The Cleveland Browns believe Baker Mayfield is the solution to their decades-long quarterback issues. Who is Oklahoma's solution to replacing Baker Mayfield?
Mayfield is gone after a superb college career culminated in the Heisman Trophy, College Football Playoff appearance and No. 1 selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. Saquon Barkley is also gone, as are Sam Darnold, Bradley Chubb and other college football household names who were chosen in the top 10.
MORE: SEC May Also Dominate 2019 Draft
Here are the projected replacements for those players and the other top-10 picks.
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1. Baker Mayfield, QB – Oklahoma
Replacement: Kyler Murray
While both Lincoln Riley and Kyler Murray himself have said the redshirt junior quarterback will not be handed the starting job, it's headed that direction.
Murray, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound dual-sport athlete who began his career at Texas A&M, has just 21 pass attempts over the last three years. He's competing against redshirt sophomore Austin Kendall.
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2. Saquon Barkley, RB – Penn State
Replacement: Miles Sanders
It's never easy to lose one of the most gifted running backs in college football history but a guy like Miles Sanders can soften the blow.
Sanders, a 5-foot-11, 211-pound former five-star recruit from Pennsylvania, had only 64 offensive touches as he waited behind Saquon Barkley for two years. He's averaging 6.7 yards per tote in his career and added more than 20 pounds over the offseason.
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3. Sam Darnold, QB – USC
Replacement: Matt Fink or Jack Sears
Not often over the last couple decades has USC entered the summer with an unsettled quarterback situation. That's the case this year as redshirt sophomore Matt Fink and redshirt freshman Jack Sears remain locked in a battle to replace Sam Darnold.
At the end of spring practice, Clay Helton did say he expects incoming freshman J.T. Daniels, a former five-star 2019 recruit who is enrolling this summer, to also compete for the job, though it appears Fink or Sears are still the front-runners.
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4. Denzel Ward, CB – Ohio State
Replacement: Kendall Sheffield and Damon Arnette
Denzel Ward became the fifth Ohio State defensive back chosen in the first round in the last three years. Next up.
Next up are two players in a talent-rich secondary, sophomore Kendall Sheffield and redshirt sophomore Damon Arnette. Both are about 6-foot, 190 pounds and finished the season strong after rocky starts.
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5. Bradley Chubb, DE – North Carolina State
Replacement: Darian Roseboro
Four defensive linemen were among the Wolfpack's seven total draft picks but though the exodus hurts the front four, they have some experience up front, particularly on the edges.
Darian Rosenboro, who could've been a fifth lineman selected, ranked fourth on the team with seven tackles for loss and fifth with 2.5 sacks. He's bigger than Chubb and won't fill the exact same role but will be their primary source of pressure.
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6. Quenton Nelson, G – Notre Dame
Replacement: Alex Bars
Notre Dame is expected to continue tinkering with offensive line combinations throughout the summer and potentially into fall camp.
Alex Bars began his career inside, moved to tackle for 2016 (started 12 games) and missed last year with an injury. He is now back inside with the departure of Nelson and though he could either move to the right side or be swapped out in favor of other combinations, he's the safest bet to start at left guard in Week 1.
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7. Josh Allen, QB – Wyoming
Replacement: Nick Smith
Nick Smith started two games as a redshirt freshman in 2015 but was relegated to backup duty the last two years. He's now a fifth-year senior and was listed atop Wyoming's post-spring depth chart.
Smith is a 6-foot-4, 225-pounder who struggled as a freshman and in limited action last year but he's holding off redshirt freshman Tyler Vander Waal, another big (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) passer.
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8. Roquan Smith, LB – Georgia
Replacement: Juwan Taylor
Roquan Smith and his 137 tackles and 14 tackles for loss from 2017 are gone, leaving senior Juwan Taylor to fill the massive hole.
Taylor is a 6-foot-1, 218-pound former three-star recruit with just 17 career tackles as he waited behind players like Smith and Lorenzo Carter.
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9. Mike McGlinchey, OT – Notre Dame
Replacement: Liam Eichenberg
Liam Eichenberg gets to follow in the footsteps of not only Mike McGlinchey but also Ronnie Stanley and Zack Martin.
Eichenberg not only unexpectedly vaulted to the top of the depth chart during spring practice but did so at a position he had little experience playing. Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Chip Long lauded the 6-foot-6, 308-pounder throughout the spring.
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10. Josh Rosen, QB – UCLA
Replacement: Austin Burton
This is the least confident projection among top-10 replacements.
Austin Burton is one of a billion quarterbacks competing for UCLA's starting job. He redshirted as a freshman in 2017 and didn't appear to be a strong candidate for the starting job until late in the spring game. That's when he became the best quarterback on the field.
