Mel Kipers 2016 Mock Draft 1.0

[nctarheel0619]

31. Carolina Panthers

*Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma St.

For a physical freak who has improved in each year at Oklahoma State, this slot may look WAY too low in a couple of months. Ogbah is an awesome size/quickness combination and can also play a power game and push blockers backward. He's also shown he can play in space a little bit. He's be a great get this far down the board.

NFC South Picks

17. Atlanta Falcons

*Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson

Shaq Lawson led the nation in tackles for loss, but Dodd was right there with him, No. 2 in the nation, and a constant presence in the backfield. The Falcons added pass-rush help with Vic Beasley last year, but is Beasley an every-down player? At 275 points, Dodd has the frame to hold up against the run and should help a D-line that lacks depth.

12. New Orleans Saints

*A'Shawn Robinson, DL, Alabama

The Saints really need to add another versatile defensive lineman and Robinson fits the bill. In fact, the 6-foot-3, 313-pounder is an immediate starter who combines great awareness and strength to make plays and hold the point in the run game, as well as the ability to push the pocket. There isn't a place where the Saints can go wrong adding talent on defense.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

*Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida

This is just a truly gifted cover man, with the ability to press or play off and really just mirror a pass-catcher all over the place. He's been doing it since he arrived in Gainesville. The Bucs do have a need at cornerback, but there isn't a team in the NFL who wouldn't want this kind of talent on the roster.
 

Picks of substance:

2. Cleveland Browns

*Jared Goff, QB, Cal

It goes without saying the Browns need to take a hard look at quarterbacks, and Hue Jackson should have the chance to start fresh with someone other than Johnny Manziel. Goff has tremendous talent and upside. He's shown off an NFL arm since he arrived at Cal, and has a great mind for the game. He's also shown how resilient he can be, growing with and leading that team at Cal, which would be a great trait in Cleveland.

4. Dallas Cowboys

DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon

It's rare to find a team picking No. 4 overall that can genuinely say "We're in win-now mode." But the Cowboys get a healthy Tony Romo back and that's a fair statement. If Greg Hardy isn't back, Buckner is a great fit. You get a 6-foot-7, 290-pound defensive end who can put a tackle on skates right into his own quarterback. The No. 1 thing you love about Buckner: major motor. He plays hard. He could have been taken relatively early last year, but came back and put an exclamation point on it.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

*Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida St.

The best player available here, Ramsey is a great corner or a great safety, a fit in any secondary given his skill set and incredible athleticism. Those athlete credentials? Well, consider that he's long-jumping at roughly an Olympic level in, essentially, a second sport that he really can't commit to full time. A worthy top-five talent in the secondary.
 

 

[UNCrules2187]

Would love if Dodd fell to us...surprised they have him going that high though. Probably in the afterglow of the title game performance.

[Bartin]

I'd be thrilled with Ogbah. This is like the 3rd or 4th mock I've seen with him going to the Panthers but I would be really surprised if he is available when we pick. He's the 2nd best 4-3 DE in the draft after Bosa in my opinion. I like him better than Lawson and definitely better than Dodd. Dodd going 17th is an overreaction to the national championship game. He's a guy I would look at in the 2nd round for the Panthers if we don't go DE in the 1st.

[Mother Grabber]

ogbah at the end of the 1st would be awesome, though we'd have to hear all summer about how gettleman hates cam and is sabotaging his career.

[Towelboy]

i'm not an insider so i can't see the full article - who does he have picking after us? this tells me who he has beating us in the superbowl.

[MadHatter]

Would not like to see Dodd in Atlanta....that guy is a beast.

[sharkkiller]

Well, that pretty much assures that we will not draft  Emmanuel Ogbah . Mel Kiper has never been correct on a Carolina Panthers draft pick that I can remember.

[Soul Rebel]

I personally think both Dodd and Ogbah will be gone by 31. I'd prefer Dodd, but if we could land either player, we would eliminate our biggest deficiency.  It might not show in '16, but a future rotation of Dodd/Ogbah - Ealy - Addison  at DE would be nasty.

Further: Dodd/Ogbah - Short - Star - Ealy  --- DAMN!

[MrPickles]

Not to be a homer but I was really hoping Buckner would fall to us. He'd be a perfect replacement for CJ and was earlier projected near the bottom of the draft. Oh well. Ogbah seems like more a pure pass rusher which we need.

[Mr. Scot]

Would be wise to remember how Gettleman approached last year's draft.

If there's a player we really want, I wouldn't assume we'll stay in our spot.

[QueensKing]

Since Getty is all about bpa... I don't see us landing a major position of need so conveniently, (although I hope so).  I swore that we wouldn't spend picks, (especially 1st round) on a LB last year.. we drafted two.  No complaints with players nor strategy, but I realized trying to guess Getty has been fruitless for me thus far.  

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, QueensKing said:

Since Getty is all about bpa... I don't see us landing a major position of need so conveniently, (although I hope so).  I swore that we wouldn't spend picks, (especially 1st round) on a LB last year.. we drafted two.  No complaints with players nor strategy, but I realized trying to guess Getty has been fruitless for me thus far.  

You can make some logical guesses though.

For example, we know how much he loves pass rushers.

[joemac]

15 minutes ago, Towelboy said:

i'm not an insider so i can't see the full article - who does he have picking after us? this tells me who he has beating us in the superbowl.

Nobody.  31 is the last pick in the first round this coming draft, as New England was stripped of their first rounder for Deflate-gate.

[Swaggasaurus]

Bosa

Buckner

Ogbah

Lawson

Dodd

Kaufusi

lots of good...and big DE talent in this years draft.