The good news is your college football team managed to produce a projected first-round NFL draft pick, maybe more. The bad news is it has to replace those future pros. It’s part of the annual life cycle in the sport—saying goodbye to great ones and hoping those who take their place can be nearly as good. It’s an unfair expectation placed on these replacements but one we’ve become used to making, especially during the long period between the end of one season and the start of the next. Using Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller’s latest 2016 mock draft as a guide, we have identified the most likely successor to every projected first-round pick. Some may be existing starters who are moving to a new position, while others are reserves whose experience this past season should help them take on a greater role. And a few are newcomers who will be thrown right into the fire. Replacement for: A’Shawn Robinson Jonathan Allen surprised many by choosing to return to college for his senior year, but by doing so he makes the loss of a Robinson manageable. After all, Allen was Alabama’s leader in sacks (12) and tackles for loss (14.5) last season. Numbers aside, the 6’3”, 283-pound Allen now will take on more of a leadership role with much of the rest of the Crimson Tide’s defensive line set to be sophomores and juniors. That can only add to his draft stock, which he told ESPN.com’s Chris Low was only worth a second-round grade after 2015. …
Continue Reading: Replacements for Every Projected 1st-Round Pick in B/R’s 2016 Mock NFL Draft
