2016 NFL Draft

Paully D

Date: April 28th-30th
Location: Auditorium Theater, Chicago, IL
TV: ESPN and NFL Network (with Mayock spoiling every pick)

With the college season having kicked off, it's time for our annual draft thread.

The bookmakers currently suggest that the Raiders and Titans will be in a straight shootout for the #1 pick in 2016, with the Buccaneers, Redskins, Jaguars and Browns not too far behind. While the Ohio State Buckeyes currently have a genuine shot at replicating Miami's 2004 NFL Draft record of providing 6 first rounders to the NFL if all of their draft eligible players declare.

Here's a few resources which are interesting to keep track of as the season progresses:

Matt Miller's 2016 Big Board
Sports Illustrated's 2016 Big Board
CBS Sports' 2016 Big Board
Mel Kiper's 2016 Big Board (ESPN Insider, full board posted via Reddit)
Walter Football's 2016 Mock Draft

So, any particular players you're thinking will be sleepers/busts? Anyone you hope your team gets? Any draft storylines you're looking forward to keeping an eye on over the next 7 months?

JaMarcusHustle

It's probably the best defensive draft I can remember in a long time. Hargreaves is the pick of the bunch imo, but Bosa, Oakman, Cravens and Ramsey all look fantastic too. Even the next tier of players - Scooby, Jack, Calhoun, Fuller, Nkemdiche etc. all look like serious prospects. Great year if you need to stock up on defensive talent. Pretty pissed off that we wont have a 1st round pick.

Knex*

JaMarcusHustle wrote: »

It's probably the best defensive draft I can remember in a long time. Hargreaves is the pick of the bunch imo, but Bosa, Oakman, Cravens and Ramsey all look fantastic too. Even the next tier of players - Scooby, Jack, Calhoun, Fuller, Nkemdiche etc. all look like serious prospects. Great year if you need to stock up on defensive talent. Pretty pissed off that we wont have a 1st round pick.

Interesting to hear that, especially looking at Giants' situation, and also JPP on a franchise tag this year, if he plays.

Paully D

I know Oakman is very high on almost everyone's boards, so I found it interesting to see Matt Miller tweet this about him last night:

https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout/status/640004964442439680

He said back at the start of August (and previous to that in June) that he thought he was being really overrated too. Obviously he's not the guru and has been wrong many times in the past (as have we all when it comes to draft predictions) but as someone who's opinion I'd greatly respect I found it interesting.

Augme

I thought oakman was very over-rated last year. His game tape doesn't come close to matching his measurables and "reputation".

Paully D

As has been said by a few people on Twitter, it's pretty difficult to get 2 personnel people to agree on anything, but 7 NFL executives that were asked agree on a comparison for Jared Goff - Matt Ryan.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000551888/article/ask-5-whats-best-nfl-player-comp-for-cal-qb-jared-goff

Going to have to spend a bit of time this weekend looking at his tape.

kennyb3

Fair play paully d always look forward to this thread. Jaylon smyth another name to add to the list even though ILBers often fall as draft day approaches.

tripperman

Am I the only one who reads the mock drafts this time of year, I'm not very up to date with college football and i find gives me an idea of how a player does through out the season by seeing his rise or fall, I watched my first college game a few weeks back was Georgia bulldogs against south Carolina, there was a qb Greyson Lambert looked very good to me good reads and good throws in the pocket, would like to see him against a better defence, not sure if he is draft eligible tho

JaMarcusHustle

He's a junior so he is draft eligible, but I doubt he'll get drafted. He had a couple of good games against South Carolina and Southern - well, better than good, they were excellent - but they were anomalies. He was shocking against Alabama and Vanderbilt. I don't think he'll be a factor in this draft at all.

Carson Wentz to me looks like a guy who'll be talked about come draft time. Not sure how he'll do, or if he'll even get drafted in the end - but he ticks a lot of boxes for guys that usually shoot up draft boards come the end of the year. He's a big guy - 6'6" and 235 lbs. Plays in a relatively pro-style offense. Can throw the ball deep with power and is surprisingly mobile for a guy of his size. Has the stats, has year-on-year improvement. And lets face it, everyone wants to champion an FCS quarterback every year come draft time. I'm only saying I think he's definitely a name we'll hear a lot about as a sleeper, but obviously the odds are stacked against him and I wouldn't even begin to project how he'll do, where'll he go etc. If he was doing what he's doing now against FBS opponents, he'd be a household name.

eagle eye

Carson Wentz is a top five rated QB for next year's draft. It's not like he hasn't been talked about a great deal already.

JaMarcusHustle

eagle eye wrote: »

Carson Wentz is a top five rated QB for next year's draft. It's not like he hasn't been talked about a great deal already.

Haven't seen him ever mentioned on this forum, and most sites that have QB rankings out already have him around the 8/9/10 mark, and that's if he's even been ranked. Highest I've seen him is #4 in one ranking after a quick search. No one else seems to have him top 5.

Not that rankings at this stage of the season mean anything, but when people start finding faults in the big name QBs later in the year - and there will be a lot, I think it's a pretty shocking class for QBs - they'll be scrambling to find a sleeper QB to propel into their top 5 and Wentz will be the guy. I'm not saying it'll be justified, I have no real opinion on him as I've only seen 1 full game of his this year and anything else I've seen has only been highlights.

adrian522

Mock Draft here for anyone interested.

It seems the 49ers could go for any position on either side of the ball at this point...

I'd rather O-line than D-line to be honest

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2015/10/6/9421295/2016-nfl-mock-draft-jared-goff-bears-joey-bosa-49ers-robert-nkemdiche-saints

HigginsJ

It's impossible to get a read on where Christian Hackenberg will end up. Had Bill O'Brien not left after his freshman year I think things would be looking very different as he is in an offense completely unsuited to him with a terrible o-line & WR. From a talent perspective he has the lot & I think he will end up being a steal as it is hard to see him going top 15 at this point.

Goff & Cook look to be the 2 highest rated QB's now that Cardale Jones looks a lot less unimpressive.

Paully D

HigginsJ wrote: »

It's impossible to get a read on where Christian Hackenberg will end up. Had Bill O'Brien not left after his freshman year I think things would be looking very different as he is in an offense completely unsuited to him with a terrible o-line & WR. From a talent perspective he has the lot & I think he will end up being a steal as it is hard to see him going top 15 at this point.

Goff & Cook look to be the 2 highest rated QB's now that Cardale Jones looks a lot less unimpressive.

We're usually pretty similar in what we like from draft prospects, but from what I've seen of Hackenberg I think he's one of the most overrated players in this draft.

He seems to force throws far too often for me, makes some crazy decisions and some of his mechanics don't seem to be all that good to me either (often doesn't set himself properly even when he has time to etc). In addition, he appears to get rattled really easily and there's been some reports about him having a really bad attitude.

I completely agree that a sieve of an O-line, an offensive scheme that really doesn't suit him and not having anything at WR is all true and it does need to be taken into account, but based on what I've seen I honestly wouldn't even consider him in the first round.

hackenberg is like bortles for me i think he will be taken top 10-15 by some team that loves his potential due to his dimensions and arm strenght he looks like he should be a good qb (or possibly by the texans for that matter)

i think hackenberg, cook and goff will all go top 10

Paully D

Hard to think that this QB class will be anything other than one of the worst ever. It's awful.

kennyb3

Looks to be a draft short on elite blue chip players but with loads of good prospects. Those drafting in 20-30's will be looking at better value. Potential for a lot of teams to be looking at trading down with no takers.

Hoping the bears lose the last 2 games to have a shot at jaylen smith.

eagle eye

Paully D wrote: »

Hard to think that this QB class will be anything other than one of the worst ever. It's awful.

I'm quoting this and will quote it again in a year maybe and maybe again in another two or three years after that.

I see this class as talented, there is no superstar coming out of college but there are a lot of guys who look like they can become very good pros.

This class is much better than 2013 but back then people(not me) were gushing about Geno Smith.

Imo Sudfeld, Cook, Lynch, Wentz and my own personal favourite Brandon Doughty are all capable of making it at the next level.

tripperman

eagle eye wrote: »

I'm quoting this and will quote it again in a year maybe and maybe again in another two or three years after that.

I see this class as talented, there is no superstar coming out of college but there are a lot of guys who look like they can become very good pros.

This class is much better than 2013 but back then people(not me) were gushing about Geno Smith.

Imo Sudfeld, Cook, Lynch, Wentz and my own personal favourite Brandon Doughty are all capable of making it at the next level.

Wentz could be a nice pick up for a team that's not in a rush to stick him into start day one, if he gets a year or two to learn behind someone like big Ben, rivers, brees, Romo, he would benfit massively from it like Taylor has done with flacco

D9Male

I am hoping the Vikings can pick up a couple of offensive linemen in the first few rounds. How deep is this draft in that regard?

Trippie

D9Male wrote: »

I am hoping the Vikings can pick up a couple of offensive linemen in the first few rounds. How deep is this draft in that regard?

6 legit starters, not sure about whats behind them

JaMarcusHustle

eagle eye wrote: »

I'm quoting this and will quote it again in a year maybe and maybe again in another two or three years after that.

Will you quote it next year if they all have poor rookie seasons?

eagle eye

JaMarcusHustle wrote: »

Will you quote it next year if they all have poor rookie seasons?

Absolutely. I'm not afraid to show that my opinion was wrong.

I've done quite well picking from QB prospects in the past. The one I got so wrong was Jimmy Clausen who I thought was certain to make it. That was another bad draft class. Bradford the no.1 pick in the draft, Tebow in the first round, Clausen and McCoy in the third, Kafka, Skelton and the list goes on.....

Funnily enough that was thought to be a very rich QB draft class iirc.

adrian522

2011 was thought at one time to be one of the best ever draft classes.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82509efb/article/class-of-11-rivals-best-crop-of-rookie-quarterbacks-ever

How could it not be with all of the following getting starts:

Andy Dalton
Blaine Gabbert
Jake Locker
Christian Ponder
Cam Newton
TJ Yeats
Colin Kaepernick
Ryan Mallett

In the end only Newton and Dalton have lasted the distance really. Tyrod Taylor who was probably seen as a journeyman is probably the best outside of those 2.

Lesson I guess is that is way too early to be judging the QB class of 2014, never mind 2016.

JCTO

The biggest problem I am starting to find is that no QB coming out of college is truly ready and so many of them have been ruined by being thrown into the fire right away. You figure the poorest NFL teams bite on hype and the "best guy" and really dont have a team to build around their so called future franchise QB. Just look at the first and second round QBs going back to the 2010 Draft Lets look at the first and second rounds as these would be considered the Top QBs in that draft.

Black : Unknowns as they have yet to do a full body of work
Red : Busts
Orange : Benchwarmers or journeymen or not doing so well(injuries included)
Blue : Considered now the their Franchise QB
Green : Immediate impact and Have a bright future

2010
1st Sam Bradford*
1st Tim Tebow
2nd Jimmy Clausen

2011
1st Cam Newton*
1st Jake Locker
1st Blaine Gabbert*
1st Christian Ponder
2nd Andy Dalton*
2nd Colin Kaepernick**

2012
1st Andrew Luck**
1st RGIII**
1st Ryan Tannehill*
1st Brandon Weeden
2nd Brock Osweiller*

2013 Possibly one of the worst QB drafts in NFL history
1st EJ Manuel**
2nd Geno Smith**

2014
1st Blake Bortles*
1st Johnny Manziel*
1st Teddy Bridgewater*
2nd Derek Carr*
2nd Jimmy Garrapolo

2015
1st Jameis Winston*
1st Marcus Mariota*

Now look at the guys taken later than Round 2 in those years who are starting on a NFL team:

Russel Wilson*
Kirk Cousins*
Tyrod Taylor*

Both Cousins and Taylor I have marked Orange but really too early to tell with both were their careers are headed with their current teams.

14 current starters on NFL roster marker with *.
5 Guys marked with ** were starters and replaced due to being sh1t or injury.

A lot of the above so called talent you always wonder if they were brought in and spent time simmering on a bench would they end up as busts or journeymen rather than being thrown into the firing line on a poor team and never ever growing into the game or building confidence to succeed.

Paully D

No surprise, but I think he thanked everyone but Franklin :pac:

https://twitter.com/MarkWogenrich/status/683406371719610368

Paully D

Draft order for non-playoff teams has been set:



Time to crack into the film! The best time of the year!

tripperman

Paully D wrote: »

Draft order for non-playoff teams has been set:



Time to crack into the film! The best time of the year!

Number 3 pick now to study up on the possible targets Ramsey, tunsil, bosa, Stanley, hargreaves and along with many other interesting prospects, seen some highlights of Florida at the weekend and Ramsey looks very good at cb but supposed to be a better safety

adrian522

49ers dropped 2 positions thanks to their OT win. If they are looking for a QB however I think Baltimore and Jacksonville are both set at that position so may be not too bad.

SameOleJay

adrian522 wrote: »

49ers dropped 2 positions thanks to their OT win. If they are looking for a QB however I think Baltimore and Jacksonville are both set at that position so may be not too bad.

Only 2 of the top 10 by my count, will be looking for a starter at qb.

That's pretty extraordinary.

tripperman

SameOleJay wrote: »

Only 2 of the top 10 by my count, will be looking for a starter at qb.

That's pretty extraordinary.

I wouldn't be surprised if the cowboys take a qb with there pick even tho the have bigger needs at linebacker and dline, a backup to romo has to be got and don't think trading for Johnny football is as good a bet as drafting Paxton lynch

brinty

tripperman wrote: »

I wouldn't be surprised if the cowboys take a qb with there pick even tho the have bigger needs at linebacker and dline, a backup to romo has to be got and don't think trading for Johnny football is as good a bet as drafting Paxton lynch

Cowboys won't be taking a QB at #4
The D line needs some upgrades and I'd imagine we'll be taking someone there
With needs for edge rushers and corners (if Claiborne goes FA) that's where dem boys will pick
Or alternatively they could trade down a few spots and maybe pick up a few players

LuckyLloyd

Some interesting thoughts on the draft on this site, interesting breakdown and review of New Orlean's draft efforts across a lot of years

http://zonereads.com

TRS30

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

http://zonereads.com

Jeff Fisher seems like a nice guy!

Paully D

TRS30 wrote: »

Jeff Fisher seems like a nice guy!

Jeff "7-9" Fisher.

adrian522

Interesting on Cook..

https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout/status/686273078851166208

kennyb3

adrian522 wrote: »

Interesting on Cook..

https://twitter.com/nfldraftscout/status/686273078851166208

Most of the upper end QB's don't go to the senior bowl each year. Not sure the fuss? I know he's lot to prove but it's fairly common.

kennyb3

kennyb3 wrote: »

Most of the upper end QB's don't go to the senior bowl each year. Not sure the fuss? I know he's lot to prove but it's fairly common.

To me if you do have something to prove and you don't go it either shows

1.hes afraid of messing up so he's not confident enough
2.hes doing an aj mccaron an he thinks he should automatically be a top pick

Either are not great for me

adrian522

kennyb3 wrote: »

Most of the upper end QB's don't go to the senior bowl each year. Not sure the fuss? I know he's lot to prove but it's fairly common.

He's not good enough to be not going IMO, I wouldn't consider him to be in the upper end of QB's, in terms of potential first or second round picks at least.

kennyb3

Saanvi Rhythmic Fig wrote: »

To me if you do have something to prove and you don't go it either shows

1.hes afraid of messing up so he's not confident enough
2.hes doing an aj mccaron an he thinks he should automatically be a top pick

Either are not great for me

Brett Hundley declined a senior bowl and many QB's do each year. He did fall and maybe that's why but its worked out well in that he's backing up A-rod.

There are loads of reasons to:

1. Potential injury or carrying a slight injury
2. Bad system fit at senior bowl
3. Other combine work planned

It's really not a big deal. Numerous players do it each year, even those who aren't top picks.

adrian522

I guess if he's happy enough to be a mid round pick to go be a backup somewhere then no need to go to the Senior Bowl.

By the way the whole point of the senior bowl is the week of practice leading up to it more so than the game itself. It's a great opportunity of NFL scouts to have a look at prospects close up, how the practice, what their strengths are, and how they perform when playing with different team mates.

I think for scouts they can learn a lot more than at the combine or a pro day.

adrian522

Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame LB) who suffered a bad injury in the bowl game, has declared for the draft. Would likely have been a first round pick, now unlikely to play in 2016, who know where someone will take him.

kennyb3

adrian522 wrote: »

Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame LB) who suffered a bad injury in the bowl game, has declared for the draft. Would likely have been a first round pick, now unlikely to play in 2016, who know where someone will take him.

Still think he could make first round (medical and recovery post surgery looking okay) - he's a top 5 talent.

HigginsJ

RGIII set to be released by the Skins. You'd imagine there would be a huge market for him. If you needed a QB would you go after RGIII or take a shot on someone like Goff or Lynch in the 1st round?

HigginsJ

HigginsJ wrote: »

RGIII set to be released by the Skins. You'd imagine there would be a huge market for him. If you needed a QB would you go after RGIII or take a shot on someone like Goff or Lynch in the 1st round?

In the right situation he may work but I can see Ihim going to someone like the Browns for big money and wasting his career

Paully D

My Ravens will surely have the chance to take at least one of Hargreaves, Ramsey or Alexander at #6. I really think their secondary is so bad that they have to take 1 unless Bosa falls (not happening).

I could see Ozzie going ultra-safe with Stanley though presuming Tunsil is gone.

brinty

HigginsJ wrote: »

RGIII set to be released by the Skins. You'd imagine there would be a huge market for him. If you needed a QB would you go after RGIII or take a shot on someone like Goff or Lynch in the 1st round?

For the right money RGIII could end up at the cowboys...

The talk coming from the cowboys is they might take a more experienced young veteran (RGIII or Kaepernick) if they become available at the right money to back up Romo

And didn't he play school and college ball in Texas at Baylor??? So not wholly unlikely...

Maybe I can dream!!!

glued

brinty wrote: »

For the right money RGIII could end up at the cowboys...

The talk coming from the cowboys is they might take a more experienced young veteran (RGIII or Kaepernick) if they become available at the right money to back up Romo

And didn't he play school and college ball in Texas at Baylor??? So not wholly unlikely...

Maybe I can dream!!!

I think there is very little chance that he will end up in Dallas. He'd make far more money elsewhere. The Browns, 49ers, Eagles, Rams and Texans would all be able to offer him more than the Cowboys. I'd say the Saints, Cowboys, Cards will all look at him but I don't think he'll go to a team with a starting QB, unless he wants to sit and learn for a year.

D9Male

RG3 at the Browns would be great craic altogether.

brinty

glued wrote: »

I think there is very little chance that he will end up in Dallas. He'd make far more money elsewhere. The Browns, 49ers, Eagles, Rams and Texans would all be able to offer him more than the Cowboys. I'd say the Saints, Cowboys, Cards will all look at him but I don't think he'll go to a team with a starting QB, unless he wants to sit and learn for a year.

Fully agree with you on what you're saying Glued, there's other teams where he'd likely start and will go to

Cowboys will only take the deal if its right for them.

We all know Jerry Jones dream is the browns cut Manziel and he picks him up for peanuts....

We all know oul Jethro Jones loves a basket case...

brinty

So Mel Kiper has done his first mock draft..
any thoughts??