Last year’s way-too-early 2015 mock that came out immediately after the draft was dubbed the Year of the Seminoles. If we are to affix a team to the 2016 NFL Draft, it’s the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Leading the way is shoulder shrugging defensive end Joey Bosa. Before we go any further, lets kill the comparison between Bosa and J.J. Watt. Bosa has a chance to be great. No one will ever compare to Watt. But the aggressive and powerful Bosa is one of four Buckeyes in the top 12 picks.
Also among the Buckeyes listed is Cardale Jones. This is obviously a major projection considering that Jones has only started a few games in college and may not even be Ohio State’s starter this season. If he’s not starting, don’t expect to see him this high in the draft.
Jones is one of three quarterbacks in this mock draft. Oddly enough, all three are from the Big Ten with Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Michigan State’s Connor Cook in the fold. Many believe Cook would have been a top 50 pick in this year’s draft had he gone pro. Hackenberg had plenty of issues last season, but the tools are there if he continues to develop.
Think several players are too high? See someone missing? Don’t worry, a lot is going to change in a year. The fun of discovery is what makes the nerdy obsession of the NFL Draft so fun. Players are going to cycle in and out of consideration for the top pick. Players we might not even know yet will vault into the top 10. This time last year, it’s not like we expected Kevin White to explode at West Virginia or Danny Shelton dominate his way into being a top 15 draft pick.
Before any of you lose your mind about the order, understand that it was determined by the most recent Super Bowl from the Caesars sports book in Las Vegas. When there were teams with the same odds, the order was drawn randomly out of a hat. It was very scientific.
Because this order was generated before any of this year’s draft picks, there is a chance the order could change drastically. You know what that means? Another mock draft.
For now, this is it. Here is an early projection for the 2016 NFL Draft. Have your own? See someone missing? Hop in the comments and let me know. We’ll have much more on next year’s draft over the coming days and months so don’t leave just yet.
1. Tennessee Titans - Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
4. Washington - Jalen Ramsey, S, Florida State
5. Oakland Raiders - Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
6. Cleveland Browns - Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State
7. Atlanta Falcons - Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
8. Houston Texans - Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State
9. New York Jets - Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
10. Carolina Panthers - Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
11. Chicago Bears - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
12. Kansas City Chiefs - Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
13. San Diego Chargers - Spencer Drango, OT, Baylor
14. Miami Dolphins - Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
15. St. Louis Rams - Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
16. Minnesota Vikings - D’haquille Williams, WR, Auburn
17. New Orleans Saints - Carl Lawson, DE/OLB, Auburn
18. Cincinnati Bengals - A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
19. San Francisco 49ers - TreDavious White, CB, LSU
20. Buffalo Bills - Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State
21. Detroit Lions - Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
22. Arizona Cardinals - Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Ole Miss
23. Pittsburgh Steelers - Eddie Jackson, CB/S, Alabama
24. New York Giants - Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State
25. Baltimore Ravens - Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia
26. Philadelphia Eagles - Su’a Cravens, S/LB, Southern California
27. Denver Broncos - Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State
28. Dallas Cowboys - Tony Conner, S, Ole Miss
29. New England Patriots - Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh
30. Seattle Seahawks - Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
31. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor
32. Green Bay Packers - DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon