With the NFL Draft fast approaching, we at Technician are breaking down the draft and predicting how the first round is going to play out for all 31 teams. We will be running ten picks for the next three weeks leading up to the draft. Let’s get things rolling with picks 1-10.
No. 1 Tennessee Titans: Laremy Tunsil, Offensive Tackle, Ole Miss
With quarterback Marcus Mariota drafted in 2015, and trading for running back DeMarco Murray this offseason, the Titans are slowly building an offensive juggernaut. Mariota needs a left tackle that can keep him upright, and Tunsil was key to keeping Chad Kelly injury-free at Ole Miss.
No. 2 Cleveland Browns: Carson Wentz, Quarterback, North Dakota State
The Browns are notorious for missing on quarterbacks over the last few drafts; Brandon Weeden, Brady Quinn and Johnny Manziel to name a few. Wentz doesn’t necessarily have a cannon-arm, but he has enough arm talent to make all the NFL throws. The fact that he didn’t play at the FBS level doesn’t matter, Wentz has the talent and skills to succeed at the next level.
No. 3 San Diego Chargers: Joey Bosa, Defensive End, Ohio State
The Chargers were dreadful on the defensive line this past season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in team sacks with 32. Despite the departure of Eric Weddle to Baltimore, the Chargers more pressing need is in the front seven, and Bosa alone had 51.5 sacks in three seasons with the Buckeyes.
No. 4 Dallas Cowboys: Jalen Ramsey, Safety, Florida State
Ramsey is an instant difference maker at the next level, and the Cowboys have shown an affinity to the 6’1” former Seminole. The Cowboys had eight interceptions as a team during 2015, tied for second worst in the league, a stat that Ramsey would significantly improve.
No. 5 Jacksonville Jaguars: Myles Jack, Linebacker, UCLA
The Jaguars have offensive weapons surrounding third-year quarterback Blake Bortles, and spent big money on defensive players in free agency. But head coach Gus Bradley’s calling card is defense, and the pressure will be on to produce after the Jaguars finished 31st in points allowed last season.
No. 6 Baltimore Ravens: Deforest Buckner, Defensive End, Oregon
The Ravens are in the position to sit back and wait for one of the top six prospects to fall to them, and here it is Buckner. His frame as a 6’7” defensive end at 287 pounds gives him great versatility to come in and be a difference maker in his first year in the league.
No. 7 San Francisco 49ers: Jared Goff, Quarterback, California
Despite the fact that Colin Kaepernick is still on the roster, amid trade negotiations with the Denver Broncos, the 49ers need to enter the season with a better quarterback than Blaine Gabbert. Goff is one of the top two quarterbacks in this draft and gives the 49ers a solid future at the position.
No. 8 Philadelphia Eagles: Vernon Hargreaves, Cornerback, Florida
Rookie cornerback Eric Rowe showed some decent improvement towards the end of the 2015 campaign, but the Eagles secondary was gashed for the fifth-most passing yards per game. Hargreaves is a stud corner who can immediately make a difference in the Eagles secondary.
No. 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LaQuan Treadwell, Wide Receiver, Ole Miss
A freakishly good athlete and an eventual successor to Vincent Jackson, it’s hard to believe that the Bucs would pass up giving Jameis Winston another offensive weapon. The tandem of Treadwell and Mike Evans would give NFC South cornerbacks nightmares for years.
No. 10 New York Giants: Ronnie Stanley, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame
The Giants enter the draft with a glaring need at tackle and waste no time in snatching up Stanley when he falls to them. The pick solidifies a weak Giants offensive line and gives much needed protection for franchise quarterback Eli Manning.