The 2016 NFL Draft is now in the books, and there will be plenty of information to dissect over the coming days and weeks. But before we really start analyzing this year’s class, let’s go over a popular bit of trivia: what positions were the most-drafted this year?
2016 NFL Draft picks by position: WRs and CBs lead the way
This was a good year to be a wide receiver or cornerback -- those were the two highest-drafted positions in this year’s NFL Draft.
Turns out it was wide receiver. Yes, despite the general consensus of this being a weak year for wideouts, at the end of the weekend we had 33 drafted, leading the way. We also had four first-round draft picks thanks to a run later in the round.
But despite wide receivers leading the way, this draft still belonged to defense. Defensive tackle and end combined for 40 picks as teams continue to look for front-four help wherever they can get it. For the purposes of this post we separated outside linebackers from inside linebackers, but put together you get 33 draftees. And those are just the front-seven positions -- it was also a huge weekend for cornerbacks.
With passing dominating the modern-day game and shutdown defensive backs becoming more valuable than ever, it’s little surprise that cornerback was the second-most drafted position this year. 31 corners heard their name called, including five in the first draft. Only offensive tackle had as many players selected on Thursday night.
Only one running back went in the first round (Ezekiel Elliott) but the position was quietly deep this year and teams gladly stocked up in the later rounds, leading to RB tying with OT for the third-most drafted position.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ surprising decision to trade up for a kicker in the second round had some people anticipating a run at that position. Alas, Roberto Aguayo ended up being the only kicker drafted this year (which makes one wonder why they bothered trading up in the first place). Three punters were drafted and we even saw a long snapper go in the sixth round, but otherwise it was a light year for special teams players.
Check out the total position rankings from this year’s draft.
| Position | # of draftees | # of 1st-round picks | Highest draft pick |
| Wide receiver | 33 | 4 | Corey Coleman (15) |
| Cornerback | 31 | 5 | Jalen Ramsey (5) |
| Running back | 22 | 1 | Ezekiel Elliott (4) |
| Offensive tackle | 22 | 5 | Ronnie Stanley (6) |
| Defensive tackle | 21 | 4 | Sheldon Rankins (12) |
| Outside linebacker | 21 | 2 | Leonard Floyd (9) |
| Safety | 21 | 2 | Karl Joseph (14) |
| Defensive end | 19 | 3 | Joey Bosa (3) |
| Quarterback | 15 | 3 | Jared Goff (1) |
| Inside linebacker | 12 | 0 | Reggie Ragland (41) |
| Tight end | 11 | 0 | Hunter Henry (35) |
| Offensive guard | 11 | 1 | Joshua Garnett (28) |
| Center | 8 | 1 | Ryan Kelly (17) |
| Punter | 3 | 0 | Drew Kasar (179) |
| Kicker | 1 | 0 | Roberto Aguyao (59) |
| Long snapper | 1 | 0 | Jimmy Landes (210) |
And here’s the complete pick-by-pick list of where every player at their respective positions ended up.
Quarterbacks
- Rams: Jared Goff, California (Round 1, pick 1)
- Eagles: Carson Wentz, North Dakota State (Round 1, pick 2)
- Broncos: Paxton Lynch, Memphis (Round 1, pick 26)
- Jets: Christian Hackenberg, Penn State (Round 2, pick 51)
- Patriots: Jacoby Brissett, NC State (Round 3, pick 91)
- Browns: Cody Kessler, USC (Round 3, pick 93)
- Raiders: Connor Cook, Michigan State (Round 4, pick 100)
- Cowboys: Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Round 4, pick 135)
- Bills: Cardale Jones, Ohio State (Round 4, pick 139)
- Chiefs: Kevin Hogan, Stanford (Round 5, pick 162)
- Washington: Nate Sudfeld, Indiana (Round 6, pick 187)
- Lions; Jake Rudock, Michigan (Round 6, pick 191)
- Jaguars: Brandon Allen, Arkansas (Round 6, pick 201)
- 49ers: Jeff Driskell, Louisiana Tech (Round 6, pick 207)
- Dolphins: Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky (Round 7, pick 223)
Running backs
- Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State (Round 1, pick 4)
- Titans: Derrick Henry, Alabama (Round 2, pick 45)
- Dolphins: Kenyan Drake, Alabama (Round 3, pick 73)
- Seahawks: C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame (Round 3, pick 90)
- Texans: Tyler Ervin, San Jose State (Round 4, pick 119)
- Ravens: Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech (Round 4, pick 134)
- Broncos: Devontae Booker, Utah (Round 4, pick 136)
- Raiders: DeAndre Washington, Texas Tech (Round 5, pick 143)
- Giants: Paul Perkins, UCLA (Round 5, pick 149)
- Bears: Jordan Howard, Indiana (Round 5, pick 150)
- Eagles: Wendell Smallwood, West Virginia (Round 5, pick 153)
- Bills: Jonathan Williams, Arkansas (Round 5, pick 156)
- Seahawks: Alex Collins, Arkansas (Round 5, pick 171)
- Broncos: Andy Janovich, Nebraska (Round 6, pick 176)
- Buccaneers: Dan Vitale, Northwestern (Round 6, pick 197)
- Chargers: Derek Watt, Wisconsin (Round 6, pick 198)
- 49ers: Kelvin Taylor, Florida (Round 6, pick 211)
- Cowboys: Darius Jackson, Eastern Michigan (Round 6, pick 216)
- Lions: Dwayne Washington, Washington (Round 7, pick 236)
- Saints: Daniel Lasco, California (Round 7, pick 237)
- Washington: Keith Marshall, Georgia (Round 7, pick 242)
- Seahawks: Zac Brooks, Clemson (Round 7, pick 247)
Wide receivers
- Browns: Corey Coleman, Baylor (Round 1, pick 15)
- Texans: Will Fuller, Notre Dame (Round 1, pick 21)
- Washington: Josh Doctson, TCU (Round 1, pick 22)
- Vikings: Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss (Round 1, pick 23)
- Giants: Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma (Round 2, pick 40)
- Saints: Michael Thomas, Ohio State (Round 2, pick 47)
- Bengals: Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh (Round 2, pick 55)
- Texans: Braxton Miller, Ohio State (Round 3, pick 85)
- Dolphins: Leonte Carroo, Rutgers (Round 3, pick 86)
- Ravens: Chris Moore, Cincinnati (Round 4, pick 107)
- Patriots: Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia (Round 4, pick 112)
- Browns: Ricardo Louis, Auburn (Round 4, pick 114)
- Rams: Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina (Round 4, pick 117)
- Chiefs: Demarcus Robinson, Florida (Round 4, pick 126)
- Titans: Taise Sharpe, Massachusetts (Round 5, pick 140)
- Browns: Jordan Payton, UCLA (Round 5, pick 154)
- Packers: Trevor Davis, California (Round 5, pick 163)
- Chiefs: Tyreek Hill, West Alabama (Round 5, pick 165)
- Browns: Richard Higgins, Colorado State (Round 5, pick 172)
- Vikings: Moritz Boehringer (Round 6, pick 180)
- Ravens: Keenan Reynolds, Navy (Round 6, pick 182)
- Dolphins: Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech (Round 6, pick 186)
- Bills: Kolby Listenbee, TCU (Round 6, pick 192)
- Bengals: Cody Core, Ole Miss (Round 6, pick 199)
- Rams: Michael Thomas, Southern Miss (Round 6, pick 206)
- 49ers: Aaron Burbridge, Michigan State (Round 6, pick 213)
- Patriots: Devin Lucien, Arizona State (Round 7, pick 225)
- Steelers: DeMarcus Ayers, Houston (Round 7, pick 229)
- Bears: Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan (Round 7, pick 230)
- Falcons: Devin Fuller, UCLA (Round 7, pick 238)
- Jets: Cherone Peake, Clemson (Round 7, pick 241)
- Seahawks: Kenny Lawler, California (Round 7, pick 243)
Tight ends
- Chargers: Hunter Henry, Arkansas (Round 2, pick 35)
- Falcons: Austin Hooper, Stanford (Round 3, pick 81)
- Seahawks: Nick Vannett, Ohio State (Round 3, pick 94)
- Rams: Tyler Higbee, Western Kentucky (Round 4, pick 110)
- Browns: Seth Devalve, Princeton (Round 4, pick 138)
- Rams: Temarrick Hemingway, South Carolina State (Round 6, pick 177)
- Giants: Jerrell Adams, South Carolina (Round 6, pick 184)
- Vikings: David Morgan, UTSA (Round 6, pick 188)
- Cowboys: Rico Gathers, Baylor (Round 6, pick 217)
- Dolphins: Thomas Duarte, UCLA (Round 7, pick 231)
- Panthers: Beau Sandland, Montana State (Round 7, pick 253)
Offensive tackles
- Ravens: Ronnie Stanely, Notre Dame (Round 1, pick 6)
- Titans: Jack Conklin, Michigan State (Round 1, pick 8)
- Dolphins: Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss (Round 1, pick 13)
- Lions: Taylor Decker, Ohio State (Round 1, pick 16)
- Seahawks: Germain Idefi, Texas A&M (Round 1, pick 31)
- Packers: Jason Spriggs, Indiana (Round 2, pick 48)
- Browns: Shon Coleman, Auburn (Round 3, pick 76)
- Patriots: Joe Thuney, NC State (Round 3, pick 78)
- Colts: Le’Raven Clark, Texas Tech (Round 3, pick 82)
- Seahawks: Rees Odhiambo, Boise State (Round 3, pick 97)
- Steelers: Jerald Hawkins, LSU (Round 4, pick 123)
- Ravens: Alex Lewis, Nebraska (Round 4, pick 130)
- 49ers: John Theus, Georgia (Round 5, pick 145)
- Buccaneers: Caleb Benenoch, UCLA (Round 5, pick 148)
- Lions: Joe Dahl, Washington State (Round 5, pick 151)
- Colts: Joe Haeg, North Dakota State (Round 5, pick 155)
- Jets: Brandon Shell, South Carolina (Round 5, pick 158)
- Eagles: Halapoulivaati Vaitai, TCU (Round 5, pick 164)
- Browns: Spencer Drango, Baylor (Round 5, pick 168)
- Cardinals: Cole Toner, Harvard (Round 5, pick 170)
- 49ers: Fahn Cooper, Ole Miss (Round 5, pick 174)
- Packers: Kyle Murphy, Stanford (Round 6, pick 200)
Offensive guards
- 49ers: Joshua Garnett, Stanford (Round 1, pick 28)
- Bears: Cody Whitehair, Kansas State (Round 2, pick 56)
- Chiefs: Parker Ehinger, Cincinnati (Round 4, pick 105)
- Vikings: Willie Beavers, Western Michigan (Round 4, pick 121)
- Broncos: Connor McGovern, Missouri (Round 5, pick 144)
- Bengals: Christan Westerman, Arizona State (Round 5, pick 161)
- Titans: Sebastian Tretola, Arkansas (Round 6, pick 193)
- Falcons: Wes Schmeltzer, San Jose State (Round 6, pick 195)
- Patriots: Ted Karras, Illinois (Round 6, pick 221)
- Chargers: Donavon Clark, Michigan State (Round 7, pick 224)
- Raiders: Vadal Alexander, LSU (Round 7, pick 234)
Centers
- Colts: Ryan Kelly, Alabama (Round 1, pick 17)
- Texans: Nick Martin, Notre Dame (Round 2, pick 50)
- Chargers: Max Tuerk, USC (Round 3, pick 66)
- Eagles: Isaac Seumalo, Oregon State (Round 3, pick 79)
- Lions: Graham Glasgow, Michigan (Round 3, pick 95)
- Cardinals: Evan Boehm, Missouri (Round 4, pick 128)
- Seahawks: Joey Hunt, TCU (Round 6, pick 215)
- Colts: Austin Blythe, Iowa (Round 7, pick 248)
Defensive ends
- Chargers: Joey Bosa, Ohio State (Round 1, pick 3)
- 49ers: DeForest Buckner, Oregon (Round 1, pick 7)
- Bills: Shaq Lawson, Clemson (Round 1, pick 19)
- Browns: Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State (Round 2, pick 32)
- Titans: Kevin Dodd, Clemson (Round 2, pick 33)
- Raiders: Jihad Ward, Illinois (Round 2, pick 44)
- Broncos: Adam Gotsis, Georgia Tech (Round 2, pick 63)
- Browns: Carl Nassib, Penn State (Round 2, pick 65)
- Jaguars: Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland (Round 3, pick 69)
- Ravens: Bronson Kaufusi, BYU (Round 3, pick 70)
- Bears: Jonathan Bullard, Florida (Round 3, pick 72)
- Raiders: Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State (Round 3, pick 75)
- Cowboys: Charles Tapper, Oklahoma (Round 4, pick 101)
- Packers: Dean Lowry, Northwestern (Round 4, pick 137)
- Ravens: Matt Judon, Grand Valley State (Round 5, pick 146)
- Jaguars: Tyrone Holmes, Montana (Round 6, pick 181)
- Lions: Anthony Zettel, Penn State (Round 6, pick 202)
- Jaguars: Jonathan Woodard, Central Arkansas (Round 7, pick 226)
- Eagles: Alex McAlister, Florida (Round 7, pick 240)
Defensive tackles
- Saints: Sheldon Rankins, Louisville (Round 1, pick 12)
- Packers: Kenny Clark, UCLA (Round 1, pick 27)
- Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss (Round 1, pick 29)
- Panthers: Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech (Round 1, pick 30)
- Chiefs: Chris Jones, Mississippi State (Round 2, pick 37)
- Titans: Austin Johnson, Penn State (Round 2, pick 43)
- Lions: A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama (Round 2, pick 46)
- Seahawks: Jarran Reed, Alabama (Round 2, pick 49)
- Cowboys: Maliek Collins, Nebraska (Round 3, pick 67)
- Bills: Adolphus Washington, Ohio State (Round 3, pick 80)
- Steelers: Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State (Round 3, pick 89)
- Patriots: Vincent Valentine, Nebraska (Round 3, pick 96)
- Jaguars: Sheldon Day, Notre Dame (Round 4, pick 103)
- Colts: Hassan Ridgeway, Texas (Round 4, pick 116)
- Saints: David Onyemata (Round 4, pick 120)
- Bengals: Andrew Billings, Baylor (Round 4, pick 122)
- Ravens: Willie Henry, Michigan (Round 4, pick 132)
- 49ers: Ronald Blair, Appalachian State (Round 5, pick 142)
- Seahawks: Quinton Jefferson, Maryland (Round 5, pick 147)
- Washington: Matt Ioannidis, Temple (Round 5, pick 152)
- Texans: D.J. Reader, Clemson (Round 5, pick 166)
Outside linebackers
- Bears: Leonard Floyd, Georgia (Round 1, pick 9)
- Jets: Darron Lee, Ohio State (Round 1, pick 20)
- Cowboys: Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame (Round 2, pick 34)
- Jaguars: Myles Jack, UCLA (Round 2, pick 36)
- Buccaneers: Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky (Round 2, pick 39)
- Ravens: Kamalei Correa, Boise State (Round 2, pick 42)
- Falcons: Deion Jones, LSU (Round 2, pick 52)
- Jets: Jordan Jenkins, Georgia (Round 3, pick 83)
- Packers: Kyler Fackrell, Utah State (Round 3, pick 88)
- Browns: Joe Schobert, Wisconsin (Round 4, pick 99)
- Falcons: De’Vondre Campbell, Minnesota (Round 4, pick 115)
- Colt: Antonio Morrison, Florida (Round 4, pick 125)
- Lions: Antwione Williams, Georgia Southern (Round 5, pick 169)
- Chargers: Jatavis Brown, Akron (Round 5, pick 175)
- Buccaneers: Devante Bond, Oklahoma (Round 6, pick 183)
- Chiefs: Dadi Nicolas, Virginia Tech (Round 6, pick 203)
- Steelers: Travis Feeney, Washington (Round 6, pick 220)
- Titans: Aaron Wallace, UCLA (Round 7, pick 222)
- Vikings: Stephen Weatherly, Vanderbilt (Round 7, pick 227)
- Colts: Trevor Bates, Maine (Round 7, pick 239)
- Steelers: Tyler Matakevich, Temple (Round 7, pick 246)
Inside linebackers
- Bills: Reggie Ragland, Alabama (Round 2, pick 41)
- Bengals: Nick Vigil, Utah State (Round 3, pick 87)
- Chargers: Joshua Perry, Ohio State (Round 4, pick 102)
- Giants: B.J. Goodson, Clemson (Round 4, pick 109)
- Bears: Nick Kwiatkoski, West Virginia (Round 4, pick 113)
- Packers: Blake Martinez, Stanford (Round 4, pick 131)
- Vikings: Kentrell Brothers, Missouri (Round 5, pick 160)
- Rams: Josh Forrest, Kentucky (Round 6, pick 190)
- Patriots: Elandon Roberts, Houston (Round 6, pick 214)
- Washington: Steven Daniels, Boston College (Round 7, pick 232)
- Browns: Scooby Wright III, Arizona (Round 7, pick 250)
- Eagles: Joe Walker, Oregon (Round 7, pick 251)
Cornerbacks
- Jaguars: Jalen Ramsey, Florida State (Round 1, pick 4)
- Giants: Eli Apple, Ohio State (Round 1, pick 10)
- Buccaneers: Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida (Round 1, pick 11)
- Bengals: William Jackson III, Houston (Round 1, pick 24)
- Steelers: Artie Burns, Miami (Round 1, pick 25)
- Dolphins: Xavien Howard, Baylor (Round 2, pick 38)
- Vikings: Mackensie Alexander, Clemson (Round 2, pick 54)
- Patriots: Cyrus Jones, Alabama (Round 2, pick 60)
- Panthers: James Bradberry, Samford (Round 2, pick 62)
- 49ers: Will Redmond, Mississippi State (Round 3, pick 68)
- Chiefs: Keivarae Russell, Notre Dame (Round 3, pick 74)
- Panthers: Daryl Worley, West Virginia (Round 3, pick 77)
- Washington: Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech (Round 3, pick 84)
- Cardinals: Brandon Williams, Texas A&M (Round 3, pick 92)
- Ravens: Tavon Young, Temple (Round 4, pick 104)
- Chiefs: Eric Murray, Minnesota (Round 4, pick 106)
- Buccaneers: Ryan Smith, North Carolina Central (Round 4, pick 108)
- Jets: Juston Burris, NC State (Round 4, pick 118)
- Bears: Deiondre’ Hall, Northern Iowa (Round 4, pick 127)
- 49ers: Rashard Robinson, LSU (Round 4, pick 133)
- Panthers: Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma (Round 5, pick 141)
- Titans: Leshaun Sims, Southern Utah (Round 5, pick 157)
- Browns: Trey Caldwell, Louisiana-Monroe (Round 5, pick 173)
- Chiefs: D.J. White, Georgia Tech (Round 6, pick 178)
- Cowboys: Anthony Brown, Purdue (Round 6, pick 189)
- Eagles: Blake Countess, Auburn (Round 6, pick 196)
- Cardinals: Harlan Miller, SE Louisiana (Round 6, pick 205)
- Ravens: Maurice Canady, Virginia (Round 6, pick 209)
- Bills: Kevon Seymour, USC (Round 6, pick 218)
- 49ers: Prince Charles Iworah, Western Kentucky (Round 7, pick 249)
- Titans: Kalan Reed, Southern Miss (Round 7, pick 253)
Safeties
- Raiders: Karl Joseph, West Virginia (Round 1, pick 14)
- Falcons: Keanu Neal, Florida (Round 1, pick 17)
- Washington: Su’a Cravens, USC (Round 2, pick 53)
- Colts: T.J. Green, Clemson (Round 2, pick 57)
- Steelers: Sean Davis, Maryland (Round 2, pick 58)
- Saints: Vonn Bell, Ohio State (Round 2, pick 61)
- Titans: Kevin Byard, Middle Tennessee State (Round 3, pick 64)
- Giants: Darian Thompson, Boise State (Round 3, pick 71)
- Broncos: Justin Simmons, Boston College (Round 3, pick 98)
- Lions: Miles Killebrew, Southern Utah (Round 4, pick 111)
- Bears: Deon Bush, Miami (Round 4, pick 124)
- Browns: Derrick Kindred, TCU (Round 4, pick 129)
- Texans: KJ Dillon, West Virginia (Round 5, pick 159)
- Cardinals: Marqui Christian, Midwestern State (Round 5, pick 167)
- Bears: DeAndre Houston-Carson, William & Mary (Round 6, pick 185)
- Dolphins: Jordan Lucas, Penn State (Round 6, pick 204)
- Cowboys: Kavon Frazier, Michigan (Round 6, pick 212)
- Broncos: Will Parks, Arizona (Round 6, pick 219)
- Eagles: Jalen Mills, LSU (Round 7, pick 233)
- Vikings: Jaylon Kearse, Clemson (Round 7, pick 244)
- Bengals: Clayton Fejedelem, Illinois (Round 7, pick 245)
Kickers
- Buccaneers: Roberto Aguayo, Florida State (Round 2, pick 59)
Punters
- Chargers: Drew Kaser, Texas A&M (Round 6, pick 179)
- Broncos: Riley Dixon, Syracuse (Round 7, pick 228)
- Jets: Loc Edwards, Sam Houston State (Round 7, pick 235)
Long snappers
- Lions: Jimmy Landes, Baylor (Round 6, pick 210)
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