2016 NFL Draft: Will a Quarterback Be Drafted in the Top 10?
By Jason McIntyre
The 2016 NFL draft isn’t until April 28, but it’s never too early to discuss how things are changing as we inch closer to the date. Something very surprising has taken shape as the calendar has turned to December: Whether it’s been due to injury at the position (Dallas, Baltimore), having a young QB (Tennessee, Jacksonville), or just having a really bad season (San Diego, Detroit), a lot of teams that may draft in the Top 10 do not need a QB.
Heading into Week 12, here is the current Top 10 2016 NFL Draft order, and what their QB situation looks like:
1. Tennessee 2-9 – QB: Marcus Mariota. They won’t be drafting a QB early, or perhaps at all. Difficult to guess where they’ll be looking given the front office/coaching situation. Offensive line? Mariota has been sacked 26 times (10th in the NFL) in nine starts.
2. Cleveland 2-9 – QB: None. Johnny Manziel was going to get a chance to be the starter the rest of the way, but he couldn’t stop partying. Josh McCown is 36 and keeps getting hurt. They desperately need a QB. But who will be drafting? One NFL reporter thinks coach Mike Pettine is gone.
3. Dallas 3-8 – QB: Tony Romo. He’s only 35, but in the last five years has suffered three fractures of his left clavicle and had two back surgeries. Given how badly Jerry Jones wanted Manziel at the 2014 draft, the Cowboys could pick him up if he’s a free agent, or take a QB in the mid-late rounds. It’s Jerry Jones, though, so who knows what he’ll do.
4. San Diego 3-8 – QB: Philip Rivers. Just got a new $21 million extension in August. The Chargers were projected to contend for a playoff spot, but were decimated by injuries. Rivers is completing 68% of his passes, tops in the NFL. No way they draft a QB in the 1st round.
5. San Francisco 3-8 – QB: None. Colin Kaepernick will almost certainly be released to save money. Blaine Gabbert has had a resurgence (given where he was in Jacksonville, he could only go up), but he’s a backup, not a guy to try and build the franchise around. Pity the QB who gets drafted to this franchise and Jim Tomsula. I’m not sold on Jared Goff, but he’s a California kid who will get strong 1st round consideration.
6. Miami 4-7 – QB: Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins lavished him with a big-money extension last offseason – $45 million guaranteed! – but he’s not delivering. What quality coach is going to want to come in and try and win with Tannehill? He’ll be back in 2016, so I can’t imagine the Dolphins taking a QB in the first round, given their needs defensively and on the OL.
7. Jacksonville 4-7 – QB: Blake Bortles. He’s been up and down for two years now, hasn’t completed 60% of his passes yet, and though he’s cut turnovers, he still makes mind-numbingly bad mistakes (like throwing two passes while across the line of scrimmage in the red zone vs San Diego). Hasn’t been bad enough to draft a QB early. Maybe not at all. His backup, Chad Henne, is only 30.
8. Baltimore 4-7 – QB: Joe Flacco. Suffered the 1st injury of his career in November, tearing his ACL and MCL. Turns 31 in January. Makes a lot of money. The Ravens were close to the AFC Title game in 2014; will they be rebuilding in 2016? Backup QB Matt Schaub is a pick-six machine; they’ll need to draft a backup, but not early.
9. Philadelphia 4-7 – QB: None. Could technically have Sam Bradford as the QB, but he’s a free agent next year, but it’s pretty clear he isn’t the same QB he was before the ACL injuries. It’d be shocking if the Eagles extended him. Chip Kelly’s gone through Mike Vick, Matt Barkley, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez. There will be two enticing free agent options in Kaepernick and RGIII. Given the Eagles don’t have a 2nd round draft pick (the Bradford trade), would they gamble on Goff, or Paxton Lynch of Memphis? Drop back QBs Connor Cook and Christian Hackenberg don’t seem to fit into Chip Kelly’s offense, or at least the successful ones he ran at Oregon.
10. Detroit 4-7 – QB: Matt Stafford. Remember when he was being talked about as trade bait earlier in the season? Not happening. The Lions are going to make a lot of changes, but Stafford will definitely be back, unless they want to nuke the joint and start all over. It’s not easy finding franchise QBs (and yes, Stafford is one). Now Megatron? He may not return, and they could pick up two starters by moving on from Calvin Johnson.