The NFL draft is still months away, but teams like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Chargers are already getting to work scouting players. Mock drafts have already started coming out and players like Jared Goff, Joey Bosa, Laquon Treadwell, Ezekiel Elliott, Vernon Hargreaves, Jalen Ramsey and Laremy Tunsil have been pegged as potential top 10 picks.
The Titans have the number one overall pick in the draft and they are followed by the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars in the top five. The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. The Chicago Bears pick at number 11 and they are a team that could go after a defensive player along with the Giants.
The Titans pick at number one overall and with the team just taking Marcus Mariota last year, the quarterback position is not an area they will be going for. The team likely will take the "best player available" over focusing on a specific position and that could lead the Titans to take someone like Joey Bosa. Some mock drafts have Laremy Tunsil at number one since the team desperately needs an upgrade on the offensive line, but Mel Kiper at ESPN predicts that the Titans will go with Bosa.
Kiper writes that Bosa is the best defensive lineman in the draft and that he has the chance to make an impact on the next level after previously dealing with double teams, focused game plans and top competition at Ohio State. The Titans pick sets up the Browns to take a quarterback if they want to with the number two pick. Hue Jackson has already said that Browns need a franchise quarterback and with the way things went with Johnny Manziel off the field this season, it's likely the team goes for that position.
Jared Goff is considered to be the top prospect in this draft at the quarterback position and Kiper predicts that Goff will go number two to Cleveland. Goff is coming off of a strong season with Cal, throwing for over 4700 yards and putting up 43 touchdown passes. Kiper writes that Goff has the arm strength to be an NFL quarterback and that he also has a "great mind for the game." The Chargers pick at number three and Kiper predicts that the team will go after a lineman with either Tunsil or Ronnie Stanley being the pick.
The Dallas Cowboys are in great position to get a top prospect and there are a number of avenues the team could look down with the selection. If Goff is available the team likely will consider it, but that is unlikely at this point. The team could take Laquon Treadwell or someone like Jalen Ramsey, but Kiper predicts the team will pick DeForest Buckner. The Cowboys likely will address RB and QB later in the draft if they make a pick like that and names like Paxton Lynch, Connor Cook and Ezekiel Elliott could be targets.
The next run of teams past the Bears has the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. Kiper's first mock draft has Reggie Ragland going to the Bears, while the Saints have A'Shawn Robinson over taking a young quarterback.
