Who Goes First In The 2016 NFL Draft?
This is a guest post from Robert Harris of NFL Wonderlic Test Scores.
With the Super Bowl out of the way the next major news item for the NFL is definitely going to be the upcoming draft. Unlike a few of the previous drafts there seems to be far more uncertainty at the top of the first round. Just take a look at the QB position right now, which many draft experts have North Dakota State signal caller Carson Wentz.
Without that “can’t miss” number one pick, it would seem the top picks are going to be very much need oriented, and may lead to some moves near the top of the first round as several teams may be able to fill their need further down in the round. As it stands right now, Tennessee will likely draft an offensive lineman with the first pick as the line has been a major source of trouble in recent seasons. To prove that point, Tennessee has been burning through top picks at quarterback and watching them fall prey to injuries. First it was Jake Locker and last year’s top pick Marcus Mariota also spent much of his rookie season injured. They can’t continue tying this much money up in quarterbacks and not being able to protect them. That’s just bad business.
So who do they take with that first pick?
Lareny Tunsil from Mississippi seems to be the most likely pick. He’s the prototypical offensive tackle in many respects, with great instincts, good agility and near perfect size for the position. Spending his time in the heralded SEC likely didn’t hurt his prospects either as many analysts see it as the most talent rich conference in the country – meaning he has competed against top level talent.
While Tunsil is the consensus number one option on the line, if the Titans pull a surprise it would most likely be with Ronnie Stanley of Notre Dame, the next most accomplished tackle on the board. That would be a huge shocker. Less of a shocker would be filling another positional need, most likely shoring up the pass rush. If they choose to go that route, the most obvioius choices would be Joey Bosa of Ohio State or DeForest Buckner of Clemson. Both of these players play defensive end and have high ceilings as not only pass rushers, but solid all around defenders with an ability to play the run as well.
This may all be conjecture at this point as much can still happen between now and draft day, whether it’s a slow 40 time, an injury or a shake up in the front office of Tennessee. As of mid-February, though, Tunsil has to be the odds on favorite.
Tags: nfl draft, nfl draft 2016, nfl mock draft, nfl wonderlic