2016 RE-DRAFT

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  • like54ninjas
    Registered Charger Fan
    • Oct 2017
    • 8211
    • Great White North
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    2016 RE-DRAFT

    Here's Zierlein's take on it...

    There's an old football saying that you can't fairly judge a draft class until three seasons into the players' NFL careers. Well, for the class of 2016, we've reached that point. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at how that draft would play out if teams had the knowledge of how these players would perform in the NFL before making their picks on the night of April 28, 2016. Here's how I think the draft would go in a redo.

    NOTE: The Patriots were stripped of their 2016 first-round draft pick for the team's role in Deflategate, so there were only 31 picks in Round 1.



    PICK

    1


    Jared Goff, QB



    School: Cal

    The Rams knew whom they wanted when they traded up to this pick and there is no reason to think they wouldn't do it all over again.

    Actual pick: Goff.





    PICK

    2


    Carson Wentz, QB



    School: North Dakota State

    Here's another team that aggressively targeted their man in 2016. The Eagles just let Nick Foleswalk. So, yeah, they would draft Wentz again.

    Actual pick: Wentz.





    PICK

    3


    Joey Bosa, edge



    School: Ohio State

    Bosa's 2018 was limited to nine games (including the postseason) due to injury, but his stellar production -- averages .81 sacks per game (28.5 through 35 regular season games) -- is just what the Chargers hoped for when they made this pick.

    Actual pick: Bosa.





    PICK

    4


    Ezekiel Elliott, RB



    School: Ohio State

    Drafting a running back this early was considered unusual, but Elliott's success shows the Cowboysknew exactly what they were doing.

    Actual pick: Elliott.









    PICK

    5


    Jalen Ramsey, CB



    School: Florida State

    Arguably the premier cover corner in the NFL, Ramsey can be a little extra in the attitude department, but he's a great player.

    Actual pick: Ramsey.





    PICK

    6


    Chris Jones, DL



    School: Mississippi State

    The actual pick here -- Ronnie Stanley -- has been solid for the Ravens, but Jones is a monster and fits perfectly in the Ravens' defensive front.

    Actual pick: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame.





    PICK

    7


    DeForest Buckner, DL



    School: Oregon

    I could have San Francisco take a receiver here, but Buckner has really come into his own and the 49ers were decimated up front at the time of this pick. Buckner stays put.

    Actual pick: Buckner.





    PICK

    8


    Xavien Howard, CB



    School: Baylor

    A big, physical, ballhawking cornerback is exactly what the Titans could have used in the 2016 NFL Draft.

    Actual pick: Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State.





    PICK

    9


    Yannick Ngakoue, edge



    School: Maryland

    Chicago tried to fill this spot with Leonard Floyd, but the reality is that Ngakoue has been the type of edge rusher they hoped Floyd would become.

    Actual pick: Leonard Floyd, edge, Georgia.





    PICK

    10


    Tyreek Hill, WR



    School: West Alabama

    Sure, in this scenario, Odell Beckham Jr. is still on the Giants. However, New York took Sterling Shepard in the second round in '16, so it would have made sense to address that need with Hill in Round 1. There's currently some uncertainty about Hill, given that his status could be impacted by the outcome of an ongoing police investigation into alleged battery of a juvenile in which Hill may be involved, but his on-field performance to this point warrants this selection.

    Actual pick: Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State.





    PICK

    11


    Sheldon Rankins, DT



    School: Louisville

    Rankins would give the Bucs another formidable interior defensive lineman, and he could be highly disruptive playing next to Gerald McCoy.

    Actual pick: Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida.





    PICK

    12


    Michael Thomas, WR



    School: Ohio State

    This works out pretty well for the Saints. They still get Thomas, although it's 35 picks earlier than where they originally drafted him.

    Actual pick: Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville.





    PICK

    13


    Jack Conklin, OT



    School: Michigan State

    The Dolphins grabbed Laremy Tunsil in this spot originally, so there's no reason not to give them the more consistent option at tackle here.

    Actual pick: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Mississippi.





    PICK

    14


    Deion Jones, LB



    School: LSU

    Oakland had (and still has) a need at inside linebacker. Jones would have been a great fit given his range as a playmaker.

    Actual pick: Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia.









    PICK

    15


    Dak Prescott, QB



    School: Mississippi State

    Prescott goes from the fourth round to Round 1 in this NFL draft do-over. He would have filled the Browns' biggest need as a high-character starting quarterback.

    Actual pick: Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor.





    PICK

    16


    Jarran Reed, DT



    School: Alabama

    The Lions took Reed's 'Bama teammate, A'Shawn Robinson, in the second round in 2016, but they don't wait to address that need this time around. We'll give them Reed, who showed off impressive rush talent last season.

    Actual pick: Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State.





    PICK

    17


    Keanu Neal, S



    School: Florida

    The Falcons stick with their enforcer on the backend. A knee injury suffered in the season opener ended his 2018 campaign, but he's delivered the goods for Atlanta when healthy.

    Actual pick: Neal.





    PICK

    18


    Ronnie Stanley, OT



    School: Notre Dame

    The Colts are able to take a quality tackle and move him to the right side to protect Andrew Luck.

    Actual pick: Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama.





    PICK

    19


    Myles Jack, LB



    School: UCLA

    The Bills selected linebacker Reggie Ragland with the 41st pick of the 2016 draft, but they traded him for a fourth-rounder just a year later. Taking an even quicker, more versatile linebacker is the play this time.

    Actual pick: Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson.





    PICK

    20


    Kevin Byard, S



    School: Middle Tennessee State

    They took a safety -- Jamal Adams -- sixth overall a year later, but the need was there in 2016. Let's give them one of the steals of the 2016 draft in Byard, who went in Round 3 (64th overall).

    Actual pick: Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State.





    PICK

    21


    Cody Whitehair, OL



    School: Kansas State

    Whitehair would be the plug-and-play option at center instead of Nick Martin, whom they took in the second round of this draft.

    Actual pick: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame.





    PICK

    22


    Tyler Boyd, WR



    School: Pittsburgh

    In a draft that severely underperformed at the WR position, Boyd gives the Redskins a much-needed consistent option as a pass catcher.

    Actual pick: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU.





    PICK

    23


    Laremy Tunsil, OT



    School: Mississippi

    Tunsil can play guard or tackle, but he certainly would have provided immediate competition for Matt Kalil at left tackle.

    Actual pick: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi.





    PICK

    24


    Kendall Fuller, CB



    School: Virginia Tech

    We'll stick with a cornerback here for the Bengals and give them an upgrade over their actual pick.

    Actual pick: William Jackson III, CB, Houston.





    PICK

    25


    William Jackson III, CB



    School: Houston

    Jackson goes one pick later than he did in 2016. Pittsburgh needed DB help so badly that they addressed the position with their first two picks in 2016 ( Artie Burns and Sean Davis).

    Actual pick: Artie Burns, CB, Miami.









    PICK

    26


    Jordan Howard, RB



    School: Indiana

    Denver gets a big, zone-scheme running back from Indiana with the ability to handle a heavier workload in that QB-needy offense.

    Actual pick: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis.





    PICK

    27


    Kenny Clark, DT



    School: UCLA

    Clark has developed into the difference maker up front that the Packers hoped for when they made this pick.

    Actual pick: Clark.





    PICK

    28


    Joe Thuney, OG



    School: N.C. State

    We stay with the same position San Francisco addressed with this selection in 2016 but upgrade from Joshua Garnett to Thuney.

    Actual pick: Joshua Garnett, OG, Stanford.





    PICK

    29


    Ryan Kelly, OL



    School: Alabama

    Kelly gives the Cardinals an option at guard or center.

    Actual pick: Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Mississippi.





    PICK

    30


    Matt Judon, edge



    School: Grand Valley State

    The Panthers add another physical presence off the edge to help bolster their pass rush in the QB-rich NFC South.

    Actual pick: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech.





    PICK

    31


    Taylor Decker, OT



    School: Ohio State

    The Seahawks pick Decker to fill a glaring need at offensive tackle.

    Actual pick: Germain Ifedi, OL, Texas A&M.



    Follow Lance Zierlein on Twitter @LanceZierlein.
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  • Budsman
    Registered Charger Fan
    • May 2017
    • 2179
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    #2
    Pretty sure there's a really good chance the Rams take Wentz over Goff.

    Comment

    • like54ninjas
      Registered Charger Fan
      • Oct 2017
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      #3
      Originally posted by Budsman View Post
      Pretty sure there's a really good chance the Rams take Wentz over Goff.
      Health would have been the early deciding factor my guess.
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