The Top 10 Picks From 2016. How Did Their Careers Turn Out?

TL;DR

The 2016 top 10 was one of the best draft classes ever, producing 7 Pro Bowlers and 5 First-Team All-Pros.

Key Points

• 1.Jared Goff (#1) went from worst passer rating as a rookie to top-10 QB, winning Detroit's first playoff game in 32 years, but has struggled in big playoff moments.
• 2.Carson Wentz (#2) was an MVP frontrunner in 2017 before a leg injury derailed him; attitude issues and inconsistency led to him never reclaiming a starting job, ending as a backup by 2025.
• 3.Joey Bosa (#3) earned 5 Pro Bowls and is an elite pass rusher, but chronic injuries made him unreliable; released by the Chargers, he signed with Buffalo in 2025.
• 4.Ezekiel Elliott (#4) dominated his first 4 seasons, leading the NFL in rushing yards per game 3 times, but rapidly declined by his late 20s due to wear, age, and offseason concerns.
• 5.Jalen Ramsey (#5) is the best cornerback of the past decade — 8 Pro Bowls, 3 First-Team All-Pros, and a Super Bowl ring — before transitioning to safety in 2025.
• 6.Ronnie Stanley (#6) became a First-Team All-Pro in 2019 protecting Lamar Jackson, then suffered repeated ankle surgeries that permanently diminished him to average starter level.
• 7.DeForest Buckner (#7) and Jack Conklin (#8) both earned First-Team All-Pro honors — Buckner as a dominant interior pass rusher traded to the Colts for a first-round pick, Conklin as an elite run-blocking tackle derailed by two torn ACLs.
• 8.Leonard Floyd (#9) was a serviceable starter for 10 years but rarely exceeded average play, while Eli Apple (#10) was the class's biggest bust — benched, traded, called a "cancer," and remembered for being torched on the Super Bowl-winning TD.