2016 NFL Draft Predictions: First Round Party Crashers

The top of the NFL Draft has been well debated, but which players are about to crash the first round? Seven men are poised to surprise us all. NFL Draft 2016 predictions.

We’re tackling each team in the league, traveling alphabetically to debate their biggest offseason issues. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

Everyone focuses on the top of the first round when discussing the 2016 NFL Draft, and rightly so. Even we took the time to discuss the likely scenarios in the top five of the draft after those huge trades went down and the order was completely revamped.

But this year especially seems to have an incredibly intriguing group of fringe first-round players; i.e. guys who could/should/would ordinarily be first rounders, but for whatever reason, are right on the edge of falling out. I’m curious to see who you think will make it into the hallowed ground of first-round selection and who gets left for day two, forced to wait another 24 hours (or longer) before hearing their named called.

My list of fringe first-rounders begins with a man who has the talent of a top-10 selection, but because of off-field concerns, is being talked about anywhere from 15 or so on through round two. That is Mississippi defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche.

In past years, I would say Nkemdiche would surely go in the first round. Talent trumps all. But nowadays, I’m not so sure of that refrain anymore. There are certainly a handful of teams who have simply removed him from their draft board altogether, no matter how far he drops.

The same goes for Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, but for vastly different reasons. Smith was thought of as the best linebacker in this draft; a potential top-three overall pick. But he tore his knee and suffered nerve damage in ND’s bowl game and it is now looking like he will miss the entire 2016 season at a minimum. Is there a chance a team sneaks off with him at the tail end of round one? I’m not sure what to make of Smith in this draft. He could go undrafted completely since he’ll be out. I suppose football isn’t like other sports where teams stash players for a year or two down the road.

The other names I have on my first-round radar play quarterback, because quarterbacks always get forced into draft slots where they don’t belong. Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, Michigan State’s Connor Cook and even Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg have all been getting first-round love. Truthfully, none of them belong in the first round, but we do have a slew of quarterback-hungry teams who are picking surprisingly late this year, as well as the possibility of teams trading back up into the end of round one.

Denver certainly needs a quarterback. Will it pull the trigger at 31st overall? Arizona, maybe Kansas City, the New York Jets, and of course the Browns and 49ers all could have their eyes on the position. Arizona and KC would be looking to the future, maybe one year; the rest are eyeing a starter for 2016. With that batch of teams on the lookout, I think Lynch is definitely a first-rounder. I would also throw Cook in there, though Hackenberg, to me, gets left out. But who knows with how desperate teams get for that QB.

Nov 14, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) prepares to throw the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. The Cougars won 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

DAN:

I’ll see your quarterbacks and raise you a cornerback. Kendall Fuller from Virginia Tech has been projected in the second round, but I can easily see him getting snatched up late in round one. Seattle has an aging defensive backfield and the Panthers have a hole to fill, with the departure of Josh Norman. This position is so popular that if the likes of Eli Apple and Vernon Hargreaves all go early, I can see Fuller slipping into round one.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Previously I thought Jaylon Smith would get drafted in round one as well, but now that he’s likely to miss all of the 2016 season, I find it highly doubtful. Why pay him first round money just to use your rehab facilities, when second or third round money will do just fine? I do agree with you on Nkemdiche, however. The media values character way more than the majority of NFL teams, especially out of defensive players. I’d be shocked to see him fall into the second round.

We don’t agree on the quarterback situation either. Only Paxton Lynch is getting drafted in round one. The other two signal callers will have to wait another day to hear their names called. The teams drafting late in round one are mainly patient franchises. Lynch will go to either Kansas City or Arizona, if he falls out of the top ten. Otherwise, our other quarterback needy teams will wait to play in round two.

More nfl spin zone: One Final NFL Mock Draft

There is one more first round party crasher to add to the list, tight end Hunter Henry from Arkansas. His position isn’t getting much first round love from mock drafters, but so many teams need a playmaker at tight end. Henry is the top rated player at his position and 27th overall, according to Scouts Inc. He’ll be a steal in round two, but won’t make it that far. Look for him to get drafted somewhere between pick number 20 with the Jets and 25 with the Steelers.

Home/NFL Draft