NFL teams
Todd McShay, senior NFL draft analyst 9y

McShay's Top 32 prospects for 2016

NFL Draft, College Football, NFL

College football is back. Finally. This summer, those of us at Scouts Inc. -- myself, Kevin Weidl and Steve Muench -- studied more than 140 players on tape, producing scouting reports and rankings based on their NFL potential.

Over the past two weeks, we've provided our rankings of the top prospects at every position, and here we present our preseason edition of the Top 32 (drawing on those same scouting reports, and making changes only where necessary). As the season progresses, it's a given that some players will rise up into the rankings while others will drop out, but this provides a good snapshot of the players with the most NFL potential as we enter the 2015 campaign.

Here's our first ranking of the Top 32 prospects for the 2016 NFL draft.

(Note: Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk.)


1. Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State Buckeyes*

Bosa is entering his third season as a starter after notching 34.5 tackles for loss and 21 sacks during his first two years in Columbus. He shows a consistent ability to convert speed to power and uses a wide array of pass-rush moves -- swim, rip, club, spin. With experience playing DE on both sides and moving inside to DT on obvious pass downs, Bosa brings a lot of scheme versatility to the table. 

2. Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida Gators*

Hargreaves lacks ideal size (5-foot-11, 199 pounds), but he has the instincts, aggressiveness and elite cover skills to develop into a good outside starting cornerback in the NFL. More physical than his frame might indicate, Hargreaves does a good job in press-man coverage, consistently redirecting wide receivers.

3. Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss Rebels*

A highly talented and versatile prospect, Nkemdiche is capable of playing three-technique or left defensive end in a 4-3 or five-technique in a 3-4. He's far more disruptive than his 2014 production would indicate (35 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks) and has outstanding quickness for his size (6-foot-4, 296).

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