It's been a foregone conclusion that Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa will be a top-5 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Most draft analysts, coaches and fans knew that after the star from Florida became an All-American as a sophomore, when he came up a half-sack shy of tying the school record for quarterback takedowns in a season.
Bosa's numbers slipped a tad from 2014 to 2015, as defenses knew they had to account for him in earnest or else risk seeing him constantly in their offensive backfield. Still, his dominance shows up on tape, which is what draft analysts, NFL scouts and general managers look for in prospect evaluation.
But where do Bosa's teammates fit into the projections for the 2016 NFL Draft? The draft does not commence for another three months, running from April 28-30 in Chicago. That doesn't stop lead analysts from putting out their early mock selections, however.
Here is where Ohio State players fall in the ranks among early mock drafts. We decided to use the projections by Rob Rang and Dane Brugler from CBS Sports, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay from ESPN, Daniel Jeremiah from NFL.com and Josh Norris from rotoworld.com.
| Prospect | Rang | Brugler | Kiper JR. | McShay | Jeremiah | Norris |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOEY BOSA, DE | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT, RB | 18 | 18 | 29 | – | 10 | 18 |
| TAYLOR DECKER, OT | 26 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 23 |
| ELI APPLE, CB | 31 | 25 | 26 | – | 9 | 12 |
| DARRON LEE, LB | 23 | – | – | 23 | 24 | 17 |
| MIKE THOMAS, WR | – | – | – | 16 | – | – |
2016 NFL Draft order (as of Jan. 23):
- 1. Tennessee Titans
- 2. Cleveland Browns
- 3. San Diego Chargers
- 4. Dallas Cowboys
- 5. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 6. Baltimore Ravens
- 7. San Francisco 49ers
- 8. Miami Dolphins
- 9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 10. New York Giants
- 11. Chicago Bears
- 12. New Orleans Saints
- 13. Philadelphia Eagles
- 14. Oakland Raiders
- 15. Los Angeles Rams
- 16. Detroit Lions
- 17. Atlanta Falcons
- 18. Indianapolis Colts
- 19. Buffalo Bills
- 20. New York Jets
- 21. Washington Redskins
- 22. Houston Texans
- 23. Minnesota Vikings
- 24. Cincinnati Bengals
- 25. Pittsburgh Steelers
- 26. Seattle Seahawks
- 27. Green Bay Packers
- 28. Kansas City Chiefs
- 29. n/a
- 30. n/a
- 31. n/a
*Note: There are only 31 picks in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. New England forfeited its first round selection. The final three picks of the first round will be awarded to Denver, Carolina and Arizona upon completion of the NFL season.
Bosa is the lone player to be in the top-5 of all mocks above, a position that isn't too surprising. Ezekiel Elliott is widely regarded as the best, most complete running back in this year's draft class and these numbers support that claim.
The widest range of possible destinations belong to cornerback Eli Apple, who according to the analysts above could go as high as ninth to Tampa Bay or not even be a first round pick. Todd McShay is the lone analyst to have wide receiver Michael Thomas coming off the board among the first 31 selections, at 16th to Detroit.
Taylor Decker opted out of the Senior Bowl (Jan. 30, 2:30 p.m. in Mobile, Alabama) Thursday with a minor injury. The analysts have tabbed as high as 16th to Detroit and as low as 26th to Seattle. He is also the lone Ohio State player regarded as a first round selection by the analysts above who exhausted his collegiate eligibility.
These destinations and projections likely will change plenty before it is all said and done, with trades of picks happening often on draft day and players seeing their stock rise and fall for various reasons during the interview process.
If the six players above—Bosa, Elliott, Thomas, Apple, Decker and Darron Lee—all hear their name called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell April 28, it would tie a record Miami (FL) set in 2004 for the most first round draft picks coming from one school.
Even if it falls short, Ohio State's 2016 NFL Draft haul is bound to fall among the greatest in history. That's what happens with nine players decided to leave early from a team that was arguably the most talented in the country this past season. The nine early enrollees account for 8.4 percent of the 107 underclassmen who declared for the 2016 NFL Draft.
Eleven Warriors will update the mock NFL Drafts roundups as analysts update their rankings before its kickoff in late April, along with a final slate of projections.
