It can be lonely at the top. In three of the past four years, the top prospect has gone unchanged from the preseason until the draft takes place. In 2012, it was Andrew Luck followed by Jadeveon Clowney in 2014 and Leonard Williams this year, who was widely considered the best player in the draft despite falling to the No. 6 selection.
Although it's far too early to tell, the 2016 NFL Draft seems to have a few players vying for the top spot but no clear wire-to-wire leader.
If there is an early frontrunner for best player in the draft, it's Ohio State junior defensive end Joey Bosa. In two seasons with the Buckeyes he's been a sensation with 99 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 21 sacks. It shouldn't shock anyone if Bosa's numbers drop this season when teams double team him more. He's a relentless players who is equally as good against the run as he is getting after the quarterback.
Florida junior cornerback Vernon Hargreaves should also be in the discussion. Hargreaves is a technically sound corner who rarely gets beaten over the top thanks to his speed and agility to turn and run and wideouts. The knock on him is that he's not the biggest, but he's rates high in ever other area.
It was a surprise when left tackle Ronnie Stanley returned to Notre Dame for his senior season. He acquitted himself quite well at left tackle in his first season at the position. He received high praise from many because of his athleticism at the position. While Stanley is suited to take on speed rushers, he's just as good blocking against the run. He was a lock top-20 pick in this year's draft and should be in contention for the No. 1 pick in 2016.
As it looks right now – and this will change dramatically over the course of the upcoming college football season – there is no clear-cut top quarterback prospect. Ohio State junior Cardale Jones seems like a player who either might be at the top of the quarterback list or not on it at all. Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer has been quiet about who will start for his team between Jones, senior Braxton Miller and redshirt sophomore J.T. Barrett, an intriguing prospect himself. At 6'5 and 250 pounds with an incredible arm, Jones has developmental tools. He just needs reps.
Some took issue with me including Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg in my first 2016 mock draft. Make no mistake, Hackenberg had a bad 2014 season. But also consider that he went through a coaching change and doesn't exactly have a lot of high-level receiving targets at Penn State. Hackenberg is a classic pocket passer, but there is an assumption of improved play this season.
Some thought if Michigan State's Connor Cook entered this year's draft that he'd be a first-round pick. He would have been on the fringe. He's a good player, but maybe not great in any particular area. He also suffers from bouts of inconsistency and will miss on too many throws. Cook has a career completion percentage of 58.3, a number that will have to get higher.
California junior Jared Goff has a lot of good tools, particularly his release, and he's bulked up to 210 pounds heading into this season. He's a the player to watch who could really rise throughout the season. The same can be said of Jeremy Johnson who is getting his first shot to be the long-term starter at Auburn.
No teams seem more loaded with draft-eligible NFL talent this season than Ohio State and Alabama. Go figure. Not only are the defending champion Buckeyes loaded with seniors and juniors, but they have a few redshirt sophomores who already look like NFL players. Chief among them is Barrett and Darron Lee, perfectly playing the role of Ryan Shazier 2.0. Fellow linebacker Joshua Perry is steady and the Buckeyes have an NFL left tackle in Taylor Decker. Running back Ezekiel Elliott got a lot of attention for rushing for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Defensive tackle Adolphus Washington could be a breakout candidate moving to the three-technique position that Michael Bennett played last season.
At Alabama the key NFL attraction is defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson. The powerful junior occupies blockers and still manages to create disruption up front. Alabama's has NFL players across the defensive line with senior end Jarran Reed and junior Jonathan Allen looking like solid NFL players. On offense, running back Derrick Henry looks to be the next in the Alabama running back pipeline.
Perhaps the most top-end talent belongs to Ole Miss where defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and left tackle Laremy Tunsil all look like potential first rounders. If Tunsil looks like the player he did before breaking his leg in the Peach Bowl last year, he could also be in the No. 1 pick discussion. Junior Evan Engram is arguably the nation's top tight end and will also be considered for the first round.
Below is simply a list of players to know for next year's draft, sorted by school. They're not ordered yet. That will come as we get into these players and more throughout the offseaon. Are there players missing? Of course. Let us know in the comments who you think should have been included. A lot is going to change, but here are the players to know for the 2016 NFL Draft:
| Jarran Reed, 6'4, 313, DE, Alabama |
| Reggie Ragland, 6'2, 252, ILB, Alabama |
| Kenyan Drake, 6'1, 202, RB, Alabama |
| Cyrus Jones, 5'10, 196, CB, Alabama |
| A'Shawn Robinson, 6'4, 312, DT, Alabama * |
| Derrick Henry, 6'3, 242, RB, Alabama * |
| O.J. Howard, 6'6, 242, TE, Alabama * |
| Eddie Jackson, 6'0, 194, CB, Alabama * |
| Jonathan Allen, 6'3, 272, DE, Alabama * |
| Scooby Wright, 6'1, 246, LB, Arizona * |
| D.J. Foster, 5'11, 195, RB/WR, Arizona State |
| Jonathan Williams, 6'0, 223, RB, Arkansas |
| Alex Collins, 5'11, 215, RB, Arkansas * |
| Denver Kirkland, 6'5, 337, G, Arkansas * |
| Carl Lawson, 6'2, 257, DE, Auburn |
| Duke Williams, 6'2, 224, WR, Auburn |
| Jonathan Jones, 5'10, 181, CB, Auburn |
| Kris Frost, 6'2, 240, ILB, Auburn |
| Montravius Adams, 6'4, 296, DT, Auburn * |
| Jeremy Johnson, 6'5, 240, QB, Auburn * |
| Shawn Oakman, 6'9, 280, DE, Baylor |
| Spencer Drango, 6'6, 310, OT, Baylor |
| Andrew Billings, 6'2, 300, DT, Baylor * |
| Bronson Kaufusi, 6'7, 265, OLB, BYU |
| Jared Goff, 6'4, 210, QB, California * |
| Gunner Kiel, 6'4, 208, QB, Cincinnati * |
| Mike Williams, 6'4, 210, WR, Clemson * |
| Shaq Lawson, 6'3, 275, DE, Clemson * |
| Mackensie Alexander, 5'10, 190, CB, Clemson ** |
| Rarshard Higgins, 6'2, 188, WR, Colorado State * |
| Jeremy Cash, 6'2, 205, S, Duke |
| Noah Spence, 6'3, 255, DE, Eastern Kentucky * |
| Antonio Morrison, 6'1, 225, ILB, Florida |
| Jonathan Bullard, 6'3, 277, DE, Florida |
| Vernon Hargreaves, 5'11, 198, CB, Florida * |
| Terrance Smith, 6'4, 231, OLB, Florida State |
| Jalen Ramsey, 6'1, 201, CB/S, Florida State * |
| Roberto Aguayo, 6'1, 204, K, Florida State * |
| Leonard Floyd, 6'4, 231, OLB, Georgia |
| Jordan Jenkins, 6'3, 253, OLB, Georgia |
| John Theus, 6'6, 303, OT, Georgia |
| William Jackson, 6'1, 185, CB, Houston |
| Sheldon Rankins, 6'2, 303, DT, Louisville |
| Devonte Fields, 6'3, 250, OLB, Louisville |
| Jalen Mills, 6'0, 194, CB/S, LSU |
| Vadal Alexander, 6'6, 320, G, LSU |
| Travin Duval, 6'2, 192, WR, LSU * |
| Tre'Davious White, 5'11, 191, CB, LSU * |
| Rashard Robinson, 6'3, 177, CB, LSU * |
| Kendell Beckwith, 6'2, 245, ILB, LSU * |
| Jerald Hawkins, 6'6, 309, OT, LSU * |
| Deon Bush, 6'1, 205, S, Miami |
| Wayne Lyons, 6'1, 193, CB, Michigan |
| Connor Cook, 6'4, 220, QB, Michigan State |
| Shilique Calhoun, 6'5, 250, DE, Michigan State |
| Jack Allen, 6'2, 295, C, Michigan State |
| Jack Conklin, 6'6, 317, OT, Michigan State * |
| Eric Murray, 6'0, 196, CB, Minnesota |
| Dak Prescott, 6'2, 230, QB, Mississippi State |
| Will Redmond, 6'0, 185, CB, Mississippi State |
| Chris Jones, 6'5, 308, DT, Mississippi State * |
| De'Runnya Wilson, 6'5, 225, WR, Mississippi State * |
| Kentrell Brothers, 6'1, 235, MLB, Missouri |
| Harold Brantley, 6'3, 280, DT, Missouri * |
| Josh Augusta, 6'4, 335, DT, Missouri * |
| Maliek Collins, 6'2, 300, DT, Nebraska * |
| Sheldon Day, 6'2, 285, DT, Notre Dame |
| Jaylon Smith, 6'2 1/2, 235, LB, Notre Dame * |
| Ronnie Stanley, 6'5 1/2, 315, OT, Notre Dame * |
| Will Fuller, 6'0, 180, WR, Notre Dame * |
| Adolphus Washington, 6'4, 290, DT, Ohio State |
| Taylor Decker, 6'8, 315, OT, Ohio State |
| Ezekiel Elliott, 6'0, 225 pounds, RB, Ohio State ** |
| Joshua Perry, 6'4, 254, OLB, Ohio State |
| Cardale Jones, 6'5, 250, QB, Ohio State * |
| Joey Bosa, 6'6, 275, DE, Ohio State * |
| Michael Thomas, 6'3, 210, WR, Ohio State * |
| Eli Apple, 6'1, 200, CB, Ohio State ** |
| Darron Lee, 6'2, 235, LB, Ohio State ** |
| J.T. Barrett, 6'2, 225, QB, Ohio State ** |
| Eric Striker, 6'0, 223, OLB, Oklahoma |
| Sterling Shepard, 5'10, 191, WR, Oklahoma |
| Zack Sanchez, 5'11, 176, CB, Oklahoma * |
| Dominique Alexander, 6'0, 229, ILB, Oklahoma * |
| Emmanuel Ogbah, 6'4, 275, DE, Oklahoma State * |
| Evan Engram, 6'3, 227, TE, Ole Miss * |
| Laquon Treadwell, 6'2, 229, WR, Ole Miss * |
| Laremy Tunsil, 6'5, 305, OT, Ole Miss * |
| Robert Nkemdiche, 6'4, 280, DE, Ole Miss * |
| Tony Conner, 6'0, 217, S, Ole Miss * |
| DeForest Buckner, 6'7, 290, DE, Oregon |
| Tyler Johnstone, 6'6, 290, OT, Oregon |
| Byron Marshall, 5'10, 200, RB/WR, Oregon |
| Pharaoh Brown, 6'6, 250, TE, Oregon |
| Thomas Tyner, 5'11, 215, RB, Oregon * |
| Anthony Zettel, 6'4, 278, DT, Penn State |
| Christian Hackenberg, 6'4, 236, QB, Penn State * |
| Tyler Boyd, 6'2, 190, WR, Pittsburgh * |
| James Conner, 6'2, 250, RB, Pittsburgh * |
| Leonte Carroo, 6'1, 205, WR, Rutgers |
| Pharoh Cooper, 5'11, 208, WR, South Carolina * |
| Cody Kessler, 6'1, 210, QB, Southern California |
| Kevon Seymour, 6'0, 185, CB, Southern California |
| Max Tuerk, 6'6, 285, C, Southern California |
| Antwaun Woods, 6'1, 320, DT, Southern California |
| Su'a Cravens, 6'1, 225, S/LB, Southern California * |
| Zach Banner, 6'9, 350, OT, Southern California * |
| Josh Doctson, 6'3, 195, WR, TCU |
| Trevone Boykin, 6'2, 205, QB, TCU |
| Curt Maggitt, 6'3, 246, OLB, Tennessee |
| Marquez North, 6'4, 224, WR, Tennessee * |
| Cameron Sutton, 6'1, 189, CB, Tennessee * |
| Germain Ifedi, 6'5, 325, OT, Texas A&M |
| Le'Raven Clark, 6'6, 315, OT, Texas Tech |
| Eddie Vanderdoes, 6'3, 305, DT, UCLA * |
| Myles Jack, 6'1, 232, LB, UCLA * |
| Kenny Clark, 6'3, 308, DT, UCLA * |
| Devontae Booker, 5'11, 212, RB, Utah |
| Kyler Fackrell, 6'5, 245, LB, Utah State |
| Dadi Nicolas, 6'4, 236, DE, Virginia Tech |
| Brandon Facyson, 6'2, 184, CB, Virginia Tech * |
| Kendall Fuller, 6'0, 197, CB, Virginia Tech * |
| Karl Joseph, 5'11, 197, S, West Virginia |
| Corey Clement, 5'11, 209, RB, Wisconsin * |
| Isaac Seumalo, 6'5, 297, C, Oregon State * |
| Tyler Marz, 6'5, 321, OT, WIsconsin |