Football Garbage Time Staff 2016 NFL Mock Draft – Part 1

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

Howdy, y’all!

We all know that the NFL Draft is right around the corner, beginning on April 28th.  And we all know that the choices that 31 of 32 teams in the NFL make that night (as the Patriots lost their first round pick over DeflateGate) will be a significant part in whether they end up with the Lombardi Trophy and the 32nd pick in a future draft, or if they end up with the first overall pick looking to rebuild.

Seeing as how important these decisions are, we here at Football Garbage Time got together and decided to conduct a mock draft.  Twelve different writers (Joey Alibro, Ricky Castro, Nicolas Freeman, Jason Johnson, Scott King, John Kirkland, Joanne Kong, Rob O’Connor, Michael Pattison, Bobby Pierson, Ryan Whitfield, and Ha Kung Wong) took part as GMs of several teams in the draft, and conducted the mock draft live over four days on Twitter (feel free to check out the back and forth on Twitter by searching for #FGTMockDraft).  A few trends became clear and we certainly had more than a few surprises.

Missed it?  Don’t want to check Twitter?  Well, you’re in luck, because we have Part 1 of the results of that mock draft (Picks 1 through 16) below along with the reasoning for each pick by each writer.

1. Tennessee Titans

Joanne – Laremy Tunsil – OT

• Check out Joanne’s complete Titans 2016 draft analysis here!

 2. Cleveland Browns 

Ricky – Ezekiel Elliott – RB

• Head Coach Hue Jackson has had success in offenses at each of his stops during his football career. His best work has been with running backs. I do not think he will pass up the chance to get a “no-brainer” franchise RB like Elliott.

3. San Diego Chargers 

Joey – Jalen Ramsey – CB

• The Chargers get the top player in the draft and fill a need after the departure of Eric Weddle.

4. Dallas Cowboys

Ricky – Connor Cook – QB

• Dallas has many needs but Romo is one hard tackle away from retirement. This is the best opportunity that Jerry Jones will have to draft a quality QB in it’s draft.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

Joanne – Vernon Hargreaves – CB

• Check out Joanne’s complete Jaguars 2016 draft analysis here!

6. Baltimore Ravens

Rob – Myles Jack – LB

• I went with Myles Jack despite the Raven’s tendency to go with the “best available”, who many analysts consider to be Joey Bosa in this case. But I feel like he’s the perfect compliment to CJ Mosely with his athleticism and ability to play the pass. And with the Raven’s defensive pedigree he’s going to get the mentoring to maximize that speed and athleticism at the next level.

7. San Francisco 49ers

John – Deforest Buckner – DL

• Buckner is strong in the trenches and will help control the line for a team that had little success putting pressure on opposing offenses.

8. Philadelphia Eagles

Bobby – Jared Goff – QB

• If Ezekiel Elliott were no longer on the board at this pick (#8 overall), the Eagles could avoid another McNabb/Ricky Williams controversy.  The crystal ball is cloudy, but Jared Goff could be the answer in Philly, in part, because of his accuracy and polished style of play, which could lead to success early on as a starter.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ryan – Ronnie Stanley – OT

• Stanley is 6′ 6″ and 312 pounds. For a team with a good running game, good WRs and a young franchise QB, adding to the OL is a huge need for Tampa.

10. New York Giants

Joey – Joey Bosa – DE

• Bosa is an automatic upgrade to the pass rush and a real value at this point of the draft. Bosa is also a nice insurance policy if JPP hits the open market again next year.

11. Chicago Bears

Ha Kung – Jack Conklin – OT

• Defense was a serious issue for the Bears in 2015 (and 2014 for that matter), but they spent significantly to address that issue acquiring inside linebacker help in Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman.  The Bears also began to address another glaring issue during free agency, providing protection for Jay Cutler.  Picking up Bobby Massie to take over at right tackle allows former first-round pick Kyle Long to return to guard, where he’s a more natural fit.  Of course, that still leaves left tackle unresolved, which is where Jack Conklin comes into play.
• The Bears could go with more defense in the first round (on the line or at cornerback), but I think that defense is quite deep in this year’s draft.  Conklin is an immediate starter at left tackle, with the long arms (35 inches) and agility to protect Cutler.  Plus he’s strong at run blocking, which should give the remixed Forte-less backfield some additional opportunities.

12. New Orleans Saints

John – A’Shawn Robinson – DT

• Brute force and strength will overpower offensive lineman providing significant support against the run as well as pocket pressure.  No one breaks his tackles.

13. Miami Dolphins

Ryan – Darron Lee – OLB

• A huge weak spot for Miami was their LB core last year. In a division with plenty of play makers, having an athletic LB with elite speed who can cover, pass rush and play the run is vital.

14. Oakland Raiders

Jason – Eli Apple – CB

• Oakland is building a monster on the west coast but is missing a few spots on defense, with cornerback being one of them.  Eli Apple fills that need.  Tall, strong and athletic, expect Apple to round into a dominant corner in a few years.

15. Los Angeles Rams

Nicolis – Paxton Lynch – QB

• The Rams take Lynch because they need a franchise name to get people excited in LA. With a solid o-line, defense and solid run game this could be a great situation for him to develop into a franchise QB.

16. Detroit Lions

Scott – Taylor Decker – OT

• The Lions had a rough start last season but looked decent late in the year. The loss of Megatron is devastating, but he was starting to lose a step. The Lions need to protect Stafford and open holes in the running game now more than ever. The Lions will take a lineman here and if Taylor Decker from The Ohio State University is sitting there at 16, they will take him. With all their needs, they can go best available here no matter who is available.

Now check out Picks 17 to 31 of the Football Garbage Time 2016 NFL Mock Draft!