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Ideal NFL draft picks for top 10 teams

Courtesy of USA Today Images

With the college football season ending, all eyes will turn to the NFL Draft.

The top 10 teams are obviously the ones that need the most help and will look to address their biggest need with their first pick of the draft.

How can the Tennessee Titans help young quarterback Marcus Mariota? What about Cleveland? Will the Browns look to build around troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel or use the No. 2 overall selection to take another shot at landing that ever elusive franchise passer?

Here is how we see the top of the draft playing out, with ideal picks for each of the top 10 teams.

1. Tennessee Titans: OT Laremy Tunsil, Mississippi

The Titans have the No. 1 overall pick but have the majority of long-term core starters already on the team. Marcus Mariota sure looks like the answer as the long term starting quarterback. This means the Titans shouldn’t even think about a quarterback at No. 1 overall.

Laremy Tunsil is a top tackle talent and could potentially start the year as the left tackle to help protect Mariota’s blind side. This would allow the team’s first-round pick from 2014, Taylor Lewan, to move to the right side, giving the Titans two outstanding tackles.

2. Cleveland Browns: QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis

The Cleveland Browns have arguably the worst owners in the NFL. However, you can’t draft new owners. So they have to settle with an improvement when it comes to the face of their franchise.

Johnny Manziel isn’t a good quarterback nor is he a role model or a player the team can trust going forward. The Browns would be smart to select the best quarterback in the draft and take Paxton Lynch out of Memphis—a Joe Flacco clone.

3. San Diego Chargers: DL DeForest Buckner, Oregon

The Chargers don’t have a single defensive end on the roster for their 3-4 alignment. While Joey Bosa would make sense if the Chargers had a 4-man front, this isn’t the case, and the team features some outstanding talent outside already.

This means they need to have someone who can act as both a space-eater and a penetrating force. DeForest Buckner was a great pass-rusher on the interior for the Ducks and has the potential to be a great fit as a 3-4 defensive end in the pros.

4. Dallas Cowboys: EDGE Joey Bosa, Ohio State

Courtesy of USA Today Images

Dallas hasn’t yet re-signed Greg Hardy to be their primary strong-side pass rusher, and it appears the team has begun to sour on the controversial figure. Because of where they are picking in the draft, it makes sense to let bygones be bygones and simply move on anyway.

Joey Bosa is an ideal fit at the strong-side defensive end role that Hardy plays. Combining Bosa with Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence would give the Cowboys a young, talented group of pass-rushers off the edge that could help them win more games next year, and in the years to come.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: EDGE Shaq Lawson, Clemson

Jacksonville has some pass-rushing talent in Gus Bradley’s defense, but they don’t have someone who can take over the game the same way that Shaq Lawson can.

Lawson is very similar to Michael Bennett from the Seahawks and could finally give the Jaguars that element at strong-side defensive end that they have been missing across from last year’s first-round pick Dante Fowler, Jr. at LEO.

6. Baltimore Ravens: WR Laquon Treadwell, Mississippi

Steve Smith is aging and the Ravens need someone who can replace his playmaking ability for the long term. Breshad Perriman has talent, but he was injured throughout his whole rookie season.

Laquon Treadwell is a true playmaker who could completely change the Ravens offense with Joe Flacco’s deep ball ability. Treadwell would pair well with Perriman and Smith during his first couple of years before becoming a long-term No. 1 for them.

7. San Francisco 49ers: QB Jared Goff, California

Jared Goff Cal

The 49ers are in flux and will get a new head coach this offseason. However, if you don’t have a franchise quarterback, then you need one.

With their situation surrounding Colin Kaepernick, it doesn’t look like they have one anymore. In 2005, they made the wrong selection in taking Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. They won’t make the same mistake now and should snatch up the extremely talented Jared Goff from Cal.

8. Miami Dolphins: OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame

The biggest hole in the Miami offense throughout the past couple of seasons has been its offensive line. Without a healthy Branden Albert, the Dolphins have looked horrible. With him, they have looked competent. He’s not a long-term solution for the position with his constant injuries, though.

Ronnie Stanley has franchise left tackle ability that compares with the Jake Matthews and Duane Brown’s of the world and should be an instant starter protecting Ryan Tannehill’s blind side.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida

No matter who the coach in Tampa winds up being, there’s no question that their cornerback situation is one of the worst in the NFL. Al Verner hit a wall very early in his contract and Johnthan Banks is the only other competent starter.

Enter Vernon Hargreaves. He’s arguably the best cornerback prospect since Darrelle Revis when he came out and should command a lot of attention during the draft process for his well-rounded game.

10. New York Giants: LB Myles Jack, UCLA

The biggest hole in the Giants’ defense this season was their poor linebacking corps. The most brilliant move they could make would be to add Myles Jack to takeover as their middle linebacker and defensive quarterback.

Jack has coverage and run stuffing ability that make his best comparison Brian Urlacher. However, his biggest flaw is pass rushing. Ideally, the Giants would take him and use him to his strengths with whoever their new head coach is.

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