1) Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee)
Pick: Jared Goff, quarterback, California
It goes without saying that the Rams intend to take a quarterback. You don’t pay as steep a price as they did to move up the draft order for anything less (well, unless you’re Mike Ditka). Two first-round picks, two second rounders and two third rounders over the next two years, in return for a new face of the franchise to boost Californian ticket sales.
The only question is whether that face will belong to Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. You could make a case for either, but reports from Los Angeles suggest that the Rams are leaning towards the former.
Although I first thought the Rams' pick was Carson Wentz, I believe I misread the signs. Mark me down for Jared Goff. See Sundays LA Times.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) April 23, 2016
2) Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland)
Pick: Carson Wentz, quarterback, North Dakota State
If Goff does indeed head to Los Angeles, then this becomes the logical pick for Philly. The knock on Wentz is that he lacks touch on his downfield throws and played against lower-level opposition in college. As such, the Eagles’ preferred plan would be to let Wentz develop for a year behind Sam Bradford – but the latter has thrown a spanner in the works by demanding a trade.
3) San Diego Chargers
Pick: Jalen Ramsey, defensive back, Florida State
The Chargers could stand to improve just about everywhere except quarterback and maybe wide receiver. Offensive line instinctively feels like the greatest priority, given the need to keep Philip Rivers upright, but San Diego already has a lot of money invested in tackles Joe Barksdale and King Dunlap – making it harder to justify a further hefty contract at the position.
The secondary also needs help and Ramsey is one of the best and most versatile athletes in this draft. He could help to fill the void left by either Eric Weddle at safety or Patrick Robinson at corner.
4) Dallas Cowboys
Pick: Joey Bosa, defensive end, Ohio State
I could imagine Jerry Jones selecting running back Ezekiel Elliott here, despite having already signed Alfred Morris in free agency. But the Cowboys are desperately short of options at defensive end, with Greg Hardy and Jeremy Mincey both departed, and Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence each facing four game bans. Bosa has his own off-field red flags, but he is the best end available in this draft.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: Leonard Floyd, outside linebacker/pass rush specialist, Georgia
This would be a divisive selection, with plenty of analysts predicting Floyd to go outside the top 10, but the Jags need to upgrade their edge rush and their linebacking corps in general, and I have a hard time imagining them spending this pick on a player with recent injury concerns - such as Shaq Lawson or Myles Jack. They already had to do without their 2015 first-round pick Dante Fowler for his entire rookie season after he blew his knee out during a preseason mini-camp.
6) Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Laremy Tunsil, offensive tackle, Ole Miss
Ozzie Newsome might be tempted to go after DeForest Buckner - quite possibly the most disruptive defender in the draft, and capable of lining up at either defensive tackle or end in the Ravens’ 3-4. But when you have as much money invested in your quarterback as the Ravens do, and when that quarterback likes to hold onto the ball for as long as Joe Flacco does, you need to think about protecting him first.
7) San Francisco 49ers
Pick: Ronnie Stanley, offensive tackle, Notre Dame
The 49ers could go in any number of different directions here, so shabby is the state of their roster, and Jerry Rice has encouraged them to pursue quarterback Paxton Lynch. That still feels like a little bit of a reach to me, though I do expect Chip Kelly to focus on offense. He is fond of quick-footed, athletic linemen like Stanley.
8) Cleveland Browns (from Miami, via Philadelphia)
Pick: DeForest Buckner, defensive end/defensive tackle, Oregon
A steal, if he falls this far, Buckner would be a huge asset to a Browns team that ranked 30th in the league against the run last season (and dead last the year before that).
9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: Vernon Hargreaves, cornerback, Florida
A well-rounded corner, despite lacking elite speed, Hargreaves is a good fit for a team that has struggled on the outside and which continues to share a division with Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.
10) New York Giants
Pick: Myles Jack, linebacker, UCLA
Sooner or later in this draft, someone is going to take a chance on Jack – a player with top-five talent but whose torn lateral meniscus in his right knee has caused no end of consternation. It’s possible that the Giants will take a safer option, such as Georgia’s Leonard Floyd, but certainly they could do with an upgrade at linebacker.
11) Chicago Bears
Pick: Ezekiel Elliott, running back, Ohio State
Yes, the Bears already have Jeremy Langford on their books, but they pursued CJ Anderson this offseason – indicating that they would still prefer to add depth at the position. More and more teams have come to rely on a committee of backs and, besides, Elliott might just be too good to pass up.
12) New Orleans Saints
Pick: Shaq Lawson, defensive end, Clemson
The Saints need help all along their defensive line, and might choose to prioritise the tackle position, but edge rushers are hard to come by and this year’s draft class is deep with quality interior players. Lawson, for what it is worth, is also sturdy against the run.
13) Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia)
Pick: Eli Apple, cornerback, Ohio State
Cornerback was always going to be a priority for Miami following the release of Brent Grimes, but new defensive co-ordinator Vance Joseph is especially keen to have tall, physical players at the position who can press opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage. Apple fits the bill.
14) Oakland Raiders
Pick: Sheldon Rankins, defensive tackle, Louisville
File this one under ‘ideal scenario’ for Oakland. Some analysts have called Rankins undersized at 6ft 1ins, but there is no more penetrative interior lineman in this draft, and he would be a perfect complement to the bulkier Dan Williams in Oakland.
15) Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles)
Pick: Jack Conklin, offensive tackle, Michigan State
Improving Marcus Mariota’s protection has to be the priority for Tennessee, and if Conklin is still on the board then he’s the obvious choice. A lesser athlete than Tunsil or Stanley - and it is conceivable that Tennessee trade back up to go after one of those two players - he might not be ready to play left tackle immediately in the NFL, but should be able to find room somewhere on a patchy offensive line.
16) Detroit Lions
Pick: Taylor Decker, offensive tackle, Ohio State
The Lions will most likely aim to address weaknesses on either one of their lines. As already noted, this draft is deep in defensive tackle, so they might prefer to take care of Matthew Stafford’s protection first of all. Decker is similar to Detroit’s existing left tackle Riley Reiff, in that he lacks ideal foot speed to play on that side of the line. But he has the power and the starting experience to believe that he feature quickly on the right.
17) Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Darron Lee, linebacker, Ohio State
A former high school cornerback who can run the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, Lee is exactly the sort of explosive athlete that Falcons head coach Dan Quinn needs for his aggressive defensive schemes. Plus, Atlanta’s linebacking corps is horrible.
18) Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Kevin Dodd, defensive end, Clemson
Andrew Luck might not thank his employers for overlooking weakness along the interior offensive line, but guards and centers can be found later on. This draft class is short on edge rushing talent, which is hard enough to find at any time. There are plenty of scouts who believe Dodd to be the greater talent than his former Clemson team-mate Shaq Lawson, whom I have going at No12.
19) Buffalo Bills
Pick: Jarran Reed, defensive tackle, Alabama
Reed has already made it plain that he would be happy to land with the Bills, telling the Buffalo News that it would be “the perfect situation, perfect fit”. The feeling ought to be mutual, as the team look for a player to alternate with, and ultimately replace, the ageing Kyle Williams.
20) New York Jets
Pick: Paxton Lynch, quarterback, Memphis
The doubters will say that Lynch is too raw a prospect to be selected this high. But if scouts in New York believe that he has the natural gifts to develop into a franchise quarterback, then why not take the plunge? In an ideal world, they might also resolve their contract impasse with Ryan Fitzpatrick, allowing Lynch to develop behind him for a year or two. But if those talks fail, then this would give them an alternative in both the short- and long-term.
21) Washington
Pick: Reggie Ragland, inside linebacker, Alabama
After signing Josh Norman to address their most glaring need at corner, Washington can now focus on solidifying the middle of their defense. What Ragland lacks in speed and coverage ability, he makes up for in muscular effectiveness against the run.
22) Houston Texans
Pick: Will Fuller, wide receiver, Notre Dame
Laquon Treadwell might be the more talented receiver, but Houston need a deep threat to place opposite DeAndre Hopkins. Fuller, with his 4.32sec 40-yard time, is a better fit.
23) Minnesota Vikings
Pick: Laquon Treadwell, wide receiver, Ole Miss
The Vikings, by contrast, would be very happy to add a bigger guy like Treadwell, whose reliable hands make him a useful possession receiver as well as a viable candidate to win jump balls from Teddy Bridgewater when they get down to the red zone.
24) Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: Corey Coleman, wide receiver, Baylor
Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are both gone, making receiver a priority for Cincinnati as well. Even after seeing Fuller and Treadwell come off the board with the preceding two picks, the Bengals still have options, and could go for the taller, slower, Josh Doctson if they wanted to give Dalton a more similar target to the ones that he has just lost. Coleman does not have ideal height at 5ft 10ins, but he is a lightning-quick playmaker, and his stock seems to be rising.
25) Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: William Jackson III, cornerback, Houston
The Steelers ranked 30th in the league against the pass last season, and have since bid farewell to Brandon Boykin at nickel corner. They need another body in the secondary and it speaks to their interest in Jackson that head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert and secondary coach Carnell Lake took the player out for dinner on the eve of his Pro Day last month.
26) Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Germain Ifedi, offensive tackle, Texas A&M
Ifedi looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle, but the consensus is that he still does not move his feet well enough to play outside. That would not necessarily be a problem for Seattle, who need help at guard as well as at tackle, and could potentially use Ifedi there to begin his career.
27) Green Bay Packers
Pick: Vernon Butler, defensive tackle, Louisiana Tech
The Packers need a replacement for BJ Raji, and Butler has all the tools to take over at nose tackle – a 323lb behemoth who can clog up running lanes and keep blockers from breaking off to reach linebackers at the second level.
28) Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Mackensie Alexander, cornerback, Clemson
A cornerback seems the likely choice for Kansas City now that Sean Smith has departed. The Chiefs, after all, did rather well when selecting Marcus Peters with their No1 pick last year. But with the top prospects now off the board, opinions vary wildly on who comes next. Alexander is a physical player whose effectiveness in coverage can be observed by how rarely opponents threw to his side of the field in college. But he lacks ideal size, and some teams will have Artie Burns or Xavien Howard ranked higher.
29) Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Ryan Kelly, center, Alabama
The Cardinals have spent the past three years rebuilding their offensive line, and a viable starting center is the last major piece left to be acquired. Interior linemen are rarely eye-catching, but Kelly is an intelligent and hard-working player with good technique who started for three years in college and should be ready to do the same quickly in the pros.
30) Carolina Panthers
Pick: Artie Burns, cornerback, Miami (Florida)
Even before Josh Norman departed, Carolina might have liked to improve the quality of cornerback playing across from him. Now they need to address the position more urgently.
31) Denver Broncos
Pick: Robert Nkemdiche, defensive tackle, Ole Miss
Could the Broncos reach for a quarterback such as Connor Cook? Yes, but I don’t think they will. The drop-off after Lynch is too steep, and there are too many other good players still left on the board. Nkemdiche is a freakish athlete, even if there are some concerns around his on-field application and off-field behaviour.
- New England Patriots do not pick in the first round due to their punishment over the Deflategate scandal.
