Mock drafts are funny things. They aren't as fluid as an NCAA tournament bracket, but once the draft begins, so many things can change. Still, we do get a pretty good sense of which player will go in the first round, most of the time. Heck, the football world thought that Aaron Rodgers would be a top ten pick, and look where he ended up! Will things be different this year? We turned to T.J. Bryce for his thoughts on the first twenty players to be selected in the NFL draft. Will Mr. Bryce get the gold star for picking the proper order? We'll know very soon.
1. Rams: Jared Goff/QB/California- The Rams gave up a lot of
to move up to first overall and it is no secret they are going to draft a
quarterback. They like Goff more than Wentz
2. Eagles: Carson Wentz/QB/North Dakota State- The Eagles
gave up a lot to move up to the second overall spot to grab a quarterback as
well. If the Rams select Goff, which is what many think they will do, the
Eagles will take the biggest gamble in sports history when they select Carson
Wentz out of North Dakota State second overall.
3. Chargers: Laremy Tunsil/OT/Mississippi- The Chargers need
to protect Rivers better. This is a big step in that direction.
4. Cowboys: Vernon Hargeaves/CB/Florida- This will really
prove that it is Stephen Jones running the show now in Dallas instead of crazy
Jerry. Hargreaves fills a big need for the Cowboys and makes sense here.
5. Jaguars: Myles Jack/OLB/UCLA- The Jaguars fill another
need with one of the most polarized prospects in this draft, UCLA's Myles Jack.
6. Ravens: Ronnie Stanley/OT/Notre Dame- The Ravens are yet
another team who's top priority in this draft is offensive tackle.
7. 49ers: Laquon Treadwell/WR/Mississippi- The 49ers top
need is quarterback, but the next quarterback in this draft will be Connor Cook
in round two. Wide receiver is one of their big secondary needs.
8. Browns: Joey Bosa/DE/Ohio State- Bosa, who used to be
considered the top prospect for this draft, falls to number 8 with the Browns.
9. Buccaneers: Jalen Ramsey/FS/Florida State- The offense is
good and they have their franchise quarterback. Now they need to work on their
defense. Safety is their biggest need.
10. Giants: DeForest Bucker/DE/Oregon- The Giants need a new
defense, literally. They started to fix that in free agency and now they turn
to the draft to work on it even more.
11. Bears: Eli Apple/CB/Ohio State- The Bears secondary is
bad, really, REALLY bad.
12. Saints: Darron Lee/OLB/Ohio State- The Saints have a big
hole at strongside linebacker.
13. Dolphins: William Jackson/CB/Houston- The theme at the
top of this draft seems to be that teams need cornerbacks and offensive
lineman.
14. Raiders: Jack Conklin/OT/Michigan State- Reggie McKenzie
is poised to bring the Raiders out of the darkness. The team has a hot young
rising star at quarterback in Derek Carr and great talent at the skill
positions. Now they need to protect that young star.
15. Titans: Shaq Lawson/DE/Clemson- The Titans, who used to
own the first overall selection before the first massive trade, need to work on
their anemic pass rush.
16. Lions: Sheldon Rankins/DT/Louisville- The Lions need to
begin rebuilding their defensive line.
17. Falcons: Reggie Ragland/ILB/Alabama- The Falcons need a
run stopper up the middle.
18. Colts: Ezekiel Elliot/RB/Ohio State- Even though he is
not a top need for a lot of teams, at some point, someone is going to have to
take this guy.
19. A'Shawn Robinson/DT/Alabama- The Bills would like to
continue to build up Rex Ryan's defense.
20. Jets: Josh Doctson/WR/TCU- The Jets need skill position
players on offense.