2016 NFC North 1st Round Draft Selection Analysis

Okay let's start this off with the Chicago Bears selection of LB - Leonard Floyd.  First they traded up to get him, something I wasn't a fan of.  I feel that Chicago could have stayed put at pick 11 and still landed him, even if that happened I still would have disliked this pick for them.  I had Floyd with a ranking in the 18-25 range and even though I mocked him to the Giants in my mock draft that was simply going off of potential need and what I thought the team would do.  Now Floyd has the potential to be a Anthony Barr type of player but he will need to put in the work.  At the end of the day I think Floyd will be a good player but I don't see him reaching great or elite status and when you're picking in the top 10 and especially after trading up to get in the top 10 I feel that should have All-Pro potential and I just don't see it with Floyd.

Now with Chicago out of the way let's move onto the Detroit Lions selection of OT - Taylor Decker out of Ohio St.  This is a move that I absolutely love, Decker went a little earlier than I projected and I had serious thoughts about mocking him to Detroit however I decided against it.  Detroit did make the smart decision in taking Decker as he will help protect Matthew Stafford who is going to need all the help he can get now that he no longer has Calvin "MegaTron" Johnson to just lob the ball up to.  I believe Stafford is going to get exposed for his lousy accuracy this upcoming season but there is a chance Decker helps nullify that a little bit.

Onto the Minnesota Vikings selection of WR - Laquon Treadwell out of Ole Miss. He wasn't the WR I thought would give Minnesota their best chance at changing their passing game, that award was for Josh Doctson however Laquon was my second choice and should give Teddy Bridgewater a perfect target to throw the ball up to in contested situations.  Something Teddy just simply wouldn't do last year.  Laquon fits Bridgewater's game perfectly and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Treadwell is in the running for ROY at the end of the season as long as he stays healthy.

And last it's time for the Green Bay Packers who took DT - Kenny Clark out of UCLA.  Green Bay absolutely needed to add a DT at some point in the draft but I feel that BJ Raji kind of forced their hand by his abrupt retirement.  I feel that Green Bay was afraid they'd miss the run on DT's so they decided to grab one early.  I have no problem with that but I do have a problem with them taking Clark who I had a 2nd/3rd round grade on when guys like Jarran Reed, A'Shawn Robinson & Andrew Billings were all still on the board.  My biggest problem was that they passed on ILB Reggie Ragland who would have been the perfect fit for their Linebacker core.  Ragland would have allowed Green Bay to move Clay Matthews to his natural position of OLB and let him wreck havoc.

Well that was my take on the selections made in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

2016 NFL Mock Draft

1 - Los Angeles - Jared Goff (QB) California

2 - Philadelphia - Carson Wentz (QB) South Dakota St

3 - San Diego - Deforest Buckner (DL) Oregon

4 -  Dallas - Joey Bosa (DE) Ohio St

5 - Jacksonville - Myles Jack (LB) UCLA

6 - Baltimore - Laremy Tunsil (OT) Ole Miss

7 - San Francisco - Ronnie Stanley (OT) Notre Dame

8 - Cleveland - Jalen Ramsey (DB) Florida St

9 - Tampa Bay - Vernon Hargreaves (CB) Florida

10 - New York(G) - Leonard Floyd (Edge) Georgia

11 - Chicago  - Ezekiel Elliott (HB) Ohio St

12 - New Orleans - Paxton Lynch (QB) Memphis

13 - Miami - Eli Apple (CB) Ohio St

14 - Oakland - Sheldon Rankins (DT) Louisville

15 - Tennessee - Jack Conklin (OT) Michigan St

16 - Detroit - Jarran Reed (DT) Alabama

17 - Atlanta - Darron Lee (LB) Ohio St

18 - Indianapolis - Taylor Decker (OT) Ohio St

19 - Buffalo - Reggie Ragland (LB) Alabama

20 - New York(J) - Jason Spriggs (OT) Indiana

21 - Washington - Laquan Treadwell (WR) Ole Miss

22 - Houston - William Fuller (WR) Notre Dame

23 - Minnesota - Josh Doctson (WR) TCU

24 - Cincinnati - Corey Coleman (WR) Baylor

25 - Pittsburgh - A'Shawn Robinson (DT) Alabama

26 - Seattle - Robert Nkemdiche (DL) Ole Miss

27 - Green Bay - Vernon Butler (DT) LA Tech

28 - Kansas City - Connor Cook (QB) Michigan St

29 - Arizona - Ryan Kelly (OC) Alabama

30 - Carolina - William Jackson (CB) Houston

31 - Denver - Vonn Bell (S) Ohio St