I hate the phrase “bold predictions,” because it is so often used merely to get your attention and is a tired cliché. So I rarely use it, but in this case I feel like we’ve got some truly bold prognostications for the 2016 NFL draft.
This, I’m breaking my rule.
Here we go.
1. Sam Bradford and Colin Kaepernick will be traded: And expect both trades to go down at once, with Kaepernick winding up in Denver and Bradford in either San Francisco or New York. Yes, I’m thinking we’ll have a three- or four-team deal! That’s just good. By the time the first round is complete, Ryan Fitzpatrick could be out of options.
2. Paxton Lynch will be a top-10 pick: Quarterbacks have become that valuable. Either the 49ers or Browns take Lynch, or somebody trades into one of those spots in order to select him.
3. Robert Nkemdiche and Jalen Smith will be picked in the first round: Both are far too talented. Nkemdiche’s red flags (weed? A bright personality?) shouldn’t be viewed as large enough concerns to justify passing on him late in Round 1, and I’m betting somebody rolls the dice. Smith will likely miss his entire rookie season but has superstar potential beyond that. You shouldn’t draft thinking only about 2016. Somebody with the luxury of being able to win without him this year will take a shot.
4. Ryan Kelly will be chosen in the top 15: Big limb here, especially since my last mock draft had him going 21. But that rising stock is hard to ignore. Sure, the Alabama center doesn’t play a sexy position, but somebody will be lured by the notion that this dude could be a Pro Bowl center for the next 10-15 years.
5. Laquon Treadwell won’t be chosen in the top 15: In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the possession receiver dropped into receiver run with Houston, Minnesota and Cincinnati picking back-to-back-to-back in the early-20s. Fact is, his stock has fallen with that 40 time, and I think teams like Miami, New Orleans, Detroit and Washington will look elsewhere. Justin Blackmon, Tavon Austin, Kevin White, DeVante Parker and Nelson Agholor have to provide cautionary tales.
