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The Highlander

The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

2016 NFL mock draft

This year's NFL draft promises to be one of the best ever (photo obtained with a creative commons license)
This year’s NFL draft promises to be one of the best ever (photo obtained with a creative commons license)

The NFL draft is finally here, serving as the only thing stopping football fans from exploding during the offseason. The future of NFL teams are determined and the dreams of 253 lucky young men will finally come true. These mock drafts will predict the first round of the 2016 draft that will take place on April 28th in Chicago, Illinois.

1. Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee Titans)- Jared Goff, QB, California
It’s between Goff and Wentz for whom the Rams will take with the first overall pick, it’s more likely they go with Goff who will be ready to start from day one.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland Browns)- Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
The Eagles will likely take either Goff or Wentz depending on who the Rams take. Wentz is not the most polished candidate but has all the necessary attributes to be a star player.

3. San Diego Chargers- Laremy Tunsil, OT, Mississippi
The Chargers desperately need an offensive lineman to protect Philip Rivers and help their 2015 first round pick, running back Melvin Gordon, get going. Expect the Chargers to take Tunsil or Ronnie Stanley with this pick.

4. Dallas Cowboys- Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
Considered by many to be the best player in this years draft, Ramsey will greatly improve a struggling Cowboys defense.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars- Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
While the Jaguars would likely rather have Myles Jack, injury concerns lead them to taking the consistent Joey Bosa.

6. Baltimore Ravens- DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
The Ravens will try to solidify their defensive line by taking the most athletic lineman in the draft.

7. San Francisco 49ers- Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
Getting the best pass blocker in this draft would go a long way to protecting their quarterback, whoever that ends up being, making Chip Kelly’s move to San Francisco much smoother.

8. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles)- Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
The Browns have many needs to fill, but a good start would be to take Conklin, one of the most consistent players this draft has to offer.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
The Buccaneers definitely need another corner to solidify their secondary, Hargreaves is the best available option to do this.

10. New York Giants- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
The Giants need a play-maker in the run game to pair with their strong passing game, Elliott is the no-doubt best running back in this draft to fill that void.

11. Chicago Bears- Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
An athletic freak who reminds a lot of scouts of Aldon Smith (before the arrests), he would be great fit in the Bears 3-4 defense.

12. New Orleans Saints- Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
While he may not be a great fit, the Saints need inside rusher to help stop the run.

13. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia Eagles)- Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
With Cameron Wake and Mario Williams getting older, being 34 and 31 respectively, they need a replacement. Lawson would bring a lot of diversity to their line, he can rush inside or outside.

14. Oakland Raiders- Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA
Jack is a great fit with the Raiders, but many teams may pass on him due to concerns about previous injuries to his knee.

15. Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams)- Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
The Titans need an offensive lineman to protect Marcus Mariota, Decker is the best available.

16. Detroit Lions- Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama
The Lions look to improve their offensive line, Kelly would bring dependability and leadership.

17. Atlanta Falcons- Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State
The Falcons are in desperate need of a linebacker and Lee would be a perfect fit for Dan Quinn’s system.

18. Indianapolis Colts- Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
The Colts were 8th worst against the run last year, Reed would go a long way towards solidifying their run defense.

19. Buffalo Bills- Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Mississippi
Nkemdiche is one of the most talented players in this draft, but his off the field issues and inconsistency are deterring many teams from giving him a second look. Rex Ryan is the type of coach who would be willing to take him on, and the Bills need another defensive tackle to pair with Pro-Bowler Marcell Dareus.

20. New York Jets- Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a breakout year in 2015, but at 33 years of age he won’t be a viable option for too much longer.

21. Washington Redskins- Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
While the Redskins should be looking defensive tackle here, there options are very limited with Nkemdiche and Reed off the board. The Redskins could use another run-stopper, and Ragland could step in and make an immediate impact in slowing down the run.

22. Houston Texans- Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
The Texans need another wide receiver to pair with All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins to give Brock Osweiler some weapons to work with as he starts his career in Houston.

23. Minnesota Vikings- Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
Now that the Vikings have a star wide receiver with 2015 fifth-round pick Stefon Diggs, they could use a big receiver to pair with Diggs’ speed.

24. Cincinnati Bengals- Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
The Bengals need a replacement for Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, who better than one of the fastest players in this draft?

25. Pittsburgh Steelers- Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
Apple is one of the rawest players in this whole draft, but also one of the most talented. The Steelers coaches should be able to turn him into a star.

26. Seattle Seahawks- Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana
While Spriggs still needs to get stronger, he’s a perfect fit for the athletic offensive lineman that the Seahawks love.

27. Green Bay Packers- A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
The Packers need a place for the departed BJ Raji, Robinson has the size to fill in nicely.

28. Kansas City Chiefs- William Jackson III, CB, Houston
Jackson is one of the more polished cornerbacks in this years draft class, he would pair nicely with 2015 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marcus Peters.

29. New England Patriots- Forfeited due to Deflategate

30. Arizona Cardinals- Keanu Neal, SS, Florida
Neal has the attributes to be a star player, he should be able to improve and already elite Cardinals defense.

31. Carolina Panthers- Germain Ifedi, OT, Texas A&M
Ifedi isn’t quite ready to be an NFL starter yet, but he should be able to make an impact within a couple of years.

32. Denver Broncos- Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia
It’s very possible the Broncos take a quarterback (likely Connor Cook), but if not they will likely look to improve their secondary to pair with the best pass rush in the NFL.

A second opinion- by Jackson Payne

  1. Rams- Jared Goff, QB, California
  2. Eagles- Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
  3. Chargers- Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
  4. Cowboys- Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State
  5. Jaguars- Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
  6. Ravens- DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
  7. 49ers- Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
  8. Browns- Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
  9. Buccaneers- Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
  10. Giants- Leonard Floyd, LB, Georgia
  11. Bears- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
  12. Saints- Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
  13. Dolphins- LaQuan Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
  14. Raiders- Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
  15. Titans- Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
  16. Lions- Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
  17. Falcons- Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State
  18. Colts- Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama
  19. Bills- Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama
  20. Jets- Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
  21. Redskins- A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
  22. Texans- Josh Doctson, WR, Texas Christian
  23. Vikings- Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor
  24. Bengals- Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
  25. Steelers- William Jackson III, CB, Houston
  26. Seahawks- Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
  27. Packers- Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
  28. Chiefs- Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
  29. Patriots- forfeited pick
  30. Cardinals- Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech
  31. Panthers- Bronson Kaufusi, DE, Brigham Young
  32. Broncos- Conor Cook, QB, Michigan State
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