2016 NFL Draft Questions
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The 2016 NFL Draft is officially upon us. The first two picks have been traded for the first time in the modern NFL draft era, and the first two picks will North Dakota State's Carson Wentz and California's Jared Goff. The hot prospect on everybody's mouth right now is Ezekiel Elliott, and the rest of the draft could be a crapshoot. In this post, I'll take a look at the possible different storylines of all three days of the draft. Who could rise and fall, and which prospects later in the draft could make the biggest impact down the road are a few.
NFL Draft Questions
Where does Paxton Lynch land?
Since the first two quarterbacks fates have already been decided, the last likely first round quarterback is Memphis' Paxton Lynch. He's a very intruiging prospect at 6'-7'', he's very mobile, and has an NFL ready arm. The main reservation is about him is if he can transition from a spread to an NFL pro-style offense. He could go as high as San Francisco at 7 or Cleveland at 8, or he could fall all the way to the Jets at 20. Either way he's likely going to need a year or more to sit and learn the pro-style. If I were to bet money on it, I'd say Lynch ends up going in the top 15.
Does Ezekiel Elliott Really Go Top 5?
Running backs have been slowly declining in terms of draft value for the last few years, but that was until the Rams took Todd Gurley at 12 overall last season and tore up the league. This has lead to the talk of Elliott possibly going to the Dallas Cowboys at #4 overall. But if you're the Dallas Cowboys, with all the needs your football team has, especially on the defensive side of the ball, why would you use that pick on a running back? This has all the makings of a typical splash move by the Cowboys to make headlines, rather than really helping your football team. With Darren McFadden as their lead back last year, they were still a top 10 rushing team. Stephen Jones helped change Jerry's mind taking Zack Martin over Johnny Manziel, and I believe he'll do the same this year with regards to Elliott. Especially when they can draft guys like Derrick Henry or Devontae Booker in the 2nd round.
Will Cardale Jones be the steal of day 2?
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Which Day 2 QB will have the best career?
The names you are going to hear all night when it comes to the 2nd tier quarterbacks is going to be Connor Cook and Christian Hackenburg, but the quarterback I'm going to name could very well be the best QB in this draft even above Wentz and Goff, and that's Cardale Jones. He easily has the best arm in the draft and he's built like Ben Roethlisberger. If would have came out after his 3 game sample, he could have been a late first round pick. I truly believe he'll be the steal of the draft. Cardale Jones is the name to watch as a late 2nd - 3rd round pick.
How far will the star linebackers fall?
If he hadn't gotten injured before the season, UCLA's Myles Jack would be a guaranteed top 5 pick, but now there are major concerns. While teams still like him, they're not sure if he'll be available to play his entire rookie year, so he could fall out of the top 10 altogether. Next up is Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith, like Jack, he would have been a lock top 5 pick if he hadn't gotten hurt. But Smith got hurt in the bowl game rather than the regular season, and now there's questions about nerve damage. The nerve damage could have him falling to a day 3 pick, which is quite the fall. Finally it's Alabama's Reggie Ragland. He was originally projected to be a mid first round pick, potentially top 10, but questions about his weight have surfaced which could see him falling to the 2nd round. He's regarded as a great run stuffing middle linebacker with underrated pass coverage skills. It'll be interesting to see if a team in the top 20 will be willing to take the chance on a linebacker with fluctuating weight concerns.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Who has the widest range in the draft?
The answer to this question is who I find to be the best WR prospect in the draft: Laquon Treadwell. Before the combine process started, I thought he could go as high as 6 to the Baltimore Ravens, but now I think his top end draft position would be at 10 to the New York Giants. His 40 yard dash time reportedly has some teams concerned, but when I watched Treadwell, all I saw was him making plays. He's got the size at 6'3'' 220lbs, and he's got fantastic hands. I don't think you need the speed as long as you're a great route runner and can make plays when the ball is in the air, which Treadwell can do. If he somehow falls into the late 20s like some mocks have him, he'd be the steal of the first round. Other prospects in this discussion are Paxton Lynch, Reggie Ragland, and Myles Jack.
Quarterbacks on the move?
Sam Bradford: After the Eagles jumped up from #8 to the #2 pick in the draft, Sam Bradford reportedly told the team that he would like to be traded. As ridiculous a request as that is for a guy that just signed a $35 million contract while not doing anything to earn it, it still means you have to keep an eye out for him on draft day. If the Eagles are willing to eat the $11 million signing bonus they gave him in exchange for a 4th rounder, he could be on the move.
Mike Glennon: Glennon was a former 2nd round pick of the Greg Schiano coached Bucs, but now that they have Jameis Winston, Glennon is an under the radar name to watch. He's still on a favorable rookie deal so a team like the Denver Broncos could very well check in on his availability.
Colin Kaepernick: It's pretty clear that he wants out of San Fran, but since he's unwilling to take a pay cut, it's going to be hard for him to get traded. He still warrants an appearance on this list due to the fact that John Elway said in a recent press conference that his offer to the 49ers is still on the table. All reports have said that if it doesn't happen on the draft weekend it probably won't at all, so if Denver or San Francisco make a move, watch for Kaepernicks name.
Article by Thomas Mooney
Twitter: @thomas_mooney1, @AFewGoodMics
