2016 NFL Draft: Top Prospects, Sleepers and Final 1st-Round Mock Picks

Draft weekend is the best time to be an NFL fan. It’s the only time of year when all 32 teams converge in one space with hopes of building the foundation for winning a Super Bowl by either drafting for the future or getting the final piece of the championship puzzle. 

The 2016 NFL draft has already seen its share of shake-ups, which started last May, when the New England Patriots lost their first-round pick as part of their Deflategate punishment.

The Philadelphia Eagles made two moves, first a deal with the Miami Dolphins to go from No. 13 to No. 8. They followed that with a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns for the No. 2 pick. Preceding that, the Los Angeles Rams made their big move, paying a fortune to the Tennessee Titans for the top pick. 

Before Thursday’s first round commences at 8 p.m. ET, here is a mock draft showing how things will likely play out as well as names to watch throughout the weekend. 

The Best Talent: Myles Jack, LB

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Here’s a spoiler alert: I don’t care what information NFL teams are putting out about Myles Jack’s knee; it reeks of questionable gamesmanship in order to get an elite talent to fall. 

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that Jack is now considered “vulnerable to a draft-day fall thanks to medical reports on his surgically repaired right knee.”

One general manager told Rapoport: “It’s not about if [Jack’s] healthy now. It’s about if he gets through his second contract.”

Credit should go to Jack, who, during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show (via NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread), said he thinks discussion about his knee could be “a smokescreen” to benefit teams in the first round that want him. 

Questionable league politics aside, it’s easy to understand why Jack would warrant so much attention. He’s a wildly talented athlete who is listed as a linebacker but has the ability to do almost anything on defense. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Jack had the highest grade in coverage among linebackers in 2014, ranked 21st against the run and had nine quarterback hurries in just 66 pass-rushing attempts that same season. 

Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated did not hold back in his praise of Jack’s all-around ability and versatility as a pro prospect:

Jack is the best coverage linebacker in this class, and maybe one of the few best ever to come out of the college ranks. Has legitimate ability to cover running backs on screens, slot receivers up the seam and over the middle, and speed receivers up the boundary. Times his pass breakups impeccably to break up plays—can flirt with interference calls at times, but manages to stay on the right side of things most times

This isn’t to dismiss Jack’s knee injury, because it is worth noting, but it’s a torn meniscus. This isn’t a player who ripped his ACL to shreds …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com