The Browns made a great number one overall selection last season and have made great moves. The team is now ready to compete for the AFC North title, what can they add to ensure this?
What They Have On Offense
The Cleveland Browns have finally turned into a competitive football team. They drafted their franchise quarterback last season in Baker Mayfield and he almost won Offensive Rookie of the year only starting part of the season. Nick Chubb was also added to the squad last season via the draft and he looks the part of the future running back of this team. To boot they added Kareem Hunt to the team and even though he is suspended for 8 games, we all know the impact he can make when on the field.
The Browns went and traded for Odell Beckham Jr. which was a great move. It will alleviate some of the stress that was put on Antonio Callaway last season to be the teams best outside receiver. Plus it adds one of the best receivers in the game to the squad. Also at receiver the Browns employ Jarvis Landry who can now go back to playing out of the slot full-time. David Njoku is an up and coming name at the tight end position and showed a great rapport with Mayfield.
What they could use on offense is some help on the offensive line. Future hall of famer Joe Thomas retired and is probably saying "now they get good". But he is gone and that left a big hole on the line and it should be an area of focus.
What They Have On Defense
On the defensive side of the ball they have good players all over as well. Not only did the Browns snake Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants but they also fleeced David Gettleman for Olivier Vernon who can now move back to defensive end. On the other side of Vernon they have an elite pass rusher and former number one overall pick in Myles Garrett. throw Larry Ogunjobi in the middle and this line is stout.
They could use a little depth at linebacker but still employ Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert, two solid linebackers. At safety they just traded Emmanuel Ogbah for Chiefs former safety Eric Murray and also have Damarious Randall. With yet another early pick the team nailed was Denzel Ward as last season he displayed lock down corner potential.
The team is ready to compete and this draft is more luxury and can go best player available. Now when I started doing this mock draft series I had already done the Giants before Beckham was traded. So without further ado I will start with the trade.
Round 1, Pick #17Â Trade: The Browns trade Jabrill Peppers, 2019 1st round pick (#17) and 2019 3rd round pick (#95) for Odell Beckham Jr.
Giants Selection at #17:Â Â Brian Burns, Edge- Florida St.
Round 2 Pick #49Â Amani Oruwariye, Cornerback- Penn St.
Amani Oruwariye has all the makings of becoming a lock down corner. He measures at 6'2 and 205 Lbs. while running a 4.47 second 40 yard dash and 36.5 inch vertical. With his 205 Lb. frame he is very strong and beats receivers up at the line in press coverage. His height also allows him to high point throws very well and his physicality helps him to win most of those throws.
The last two seasons of Oruwariye's collegiate career were his best and where he received the most playing time. During that time he totaled 78 tackles, 18 passes defended and seven interceptions. The Browns have a lock down corner on one side of the field in Denzel Ward. On the opposite side they employ Terrance Mitchell at the moment who has played admirably but was injured much of last season. Oruwariye can come in and compete for the number two corner job right away and has the skill to win it.
Round 3, Pick #81Â L.J. Collier, Defensive Line- TCU
L.J. Collier really shined during his Senior year at TCU. He totaled 42 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, six sacks and four passes defended. Collier is used best at 4-3 defensive end but carries size, 283Lbs., to where he can make a move in the middle. Collier is a very strong lineman and is incredibly powerful at the point of attack. He plays a very rugged style of football and I think a move to the interior would be fine for him as most of his rush moves are power moves.
Larry Ogunjobi is the other starting defensive tackle for the Browns and adding Collier to wreak pass rushing havoc to opposing quarterbacks. A front four including strong edge rushers with a multitude of moves in Olivier Vernon and Myles Garrett, and violent tackles in the middle in Ogunjobi and Collier should make teams very afraid.
Round 4, Pick #120Â Isaiah Prince, Offensive Tackle- Ohio St.
After Joe Thomas retired from football we all knew he could never be replaced, he is a first ballot hall of famer. The Browns are tasked now though with finding his replacement as they were not able to last year. Here in the fourth round they find a big friend and powerful tackle. He may not be the best but his pass protection has improved every year showing growth. So much growth that he made Third Team All Big 12.
If Prince can continue to use his arm length to win his pass sets and work on his leverage a bit he can be an easy starter at tackle. He has surprisingly good foot movement for a man his size and moves along the line well and kicks out during screen plays. This would be a smart pick for the Browns at this point in the draft.
Round 5, Pick #145Â Isaiah Johnson Jr., Cornerback- Houston
Here is another pick that I love for the Browns. Johnson is a former wide receiver turned corner after two failed years only to excel on the defensive side of the ball. In his two seasons as a cornerback Johnson tallied 111 tackles, 12 passes defended and four interceptions in 22 games. He is yet another imposing cornerback measuring in at 6'2 and 208 Lbs. and runs a 4.40 40 yard dash.
Johnson has great hip movement and quick twitch ability and has all the traits to be a great press corner. If he can find coaches who are willing to continue to train him, only two seasons at cornerback, he could blossom into a legit starting corner in this league...and a good one at that.
Round 5, Pick #156Â Marvell Tell III, Safety USC
Marvell Tell III is a very athletic specimen and if you want to watch tape than watch his Junior season. During his Junior season he totaled 85 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, two passes defended, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown. Tell has great agility and reacts very well on throws and can become a solid safety in the league.
Tell did not run the 40 yard dash at the combine but he did post a 42 inch vertical in which was the top of his class. He also posted a 6.63 second 3-cone drill which was second among all participants and a 136 inch broad jump which was fourth total at the combine and number one among safeties. With having only Eric Murray to beat out right now, Tell does have a path to snaps.
Round 5, Pick #171Â Christian Rector, Defensive Line- USC
Christian Rector was quite the disruptive force at USC during his two full seasons. He totaled 83 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss, 12 sacks, three passes defended, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. That shows that just about 25% of all his tackles happen behind the line of scrimmage.
Rector mainly uses the bull rush as his go-to pass rush move. This is why I have him moving inside as he does not have quite the athleticism to win on the outside. What he does have is a strong punch, and short quickness and attacks gaps well in both pass and run defense. Rector will not start but can provide depth at a thin position for the Browns.
Round 6, Pick #191Â Jahlani Tavai, Linebacker- Hawaii
Tavai is a very safe pick at this point in the draft and the Browns could use another linebacker with Jamie Collins still not resigned. He is not the most explosive player but plays with a super high motor and reckless abandonment. Tavai has a powerful 250 Lb. frame which is ready to take on any player at the next level.
Though his production was against lower level talent, you cannot take away the fact he averaged almost 10 tackles a game over a three-year span. In that time he totaled 334 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks, five passes defended, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 34 games. During that time he included two seasons over 120 tackles. He is definitely worth a draft pick.
Round 7, Pick #223Â Anthony Ratliff-Williams, Wide Receiver- North Carolina
Anthony Ratliff-Williams is a 6'1 200 Lbs. receiver out of North Carolina. If you pay attention to his tape at all you will see a weird combination of highlight reel grabs in traffic mixed with concentration drops. Those drops are what cause him to fall here. He has the size, speed, and route running ability of a mid round pick. If he can negate those drops he could turn into a quality number three or four receiver.
Summary
The Browns make the most of their first round pick by trading for one of the leagues best receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. Then with their second pick they draft a large and productive corner, Armani Onruwariye, to play opposite of Denzel Ward. In the third round they grab L.J. Collier out of TCU to come in and bull rush his way into backfields alongside Larry Ogunjobi.
For their fourth round selection the Browns grab an always improving offensive tackle in Isaiah Prince. With the first of three fifth round picks the Browns grab another Isaiah, this one Isaiah Johnson a receiver converted to cornerback Houston. They continue is the secondary with their second fifth round pick by selecting the highly athletic safety Marvell Tell III out of USC. With their final fifth round selection the Browns double down from USC by grabbing interior defensive lineman Christian Rector to add depth to a thin position for the Browns.
In the sixth round the Browns grab one of my favorite selections in Jahlani Tavai out of Hawaii. He is a fearless linebacker with a motor that any coach would love. He has the opportunity to play some snaps on this defense. Last but not least they grab Anthony Ratliff-Williams out of North Carolina in hopes he can cure his drop issues and be a deep threat for the Browns.
Follow me on Twitter @JoeyTheToothIDP and @IDPGuys. Keep an eye out for the rest of my 7 round mock drafts as I move on the pick 18 next and will have every selection done before the draft. Remember...the Tooth has the taste for IDP.
