If I had my way, this is what the Cleveland Browns draft would look like.
In a perfect world, this is how the 2022 NFL Draft would go. That’s what I want everyone to remember. This isn’t a draft of what the team will do, but if the Lords of the Pigskin and Gods of the Gridiron could agree to give the Browns the perfect draft possible, for the picks they already have, this is what it should look like.
Keep this in mind, I don’t care what the experts are going to say about what the team needs. Not every position is fixed in the draft. Free agency and trades exist for a reason. I’m most interested in getting the best prospects possible, regardless of position.
If they’re a good enough prospect, they can play out of position (to a degree). After all, they grew up playing multiple positions anyway, it’s something ingrained in football players. Adaptability, and the skills to excel.
The focus on the draft is two-fold; give the Browns some mobility on the edge offensively by getting a few receivers, and strengthen the defense. The Browns losing MJ Stewart was a huge loss, especially considering how bad the remaining safeties played in 2021.
Also, the Browns need to improve the defense without spending gobs of money on Jadeveon Clowney, who will only cost the Browns far more than he could ever actually produce. We’re planning for a long-term future with these picks.
The Browns can’t keep relying on big-star free agents anymore, not with the massive deals they just handed out. The Browns need to strengthen the pass rush significantly, while also keeping the secondary strong. That’s how this team is going to win games; by not letting anyone score.
There are talks that George Karlaftis falls hard in the draft, much like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fell last year. While this makes me giddy as Karlaftis is one of the best run-stoppers on the line of scrimmage and would in essence make Jadeveon Clowney an expendable name the team no longer needs to cater to, the problem is that Karlaftis is a Top 10 pick and to see him fall all the way to No. 44 is extremely unlikely.
Owusu-Koramoah was a borderline first-round pick, at best, in 2021. In fact, many mocks who had him going in the first round, had him going to the Browns at No. 26. He ended up falling, ironically enough, 26 picks to No. 52 when the Browns got him.
In order for that kind of fall to happen, Karalftis would have to fall 34-odd spots to the Browns. I’ve seen some mocks take him as high as No. 2 to the Detroit Lions or as low as No. 31 to the Cincinnati Bengals. I just don’t see him falling all the way to No. 44. The Browns could trade up to get him if he does fall far enough so that exists as a possibility.
If some of the rumors in the media are true, and Karaliftis somehow falls out of the first, Andrew Berry will jump on the Greek like a kid on a donut.
Yeah, I’m going full-on with the “Leo Chenal in Cleveland” propaganda. Ideally, the Browns landing George Karlaftis and then Chenal would be a godsend. Karlaftis is not, at least right now, the edge rusher that someone like Aiden Hutchinson could be, but that’s where Chenal comes in. The Wisconsin byproduct is big enough to play defensive end but fast enough to play linebacker.
He’s a sure tackler and a solid coverage linebacker, but what he excels at is edge rushing. A four-some of Chenal, Karlaftis, Myles Garrett, and Chase Winovich may give the Browns their best pass-rushing defense since Clay Matthews was in Cleveland.
Garrett has always gotten his numbers, but the Browns‘ pass-rushing has always been awful as a team. They usually rank near the bottom of the league, even during Garrett’s tenure. It wasn’t just pass-rushing where the defensive edges failed, but in containment and tackles for a loss. So front-loading the defense will not only extend Garrett’s viability but will also help take some pressure off the defensive secondary, which they’re going to need help with, since losing MJ Stewart has opened up the back end a bit.
I have no issue going back to back edge pieces, and the fact they’re both Big 10 guys is just a bonus.
Part of me wanted to put Skyy Moore on this list but while I did everything I could to justify playing god, part of me had to be an honest God. Moore isn’t lasting past the first round anymore. At one point he was a third-round pick, but then he had to go run a 4.41 40-time, and now all of a sudden people are all over the Moore bandwagon.
Drake London, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson aren’t surviving this late either, so as much as I’d love to have them as well as my pick at No. 99, unfortunately, I’m just going to have to settle for Alec Pierce.
Alec Pierce is someone with remarkable measurables. He’s not just a tall option that can play the boundary or be a red zone option but he can legitimately stretch the field. He towers over corners at 6’4 and can keep up or outrun most with his 40-time, 4.41 and that will help the offense. With the Browns getting Amari Cooper, and Donovan Peoples-Jones still on the roster (for now), the Browns aren’t going to have world-beaters at the position but there are still talks of bringing back Jarvis Landry.
Landry made a big move, opting not to take a restructured contract and instead entered free agency where no one has shown a real interest in him. If the Browns get Landry back then they’ll have the size, speed, and credibility needed for fans to accept this corp.
Thomas Booker is listed as a defensive tackle in most mock drafts but he’s also played defensive end. He may be more of an ideal 3-4 defensive end, but Booker could also play very well in a re-made Browns front four. He’s a more slim tackle, but still tops 300 pounds, he just simply doesn’t look like it. At least against the more conventional tackles of yesteryear.
What makes him so interesting is that he’s extremely athletic as a tackle. He’s 6’3, 300lbs, and runs a sub-5.00-40-yard dash. He also went to Stanford, so you know he’s smart. He’s also versatile beyond his positional switching, as he played special teams in college and the Browns are always looking for good special teams players. While the economics major and honor society selection looks like a picture-perfect player to consider, he does have his issues.
Namely, while he’s a sure tackler, he isn’t known for getting great depth on the line of scrimmage, nor is he much of a big-time playmaker. He could probably compete with the Browns’ current staff of guys, sure, but in order to really make noise, he’s going to have to out-perform them.
Seeing the names on the list, however, it shouldn’t be that hard, one would think. He could be an instant contender for a starting position, or at the very least, a rotational guy.
The Browns need help in the secondary once again, this time, however not at a corner. The Browns have the best four-some of corners in the NFL with mega-million-dollar-man Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Greg Newsome, and Troy Hill. Yet, it’s at safety where they’re lacking. They had found a great piece in M.J. Stewart, who moved from corner to safety in 2021 and became a stud. While Stewart may never repeat the effectiveness of his 2021 season, he proved himself are a reliable cover option and a sure-fire tackler.
Without him, the Browns are stuck with Ronnie Harrison and John Johnson. Johnson played fine enough but took most of the year to settle in. A repeat performance could see the vaunted free agent signing of 2021 on the way out sooner rather than later. Regardless of the guys the Browns have, and the talent they may or may not be lacking, the team still needs depth.
That’s where Auburn safety Quindarious “Smoke” Monday comes in. Monday is a fast enough prospect, with a sub-4.5 40-yard dash, and is a sure-tackler but isn’t the big-time play-maker the Browns need to supplant Harrison and/or Johnson to start camp.
He’s a project player for sure, but he isn’t necessarily a waste of a spot. He may need time but there’s potential.
Tall, fast receivers are en vogue right now. At least in this mock draft. Tanner Conner is 6’3 and runs a blistering 4.37 40-yard-dash. The Browns need speed and speed is what they’re getting in Conner. There’s every chance he moves up beyond the seventh round, as his measurables are seriously unheard of, but most mocks still have him in the seventh so that means I get to snatch him up.
Conner is where he is because he played against the likes of Idaho, Portland State, Cal Poly, and Montana State. Made even worse by the fact that in the last three seasons, he’s only been in four games that Idaho State won.
In his college career, he went 4-21, but caught 122 receptions, for 2,203 yards and 15 touchdowns. If he played with a good quarterback and had a full 2020 season, he easily could’ve topped 4,000 yards while in college. He’s a victim of playing at a smaller school with less talent around him. Maybe he’s nothing more than a project with potential but what if he actually realizes that potential?
He could be someone worth keeping an eye on, and considering the depleted nature of the Browns’ receiving corp, Cleveland can’t afford to pass on a prospect with these measurables.
Speed is the name of the game in the modern-day NFL. I don’t care if we have four DEs at this point or five or six linebackers, Amare Barno runs a 4.36 40-yard dash, while standing 6’6, and weighing nearly 250lbs.
He’s athletic, quick, and dynamic, so not only is he a real option as a defensive end but as a linebacker, dare I say, at safety. He’s so dynamic of an athlete, I’m shocked, frankly shocked, that he’s this far down on the list. Sure, he’s a project, but why not take the gamble and see if he can’t transition from a project into a player?
You’re talking about the seventh round, the odds you’re missing out on something better is unlikely. Find a prospect that you can put some time and energy into and see if they turn out into something special.
Heck, why not try him at tight end? He’s big enough, faster than anyone on offense, and strong. Sure, maybe he can’t catch anything but a cold, but you don’t know until you try. If the Chargers could find a Hall of Famer on Kent State’s basketball team, why couldn’t the Browns find the next great player in the seventh round?