headhunter, flying around the field with no regard for anything but taking out the ball carrier and anyone in the way. He is not spectacular in coverage, but he provides enough there to compliment his ability as a tackle and enforcer.
- Seattle Seahawks – Jarran Reed, DL, Alabama
Seattle needs another hulking beast to hold down the line of scrimmage. Red Bryant was this player for some time, but since his departure, they haven’t had a presence that could match Bryant’s. Reed is a massive, strong lineman who is surprisingly athletic for his 300-plus pound stature.
- Green Bay Packers – Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
This pick knocks out two birds with one stone. The Packers had been playing Clay Matthews at inside linebacker because nobody else on the roster really could, so adding Ragland into the middle allows Matthews to play his more natural edge rushing position. Ragland is a smart run defender who can lay the wood, as well as win in coverage with his ability to diagnose.
- Kansas City Chiefs – Josh Garnett, OG, Stanford
The Chiefs are set at both tackle spots and at center, but their guard combo is looking weak. Garnett is a mauler. He wants to punish anyone who dare get in his way. At Stanford, he was excellent being used as a pulling guard. He can be a freight train to clear room for Jamaal Charles, as well as add some stability in pass protection.
- Arizona Cardinals – Emmanuel Ogbah, OLB, Oklahoma State
Arizona needs to win now. There is a notion that they may take a quarterback here to develop him, but the success gap on their current offense is closing with Palmer aging. They have a shot to win now, so adding another pass rusher in addition to their Chandler Jones signing seems to be the best immediate move.
- Carolina Panthers – Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
Imagine this: Cam Newton, Derrick Henry and Mike Tolbert all in the same backfield. All three are the equivalent to bowling balls for their respective positions. With as physical as their offensive line is, adding another violent player to their offense adds to the tiring effect that Carolina’s offense had on defenses last year.
- Denver Broncos – Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Lynch is the best quarterback in the class and the Broncos need a quarterback. The two are a perfect marriage as Lynch’s skill set fits perfectly into Gary Kubiak’s offense. With as good as Denver’s defense is, Lynch can keep Denver in the playoffs as a rookie and for years to come.
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