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The NFL’s annual college draft has become a national event, and predicting the choices of each team in the league, the analysts’ and experts’ “mock drafts”, has become a cottage industry.  Rayonsports.com will join the fun this year for the first time. Even though the possibility of trades exists, our picks will be chosen considering only each team remaining in their current spot. NOTE: Since this original post was made, the top 2 picks were indeed traded. Here is our mock draft for the first round of April’s draft:

1. Tennessee Titans – Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss. The Titans would like to improve their secondary and will reportedly consider trading down, within the top ten picks, to get that player. However, we figure that move could be risky, and that the team will stay put and pick Tunsil to add another piece to their O-line to protect their franchise QB, Marcus Mariota.
2. Cleveland Browns – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State. The Browns just signed Robert Griffin III so drafting a signal caller might seem like a bad idea, but this franchise needs to finally hit a home run on a franchise QB, and Wentz looks like the real deal.
3. San Diego Chargers – Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State. The Chargers need secondary help in a big way. They were already weak there, and then lost safety Eric Weddle in free agency. Ramsey is a versatile playmaker who can slide in at either safety or cornerback, just the type of player San Diego needs.
4. Dallas Cowboys – Joey Bosa, LB, Ohio State. Many experts see Jerry Jones picking a future QB here, but our opinion is that he’s committed to Tony Romo, and will use the choice to shore up the team’s defense. Bosa is considered a “safe” pick by some analysts, and a possible underachiever in the NFL by others.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars – Myles Jack, LB, UCLA. The Jags dove in big in free agency for defensive help. They signed Malik Jackson away from Denver to help the D-line, and Tashaun Gipson from the Browns for the secondary, so it makes sense that they’d use this pick to help the linebacking corps. Jack’s stock has risen recently among the experts.
6. Baltimore Ravens – Vernon Hargreaves III, DB, Florida. The Ravens may have other needs, but the feeling here is they will grab Hargreaves if he drops this far to put a future lockdown corner in their secondary.
7. San Francisco 49ers – Jared Goff, QB, California. This pick seems likely with Chip Kelly now coaching the Niners. Also, if the pick is made, look for a draft day trade that ships Colin Kaepernick out of the Bay City.
8. Philadelphia Eagles – Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss. New coach Doug Pederson needs to add some explosive weapons to his offense, and Treadwell is the best of a weak receiver class in this draft, possibly the only one who deserves to be a top ten pick.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Shaq Lawson, LB, Clemson. Although new head coach Dirk Koetter has an offensive background, we see the Bucs drafting Lawson to team with playmaking veteran Lavonte David on their linebacking corps.
10. New York Giants – Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame. The Giants needed defensive help, and addressed that by spending big on defense in free agency. The guess here is that if Stanley, who some scouts feel is better than Tunsil, falls this far they’ll snatch him up in a heartbeat.
11. Chicago Bears – Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Ohio State. The Bears let Matt Forte walk in free agency and they have other young backs, but the Buckeye stud is a prize they won’t be able to resist.
12. New Orleans Saints – DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon. The Saints need to strengthen their defensive line, and recently signed free agent Nick Fairley to help do that. They’ll be happy to add Buckner, who’s been projected in some mock drafts to go much higher, if he falls into their lap here.
13. Miami Dolphins – Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State. Miami went into the off-season with a lot of holes to fill, and spent some serious cash in free agency to do just that. The Fish still need to address their offensive line, and Conklin is a safe pick here. He should be a solid pro.
14.  Oakland Raiders – Eli Apple, DB, Ohio State. The Raiders are an up and coming team, so we see defensive-minded head coach Jack Del Rio lobbying to get a good, young cornerback with this pick. Apple may be a little bit of a reach here, but the Raiders will grab him.
15. Los Angeles Rams – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor. The Rams need a quarterback, and there’s a strong possibility they will trade up or down to get one, since there isn’t one left that warrants being chosen with this high of a pick. Since we’re not projecting trades, our pick will be a dynamic weapon to pair in the future with a QB they grab later in this draft.
16. Detroit Lions – Josh Doctson, WR, TCU. This big, steady receiver has been rising in the mock drafts since he had a great combine, and is a perfect pick to help offset the loss of Calvin Johnson, who recently retired.
17. Atlanta Falcons – Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama. Improving the defense is a priority for coach Dan Quinn, and with Ragland available, there won’t be any hesitation in the Falcons’ draft room to pick him.
18. Indianapolis Colts – Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State. The Colts’ defense is a weakness, and the few good players they have on that side of the ball are aging. Adding a young playmaking ‘backer like Lee will be a good addition.
19. Buffalo Bills – A’Shawn Robinson, DE, Alabama. This pick will have coach Rex Ryan smiling, as he begins to resurrect a disappointing defense in Buffalo. Robinson, projected to go much higher than this, should slide right into the starting position vacated by the departure of Mario Williams.
20. New York Jets – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State. Salary cap concerns may force the Jets to unload D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and Decker would be ideal to groom to eventually take over the left tackle spot.
21. Washington Redskins – Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson. A wise pick for a team that needs to shore up a porous pass defense. Alexander is a big, physical corner who isn’t much of a ballhawk but is good in shutting down top receivers.
22. Houston Texans – Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama. Houston addressed many of their needs in free agency, but still needs help along the O-line. Kelly could step into the starting lineup immediately, and has the versatility to play multiple positions up front.
23. Minnesota Vikings – William Fuller, WR, Notre Dame. Vikings have a need for a dynamic pass catcher, and Fuller is the best one available at this spot.
24. Cincinnati Bengals – Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss – the Bengals already have a pretty solid defensive front, but adding Nkemdiche will strengthen that unit even more. Cinci has shown in the past that they won’t shy away from a player with off-field baggage, so this pick makes sense.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers – Shilique Calhoun, LB, Michigan State. The well-respected captain of the Spartans’ defense should fit right in with the long, historic line of standout linebackers produced by the Steelers.
26. Seattle Seahawks – Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State. With the best tackles already off the board, the Hawks go with the best interior lineman available in the draft to help strengthen their weakened offensive line.
27. Green Bay Packers – Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama. The sudden retirement of BJ Raji necessitates this choice, but this is certainly no reach for a “need” pick. Reed is rated much higher on most draft boards and will help the Packer defense immensely.
28. Kansas City Chiefs – Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville. Many see him being picked much higher than this, so Andy Reid and the Chiefs will be thrilled to add this big, disruptive force to their interior defensive line.
29. Arizona Cardinals – Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor. A good fit for the Cardinals’ defensive line, Billings is a good choice here as the run on defensive linemen continues at the bottom of the first round.
30. Carolina Panthers – Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson. The Panthers lost only one game in 2015 so there aren’t many weaknesses on this team, but they do have a need to add playmakers on the D-line, and this is a deep draft for that position.
31. Denver Broncos – Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis. For the second time in their history, the Broncos face a season after winning the Super Bowl where they don’t have their starting quarterback returning. Lynch may not be the immediate starter, but the team will need to move quickly to address the position for the future.