The Odell Beckham trade rumors should have the Cleveland Browns thinking receiver early

The Browns may want to wait until the second round to get that left tackle, as the Odell Beckham trade rumors have made the NFL draft interesting.

The Cleveland Browns may want to hold off on penciling Andrew Thomas or Mekhi Becton at number ten in the NFL Draft with the recent news of Odell Beckham Jr. maybe wanting out of town. Should that rumor carry any weight and Beckham does wan out of Cleveland, the Browns have to think about taking a wide receiver at ten. While this may be a complete 180 from where the team was a week ago in mock drafts, the facts remain that the team got better at pass-blocking this off-season with the addition of Austin Hooper, Jack Conklin, and Andy Janovich. Sure, the line still needs some help, but if you can nab an Ezra Cleveland at the top of the second round and a guard in the third, then you’re all set.

Trent Williams could also be had for a second-round pick.

There’s a lot of linemen in this draft that should make Pro Bowls if they pan out. There aren’t as many exciting wide receivers. Sure, there are better odds on a guy in the sixth round being the best receiver in this draft instead of a top-ten overall pick but that doesn’t mean you dismiss the idea of drafting one. The odds of finding that diamond in the rough are low, and the Browns and fellow NFL teams have a better shot at scoring a stud selection earlier in the draft.

So a guy like CeeDee Lamb, if he’s still there at the tenth pick, should absolutely be in play for the Browns regardless of Beckham’s status on the team at that point. Beckham’s all but out the door, and a player like Lamb, or another top receiver prospect, could be the perfect complement to Jarvis Landry. Something Beckham wasn’t in his lone season playing alongside his best friend.

This may upset some fans, as everyone was dead set on getting one of the “four best” offensive tackles but as pointed out by others as well; the lack of a clear cut best player among the four means that none of these players are a lock to be any good. Joe Thomas, former Browns great, didn’t have competition. It was him, and then everyone else.

That just isn’t the case in 2020. The best tackle could very well be Boise State’s Cleveland, or some later round prospect. The four men ahead of Cleveland and others are mostly guys who are being touted for their size, but not much else. So there’s no guarantee that they pan out. There’s no guarantee that Lamb pans out too, but that’s the problem with drafting players; you never know who’s going to be the guy you should’ve drafted until years later.

I’m not advocating for the Browns to take a wideout over a tackle, I’m merely suggesting to not dismiss the idea with the rumor of Beckham being on the move now gaining steam.