SB Nation's Dan Kadar is back to producing his weekly 2016 NFL Mock Draft, typically attempting to predict the first round of the actual NFL Draft. This week, however, he threw in the second round of the draft as well, looking to stretch out the selections and demonstrate "some of the strengths of this year's draft." He goes on to explain that those strengths include "the defensive line, linebackers, and cornerbacks." Sounds like a perfect draft board for the Miami Dolphins.
Kadar's top five only saw one change from last week's projection, with the fifth selection for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Before the Jaguars get on the clock, Kadar projects the Tennessee Titans selecting Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, the Cleveland Browns picking Cal quarterback Jared Goff, the San Diego Chargers adding Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, and the Dallas Cowboys picking up Florida State safety/cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Jaguars, who in the last projection took Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander, are now adding Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner.
Alexander, meanwhile, slides just one spot to be selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth position. The San Francisco 49ers then use the seventh pick to grab Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, who last week was the Ravens' pick. San Francisco, with Stanley off the board in the previous mock draft, had selected Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.
The Dolphins, with the eighth pick, did not change from last week, despite the shuffling in front of them. Kadar still projects Miami to add Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves. Kadar writes:
Some of what happens with this pick will be determined by Olivier Vernon, who is a free agent. Still, it's hard to pass on Hargreaves here. Miami needs cornerbacks now, regardless of who is currently on the roster. He's a legit shutdown outside corner and a player that would improve the entire secondary because he doesn't need safety help often.
Jumping to the second round, Miami uses the 42nd overall pick (11th in the round) to select USC linebacker Su'a Cravens.
Both picks should help Miami improve their defense immediately. Hargreaves will likely slide immediately into the starting role opposite Brent Grimes, and provides a replacement whenever Grimes retires. Cravens is an interesting choice. He receives comparisons to retired Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, but he should end up at linebacker in the NFL. He plays with the same type of aggression as Polamalu and makes plays all across the USC defense, but he also needs to make sure he stays disciplined. He probably ends up playing on the weakside, though the Dolphins could try to make him a middle linebacker, the position they need the most at this point.
What do you think of the picks? Should Miami look defense-defense in the first two rounds?