According to several league executives, the 2016 NFL draft is lacking star power.
“There isn’t a special player out there,” one general manager said, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Another team executive said there are question marks about all the top players, including Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey and the potential first-round quarterbacks.
“Nothing really stands out at you when you look at it,” the executive said. “There’s a lot of depth and that is why I say you’re going to find out who your real scouts are. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Let’s see where that depth is.”
As the NFL Scouting Combine concludes, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil looks like the front runner to be the No. 1 overall pick. However, he’s not exactly a can’t-miss prospect for the Tennessee Titans at the top of the draft.
In his Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King wrote “there’s no top pick everyone is excited about.”
Star power in the draft often spawns from the quarterback position, where Jared Goff of Cal, Carson Wentz of North Dakota State and Paxton Lynch of Memphis are widely considered the three best signal callers. The three may turn out to be very good NFL quarterbacks, but the sure-fire player at the position probably doesn’t exist in the 2016 draft.
Last year, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were headline quarterbacks, while positional talents like Amari Cooper and Todd Gurley looked like future stars.
The 2016 draft will undoubtedly provide the NFL with a handful of future Pro Bowlers and All-Pros. But not all drafts are created equal, and the early estimation is that the 2016 class is lacking the star power at the top.
