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APC Mock Draft 2016: Derrick Henry ends up in KC, Nkemdiche to Arizona

We get a bit of a surprise late in the first round - a second running back comes off the board in round one of the APC mock.

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

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.

In the penultimate pair of picks for round one, and we'll finish out the first round just a bit later this afternoon. Here, however, we find a bit of a surprise - a second running back going in round one (Ezekiel Elliott went to the Eagles at #8) and a troubled lineman.

Round 1, Pick 28: Kansas City Chiefs select running back Derrick Henry, Alabama

Jake Hyman makes the pick for the Chiefs here. For what it's worth, he has made both first-round running back picks in our mock draft.

Jamaal Charles is fragile and I appreciate Charcandrick West's appreciation for Pokemon, but there arguably isn't an offensive talent left on the board that has a ceiling resembling Derrick Henry's. This is a freight train at the running back position and might generate some comparisons to mega bust Trent Richardson. Don't knock on Henry simply for that reason, he's a diligent worker who can handle weekly punishment.

Locking up the 2015 Heisman award, Henry was Alabama's bell cow that couldn't be contained. Rushing for 2219 yards and 28 touchdowns, the imposing 6'3", 243-pound force should be one of the favorites to capture the Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season. Kansas City needs firepower on offense, it's been apparent for many seasons. Henry is the heir to Charles, whose entering his ninth campaign in the NFL.

Round 1, Pick 29: Arizona Cardinals pick defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss

APC's Mike Vieth was behind the Cardinal's selection in our mock:

The Cardinals and Bruce Arians made a big trade for Chandler Jones this offseason to pair him with Calais Campbell at the defensive end spot. Now they go for one of the best talents in the entire draft in Robert Nkemdiche. Nkemdiche is flexible, can defend the run well in the middle and can give those ends a break if it's needed. While he does have some character issues that worry teams, Bruce Arians has never let that get in the way of picking a player. Nkemdiche will make this one of the most talented and scary defensive lines in the league.

The Cardinals have a few holes to patch in their secondary and offensive line but Nkemdiche's talent is too good to pass up at this spot. The Jones trade left them without a 2nd round pick and to get a top-10 talent at pick 29 will be a steal. His situation kind of reminds me of Randy Moss when he fell to the Vikings in 1998. If Nkemdiche can produce to level that Moss did for Minnesota, in a few years everyone will be commenting at how Arizona was able to steal him from the previous 28 teams.

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 Emmanuel Ogbah DE Oklahoma State
1.20 NYJ A'Shawn Robinson DT Alabama
1.21 WAS Cody Whitehair OL Kansas State
1.22 HOU Josh Doctson WR TCU
1.23 MIN Leonard Floyd LB Georgia
1.24 CIN Corey Coleman WR Baylor
1.25 PIT Taylor Decker OT Ohio State
1.26 SEA William Jackson III CB Houston
1.27 GB Andrew Billings DT Baylor
1.28 KC Derrick Henry RB Alabama
1.29 ARI Robert Nkemdiche DL Mississippi
1.30 CAR
1.31 DEN