2016 NFL Mock Draft: Picks #1-10
By jonfox
6. Jacksonville Jaguars: Laremy Tunsil, OL Ole Miss.
It’s time for the Jaguars to admit Luke Joeckel is a bust. He could slide inside or on the right, but a franchise left tackle he is not.
When you watch the tape of Tunsil, the only negative you’ll see is that he doesn’t pancake defenders or finish blocks like you’d want. But he does keep his side clean and opens a lot of holes in the running game.
This is what the Jags were hoping for when they drafted Joeckel. And with Bortles developing, they need to keep him upright in the pocket.
5. Baltimore Ravens: Vernon Hargreaves III, DB Florida.
If the draft gods descended from Valhalla and brought to us the perfect corner prospect, it would be Vernon Hargreaves III.
He has every tool that scouts look for in a shutdown cornerback except that he’s not bigger(he’s listed at 5-11, 180 lbs).
The Ravens just need talent everywhere. Injuries, free agency and old age have stripped them bare. Hargreaves puts the sting back in their secondary and allows them to blitz more.
4. Tennessee Titans: Jalen Ramsey, DB FSU.
This might be seen as a “best player available” pick, but safety has been a festering sore for the Titans for years. Ramsey is one of two complete defensive back prospects in this draft: him and Vernon Hargreaves III.
Ramsey, however, isn’t a corner prospect like Hargreaves is. He’s a free safety in the NFL because he lacks that great straight line speed.
As a free safety, he could be a good one since he doesn’t seem to have any holes in his game except for not being able to cover a fast wideout one on one.
3. Cleveland Browns: Laquon Treadwell, WR Ole Miss.
Who knows what they’re going to get with Josh Gordon, if he ever plays again. And Travis Benjamin isn’t enough for them at wideout for the long term.
Treadwell is an enigma to scouts. He has an amazing body with God’s own reciever hands. He’s capable of making any number of crazy catches in traffic, one handed, while being pushed around and has the body control to make sure that he’s in bounds.
He also seems to not care too much of the time. And while he doesn’t post good speed numbers, there is speculation it’s because of his lack of effort.
2. San Diego Chargers: Joey Bosa, DL Ohio State.
What a difference a year makes, last year the Chargers were thinking of tanking and dealing Rivers for Mariota. Instead they gave Rivers a mega deal and still are horrible.
Joey Bosa is a sheer “best player available” pick for the Bolts. They don’t “need” him, but their defense needs help somewhere.
He’s probably never going to be JJ Watt. He doesn’t have those amazing physical tools that Watt has.
He is a hard worker(on the field) and has amazing quickness. So you might be getting another Justin Smith or Cam Hayward.
1. Detroit Lions: Jared Goff, Qb California.
For Matt Stafford, this could be the end of the line. His contract is moderately trade-able and someone will be desperate(San Fran? Washington? Houston?).
Goff isn’t a blue chip prospect like Andrew Luck but he has a lot of good tools to work with. He’s more mobile than Stafford and handles the blitz much better.
He lacks the same cannon arm that Stafford has, or the gunslinger attitude. But don’t sleep on Goff’s arm strength. He also has NFL level mechanics so his development time could be much quicker.
That all said, this move is for naught if they don’t upgrade their left tackle spot. If Riley Reiff is still his blindside protector, he’ll get mentally and physically crushed like Stafford has become.