7 prospects teams should avoid in the 1st round

The 2016 NFL Draft is loaded with top-end future NFL talent, but not everyone is going to work out. Here's a look at seven prospects teams should think twice about drafting in the opening round:

Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss

Nkemdiche was the number one recruit out of high school and often made plays worthy of a top-5 pick at Ole Miss, but his inconsistency paired with a list of off-field flags makes him tough for teams to trust with a first-round pick.

The 21-year-old was suspended for the Rebels' 2016 bowl game. Following that, he was charged with possession after falling out of a fourth floor hotel window. Nkemdiche saw no problem throwing his teammate Laremy Tunsil under the bus to media at the scouting combine when asked about the hotel incident. He even recently admitted his intentions to buy a pet panther once he's drafted; there's no way that can go wrong, right?

Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama

As a rule, many teams refuse to draft running backs in the first round. You can thank so-called "can't-miss" prospects like Trent Richardson and C.J. Spiller for that. Henry's skillset is intriguing, but it's not worth a first-round risk.

Not many 6-foot-3, 247-pound men, let alone running backs, can run like Henry, but he had the luxury of running behind a stellar offensive line at Alabama, often going untouched on long touchdown runs. The NFL hasn't seen a running back put up a career worthy of an opening-round selection at Henry's size since the days of Marion Motley in Cleveland. He just might be the NFL's next big thing, but the precedent to take Henry so early isn't there.

A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama

It's easy to be fooled by the look of this 21-year-old. He's an intimidating 307-pound presence whose highlight tape is steeped with examples of NFL talent, but don't be fooled by looks.

Robinson routinely took plays off at Alabama and greatly benefited from playing within such a talented defense. He had just one assisted tackle in Alabama's national semi-final game against Michigan State. He should be able to make some plays at the pro level, but he's not the every-down defender teams look for in the first round.

Cody Whitehair, OG, Kansas State

Whitehair is perfectly fine NFL prospect. He was a four-year starter with a great reputation as a hard working, team-oriented player with good technique and physical ability, but he's a guard.

This is a fairly deep draft, especially at the top, and there's no reason for a team to select a guard too high. The Washington Redskins passed on the likes of Leonard Williams and Todd Gurley to draft guard Brandon Scherff last year and sure, he's a fine player, but a guard can really only do so much to help a team win. Whitehair is the top guard in the draft, but fellow interior linemen Joshua Garnett and Christian Westerman aren't that much of a downgrade from the Kansas State product. Teams would be smart to hold off until the second day to worry about adding a guard.

Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky

Spence is probably the best pure speed rusher among this year's crop of NFL prospects, but he comes with a stack of off-the-field issues. The former Ohio State Buckeye was ruled ineligible for the Big Ten school's team after failing multiple drug tests with ecstasy in his system, then transferred to Eastern Kentucky, where he failed another test.

Spence didn't turn many heads at the scouting combine. He reverted to relying more on his natural talents than rounding out his game against lesser competition in the Ohio Valley Conference. There have been some positive reports of a self-imposed turnaround by Spence, but his drug history coupled with a tough-to-judge season in Eastern Kentucky make him a candidate to slip into the second round.

Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame

Fuller's deep threat ability has seen the Notre Dame pass catcher move up the boards in recent weeks mostly because the rest of the receiver class is so slow. There's no doubt he can burn it down the sideline, but that's about it.

He isn't particularly impressive dodging tacklers in the open field and has an astounding 21 drops over his past two seasons. He ran a fairly simplified route tree in Brian Kelly's system, and there is some concern that he won't be able to purely rely on speed to create production against quality NFL covermen. Fuller would be best used as a complementary piece to help keep safeties honest and create room for teammates. His speed is enticing, but he's not the do-everything receiver teams are searching for in the first round.

Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson

The Clemson cornerback saw his name creeping around the top 10 early in the draft preparation process, but with closer examination, Alexander is trending out of the first round.

Alexander only played two seasons for Dabo Swinney's Tigers, in which he recorded zero interceptions and only 10 pass deflections. He reportedly made a fool of himself during interviews at the draft combine, boasting about his knowledge to coaches and scouts before proceeding to look clueless with the Xs and Os. He's as confident as they come, but that can be a detriment when it comes to in-game communication, relationship with coaches, and staying focused. He doesn't have ideal size and relies a lot on instincts, athleticism, and quickness to make plays. It certainly isn't out of the question for Alexander to be successful at the pro level, but his college resume doesn't add up to a first-round pick.