2016 NFL mock draft: SB Nation bloggers make their picks

Thorman: The biggest hole the Chiefs had coming into this draft was cornerback, and without one available we liked in the first round, the Chiefs moved to the second round and selected CB Artie Burns out of Miami. The Chiefs have good defensive backs coaches in Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas and former player Al Harris who can coach up Burns. The rub on him is that he has terrific size but needs more work on his technique. Those two coaches will get the best out of him as they did with Marcus Peters. KC’s secondary of the future is here.

Analysis: Burns has gotten some buzz as a potential surprise first-round pick next week, so getting him here is a nice value. He has all the tools to be developed into a good starter in the NFL, and will get that chance in Kansas City. Burns has some of the best hands among cornerbacks in this year’s draft, recording six interceptions and 13 passes defended last season. He has experience in zone and man coverage and could find some time on special teams thanks to his speed.

Coleman is an interesting prospect. There are some that think he should have stayed in school to fine tune his game another year, but he is already 24. After beating back cancer, Shon has fought to become a very good tackle for Auburn. For the Jets, he can become an instant upgrade to Breno Giacomini. Coleman would bring some consistency to the run game, where there was almost none in 2015.

That does it for our three picks today. We’ll be back starting at 9 a.m. ET tomorrow with a group of picks from Houston, Washington and Minnesota.

Here’s the thing. Every year we do the SB Nation NFL writers mock draft, we work several days in advance to make sure we can publish three picks a day and finish a week before the actual draft starts. The picks are all made three or more days before they’re published so we can write and edit every post as needed. Basically, this thing is a giant exercise in cat herding. Because of the nature of how we have to run the mock, we couldn’t go back in and make changes based on the blockbuster Rams/Titans trade.

Does that make this mock draft considerably less realistic? Of course it does. But there will be scenes in the next season of Game of Thrones that seem more realistic than some mock drafts out there. Seriously, Jalen Ramsey is great but he was never going No. 1. So anyway, we’re running the third Rams pick of the mock draft as scheduled because frankly it’s too difficult to undo at this point. If that makes you mad on the internet, sorry.

Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider is back up in the SB Nation NFL writers mock draft taking one of the biggest gambles possible, but it could have a massive payoff if it works.

Nogle: After selecting a cornerback in the first round, the NFL Draft opens up a little for the Dolphins at this point. They still have plenty of needs, but they can afford to play a little more of a best-player-available scheme throughout the rest of the draft. That is what they are doing with this selection.

Our next pick is coming up at noon ET with Big Cat Country making the pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

First round

31. Broncos: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

Payne: This pick just makes too much sense, and would probably be a dream scenario for General Manager John Elway and the Denver Broncos.

The issue now becomes whether or not that quarterback should be Jared Goff of Cal or Carson Wentz of North Dakota State. Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature is here to make that decision for the Browns in the SB Nation NFL writers mock draft:

Everything the Browns’ front office has done this offseason has signaled that they are trying to go all-in with a long-term rebuilding plan instead of the short-term, quick-fix rebuilds that have been attempted numerous times since 1999. Part of that might involve starting a more experienced quarterback like RGIII, while letting Goff have the benefit that is seldom provided to rookie quarterbacks these days: soaking everything in for a year or two before taking over the reigns. As for choosing between Goff and Wentz, it’s almost like throwing a dart at a board when trying to truly place money on which quarterback will have a better NFL career than the other. I’m always a bit wary of quarterbacks who emerge out of nowhere leading up to the draft, so I went with the more established commodity in Goff.