We are days away from the 2016 NFL Draft. Or, if your measuring it by mock drafts, we’re only two Kipers and one Mayock away from the three-day affair. And despite having poured hours of your time, and your boss’ time, into reading the various predictions, we really know nothing. Well, almost nothing. Thanks to the in-depth scouting reports from SB Nation’s Stephen White, retired NFL defensive end, we know a lot more about how some of this year’s top prospects play the game and what they’re capable of doing once they get to the pros.
Start with the offensive tackles. Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil was supposed to be the top pick, until the Titans traded the top pick to the Rams. But a closer look at the tape sees an athletic, but very raw prospect who might not be ready to protect Marcus Mariota’s blind side. Stephen looked at two other options the Titans would have, if they really want to draft a tackle: Taylor Decker and Ronnie Stanley. And it’s Stanley that Stephen graded out as his top tackle in the draft.
What about the pass rushers? Ohio State’s Joey Bosa is the guy on top of most draft experts’ boards, but there’s one big question to ask: Bosa might already be at his ceiling or close to it. It’s a very high ceiling, but it’s not as high as Oregon’s DeForest Buckner, who looks like the best edge rusher in the draft, albeit a young player that some team is going to have to invest time and coaching into to get him to that level.
And those are just a couple examples of the many wonderful things you’ll learn from Stephen’s draft breakdowns. So cancel your one o’clock, grab lunch at your desk and spend some time educating yourself about the top players in the 2016 NFL Draft.
This article was written by Stephen White from SB Nation and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.