2016 NFL Draft Recap

The 2016 NFL Draft officially came to a close last night after three thoroughly unpredictable days. Now that the chaos of the draft has subsided, here are my picks for which teams made the biggest splash and who missed the mark, the biggest reaches and steals and potential sleepers and busts.

Biggest Winners: Jacksonville Jaguars
After watching his team's offense headlined by 2014 draft picks quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receiver Allen Robinson explode in 2015, general manager Dave Caldwell knew his team needed to get stronger on defense in this draft and he delivered with a draft haul that is pretty much flawless on paper. The Jaguars pulled off a task that would've seemed impossible a week ago by landing two of the draft's most decorated prospects in cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Myles Jack-who fell out of the first round due to concerns about how his knee will hold up long-term-with their first two picks in the draft. Ramsey and Jack are both freakishly athletic, dynamic players that give the Jaguars some much-needed help at positions that were major weaknesses for them a season ago. In addition to Ramsey and Jack, the Jaguars acquired a pair of pass-rushing specialists in defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and defensive tackle Sheldon Day that should be able to come in and contribute in sub packages right away. Caldwell has drafted consistently well since he took over as the Jaguars GM in 2013 and 2016 could very well prove to be his finest work to-date. 
Honorable Mentions: Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens

Biggest Losers: Houston Texans
With the Jaguars plethora of young talent and the prospect of a healthy Andrew Luck returning to the Colts in 2016, the Texans are clearly panicking that they're going to fall behind in the AFC South hierarchy and it showed with their series of ill-advised draft selections. They used two of their first three draft picks on wide receivers in Will Fuller and Braxton Miller that have plenty of speed and athleticism, but limited experience running routes that aren't 20-25 yards downfield and terrible hands and their day three picks-with the exception of West Virginia safety K.J. Dillon-were all major reaches. This weak draft class paired with their head-scratching free agency moves gives me little faith that the Texans will be returning to the playoffs in 2016.
Dishonorable Mentions: Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions

Biggest Steal: Noah Spence, defensive end/outside linebacker (Round 2, 39th overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
It's amazing what past off-the-field issues will due to a player's draft stock. Despite not having a single failed drug test since he was dismissed from Ohio State in 2014 after testing positive for MDMA twice and impressing scouts with his transparency in pre-draft interviews, the highly talented Spence somehow managed to slip into the second round. With his power and burst off the edge, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Spence turned out to be the most productive pass rusher in this draft class. 
Honorable Mentions: Myles Jack, inside/outside linebacker (Round 2, 36th overall, Jacksonville Jaguars), Reggie Ragland, inside linebacker (Round 2, 41st overall, Buffalo Bills), Devonate Booker, running back (Round 4, 121st overall, Denver Broncos) 

Biggest Reach: Eli Apple, cornerback (Round 1, 10th overall, New York Giants)
After the Bears traded up to get Leonard Floyd at number nine overall and all of the top tackle prospects that weren't videotaped proudly ripping a bong were off-the board, Giants general manager Jerry Reese was clearly beside himself with what to do with the 10th overall pick. Instead of trading down or addressing a position that they hadn't just committed $62 million to in the offseason, Reese pulled the trigger on Ohio State corner Eli Apple. Not only did the Giants not need to draft a corner that high with Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie locked in as starters, Apple is without question one of the rawest cornerbacks in the entire 2016 draft class. Apple's over-reliance on using his hands to slow down receivers, terrible footwork and tendency to get burned by any receiver that's a remotely savvy route runner ensures that he's a long way away from seeing a lot of reps in the pros and if the Giants continue to underwhelm, this current regime won't even get the opportunity to develop him themselves.
Honorable Mentions: Keanu Neal, safety (Round 1, 17th overall, Atlanta Falcons), Will Fuller, wide receiver (Round 1, 21st overall, Houston Texans), Leonard Floyd (Round 1, 9th overall, Chicago Bears)

10 Biggest Potential Sleepers:
1.Alex Collins, running back (Round 5, 171st overall, Seattle Seahawks)
2.Pharoh Cooper, wide receiver (Round 4, 117th overall, Los Angeles Rams)
3.Jerrell Adams, tight end (Round 6, 184th overall, New York Giants)
4.Kentrell Brothers, inside/outside linebacker (Round 5, 160th overall, Minnesota Vikings)
5.Sheldon Day, defensive tackle (Round 4, 103rd overall, Jacksonville Jaguars)
6.Hassan Ridgeway, defensive tackle (Round 4, 116th overall, Indianapolis Colts)
7.Joshua Perry, inside linebacker (Round 4, 102nd overall, San Diego Chargers)
8.Deon Bush, safety (Round 4, 124th overall, Chicago Bears)
9.Kolby Listenbee, wide receiver (Round 6, 192nd overall, Buffalo Bills)
10.Scooby Wright III, inside linebacker (Round 7, 250th overall, Cleveland Browns)

10 Biggest Potential Busts:
1.Eli Apple, cornerback (Round 1, 10th overall, New York Giants)
2.Will Fuller, wide receiver (Round 1, 21st overall, Houston Texans)
3.Keanu Neal, safety (Round 1, 17th overall, Atlanta Falcons)
4.Robert Nkemdiche, defensive tackle (Round 1, 29th overall, Arizona Cardinals)
5.A'Shawn Robinson, defensive tackle (Round 2, 42nd overall, Detroit Lions)
6.Josh Doctson, wide receiver (Round 1, 22nd overall, Washington Redskins)
7.Xavien Howard, cornerback (Round 2, 38th overall, Miami Dolphins)
8.Austin Johnson, defensive tackle (Round 2, 42nd overall, Tennessee Titans)
9.Jihad Ward, defensive end/outside linebacker (Round 2, 44th overall, Oakland Raiders)
10.Christian Hackenberg, quarterback (Round 2, 51st overall, New York Jets)

Draft Grades by Team: (team-by-team draft classes can be found here: http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-team)
Arizona Cardinals: B-
Atlanta Falcons: C-
Baltimore Ravens: A-
Buffalo Bills: A-
Carolina Panthers: C+
Chicago Bears: B+
Cincinnati Bengals: B+
Cleveland Browns: B
Dallas Cowboys: B
Denver Broncos: B+
Detroit Lions: C
Green Bay Packers: B
Houston Texans: D+
Indianapolis Colts: B+
Kansas City Chiefs: B
Jacksonville Jaguars: A+
Los Angeles Rams: B+
Miami Dolphins: C-
Minnesota Vikings: B
New England Patriots: B+
New Orleans Saints: A-
New York Giants: B+
New York Jets: B-
Oakland Raiders: B
Philadelphia Eagles: C+
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
San Diego Chargers: B+
San Francisco 49ers: B
Seattle Seahawks: A
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
Tennessee Titans: B
Washington Redskins: A-