Now that the NFL and college football seasons are over, it's time for the biggest event of the NFL off-season: the NFL draft. It's one of the most anticipated and speculated about events of the year in terms of possible trades and draft picks. Since the scouting combine has yet to take place and the free agency period hasn't started yet, this is a very rough draft. Things always change in those two events. Think back to last year, when Jadeveon Clowney's combine performance all but guaranteed the Houston Texans took him in the first round. The actual draft takes place on April 30th in Chicago, so there should be more mock drafts until then. Let's get started with 1.0. In this article, we'll have the first sixteen picks of the 1st round. The next article will have the next 16.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: Mike Glennon hasn't been terrible, but he's definitely not a franchise QB. Lovie Smith needs someone else to run the helm, and Mariota is the perfect choice. An offense with him, Mike Evans, Doug Martin, and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins has scary good potential.
2. Tennessee Titans- Leonard Williams, DT, USC: I was going to go with Jameis Winston here, but I think that they'll opt to help out their defense (only five teams gave up more yards per game than the Titans last year). Besides, the Titans will be able to get a good QB, like Bryce Petty and Shane Cardenn, in later rounds.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska: Both the Jaguars offense and defense need all the help they can get, but as Blake Bortles continues to develop, the offense should get better. So, the Jaguars can use this pick to pick up one of the best defensive players in this draft: Nebraska's Randy Gregory.
4. Oakland Raiders- Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama: The Raiders offense was the worst in the league last year, so that needs to be addressed with this pick. Rather than draft a quarterback, it would be better to pick up the best WR in the draft and give Derek Carr a lethal weapon, especially on deep passes.
5. Washington Redskins- Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa: Believe it or not, but the Redskins actually had the 11th best passing offense in the league last year, and that was with three starting quarterbacks. Scherff is one of the top prospects overall, and it's hard to believe the 'Skins would pass up the opportunity to bolster their line.
6. New York Jets- Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford: This is a bit of a wild card pick, but it just could happen. New head coach Todd Bowles should be worried about the offense, and he may want to stick with Geno Smith and Michael Vick. He might even want to use a later pick for QB. In that case, he should get Peat, which should make the Jets rushing game (third in the league last year in ypg) even better.
7. Chicago Bears- Landon Collins, SS, Alabama: The Bears defense was abysmal last season, with the pass defense being especially bad. Collins is the best strong safety in the draft and will definitely help out.
8. Atlanta Falcons- Shane Ray, DE, Missouri: The Falcons gave up a league-worst 398.2 ypg last season, so this pick needs to be used on a defensive player. The Falcons will probably have a lot of options here, including Dante Fowler Jr. of Florida and Vic Beasley of Clemson, but I think they'll take Ray, who should fit well into Dan Quinn's defensive scheme.
9. New York Giants- Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida: General Manager Jerry Reese has a tendency to just draft the best player on the board, and if Fowler lasts this long, he should snap him off. Besides, Fowler would help patch the third-worst run defense in the NFL.
10. St. Louis Rams- T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh: The Rams defense was middle of the pack last year, and their first-round pick from last year (OT Greg Robinson of Auburn) was disappointing, so the Rams will probably take another offensive lineman. At 6'5" and 305 lbs., Clemmings has what it takes to make an impact for St. Louis.
11. Minnesota Vikings- DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville: This might be a reach, as there will no doubt be better players on the board than Parker, but this pick just makes sense. Parker was the #1 target of Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater in college, so the two already have great chemistry. The Vikings could also go with receiver Kevin White, but the fact that Parker played college ball with Bridgewater gives him the edge.
12. Cleveland Browns- Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: Since the Browns won't have Josh Gordon next season (and might also lose tight end Jordan Cameron), they're going to need a receiver. White will likely be the best receiver left, so the Browns will take him.
13. New Orleans Saints- Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson: The main reason the Saints didn't make the playoffs last year: their defense. The offense certainly wasn't a problem, as they put up more yards per game than any other team in the league. Beasley is a dangerous pass rusher and will give the Saints' D more bite.
14. Miami Dolphins- Danny Shelton, DT, Washington: The Dolphins could choose an offensive lineman to give Ryan Tannehill some protection, but it's more likely they use this pick on a defensive player. Shelton will probably be still on the board at this time, and his run stopping abilities will help the Dolphins out.
15. San Francisco 49ers- Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri: It doesn't seem like the 49ers need help at a specific position, at least not now. In that case, they could get Green-Beckham, who has great potential and could help out the third-worst passing offense in the game.
16. Houston Texans- Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State: I just can't see the Texans passing up on Winston if he's still here. He's too good of a QB for that to happen. The general consensus is that the Texans will take a defensive player here, but if Clowney is healthy, that shouldn't be much of a problem. The offense meanwhile, needs help, and Winston is the man for the job.
So there you have it, the first-half of round 1. Any surprises? Comment and let me know. Also, be on the lookout for the second-half soon.
