I Was Right, I Was Wrong: 2016 NFL Draft Edition

Posted on January 3, 2017 Updated on January 3, 2017

Of all the articles and mock drafts I write, this article is my favorite. Many draft experts will give you their opinions of players, the talented ones as well as the potential busts. However, I believe that all draft experts should own up to the players they missed on. By the same token, if a draft pundit gets an analysis right on a player, they should be able to flaunt it a bit. It’s hard analyzing the draft prospects every year, even if you have a trained eye for attributes.

I’m not a fan of draft grades or draft redos because it doesn’t let the readers and viewers know how the draft expert did with their analysis. With that being said, here’s the early verdict on the players of the 2016 Draft Class, the good, the bad, and the ones who the jury is still out on. Spoiler alert, I had a tough year.

I WAS RIGHT

1) My Power 5 Players– My final player grades of 2016 had a clear cut top five: Jalen Ramsey, Joey Bosa, Ronnie Stanley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Laremy Tunsil. No other player was remotely close to these five. Every single one of these players shined in their rookie year.

Ramsey struggled out of the gate, but he was terrific during the second half of the season. Bosa got a bad rep around draft time for “not being an elite athlete.” I felt this was a blinded point of view. Football players translate, and Bosa is a football player through and through. He proved it all throughout the season. Stanley and Tunsil were standouts on the offensive line, as virtually everyone predicted, and Zeke Elliott was well worth that top 5 selection.

Many felt that these players would become big time pros, but hey, when you’re right, you’re right.

2) Sterling Shepard- Shepard is of my big hits when it comes to last year’s draft. In the months leading up to the draft, many felt Josh Doctson, Will Fuller, and Laquon Treadwell were the top players in the wide receiver class, with Corey Coleman not too far behind. While I agreed that the wide out class was deep, I thought Shepard was being overlooked.

Shepard’s impact on the Giants offense has been undeniable. He’s taken coverage away from Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz, and he’s quickly became one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets. Shepard is someone who should be an impact player in the NFL for a while.

3) Germain Ifedi- It always feels good when you predict a player to bust and you get it right. Ifedi, along with the rest of the Seahawks offensive line, has been absolute garbage this year. They won’t replace him just yet, but don’t expect Ifedi to get much better.

Bonus Pick: Sean Davis and Artie Burns- Get ready Steelers fans, these two are going to be fun to watch. Both players really improved during the second half of the season, especially Sean Davis. He was flying around the ball late in the year. It wouldn’t shock me if these two are Pro Bowlers one day.

I WAS WRONG

1) Christian Hackenburg- Hack headlines my blunders of the 2016 Draft. While I’m hopeful this will turn around, the project looks really bad right now. Hackenburg has failed to develop during practice. He looked so bad that he couldn’t earn a shot to start down the stretch over Bryce Petty. Now the Jets think he might be two years away from potentially starting. If the last statement is true, he might never get the opportunity to start in the NFL.

2) Jack Conklin- Here’s another absolute whiff on my part. I felt Conklin was overrated all throughout the draft process. Needless to say, I wasn’t close. Conklin has solidified the right side of the Titans offensive line, and was a big help in the development of Marcus Mariota. The Titans now have two bookend tackles for years to come.

3) Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson- Treadwell was someone who I thought could be a red zone terror in the NFL. Even when he ran a slow 40 time, I was still confident that he would be a quality receiver in the NFL. Long story short: nope.

Doctson was my top wide receiver from last year’s draft, and someone who I thought had superstar potential. He did tear his achilles in late may, and that could be why he struggled so much. One thing’s for certain, he looked terrible before being placed on injured reserve in October.

4) The Falcons Big Three- I personally felt the Falcons reached on Keanu Neal, and totally whiffed on Deion Jones and De’Vondre Campbell. Through 16 weeks, these three have proved me wrong.

Neal has been worth the selection, and one of the best defensive rookies this year. Deion Jones has been up and down, but even that is better than I thought he’d be. He has the athleticism to be a quality starter. Lastly, Campbell was one of the most underrated rookies during the second half of the season. He has been an impact player in coverage for the Falcons, and a key piece in Dan Quinn’s defense.

5) Jonathan Bullard and Leonard Floyd- Bullard was one of my underrated players of last year’s draft. I thought going to Chicago was a perfect fit for him. Bullard’s inconsistent effort level would prevent him from seeing the field, and now the Bears are back to square one in terms of their front line on defense.

Conversely, I thought Leonard Floyd was a bust waiting to happen. He had a limited move set, and I didn’t think pure speed would translate. However, Floyd proved to be an impact pass rusher, and could break out in 2017 if he’s healthy.

TO BE DETERMINED

1) Corey Coleman- Coleman was a first round wide receiver in my opinion, but his inconsistent play has many concerned. The emergence of Terrelle Pryor should have made the transition easier for Coleman, but injuries and inconsistent routes kept him from emerging. When he’s right, he’s proved to be a playmaking receiver. Time will tell whether he can develop into a number one wideout.

2) Eli Apple- Apple was dreadful during the first half of the year, as I predicted (I had a fourth round grade on him). Even though he looked lousy, the Giants stayed with him, and his play really improved during the second half of the year. I’m almost willing to chalk up Apple as a miss, but because of his inconsistency, the jury is still out on him.

3) Jared Goff- I was undecided on Goff, and when he went to Los Angeles I became concerned that he wouldn’t succeed because of the environment he was in. Jeff Fisher didn’t do him any favors by starting Case Keenum over him for most of the year, but Goff looked very bad when he took over. Plenty of rookie quarterbacks have struggled their first year and rebounded in year two, but I’m not sure Goff will be one of those players.