With the No. 4 pick, the Dallas Cowboys select ...
The Senior Bowl has come and gone. The NFL Scouting Combine happens later this month. Then, it’s Pro Days. A lot will change between now and the draft, but today, Laremy Tunsil looks like the top player, and Myles Jack appears the best bet for the Dallas Cowboys. New England does not have a first-round pick as part of the league’s punishment from the Deflategate scandal:
1. Tennessee – Laremy Tunsil, OT, Mississippi: Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick last season, was sacked 38 times in 12 games. With Tunsil on the left and Taylor Lewan, a first-round pick two years ago, on the right, Mariota should be well protected.
2. Cleveland – Jared Goff, QB, Cal: If at first you don’t succeed, ... The Browns will use a fifth first-round choice on a quarterback since their rebirth in 1999.
3. San Diego – Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State: Only eight teams finished with fewer than the Chargers’ 32 sacks last season.
4. Dallas – Myles Jack, LB, UCLA: He and Sean Lee would give the Cowboys a linebacker tandem to match Carolina’s Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly.
5. Jacksonville – Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State: The Jaguars haven’t used a first-round pick on a cornerback since 1999 when they selected Alabama’s Fernando Bryant 26th overall.
6. Baltimore – Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame: Eugene Monroe has an $8.9 million salary cap number this season, and he played only six games in 2015 before going on injured reserve.
7. San Francisco – Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State: The 49ers have to decide what to do with Colin Kaepernick, who has a $16 million cap hit. It might be time to draft a quarterback in the first round since taking Alex Smith in 2005.
8. Miami – Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida: Brent Grimes turns 33 this summer, and the Dolphins need to replace Brice McCain, who was cut.
9. Tampa Bay – DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon: The Bucs need a pass rusher. Jacquies Smith led the team’s defensive ends with seven sacks in 12 games.
10. NY Giants – Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State: The Giants ranked 19th in rushing last season, and Elliott, combined with Odell Beckham Jr., would give them two playmakers.
11. Chicago – Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky: The Bears, who played a 3-4 for the first time in team history last season, could lose starters Mitch Unrein and Jarvis Jenkins.
12. New Orleans – A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama: After ranking 31st in total defense and getting only 31 sacks, the Saints need defensive help and more defensive help.
13. Philadelphia – Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi: The Eagles let playmakers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin go in recent seasons. Without a 1,000-yard receiver last season, they need a playmaker.
14. Oakland – Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson: The Raiders, who ranked 26th against the pass last season, swung and missed in drafting cornerback D.J. Hayden in the first round in 2013.
15. Los Angeles – Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis: The Rams ranked 32nd in total offense and 32nd in passing offense, and with the move to Los Angeles, they need a franchise quarterback to build around.
16. Detroit – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State: The Lions can’t seem to find a right tackle – Michael Ola started seven games after being claimed off waivers during the season – and Decker would allow them to move left tackle Riley Reiff to the right side.
17. Atlanta – Jaylon Smith, OLB, Notre Dame: The Falcons had only 19 sacks and ranked 16th in total defense. Smith is a top-10 talent coming off knee surgery.
18. Indianapolis – Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State: The Colts allowed 37 sacks and a whopping 118 quarterback hits, second-worst in the NFL last season.
19. Buffalo – Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson: The Bills, who ranked 19th in total defense and had only 21 sacks, need to give Jerry Hughes some help.
20. NY Jets – Darron Lee, OLB, Ohio State: The defensive line is solid, but they desperately need a true outside pass-rusher.
21. Washington – Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama: The Redskins, who ranked 28th in total defense and have some key defensive free agents, need an impact player in the front seven.
22. Houston – Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville: Vince Wilfork, 34, will enter the final year of his contract and appears on his last legs.
23. Minnesota – Cody Whitehair, OG, Kansas State: The Vikings need offensive line help in the worst way after allowing 45 sacks last season, and if the top offensive tackles are gone, they could follow the Cowboys two years ago by taking a guard.
24. Cincinnati – Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia: Bengals linebackers Vincent Rey and Emmanuel Lamur are slated to become free agents, and Vontaze Burfict is suspended for the first three games.
25. Pittsburgh – Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State: The Steelers selected Senquez Golson in the second round, but he’s a slot corner, leaving them still in desperate need at outside corner.
26. Seattle – Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State: The Seahawks need help in the offensive line and at corner, but Russell Wilson would love having Miller.
27. Green Bay – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor: General manager Ted Thompson has never taken a wide receiver in the first round, but with Jordy Nelson coming back from major knee surgery and the Packers ranking 25th in pass offense, they need one.
28. Kansas City – Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama – The Chiefs ranked seventh in total defense, but have a number of free agents they might not be able to keep.
29. Arizona – Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson: The Cardinals finished with only 35 sacks, leaving them in need of a pass-rusher.
30. Carolina – Vonn Bell, S, Ohio State: Roman Harper, 33, isn’t getting any younger.
31. Denver – Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Mississippi: Nkemdiche’s stock has fallen, so he could be a steal. The Broncos, who could lose Malik Jackson in free agency, weren’t afraid of Shane Ray’s red flags last year.
This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "With the No. 4 pick, the Dallas Cowboys select ...."