2016 NFL mock draft: Post free agency

A 2016 NFL mock draft predicting each pick in the first round after the first wave of free agency

At first glance it seems like the NFL has it backwards. Look at the NBA for instance, their draft takes place almost immediately after the season commences, and then free agency follows that. Such a formula seems to make sense. A team can shoot for their draft targets and then fill the needs they missed out on in the ensuing free agency.

That’s not the case in football as free agency opens well before the draft. Teams enter the offseason with huge holes, and fans everywhere begin to look at what rookies may be available, a process that ramps up during the scouting combine.

Then after everyone is salivating over the incoming rookie class, the league year begins and free agency ensues. That’s when we realize the NFL does in fact have it right.

Fans then are all-in as each of their team’s takes in potential new players on visits. They wonder how the biggest fish in free agency will fit their roster, and lose their minds when that target signs with someone else.

After the initial shock of big-name players move, the focus shifts back to the NFL draft. This time however, the needs may have changed.

One perfect example would be the quarterback starved Houston Texans who were sure to pick a quarterback or running back. After landing quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller on day one of free agency, their needs are now vastly different.

That’s the reason we once again take a stab at how the first-round of the draft will play out. Will anyone else besides Houston look to a different position than previously believed after re-stocking their talent via free agency? Let’s start with the first overall selection…

Next: No. 1