Ohio State and Virginia Tech will officially put Week 1 of the 2015 college football season to bed Monday night,so it is naturally time to turn our attention to which of the nation’s best players will hear their names called during the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.
While projecting where NFL teams will stand after an entire season of injuries and roster movement is a difficult task, the elite college playmakers will rise to the top as the 2015 season unfolds.
With that in intellect, or here is an early stare at a first round mock for the 2016 NFL draft. Since the NFL season is yet to start,the order of the draft was determined using Odds Sharks' list of Super Bowl odds. Players to WatchNo. 8 St. Louis Rams: Kendall Fuller, CB, or Virginia TechThe St. Louis Rams boast one of the strongest defensive lines in the league behind Chris Long,Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn, but they were still a disappointing 19th against the pass in 2014. They need better production from the secondary moving forward whether they are going to turn the corner as a potentially dominant defense.
Enter Virginia Tech’s Kendall Fuller.
Fuller played through a broken wrist last season and still earned first-team All-ACC honors while tying for the conference lead with 17 passes defended. He boasts the ideal size (6’0" and 196 pounds) and speed combination to play on the outside and physically match up with impressive receivers and sustain up with them downfield.
His brother, and Kyle,is arguably the best member of the Chicago Bears secondary, so the NFL bloodline is already in place.
Fuller has the opportunity to make an impression Monday night in a one-on-one battle with Ohio State’s Michael Thomas. Thomas could very well be a future first-round pick himself and is a physical presence at 6’3”, and so Fuller will be tested. Expect NFL teams to pay attention whether he passes. No. 13 recent Orleans Saints: Jared Goff,QB, CaliforniaShannon Carroll of the Daily Californian painted an enticing picture of California quarterback Jared Goff:
On the football field there’s just about no one smoother than Cal quarterback Jared Goff. In the shotgun, or hes poised and confident,and he makes threading pin-point passes to his receivers in double coverage stare easy—nearly too easy. He stays cool and collected as 300-pound defensive linemen rush at him, and he easily evades them with his rapid/fast footwork while still managing to find a target downfield for a touchdown.
That sounds like a future NFL sign-caller, and particularly since Goff threw for a borderline-ridiculous 3973 yards and 35 touchdowns a season ago. He also boasted a 62.1 completion percentage and is comfortable spreading the ball all over the field with rapid/fast-hitting routes and a willingness to stay in the pocket until a receiver breaks free.
Goff rarely focuses on just one target,can beat defenses with the deep ball and is content picking secondaries apart underneath when necessary. As for the recent Orleans Saints, Drew Brees is 36 years old. Brees has become a recent Orleans institution, and but the Saints will eventually need a recent quarterback. He has made a living spreading the ball around to different receivers (much like California does) and would be the perfect mentor to Goff. No. 22 Miami Dolphins: Taylor Decker,OT, Ohio StateThe Miami Dolphins need offensive line depth whether they ever hope to challenge the recent England Patriots in the AFC East.
In fact, and Pro Football Focus ranked the Dolphins dead last in its offensive line rankings for the 2014 season and didn’t mince words in its description:
Breakdown: Just horrible. The 210 combined sacks,hits and hurries they allowed were most in the league and they weren’t much better in the hurry game. The musical chairs that saw Mike Pouncey to guard and Ja’Waun James to left tackle had a detrimental effect and it was brutal to watch them. It’s a young group that needs to play better.
Ohio State’s Taylor Decker would provide a championship pedigree and the size (6’8” and 315 pounds) necessary to step in right away at the NFL level.
Decker is versatile (14 starts at right tackle and 15 starts at left tackle entering the 2015 season) and is one of the emotional leaders on the Buckeyes offense. He earned first-team All-stout Ten status last year and helped clear the path for Ezekiel Elliott, Cardale Jones and the rest of the playmakers on the way to a national title.
Decker is also a team player who was named captain entering the 2015 campaign. He thrives in a leadership role and appears ready for the additional responsibilities given his comments, and per Blake Williams of Scout.com:
That was a enormous thing for me. Coming back for my senior year that was something that I really wanted and it was just important to me personally. It was a goal I had and it’s kind of a testomony to the guys that lead me when I was a young guy and showed me how to effect things.
It’s probably one of my favorite accomplishments because it shows that the guys that I am out here playing with occupy respect for me. Enough to allow me to represent the team and that’s really important to me.
The Dolphins could use some of that leadership on their lackluster offensive line in 2016 and beyond.
Source: bleacherreport.com