Cleveland Browns: OT prospect Mekhi Becton not a favorite of analytics

A name recently tied to the Cleveland Browns in recent mock drafts, wasn’t listed in PFF’s first “analytics” mock draft of the 2020 mock season.

Pro Football Focus released its “analytics” mock draft, the analytically oriented website has the Cleveland Browns picking Houston left tackle Josh Jones 10th overall.

Jones’ name may come as surprise to Browns’ fans following the mock draft season, as Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas, and more recently, Mekhi Becton, have been theusual suspects recently tied to Cleveland.

PFF has Jones going to Cleveland after a run on tackles, with Wirfs going sixth to the Chargers and Thomas to Jaguars with the ninth pick. Clemson playmaker Isaiah Simmons, who has fallen to the Browns in some mocks, went seventh to the Packers.

Here’s what PFF said about the Browns selection of Jones:

"“The run on tackles continues. Cleveland should have all the weapons to figure things out offensively if they can sustain a few blocks for more than a second. Jones gave up just four pressures all last season across 310 pass-blocking snaps for the Cougars.”"

Interestingly, the PFF analytics team doesn’t even have Becton going in the first round, calling the prospect a “serious project.

Instead of Becton, the mock has Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland as the next tackle off the board (22nd to the Bills), while Auburn’s Jack Driscoll and UCONN”s Matt Peart went 29th (Titans) and 30th (Packers), respectively.

PFF’s insight is intriguing when it comes to trying to predict what the Browns might do when they’re on the clock. When the first reign of analytics was ushered in under Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta, PFF was jokingly referred to as the “Browns’ Bible.”

Now that this is truly DePodesta’s show, one could surmise PFF may not be all that far off in its selections.

Wirfs has been my favorite, but he’s increasingly become the top tackle off the board–and not just in the PFF mock. During most of the in-season mocks, Thomas was the consensus top tackle. While Wirfs has passed Thomas in the eyes of some prognosticators, he’d be a fine second option.