This article is part of our NFL Draft series.
Most of the draft chatter at this point presumes quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Jared Goff are both strong candidates to go in the first five picks, with some reports indicating trade interest in the first pick for the purposes of acquiring one of the two quarterbacks. The Browns, Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles are the teams I've primarily seen linked to these possibilities. For the time being, I'm skeptical.
I can't see the Browns taking a quarterback at the second pick. If doing so were their intention, I can't imagine why they'd sign Robert Griffin, a player whose upside, ambitions, and personality make him uniquely unfit to serve as a bridge quarterback.
I can't imagine Jerry Jones – a guy who's always far too optimistic about the contention odds of his team – passing up an instant-impact player like Joey Bosa for a quarterback who won't see the field for at least two years.
If the Eagles had any interest in acquiring a first-round quarterback, I can't fathom how they'd justify the contracts they just gave to Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel.
The 49ers are a team I can imagine selecting one of the two quarterbacks – indeed, I project them to take Wentz at the seventh pick – but I can't see why they'd trade up if I'm right about the Browns, Cowboys and Eagles sitting out of the auction.
The Rams are the team I would single out as a candidate to trade up. Need and value clearly line up, and they have an extra second-round pick as trade ammo. With that said, if the 49ers are the only other team at the top looking to acquire a quarterback, I question whether the Rams would need to trade up.
After San Francisco, the next teams in the order who might be in the market for the leftover quarterback (I'd guess Goff) would be the Rams, Buffalo (19), the Jets (20), and Arizona (29). If it's Goff who's left over, I don't think cold weather teams like Buffalo and the Jets would be eager to move up for him, and Arizona is too far back to jump ahead of the Rams, especially with no second-round pick. Because I don't think any team after the 49ers is capable of outbidding the Rams in a trade up for Goff, I can imagine a way Goff falls all the way to the Rams at the 15th pick.
It should be noted that much or most of the reporting at the moment casts doubt over my reasoning, but I'll stick with my gut for now in case the reporting is noise based on dishonest sources.
Because the mock goes four rounds, I only wrote blurbs for fantasy-eligible positions.
1. Tennessee Titans - Laremy Tunsil*, OT, Mississippi (6-5, 310)
2. Cleveland Browns - Jalen Ramsey*, CB, Florida State (6-1, 209)
3. San Diego Chargers - DeForest Buckner, (3-4) DE, Oregon (6-7, 291)
4. Dallas Cowboys – Joey Bosa*, DE, Ohio State (6-5, 269)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars – Myles Jack*, LB, UCLA (6-1, 245)
6. Baltimore Ravens – Vernon Hargreaves*, CB, Florida (5-10, 204)
7. San Francisco 49ers – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (6-5, 237)
If the 49ers have the choice of either quarterback, I think they go Wentz. His running ability makes him a much better fit for the Chip Kelly offense.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (from MIA) – Ezekiel Elliott*, RB, Ohio State (6-0, 225)
Particularly if Ryan Mathews is sent packing, Elliott would be poised for immediate fantasy relevance if he landed in Philadelphia.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Corey Coleman*, WR, Baylor (5-11, 194)
Coleman has a lot of fans out there, but he's still underrated for the most part. I think Dirk Koetter's background as an offensive coordinator and Tampa's interest in maximizing the progression of Jameis Winston makes this a plausible selection.
10. New York Giants – Josh Doctson, WR, TCU (6-2, 202)
Doctson will turn 24 during his rookie year, but his combination of elite production and elite athleticism makes me unconcerned. The Giants need wide receiver talent with Rueben Randle gone and Victor Cruz toast.
11. Chicago Bears – Ronnie Stanley*, OT, Notre Dame (6-6, 312)
12. New Orleans Saints - Shaq Lawson*, DE, Clemson (6-3, 269)
13. Miami Dolphins (from PHI) - Mackensie Alexander*, CB, Clemson (5-10, 190)
14. Oakland Raiders – Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State (6-6, 310)
15. Los Angeles Rams – Jared Goff*, QB, California (6-4, 215)
Goff is impressive when it comes to passing fundamentals, but the NFL historically is squeamish about quarterbacks with his body type – small frame, small hands. Playing for a warm weather or dome team would probably be for the best.
16. Detroit Lions - Keanu Neal*, S, Florida (6-0, 211)
17. Atlanta Falcons – Darron Lee*, LB, Ohio State (6-1, 232)
18. Indianapolis Colts - Leonard Floyd*, (3-4) OLB, Georgia (6-6, 244)
19. Buffalo Bills – Paxton Lynch*, QB, Memphis (6-7, 244)
The Bills clearly don't like Tyrod Taylor, so they might be interested in a contrasting prospect like Lynch. While Taylor is small and unconventional, Lynch fits the generic NFL quarterback prototype.
20. New York Jets - Emmanuel Ogbah*, DE/OLB, Oklahoma State (6-4, 273)
21. Washington Redskins - Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama (6-4, 311)
22. Houston Texans – Laquon Treadwell*, WR, Mississippi (6-2, 221)
Treadwell is a good player who should be a strong WR2 in the NFL at the least, but his poor workout numbers imply a lower ceiling than Coleman and Doctson. I therefore think Treadwell will go later than those two, but he shouldn't fall too far down the board. Treadwell and DeAndre Hopkins would make for an excellent wideout duo.
23. Minnesota Vikings – Michael Thomas*, WR, Ohio State (6-3, 212)
Will Fuller is far ahead of Thomas on my draft board, but the Vikings already have a handful of smaller, elusive receivers. Thomas' size makes him the better fit in this case.
24. Cincinnati Bengals - Will Fuller*, WR, Notre Dame (6-0, 186)
Draft observers are largely split on Fuller – you either love him for his dominance and rare speed, or you hate him because he doesn't do big WR stuff. I'm emphatically in the former group. Fuller's combination of speed and innate wideout skill is truly rare – I think he's closer to Bob Hayes than Ted Ginn.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers - Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia (5-10, 205)
26. Seattle Seahawks - Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana (6-6, 301)
27. Green Bay Packers - Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville (6-1, 299)
28. Kansas City Chiefs - Robert Nkemdiche*, DL, Mississippi (6-3, 294)
29. Arizona Cardinals - Reggie Ragland, (3-4) ILB, Alabama (6-1, 247)
30. Carolina Panthers - Derrick Henry*, RB, Alabama (6-3, 247)
Imagine this backfield for a moment. A quarterback with Cam Newton's running abilities will generally force a defense to focus on containment at the expense of defending the middle of the field, yet Henry's combination of power and speed could prove crippling to an undermanned defensive interior. He can run for a long-distance touchdown on any given play, or he could serve as a fullback-like blocker for Newton after the handoff fake. I really hope this pick happens.
31. Denver Broncos - Le'Raven Clark, OT, Texas Tech (6-5, 316)
Second round
32. Cleveland Browns - William Jackson III, CB, Houston (6-0, 189)
33. Tennessee Titans - A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama (6-4, 307)
34. Dallas Cowboys – Eli Apple*, CB, Ohio State (6-1, 199)
35. San Diego Chargers - Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State (6-4, 301)
36. Baltimore Ravens - Jack Conklin*, OT, Michigan State (6-6, 308)
37. San Francisco 49ers - Noah Spence*, (3-4) OLB, Eastern Kentucky (6-2, 251)
38. Jacksonville Jaguars - Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State (6-7, 310)
39. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (6-4, 323)
40. New York Giants - Hunter Henry*, TE, Arkansas (6-5, 250)
Will Tye and Larry Donnell are decent and all, but Henry would provide a big talent boost at a position Eli Manning regularly targets.
41. Chicago Bears - Artie Burns*, CB, Miami (FL) (6-0, 193)
42. Miami Dolphins - Germain Ifedi*, G/OT, Texas A&M (6-6, 324)
43. Los Angeles Rams (from PHI) – Kevin Dodd*, DE, Clemson (6-5, 277)
44. Oakland Raiders - Xavien Howard*, CB, Baylor (6-0, 201)
45. Los Angeles Rams - Jonathan Bullard, DT/DE, Florida (6-3, 285)
46. Detroit Lions - Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma (5-10, 194)
Golden Tate/Marvin Jones/Shepard would be a wideout rotation lacking in size but bursting with route running proficiency.
47. New Orleans Saints - Andrew Billings*, DT, Baylor (6-1, 311)
48. Indianapolis Colts - Joshua Garnett, G, Stanford (6-4, 312)
49. Buffalo Bills - Kamalei Correa, (3-4) OLB, Boise State (6-3, 243)
50. Atlanta Falcons - Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State (6-1, 203)
Mohamed Sanu generally doesn't look like much more than a stopgap option. Miller could use the development time, so this would look like a good match to me.
51. New York Jets - Jerald Hawkins, OT, LSU (6-6, 305)
52. Houston Texans - Jarran Reed, DL, Alabama (6-3, 307)
53. Washington Redskins - Kendall Fuller*, CB, Virginia Tech (5-11, 187)
54. Minnesota Vikings - Nick Martin, C, Notre Dame (6-4, 299)
55. Cincinnati Bengals - Su'a Cravens*, LB/S, USC (6-1, 226)
56. Seattle Seahawks - Sean Davis, CB, Maryland (6-1, 201)
57. Green Bay Packers - Christian Westerman, G, Arizona State (6-3, 298)
58. Pittsburgh Steelers - Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State (6-1, 309)
59. Kansas City Chiefs – Joshua Perry, (3-4) ILB, Ohio State (6-4, 254)
60. New England Patriots – Justin Simmons, S, Boston College (6-2, 202)
61. New England Patriots (from ARZ) – Keyarris Garrett, WR, Tulsa (6-3, 220)
Garrett is a better prospect than former second-round pick Aaron Dobson was, and the Patriots are badly lacking size at receiver.
62. Carolina Panthers – Tyler Boyd*, WR, Pittsburgh (6-2, 197)
Boyd would project as a high-reliability, low-ceiling target on short and intermediate routes for the Panthers, ostensibly serving as a better version of Jerricho Cotchery.
63. Denver Broncos - Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State (6-5, 253)
Jones wouldn't start over Mark Sanchez or Colin Kaepernick, but his upside makes him entirely worth this pick for a team mostly staring down stopgap options.
Third round
64. Tennessee Titans - Vonn Bell*, S, Ohio State (5-11, 199)
65. Cleveland Browns - Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers (6-0, 211)
The Browns of course need wideout talent, and any analytics-centric wide receiver evaluation process would single out Carroo as a top value due to his incredible per-target efficiency in college.
66. San Diego Chargers - Austin Hooper*, TE, Stanford (6-4, 254)
I'm not sold on Hooper as anything more than an average starting NFL tight end, but the Chargers could use one of those for whenever Antonio Gates retires.
67. Dallas Cowboys – Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia (6-0, 198)
The Dallas receivers are garbage after Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.
68. San Francisco 49ers – Devontae Booker, RB, Utah (5-11, 217)
Booker likely won't be able to work out fully before the draft, so he might fall to the third round. With Carlos Hyde's fit in the Chip Kelly offense a bit of a question, the 49ers would be smart to add an obvious fit like Booker.
69. Jacksonville Jaguars – Willie Henry, DT, Michigan (6-3, 303)
70. Baltimore Ravens - Shilique Calhoun, (3-4) OLB, Michigan State (6-4, 251)
71. New York Giants – Kenneth Dixon, RB, Louisiana Tech (5-10, 215)
Dixon might not be dynamic enough to immediately toss aside the likes of Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen, but he would still safely project as the Giants' starter within a two-year window.
72. Chicago Bears - Jeremy Cash, S, Duke (6-0, 212)
73. Miami Dolphins – C.J. Prosise*, RB, Notre Dame (6-0, 220)
Prosise seemed a bit awkward to me in his first year at running back, but there's no question that his production and size/speed combo indicate starting runner upside in the NFL.
74. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Charles Tapper, DE, Oklahoma (6-3, 271)
75. Oakland Raiders - Paul Perkins*, RB, UCLA (5-10, 208)
Even if the Raiders are sold on Latavius Murray (I'm not), Perkins possesses the elusiveness and pass-catching ability to serve a specialized role off the bench. I would bet on him emerging as the starter for Oakland within two years in this case, however.
76. Los Angeles Rams – KeiVarae Russell, CB, Notre Dame (5-11, 192)
77. Philadelphia Eagles (from DET) - Hassan Ridgeway*, DT, Texas (6-3, 303)
78. New Orleans Saints - Zack Sanchez, CB, Oklahoma (5-11, 185)
79. Philadelphia Eagles - Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington (6-4, 230)
80. Buffalo Bills – Jordan Jenkins, LB, Georgia (6-3, 259)
81. Atlanta Falcons – Jerell Adams, TE, South Carolina (6-5, 247)
I think Adams has more upside in the NFL than Hooper, and the Falcons never got around to replacing Tony Gonzalez.
82. Indianapolis Colts - Shon Coleman*, OT, Auburn (6-5, 307)
83. New York Jets - Austin Johnson, DT, Penn State (6-4, 314)
84. Washington Redskins - Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA (6-3, 314)
85. Houston Texans - Beau Sandland, TE, Montana State (6-4, 253)
C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin are around, but to this point there's no reason to think either has much upside. Sandland at least has the athletic dimensions to imply real upside at the NFL level.
86. Minnesota Vikings – Darian Thompson, S, Boise State (6-2, 208)
87. Cincinnati Bengals - Max Tuerk, C, USC (6-5, 298)
88. Green Bay Packers - Jatavis Brown, (3-4) ILB, Akron (5-11, 227)
89. Pittsburgh Steelers - Marquez North*, WR, Tennessee (6-2, 223)
North looked like a future first-round pick before injuries derailed his Tennessee career, but he showed at the Combine that he still has the athleticism that once made him look like a potential top talent.
90. Seattle Seahawks - James Bradberry, CB, Samford (6-1, 211)
91. New England Patriots - Rashard Robinson, CB, LSU (6-1, 171)
92. Arizona Cardinals - Jeff Driskel, QB, Louisiana Tech (6-4, 234)
Driskel generally hasn't passed much more than the eyeball test to this point in his career, but only a handful of quarterbacks even pass the eyeball test in this class.
93. Carolina Panthers – Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State (6-7, 277)
94. Denver Broncos - B.J. Goodson, (3-4) ILB, Clemson (6-1, 242)
95. Detroit Lions (comp) – Rees Odhiambo, G, Boise State (6-4, 314)
96. New England Patriots (comp) - Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas (5-11, 225)
Bill Belichick seems to prefer a big stable of running backs these days, so I think there's room for a player like Williams even with LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis and James White around. Williams is a far better prospect than any of those three ever were.
97. Seattle Seahawks (comp) - Joe Haeg, OT, North Dakota State (6-6, 304)
98. Denver Broncos (comp) - Ben Braunecker, TE, Harvard (6-3, 250)
Braunecker's athletic dimensions and college production give reason to think he might turn out to be another Owen Daniels.
Fourth round
99. Cleveland Browns – Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State (6-2, 226)
Prescott generally maxes out as a backup sort of projection in the NFL, but the Browns could use another body at the position if they don't acquire Wentz at the second pick.
100. Philadelphia Eagles (from TEN) – Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State (6-4, 217)
I don't think he's anything more than a backup, but some team will take a shot on Cook by this range.
101. Dallas Cowboys - Keith Marshall, RB, Georgia (5-11, 219)
If he can stay healthy, Marshall would be an obviously explosive prospect for any team.
102. San Diego Chargers - Kentrell Brice, DB, Louisiana Tech (6-0, 200)
103. Jacksonville Jaguars - Kolby Listenbee, WR, TCU (6-0, 197)
The Jaguars are set for starting wide receivers, but a vertical specialist like Listenbee would be a nice way to push the safeties back a bit.
104. Baltimore Ravens - Bronson Kaufusi, (3-4) DE, BYU (6-6, 285)
105. San Francisco 49ers - Maurice Canady, CB, Virginia (6-1, 193)
106. Chicago Bears - Pharoh Cooper*, WR, South Carolina (5-11, 203)
Cooper's athletic testing was not good leading up to the draft, but he's got obvious open-field running skills and produced at a high level in college.
107. Miami Dolphins - T.J. Green, S, Clemson (6-2, 209)
108. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Chris Moore, WR, Cincinnati (6-1, 206)
Moore is underrated by the general public, but I imagine the NFL is aware of him. I don't see any difference between his prospect grade and that of Devin Smith from a year ago.
109. New York Giants - Sheldon Day, DT, Notre Dame (6-1, 293)
110. Los Angeles Rams – Roberto Aguayo*, K, Florida State (6-0, 207)
Legatron has failed us.
111. Detroit Lions - Roy Robertson-Harris, DE, UTEP (6-5, 256)
112. New Orleans Saints - Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama (6-0, 210)
A lot of people love Drake for some reason, though I think his film reveals a player profoundly misfit for the running back position. Still, he makes sense as a pass-catching back in this range.
113. Tennnessee Titans (from PHI) - Kyle Fackrell, (3-4) OLB, Utah State (6-5, 245)
114. Oakland Raiders - Rashard Higgins*, WR, Colorado State (6-1, 196)
Seth Roberts looks like a fine third wideout, so Higgins would mostly be a depth luxury for Oakland.
115. Atlanta Falcons – Kevin Byard, S, Middle Tennessee State (5-11, 216)
116. Indianapolis Colts - Wendell Smallwood*, RB, West Virginia (5-10, 208)
Smallwood did well for himself in pre-draft testing, and he's one of the draft's most proven three-down backs thanks to his receiving skills.
117. Buffalo Bills - Will Redmond, CB, Mississippi State (5-11, 182)
118. New York Jets - Temarrick Hemingway, TE, South Carolina State (6-5, 244)
Jace Amaro appears to be a dud, and the Jets otherwise don't have anything at tight end. Hemingway is athletic, at the least.
119. Houston Texans - Jordan Howard*, RB, Indiana (6-0, 230)
Howard doesn't project as a pass-catching option in the NFL, so he might fall a bit despite his strong background as a pure runner.
120. Washington Redskins - Deon Bush, S, Miami (FL) (6-0, 199)
121. Minnesota Vikings - Alex Collins*, RB, Arkansas (5-10, 217)
Collins is a guy who looks good on film and had excellent college production, but miserable pre-draft workouts should push him into the fourth round.
122. Cincinnati Bengals - Cyrus Jones, CB, Alabama (5-10, 197)
123. Pittsburgh Steelers – D.J. White, CB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 193)
124. Seattle Seahawks - Adolphus Washington, DT, Ohio State (6-3, 301)
125. Green Bay Packers - Willie Beavers, G/OT, Western Michigan (6-4, 324)
126. Kansas City Chiefs - Kyle Murphy, OT, Stanford (6-6, 305)
127. Chicago Bears (from NE) - Graham Glasgow, C, Michigan (6-6, 307)
128. Arizona Cardinals - Deion Jones, LB, LSU (6-1, 222)
129. Carolina Panthers – Harlan Miller, CB, Southeastern Louisiana (6-0, 182)
130. Baltimore Ravens (from DEN) - Landon Turner, G, North Carolina (6-4, 330)
131. Green Bay Packers (comp) – Stephen Weatherly, DE/OLB, Vanderbilt (6-4, 267)
132. Baltimore Ravens (comp) - Joe Schobert, LB, Wisconsin (6-1, 244)
133. San Francisco 49ers (comp) - Devon Cajuste, WR/TE, Stanford (6-4, 234)
Cajuste was hurt pretty much all of the last two years, but he has a novel combination of size and quickness that projects well to the NFL.
134. Baltimore Ravens (comp) - Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah (6-2, 217)
135. Dallas Cowboys (comp) – Moritz Boehringer, WR, Germany (6-5, 227)
I have no idea what to make of Boehringer's draft stock, but consider this:
136. Denver Broncos (comp) - Evan Boehm, C, Missouri (6-2, 309)
137. Green Bay Packers (comp) - Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State (5-10, 192)
The Packers have a trio of big, strong runners, but a firecracker like Ervin would be welcome as a change of pace.
138. Cleveland Browns (comp) – Mike Thomas, WR, Southern Mississippi (6-1, 193)
As with Carroo, the Browns should love Thomas after applying the mystical Analytics. He had adequate workout numbers at the Southern Mississippi pro day, and his production in 2015 was max efficiency.
139. Buffalo Bills (comp) – Jon Theus, OT, Georgia (6-6, 313)
