No mock draft survives contact with the real thing. There will always be surprise picks from unexpected places. The 2016 NFL draft will prove no different.
Top names have been hashed and re-hashed over and over again until certain experts and fans could recite them in their sleep. What nobody can say for sure is who will be the one that make the significant jumps up the board from where they are expected to go and throw a wrench into the plans of others.
Such is the possibility created by having different men with different tastes in charge of different teams. Not everybody sees things the same way. So in that light, the Mocks crew was polled with a simple question: who will be their 1st round upset pick and why?
Brady Lunt:
"“Connor Cook. With two quarterbacks presumably going 1 and 2, Lynch and Cooks stock has soared. Although Cook has largely been mocked in the second or third round, a couple scenarios could see him go in the first, including someone like the Broncos at the end of the round or a desperate team trading up to secure him.”"
Jeff Olsen:
"“I’ll say Jason Spriggs. He’s a very good athlete, comparable to offensive tackles who have gone in the top five picks in previous years. Overall it’s a weak OT class and if you don’t get one early then options are very limited in the middle rounds.”"
Kyle McKinnon:
"“I’ll go with Connor Cook as well. More than a few teams reportedly like him quite a bit, so I really do believe he’ll sneak into the first round. At the moment, the Broncos seem to be prime candidates to select Cook, which would be a bit of a reach. Regardless of the team, someone will take him in the latter portions of the first round.”"
Another name that bears watching? West Virginia safety Karl Joseph. A lot of experts believe he won’t go until Day 2 of the draft because of his smaller size and recent injury history. However, it’s becoming clear that most view him as the best at his position in the draft. Given the growing love (and need) for good safeties in a modern defense, there’s a strong chance a team late in the 1st round won’t skip on the opportunity to get him. His leadership, production and athletic skill set are too good.
Time will tell if any of these players, or others create some chaos early in this 2016 NFL draft.