Grading Dane Brugler’s 2021 Browns 7-round mock draft

Round 2, Pick 59: Payton Turner, EDGE, Houston

Grade: B

Upset the Browns didn’t go edge in the first round? Well, here you go. The Browns get a project to tinker with who won’t feel the pressure of being Reggie White on day one, all the while he was selected 59th, and not 26th.

It’s been written that Turner was under recruited coming out of high school, after suffering a knee injury his senior season.

In his final season with Houston, Turner battled hand hand injuries. He also missed time due to a positive Covid-19 test.

Payton’s versatility really makes him a contender for the Browns, as the Cougars moved him all over the defensive front. With his 6-foot-5, 268 frame, he looks like a prototypical edge rusher on a four-man front.

As as senior, Turner was named second-team, All-Athletic Conference after he totaled 25 tackles, five sacks, and 10.5 tackles for a loss. For his career, he only had 9.5 sacks, but 67 total pressures in 46 games spanning four years.

He needs some work, especially stopping the run, but that’s why you take a player like him here. Let him incubate on the roster, and use him as a rotational player if needed.

Otheredge rushers to go off the board just before the Browns pick: Wake Forest’s Carlos Basham (50) and Texas’ Joseph Ossai (53).