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Acme Packing Company's 2016 mock draft continues on with picks five and six in round one, as we release the first-round picks over the course of this week. The rules were simple: seven authors were assigned four or five teams apiece, and made the picks for each of those teams whenever they came up. We will pick the first three rounds of the draft.
The next two picks have a distinctly Buckeye-infused flavor to them, with one player who left that college after this season and another who had to transfer to an FCS school after repeated off-the-field issues.
Round 1, Pick 17: Atlanta Falcons select LB Darron Lee, Ohio State
Up for the Falcons is our Jake Hyman, who has this to say about the pick of the super-athletic Lee:
GM Thomas Dimitroff has a tendency of targeting need with the Falcons' first pick and Darron Lee fits what the general manager's mantra is. It could be either Lee or his former teammate Noah Spence here, but Lee shined at the collegiate level, totaling 66 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and 2.0 forced fumbles.
Former Wisconsin Badger O'Brien Schofield had only 30 total tackles in 2015 and the Falcons should be looking for an upgrade at outside linebacker. Lee has been mocked as high as No. 11 and later in the first round, but would be an immediate contributor to a Falcons defense. If Lee is another Sean Weatherspoon, pre-injury, that would be a positive for Atlanta.
Round 1, Pick 18: Indianapolis Colts pick OLB Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
Taking Spence for Indy is Jason B. Hirschhorn, who has this to say about the embattled pass-rusher:
Few teams have bungled the draft as thoroughly as the Colts in recent years. Besides the slam-dunk selection of Andrew Luck, general manager Ryan Grigson has squandered his top picks on players ranging from Bjoern Werner to Trent Richardson. After last offseason's ultimately fruitless free-agent spending spree, the team needs some cheap young talent to rebuild its defense.
Enter Noah Spence. Once a premier prospect with Ohio State, Spence saw his fortunes plummet after failed drug tests led to Urban Meyer kicking him off the Buckeyes and the Big Ten conference banning him. However, the pass rusher bounced back, putting together a solid season in 2015 at Eastern Kentucky. Despite whatever concerns Indy may have, Spence's upside makes this an intriguing pick.
Mock Draft Summary
Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
1.1 | TEN | Laremy Tunsil | OT | Mississippi |
1.2 | CLE | Jared Goff | QB | California |
1.3 | SD | Jalen Ramsey | DB | Florida State |
1.4 | DAL | Joey Bosa | DE | Ohio State |
1.5 | JAX | Myles Jack | LB | UCLA |
1.6 | BAL | DeForest Buckner | DE | Oregon |
1.7 | SF | Carson Wentz | QB | North Dakota State |
1.8 | PHI (via MIA) | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Ohio State |
1.9 | TB | Ronnie Stanley | OT | Notre Dame |
1.10 | NYG | Laquon Treadwell | WR | Mississippi |
1.11 | CHI | Vernon Hargreaves III | CB | Florida |
1.12 | NO | Sheldon Rankins | DT | Louisville |
1.13 | MIA (via PHI) | Shaq Lawson | DE | Clemson |
1.14 | OAK | Reggie Ragland | ILB | Alabama |
1.15 | LA | Paxton Lynch | QB | Memphis |
1.16 | DET | Jack Conklin | OT | Michigan State |
1.17 | ATL | Darron Lee | LB | Ohio State |
1.18 | IND | Noah Spence | OLB | Eastern Kentucky |
1.19 | BUF | |||
1.20 | NYJ |