The quality of the 2016 NFL Draft is difficult to gauge. Unlike last year, there is no dominant quarterback prospect. In fact, the skill position talent is down compared to the last few years.
Instead, this year's draft is dominated by defense, on all levels. In the draft rankings below, just two of the top 10 players are on offense. Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa still rates as the draft's best player despite having just five sacks in 2015 after having 13.5 in 2014. It's not like Bosa played worse, though, or that they figured him out. Teams just threw more and more bodies Bosa's direction. Bosa is an expert hand fighter with size, and generates incredible drive power with his legs. When you combine all those things, you get a defensive end who is similar in a lot of ways to Michael Strahan.
Just behind Bosa is Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Whether he's a cornerback or a safety, Ramsey is going to be a star in the NFL. Coming in after the two defenders is Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. All three of those players should carry similar grades, and be top five picks in April.
In putting together a top 100 for this year's draft, it's clear the single best position group is defensive tackle. Six of the first 32 players and 12 of the top 64 players this year are at tackle. Robert Nkemdiche of Ole Miss is the most purely talented defensive tackle in this year's draft, but he gets dinged some because of the questions about him off the field. Alabama's A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed grade out in the top 20, and will be capable of stepping right into a starting lineup. Florida's Jonathan Bullard is one to follow, though. A gap-shooting disruptor up front, Bullard could be a player who sees his stock skyrocket during the offseason process.
Like defensive tackle, there's plenty of good options at linebacker this year. Three of the top 10 players are linebackers, starting with UCLA's Myles Jack. Few linebackers -- even the best ones in the NFL -- possess Jack's range and athleticism. The big question about Jack is how he's progressing from a torn meniscus suffered in September. There are more questions about the health of Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, otherwise he might rate higher than the No. 9 overall player in this year's draft class.
The draft this year isn't totally without skill players on offense. Cal quarterback Jared Goff is the best of the bunch thanks to his football IQ and footwork in the pocket. Those strengths put Goff on a tier of his own at quarterback. The next one down includes Carson Wentz of North Dakota State and Paxton Lynch of Memphis, two bigger quarterbacks with athleticism and a similar grade.
At wide receiver, there may not be a player at the level of Amari Cooper or Sammy Watkins the past couple of years, but Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss rates highly, as do Michael Thomas of Ohio State, Josh Doctson of TCU and Corey Coleman of Baylor. Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott is a possible first-round pick, but is a notch below in talent compared to Todd Gurley last year.
All told this 2016 has the makings of a good, but probably not great draft class. Here's how the players rank before the Senior Bowl, pro days and the NFL Scouting Combine:
| 1. Joey Bosa, 6’6, 275 pounds, DE, Ohio State * |
| 2. Jalen Ramsey, 6’1, 202 pounds, CB, Florida State * |
| 3. Laremy Tunsil, 6’5, 305 pounds, OT, Ole Miss * |
| 4. Myles Jack, 6’1, 245 pounds, OLB, UCLA * |
| 5. Jared Goff, 6’4, 215 pounds, QB, California * |
| 6. Vernon Hargreaves, 5’11, 199 pounds, CB, Florida * |
| 7. DeForest Buckner, 6’7, 300 pounds, DE, Oregon |
| 8. Reggie Ragland, 6’2, 252 pounds, MLB, Alabama |
| 9. Jaylon Smith, 6’2 1/2, 240 pounds, OLB, Notre Dame * |
| 10. Mackensie Alexander, 5 '11, 195 pounds, CB, Clemson ** |
| 11. Ronnie Stanley, 6’5 1/2, 315 pounds, OT, Notre Dame * |
| 12. Ezekiel Elliott, 6’0, 225 pounds, RB, Ohio State * |
| 13. Robert Nkemdiche, 6’4, 296 pounds, DT, Ole Miss * |
| 14. Laquon Treadwell, 6’2, 210 pounds, WR, Ole Miss * |
| 15. Darron Lee, 6’2, 235 pounds, OLB, Ohio State ** |
| 16. A'Shawn Robinson, 6’4, 312 pounds, DT, Alabama * |
| 17. Jarran Reed, 6’4, 313 pounds, DT, Alabama |
| 18. Eli Apple, 6’1, 200 pounds, CB, Ohio State ** |
| 19. Noah Spence, 6’3, 261 pounds, DE, Eastern Kentucky |
| 20. Leonard Floyd, 6’4, 231 pounds, OLB, Georgia * |
| 21. Shaq Lawson, 6'3, 270 pounds, DE, Clemson * |
| 22. Michael Thomas, 6’3, 210 pounds, WR, Ohio State * |
| 23. Carson Wentz, 6’6, 235 pounds, QB, North Dakota State |
| 24. Taylor Decker, 6’8, 315 poundsunds, OT, Ohio State |
| 25. Paxton Lynch, 6’7, 245 pounds, QB, Memphis * |
| 26. Josh Doctson, 6’3, 195 pounds, WR, TCU |
| 27. Kenny Clark, 6’3, 310 pounds, DT, UCLA * |
| 28. Corey Coleman, 5’11, 190 pounds, WR, Baylor * |
| 29. Jack Conklin, 6’6, 325 pounds, OT, Michigan State * |
| 30. Andrew Billings, 6’2, 310 pounds, DT, Baylor * |
| 31. Joshua Perry, 6’4, 254 pounds, OLB, Ohio State |
| 32. Jonathan Bullard, 6’3, 283 pounds, DT, Florida |
| 33. Kendall Fuller, 6’0, 196 pounds, CB, Virginia Tech * |
| 34. Derrick Henry, 6’3, 242 pounds, RB, Alabama * |
| 35. Hunter Henry, 6’5, 253 pounds, TE, Arkansas * |
| 36. Austin Johnson, 6’4, 323 pounds, DT, Penn State * |
| 37. Shilique Calhoun, 6’5, 250 pounds, DE, Michigan State |
| 38. Emmanuel Ogbah, 6’4, 275 pounds, DE, Oklahoma State * |
| 39. Will Fuller, 6’0, 184 pounds, WR, Notre Dame * |
| 40. Su'a Cravens, 6’1, 225 pounds, OLB, Southern California * |
| 41. Kevin Dodd, 6’5, 275 pounds, DE, Clemson * |
| 42. Adolphus Washington, 6’4, 290 pounds, DT, Ohio State |
| 43. Connor Cook, 6’4, 220 pounds, QB, Michigan State |
| 44. Jason Spriggs, 6’7, 305 pounds, OT, Indiana |
| 45. Maliek Collins, 6’2, 300 pounds, DT, Nebraska * |
| 46. Sheldon Rankins, 6’2, 303 pounds, DT, Louisville |
| 47. Jordan Jenkins, 6’3, 253 pounds, OLB, Georgia |
| 48. Vonn Bell, 5’11, 205 pounds, S, Ohio State * |
| 49. Tyler Boyd, 6’2, 200 pounds, WR, Pittsburgh * |
| 50. Cody Whitehair, 6’4, 305 pounds, G, Kansas State |
| 51. Kentrell Brothers, 6’1, 235 pounds, MLB, Missouri |
| 52. Karl Joseph, 5’11, 197 pounds, S, West Virginia |
| 53. Sterling Shepard, 5’10, 193 pounds, WR, Oklahoma |
| 54. Spencer Drango, 6’6, 320 pounds, OT, Baylor |
| 55. Chris Jones, 6’6, 308 pounds, DT, Mississippi State * |
| 56. Shon Coleman, 6’6, 313 pounds, OT, Auburn |
| 57. William Jackson, 6’2, 195 pounds, CB, Houston |
| 58. Jeremy Cash, 6’2, 210 pounds, S, Duke |
| 59. Sheldon Day, 6’2, 285 pounds, DT, Notre Dame |
| 60. Vernon Butler, 6’3, 316 pounds, DT, Louisiana Tech |
| 61. Alex Collins, 5’11, 215 pounds, RB, Arkansas * |
| 62. Le'Raven Clark, 6’6, 308 pounds, OT, Texas Tech |
| 63. Jayron Kearse, 6'5, 220 pounds, S, Clemson * |
| 64. Leonte Carroo, 6’1, 215 pounds, WR, Rutgers |
| 65. Artie Burns, 6’0, 197 pounds, CB, Miami * |
| 66. Kenneth Dixon, 5’10, 213 pounds, RB, Louisiana Tech |
| 67. Austin Hooper, 6’4, 248 pounds, TE, Stanford * |
| 68. Jerald Hawkins, 6’6, 305 pounds, OT, LSU * |
| 69. Carl Nassib, 6’7, 272 pounds, DE, Penn State |
| 70. Germain Ifedi, 6’6, 335 pounds, OT, Texas A&M |
| 71. Rashard Higgins, 6’2, 190 pounds, WR, Colorado State * |
| 72. Ryan Kelly, 6’5, 297 pounds, C, Alabama |
| 73. Deion Jones, 6’1, 227 pounds, OLB, LSU |
| 74. Will Redmond, 6’0, 186 pounds, CB, Mississippi State |
| 75. Shawn Oakman, 6’9, 275 pounds, DE, Baylor |
| 76. Kyler Fackrell, 6’5, 250 pounds, OLB, Utah State |
| 77. Kamalei Correa, 6’3, 248 pounds, OLB/DE, Boise State * |
| 78. Pharoh Cooper, 5’11, 207 pounds, WR, South Carolina * |
| 79. Landon Turner, 6’4, 325 pounds, G, North Carolina |
| 80. Christian Hackenberg, 6’4, 228 pounds, QB, Penn State * |
| 81. Braxton Miller, 6’2, 215 pounds, WR, Ohio State |
| 82. Devontae Booker, 5’11, 212 pounds, RB, Utah |
| 83. Kyle Murphy, 6’7, 301 pounds, OT, Stanford |
| 84. Max Tuerk, 6’6, 285 pounds, C, Southern California |
| 85. Bronson Kaufusi, 6’8, 280 pounds, DE, BYU |
| 86. De’Runnya Wilson, 6’5, 215 pounds, WR, Mississippi State * |
| 87. Nick Martin, 6’4 1/2, 301 pounds, C, Notre Dame |
| 88. Joshua Garnett, 6’5, 321 pounds, G, Stanford |
| 89. Jacoby Brissett, 6’4, 231 pounds, QB, North Carolina State |
| 90. Vadal Alexander, 6’6, 329 pounds, OT/G, LSU |
| 91. Jordan Howard, 6’1, 230 pounds, RB, Indiana * |
| 92. Jonathan Williams, 6’0, 223 pounds, RB, Arkansas |
| 93. Tajae Sharpe, 6’3, 188 pounds, WR, Massachusetts |
| 94. Travis Feeney, 6'4, 226 pounds, OLB, Washington |
| 95. Jihad Ward, 6’6, 295 pounds, DT, Illinois |
| 96. KeiVarae Russell, 5’11, 196 pounds, CB, Notre Dame |
| 97. Dominique Alexander, 6’0, 220 pounds, MLB, Oklahoma * |
| 98. Nick Vannett, 6’6, 260 pounds, TE, Ohio State |
| 99. Anthony Zettel, 6’4, 284 pounds, DT, Penn State |
| 100. Roberto Aguayo, 6’1, 204 pounds, PK, Florida State * |
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SB Nation presents: A look at SB Nation's All-American Team