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2016 NFL Draft Positional Preview Roundup

Looking back at all of our previews leading up to the start of the draft on Thursday

The 2016 NFL Draft begins this Thursday night from Chicago at 7 p.m. CT on the NFL Network.

Over the past few weeks, we've posted positional previews in order for fans to begin to familiarize themselves with some of the names that will be called over the weekend, potentially by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Here's a look back at each of those previews, including the names of some players fans should know as Thursday night approaches.

Full for a full description of the positional group, click the link.

A look at five intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Quarterbacks

California's Jared Goff (6 feet 4, 215 pounds)

"He's poised, he's accurate. He makes the right decision nine times out of 10, and if you take out the Utah game, 9.5 times out of 10."

North Dakota State's Carson Wentz (6 feet 5, 237 pounds)

"Carson Wentz is what a quarterback coach would draw up and create in a lab."

Memphis' Paxton Lynch (6 feet 7, 244 pounds)

"If you're playing flag football, you're picking him first."

Mississippi State's Dak Prescott (6 feet 2, 229 pounds)

"His accuracy isn't always great but his decision-making got better. His delivery got faster and he's not going to be a problem in your locker room."

Stanford's Kevin Hogan (6 feet 4, 220 pounds)

"I've always loved the game," Hogan noted. "I love that there's 11 moving parts that have to work together to be successful. It's not like its one person can change a game."

A look at five of the top WR's in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Receivers

Baylor's Corey Coleman (5 feet 10, 194 pounds)

"This guy may be the next Steve Smith. He plays fast and angry."

TCU's Josh Doctson (6 feet 2, 202 pounds)

"50/50 balls become 70/30 balls with him. He's amazing in the air."

Notre Dame's Will Fuller (6 feet, 186 pounds)

"SPEED. He'll take the top off the defense with an electric burst."

Oklahoma's Sterling Shepard (5 feet 10, 194 pounds)

"With more and more teams using '11' personnel (3 WRs) as their base offense, Shepard's stock should be on the rise."

Ohio State's Michael Thomas (6 feet 3, 212 pounds)

"Has the triangle numbers (height-weight-speed) of a WR1. Uses plus separation quickness at top of his route to provide comfortable passing window."

A look at five of the top OL in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Six Intriguing Offensive Linemen

Washington State's Joe Dahl (6 feet 4, 304 pounds)

"Displays the desired instincts and competitive temperament to be a long-time starter at the next level – best NFL position is inside at guard, but can kick outside to tackle if needed."

Arizona State's Christian Westerman (6 feet 3, 298 pounds)

"He rarely loses one-on-one match-ups on film due to his natural strength and athletic body control, utilizing his powerful hands to be a sticky blocker."

Louisiana State's Vadal Alexander (6 feet 5, 326 pounds)

"Alexander entered the line-up as a true freshman and started 46 of LSU's last 47 games. He has reliable football character and offers experience at multiple positions, but his NFL future is likely inside at guard."

Kansas State's Cody Whitehair (6 feet 4, 301 pounds)

"He left an indelible mark at Kansas State with his leadership, work ethic and high-level of play the last four years and boasts the professional make-up that will be welcomed in NFL locker rooms."

Missouri's Evan Boehm (6 feet 2, 302 pounds)

"A football lifer, Boehm will endear himself to coaches with his killer mentality, vocal leadership and violence to finish each rep."

Missouri's Connor McGovern (6 feet 4, 306 pounds)

"McGovern bounced between positions due to his versatility and offers starting experience at right guard and both tackle spots."

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Three Intriguing Tight Ends

Ohio State's Nick Vannett (6 feet 6, 257 pounds)

"Vannett has prototypical traits for the position with his size, blocking potential and catch radius to fit various roles and schemes."

South Carolina's Jerrell Adams (6 feet 5, 247 pounds)

"He projects as a solid No. 2 option, but will likely be drafted higher than he should due to his raw measureables."

Arkansas's Hunter Henry (6 feet 5, 250 pounds)

"Henry knows how to get open and has the best hands and route running athleticism at tight end in this draft class."

Here's a look at five intriguing defensive line prospects for the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Defensive Linemen

Louisiana Tech's Vernon Butler (6 feet 4, 323 pounds)

"Athletic interior lineman with long arms and outstanding athleticism that allows him to work on offensive linemen with a combination of power and quickness."

Louisville's Sheldon Rankins (6 feet 1, 299 pounds)

"Rankins is a ball of power with rare foot quickness, a great motor and outstanding feel for his position. With so many teams playing in sub­packages now, I would expect both 4-­3 and 3-­4 teams to consider him for an interior spot despite his shorter stature."

Ole Miss' Robert Nkemdiche (6 feet 3, 294 pounds)

"His talent and frame are worthy of an early selection, but his lack of high-­end production and character concerns could cause him to slide. With that said, he has the talent to be an impact starter in the league."

South Carolina State's Javon Hargrave (6 feet 1, 309 pounds)

"Raw, but athletic one­-gap penetrator who dominated his level of competition with effort and quickness. Credited with 16 sacks and 23.5 tackles for losses."

Alabama's Jarran Reed (6 feet 3, 307 pounds)

"Teams looking for a battle-­tested run ­stuffer will find an instant upgrade who should be able to come in and start immediately if needed."

A look at five intriguing linebacker prospects in this year's NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Inside Linebackers

Ohio State's Darron Lee (6 feet 1, 232 pounds)

"He can stuff the inside run, blitz off the edge and cover slot receivers. Sign me up."

Alabama's Reggie Ragland (6 feet 1, 247 pounds)

"Thumping inside linebacker with throwback size and tone­setting mentality. Ragland is a confident and capable early starter in league who has the temperament to become one of the premier run­stopping inside linebackers in the pro game."

UCLA's Myles Jack (6 feet 1, 245 pounds)

"He's a once-in-a-decade talent at linebacker if healthy."

Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith (6 feet 2, 235 pounds)

"His length and upfield burst could draw the attention of a 3-4 team looking to transition him into a rush linebacker while utilizing his rare cover skills. News regarding Smith's injury and potential issues surrounding recovery have created doubt regarding his draft stock and his final landing spot will be determined by a team's medicals."

Stanford's Blake Martinez (6 feet 2, 237 pounds)

"Martinez is a muscled-­up, throwback linebacker in a league that covets twitch and play speed over throwback traits. His special teams ability and overall tackle production is a big plus."

A look at five of the top outside linebackers in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Edge Rushers

Eastern Kentucky's Noah Spence (6 feet 2, 251 pounds)

"Noah Spence is the best edge rusher in this class. He's also a blue-chip competitor."

Georgia's Leonard Floyd (6 feet 6, 244 pounds)

"A highly intriguing size/length/athleticism prospect, he shows the impressive skills to stab, dip and flatten around the edge, maintaining his balance without losing speed to the pocket, but doesn't do this consistently. Floyd is deadly in space."

Clemson's Shaq Lawson (6 feet 2, 269 pounds)

"Power. Power. Power. He's the next Tamba Hali."

Virginia Tech's Dadi Nicolas (6 feet 3, 235 pounds)

"Athletic edge rusher with fluid footwork…excellent first-step momentum with the flexible joints to easily bend the corner while picking up speed."

Grand Valley State's Matt Judon (6 feet 3, 275 pounds)

"Small school-big production. One of the top sleepers available."

A look at five of the top safeties in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Safeties

West Virginia's Karl Joseph (5 feet 10, 205 pounds)

"His average size and subsequent durability will concern some teams due to his aggressive, attacking demeanor; however, Joseph is talented enough to become an early starter and high impact safety down the road."

Ohio State's Vonn Bell (5 feet 11, 199 pounds)

"Bell has the ability to match up in space and is at his best when keeping the action in front of him where he combines his vision, reactive quickness and ball skills to go make plays on the ball."

Northern Iowa's Deiondre Hall (6 feet 1, 199 pounds)

"Long and lanky with the arm length and interception production that will have teams trying to find a spot for him."

Boise State's Darian Thompson (6 feet 2, 208 pounds)

"His playmaking instincts & toughness will interest coaches as a downhill safety."

Duke's Jeremy Cash (6 feet, 212 pounds)

"[Jeremy] Cash is very well-respected by his coaches due to his smarts, intangibles and maturity."

Here's a look at five of the top CB prospects in this year's NFL Draft.

Five Intriguing Cornerbacks

Clemson's Mackensie Alexander (5 feet 10, 190 pounds)

"His fire for competition can't be extinguished…battle tested over 27 starts, usually shadowing the opponent's top receiving threat, lining up inside and outside – quarterbacks completed only 24.5 percent of passes in 2015 when targeting his receiver."

Houston's William Jackson III (6 feet, 189 pounds)

"He's much more comfortable in press-man when he can stay sticky to the receiver – excellent awareness with his back to the ball, controlling his speeds well to attack the catch point."

Ohio State's Eli Apple (6 feet 1, 199 pounds)

"He possesses several traits for the cornerback position that translate well to the next level with his size, length and athleticism."

Miami's Artie Burns (6 feet, 193 pounds)

"Play speed at the cornerback position is critical for the next level and he checks that box with the lower body explosion and hip fluidity to play tight coverage in both man and zone looks."

Southern Mississippi's Kalan Reed (5 feet 11, 199 pounds)

"Reed needs to add a dash of discipline to his game, but his explosive traits and playmaking instincts convert well to the NFL level – true sleeper prospect in this class who will likely out-play his draft position."

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