2016 NFL Draft Day-Two Values: Offense | 2016 NFL Draft Day-Two Values: Defense
2016 NFL Draft Day-Three Sleepers
Published April 21, 2016.
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
In the recent weeks, there have been a lot of questions about which players to avoid in the 2016 NFL Draft class. Every draft has some players who are selected highly only to becoming massive disappointments in the NFL. Here, we breakdown some potential busts in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Connor Cook, Michigan State This was a tough call because I think there is bust potential with Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch, Christian Hackenberg and Dak Prescott. I chose Cook because he could go as a top-60 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and think he carries a lot of risk. As a quarterback, Cook is inaccurate and doesn’t offer special traits. He misses on too many routine passes and I don’t believe his accuracy will get better in a league that is a lot harder on quarterbacks than the Big 10.
Team sources said that Cook was very disappointing in his football I.Q. despite lots of experience in a pro-style offense. He did not have good play recall in the combine interviews. Off the field, teams questions his leadership and what kind of a teammate he is. Overall, if there is one quarterback who has a huge slide in the 2016 NFL Draft and ends up not panning out at the next level, I think the odds of that are the highest with Cook.
Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech Dixon could be a second- or third-round pick, so the team that drafts him will probably expect him to be a three-down starter in time. Dixon is a quality runner and receiver, but he is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. He isn’t overly fast, big or physical. He also has a serious ball-security issue and had far too many fumbles in college. I think that could be a problem as a rookie and get his career off to a rocky start. From there, I think Dixon could become more of a backup and not live up to his draft stock. I’m not saying that Dixon will definitely be a bust, but I think that possibility is there.
Corey Coleman, Baylor This wasn’t an easy decision. I considered going with Laquon Treadwell because I think he will struggle to separate from NFL cornerbacks, but Treadwell makes up for it with size, strength, winning 50-50 passes, and blocking. I chose Coleman because I see some potential flaws in his game. The 5-foot-10, 194-pounder is a quick receiver, but he is not a burner like Will Fuller, Sammy Watkins or Odell Beckham Jr. Coleman doesn’t have that gear of speed. He also only ran four routes in college, so he needs a lot of development as a route-runner. Plus, Coleman drops a lot of passes. At 5-foot-10, 194-pounder, he doesn’t have size to help him. Of the potential first- and second-round receivers, I think Coleman has the most bust potential.
Jack Conklin, Michigan State I don’t think Conklin has bust potential as a right tackle or guard, but at left tackle, I think Conklin could be a bust. In college, he had some struggles with special speed rushers and powerful defensive ends – see games against Yannick Ngakoue and Shawn Oakman. I think NFL speed rushers are going to exploit Conklin being a bit slow and stiff. In the ground game, Conklin should be fine at left tackle, but as a blind-side protector I think he could have some ugly games when he goes against a good edge rusher. If Conklin stays at left tackle, I think he could be a player similar to Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher.
2016 NFL Draft Potential Busts: Offense | 2016 NFL Draft Potential Busts: Defense
2016 NFL Draft Day-Two Values: Offense | 2016 NFL Draft Day-Two Values: Defense
2016 NFL Draft Day-Three Sleepers
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